Voting for AP 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the YearT.J. No, they dont. Watt has 48 tackles on the season compared to Aarons 38. His eighth NFL season is no different, and despite being 30 years old, he's shown no signs of slowing. On film, T.J. Watt and Aaron Donald are not close, T.J. Watt is a generational talent, Aaron Donald plays like he belongs in the Reggie White, Mean Joe Green category of all-time greats. But that doesnt do your team any good. Making his success stand out even more than Donalds in a large way as the Rams defense that Donald is a part of is one of the more dominant defenses in the NFL year after year forcing offenses to take their focus away from Donald more often than they do to Watt. Parsons also seems to make the big plays in big moments. Betting markets have as a pretty strong favorite around 2:1 odds . This play Donald got a stat for. That is crazy. TJ will be collecting a ring in the near future. Journalism Position:Staffer T.J. Watt Was Robbed Of the NFL DPOY Award, Free and Easy-to-Use Mock Draft Simulator. This year TJ Watt deserved to be the DPOY. Full list of Mr. Irrelevants in NFL draft history: Is Brock Purdy already the best final pick? Sign up for the Rams Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Even though they play different positions their stats are still comparable. Taylor, unofficially -- sacks weren't an official statistic yet in 1981 -- finished with 9.5 sacks as a rookie. The stat comparison between Watt and Donald is close. Even though Watt defended his brother TJ's case in winning the Defensive Player of the Year, it is clear that Aaron Donald is still the best pass rusher in the NFL in the last few years. I thought he was more than deserving, Watt said, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It also doesnt help that T.J. Watt didnt produce in the playoff loss against the Browns, when the Steelers had their first game without a sack since the 2017 seasons playoff loss to Jacksonville. Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald won the 2020-21 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, making it his third DPOY victory. The Steelers have Bud Dupree to help take the pressure off Watt, which shouldn't be used against him. He was phenomenal from start to finish, first play to last play, just as always." He had the stats and ability to prove it, however, like most years the big names won the awards. The farther the player is to the right side of the graph the more often they were listed as being double teamed. Youll be just like your brother: Disappear in big games, hurt a lot and a stat padder. No disrespect to Aaron Donald, he is probably the best defender of the last decade and a certified first ballot Hall of Famer but this just wasn't the year to give him Defensive Player of the Year. The Center starts with a quick double on the other tackle then tries to pick up Donald but hes too late, Donald is already deep in the backfield by that point. Obviously for him just to consistently do what he's been doing, it's great to see. 2023 NFL Draft Grades: AFC West Were rounding out the AFC draft grades here with, On todays episode of the Vendetta Sports Media Daily Show, James Herrick and Jiarmani DePena, 2023 NFL Draft Grade: AFC South The AFC South feels like the most wide open, 2023 NFL Draft Grades: AFC North After hitting the AFC East, we now transition to, CONTENT 2018 2022 VENDETTA SPORTS MEDIA ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions, Former Pittsburgh Steeler Urges Ben Roethlisberger to Retire. After spending most of the 2020 season saying T.J. Watt didnt have a real shot to win the DPOY award, in week 13 I said he had a real shot. For his career, Aaron Donald has collected 24 forced fumbles and has gotten 160 tackles in the backfield. He's made 103 sacks of the quarterback and has tallied no interceptions throughout his career. That helps your team tremendously. If he wins the award, he and J.J. would make history as the first siblings to win DPOY. In a vacuum, Watt is having one of the best seasons -- if not the best -- of his career. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (CO/IL/IN/LA/MD/MI/NJ/OH/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500(VA). Latest on Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN Watt answered his own question by tying the single-season sack record with 22.5 of them in 2021. Look at the edge rusher double team rates and the defensive tackle double team rates. Now look at that same information for defensive tackles. But most of the time the winner is decided by statistics. If you look straight down from T.J. Watts name you will find Bud Dupree, who was double teamed more often than T.J. Watt according to Next Gen Stats data. -- Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Parsons' teammate, cornerback Trevon Diggs, New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, among others, are also in the DPOY conversation. T.J. Watt stepped up and produced when the Steelers were fighting to play one more game in 2019, in 2020 he didnt. Look at Aaron Donald on this graph. Without Watt's 3.5 sacks of Lamar Jackson and pressure on the failed 2-point conversion attempt, the Steelers don't beat the Ravens 20-19 on Dec. 5, to keep Pittsburgh relevant in the AFC North. Watt Heyward and Minkah wont be in their primes forever. An illustration of the Defensive Player of the Year trophy. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Good That Watt is happy with individual accolades because the Steelers arent winning anything for a long while, In 15 games and without Favre taking a dive, >>Im not huge on individual goals, but its tough for me not to want that when I saw my brother at the height of his career win it three times. Donald led defensive tackles in both double team rate, and pass rush win rate. Quickly compare stats, fantasy rankings and points to find out which player is a better option in your fantasy football league. T.J. Watt: Steelers 'weren't happy' with defense on 1st drive. Tracking fifth-year options for 2020 first-rounders: Which were picked up, and which were declined? Despite this being true, with Donald having a 70 percent double team percentage compared to Watts 15 percent, it does not tell the whole story. Quickly compare stats, fantasy rankings and points to find out which player is a better option in your fantasy football league . T.J. Watt led the NFL in sacks, quarterback hits, and in tackles for a loss in 2020, an impressive feat. Then last November, he got COVID-19 and was slowed the rest of the season. The NFL awards came and went Saturday night, and the most . frequently with multiple players looking to help. Season highlight: Donald dominated in a 30-23 win over the division-leading Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. He is effectively playing three different positions and is still one of the best in the league at all three. Will Levis opens up about emotional draft day. Sure, in 2020 Watt had 0.5 more sacks, 5 more . Coach Mike Tomlin likes to say Watt does things other players simply can't do. TJ Watt finished the 2020 season with 53 tackles, 41 QB hits, 15 sacks, and 23 tackles. T.J. Watts stats dropped off, especially QB hits, and none of them went up. Aaron Donald's one extremely great season can't even compete with Watt's top season of 2012, let alone the fact Watt had similar seasons in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2018. 1, Panthers' Bryce Young is all 'business now', Top picks Christian Gonzalez, Keion White reflect Patriots' ideal identity, Big takeaways from the NFL draft: A historic QB class, the rebuilt AFC South and new GMs thriving, NFL Nation sizes up all 259 draft selections, XFL semifinals: Defenders roll Sea Dragons, set up title showdown with Renegades. Parsons has surpassed that. First look at the X-Axis, bottom of the graph. Journalism Its not surprising that Watt won the award. Season highlight: As memorable as Sunday's scoop-and-score against the Ravens was, nothing tops Garrett's 4.5-sack performance against the Chicago Bears in Week 3. He has three forced fumbles and two pass deflections. He can play inside linebacker, strong-side linebacker and defensive end. But in 2019 Watt had 1 more interception, 6 more forced fumbles and 4 more recovered fumbles. Cookie Notice But there's a convincing argument to be made that Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt was deserved DPOY for the just-concluded NFL season. Season highlight: It's difficult to pick just one. Watt also has seasons with 65 59 and 57 tackles. Editor's note: Stats are from ESPN Stats & Information, Highest pass rush win rate (27.0%) among all qualified defenders this season (ESPN metric using NFL Next Gen Stats); has faced a double team on a league-high 277 pass rush plays, Second in the NFL with 47 first pressures, Leads all defensive linemen with 753 snaps played, Why Donald is a strong candidate to win the award: A three-time DPOY winner, Donald has proven to be a game-wrecker throughout his career. Garrett is second in the NFL with 15 sacks, trailing only Watt's 16, and pass rush win rate, trailing only Donald. I love watching him play & hes headed to the Hall of Fame without question. I love it. Donald, Taylor and Watt's older brother, J.J., are the only players to earn the distinction three times. -- Thiry Season highlight : Donald dominated in a 30-23 win over the division-leading Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. TJ Watt finished the 2020 season with 53 tackles, 41 QB hits, 15 sacks, and 23 tackles. Donald only bested Watt in one basic stat, forced fumbles. The Rams did this a lot, one rusher would just plow right into the bodies blocking Donald, and often that worked out well for the Rams. Ive talked in film rooms before about the Steelers blitzes and stunts and moving T.J. around and how a lot of the time one of the main payoffs is getting T.J. Watt a 1v1 matchup. I always thought to myself why cant I do that?. Last year, Aaron Donald left Steelers fans outraged after he won Defensive Player of the Year over T.J. Watt. The easy answer is numbers dont tell the full story, there is so much more to football than what statisticians record, and Im going to try and cover that here. Parsons plays for America's Team. #HereWeGo That's the most sacks over a player's first 10 games of a season since Reggie White had 17 in 1987. pic.twitter.com/JdoycD2nTi, Why Watt might fall short: For as many game-changing plays as Watt has made, he missed opportunities to enhance his rsum with the time missed. It makes absolutely no sense! This season, the Rams have allowed 22.5 points per game, which ranks 17th, while their efficiency ranks eighth. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald could conceivably win it every year given his dominance and the way he elevates players around him. Again this isnt entirely offensive strategy, the nature of the position often involves lining up between the guard and center, and usually both make contact with the defensive tackle at some point. This award is different. But there's a convincing . Donald makes heavy contact with three Cowboys blockers on this play, and it buys Prescott enough time to get the ball out. The award was won by the ever dominant Aaron Donald. Im not huge on individual goals, but its tough for me not to want that when I saw my brother at the height of his career win it three times. Did Pats make Mac Jones happy? So yes, T.J. Watts stats are better across the board than Aaron Donalds were, but as Steeler fans who remember how good Aaron Smith was, and how good Casey Hampton was, It shouldnt be hard to understand how playing on the interior line causes less impressive stats no matter how good the player is. Latest on Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald including complete game-by-game stats on ESPN The injuries to his groin, hip and knee have kept him out of multiple games. But . Parsons, meanwhile, is making a run at becoming the second rookie to be selected for the award. CHECK OUT OUR SHOP!DONATE ON PATREON! That stat does not even include when he does not rush, but merely sets the edge against teams with mobile QBs and strong rushing attacks. I mean, [defensive player of the year] is nice, but I want to be remembered for bringing some Super Bowls here. He beat guard Brandon Scherff to sack Taylor Heinicke, forcing a fumble that Dorance Armstrong returned for a touchdown, and on the next series he sacked Heinicke when Washington tried to have a running back block him. SUBSCRIBE! And, they are still in the thick of the AFC North race following the win over the division-leading Ravens. SINCE HE ENTERED THE LEAGUE IN 2019 TJ WATT LEADS IN: Its also one of the reasons the Steelers use Green Dog blitzes. He leads Donald in a majority of stats and he has less defensive weapons on his team. PERIOD! It was a special year for the Steeler outside linebacker, leading the NFL in all three of the most relevant stats for players who primarily rush, while also showing the ability to make plays in coverage. There has been a critical error on this website. This is a repeat of last year except this time it's not justified. -- Ben Roethlisberger, Caesars Sportsbook odds on winning: + 400, Aaron Donald, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt and the race for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Fantasy football rankings for 2023 season, 10 fantasy football breakout players for 2023, Broncos pick up Jeudy's 5th-year rookie option, Bills ink vet Murray after passing on RBs in draft, Source: Ravens decline LB Queen's 2024 option, LB Barrett's 2-year-old daughter drowns in pool, Deion 'ashamed' after only 1 HBCU player drafted, Sources: NFL eyes May 11 to release schedule, Cowboys scout emotional as team drafts his son, Rams use 'Mr. He hasn't done it on his own, but he is the engine of the defense. Donald has 10 sacks, which ranks 10th and is six behind Watt. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. THE BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE! Privacy Policy. "I think those are the money downs. -- Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, on if he saw anything different from Donald on film that enabled him to dominate the Cardinals. His tally for tackles sits at 449 of the solo variety and 137 assisted for a grand total of 586. His tackle totals sit at 312 of the solo variety and 178 assisted for a final total of 490. Congrats! But T.J. Watt doesnt drive the defense, teams dont worry about him the way they worry about and focus on Aaron Donald, and yet Aaron Donald still puts up great stats. Taylor played in the media mecca. But Donald isn't the only one trying to make history. Donald has also won it three times, in 2017, 2018, and 2020. On that play, Garrett also broke the Browns single-season record for sacks in a season, propelling him past Reggie Camp, who had 14 in 1984. Gambling Problem? Sure, in 2020 Watt had 0.5 more sacks, 5 more QB hits and 9 more tackles for a loss. DeMarcus Ware had 20 sacks in 2008, and he finished second to the Steelers' Harrison in the voting. The greats among the greats. Yes, Aaron Donald is the best pass rusher in the NFL. But if they lose to Las Vegas with a limited roster, the Browns' chances figure to be diminished significantly, especially with a trip to Green Bay on Christmas Day on deck. The context of having someone take your best receiver (and best weapon) completely out of the game caused me to accept Gilmore's win over Watt but with Donald I can't accept it as they both attempt to do the exact same thing (stop the run and rush the passer).
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