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Why Being A Defensive Player Will Cost J.J. Watt NFL MVP

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By @Brandon__Raper

J.J. Watt NFL MVP 2015

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There are few players in any sport whose mere name can strike fear in the hearts of their opponents. In the NFL of today, you might think of names like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, but just one name makes today’s high-priced and well-protected stars shake in their boots.

That name is J.J. Watt. Possibly the most explosive defensive presence since Lawrence Taylor, Watt is a prime candidate for the NFL MVP award, but playing on the wrong side of the ball will likely cost him the highest individual honor in the sport.

When the NFL Honors show is presented on Saturday, the night before Super Bowl XLIX, Watt will be present when the hardware is handed out, and certainly he will have received his fair share of votes, but in all likelihood, we’ll see Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers continue the streak of offensive players in the spotlight.

Watt not winning the MVP award, sadly, won’t be a surprise at all. However, if a defensive player is to ever win the award again, what will it take? Watt just enjoyed his second season with 20 or more sacks in a four-year career, had ten passes defensed, forced four fumbles, and scored five total touchdowns. He’s a force anywhere he goes on the field, but that may not be enough.

The last time a defensive player won the AP’s Most Valuable Player award was in 1986, when Taylor, a Hall of Famer in every sense, was honored for one of the all-time great seasons in the history of the game. He was an undeniable force, but this runs a bit deeper. In the 58 years that the award has been given, as many placekickers – one, Mark Moseley in 1982 – have won the award as defensive linemen (Alan Page in 1971).

Not even Jerry Rice, the greatest receiver ever to step foot on the field, could take the spotlight away from quarterbacks, who have won 37 times. His quarterbacks – Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Rich Gannon – combined for five themselves. No disrespect to any of those guys, but that predated today’s “all offense, all the time” NFL, and if a defensive player couldn’t break through then, nothing makes me think it can happen now.

Watt will, in all likelihood, run away with the Defensive Player of the Year award, and the best way justice could be served would be for him to share the honor with Rodgers, much like Steve McNair did with Manning back in 2003, or Barry Sanders with Brett Favre in 1997. However, I’m not holding my breath.

For now, Watt will just have to be satisfied knowing that while Rodgers may have the trophy, No. 99 is the last person that the MVP wants to look across the line and see on any given Sunday. Somehow, I think he’ll be okay with that.

Brandon Raper is the lead golf writer and an NFL contributor for Rant Sports. “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @Brandon__Raper, and join him on Google+.

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