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J.J. Watt Top 100 Win Clarifies MVP Bias Further

By Erik Lambert

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Sep 28, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) during the game against the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

All year long last season the buzz was growing that Houston Texans superstar defensive end J.J. Watt was building a case for becoming the first defender in the modern NFL era since Lawrence Taylor to win the coveted MVP award.  The numbers alone justified the idea.

  • 20.5 sacks (53.9% of total team production)
  • 4 forced fumbles
  • 10 passes defended (four more than the next d-lineman)
  • 1 interception
  • 1 safety
  • 3 touchdowns

There really isn’t much more a player can do in terms of dominance.  Watt played 93% of the total snaps on defense for Houston along with nine on offense and 74 on special teams.

That is why the rest of the NFL saw fit to vote him the #1 player in the league.

It marks the first time a defender has earned the honor and, whether anybody cares to talk about it or not further proves that the voting process for Most Valuable Player is slanted and biased towards offense, specifically quarterbacks.

Huffington Post writer Mike Beacon explained this in an article back in 2012.

"“Most would agree that the MVP should go to the player whose contributions have the greatest impact on the success of his team. But the MVP rarely fits this description. Instead, MVP voters tend to look at two things: (1) The league’s best teams, and (2) the quarterbacks and running backs on those teams.The MVP is too predictable, too easy. And it shouldn’t be. It should be a debate. It should be more subjective than objective. It should be less about numbers and wins, and more about improved records and opposing game plans. Quarterbacks always will be the favorites to win, but perhaps one day we’ll have a level playing field where other positions will at least receive consideration.”"

If anything made these statements overwhelmingly clear, it was other NFL players casting their votes to put J.J. Watt as the best among them all, over Aaron Rodgers who ended up beating him for the 2014 MVP.  Rodgers is a fantastic player, but last year wasn’t even the best season of his career.  His completion percentage was the lowest its been since 2009.  His 4,381 passing yards didn’t even rank him in the top 5 overall and he fumbled the ball 10 times over the course of the season.  The year was good but not all that otherworldly, unlike what Watt accomplished.

Perhaps one day all positions will get a fair crack at Most Valuable Player.  Either that or just scrap the award altogether, leaving just the offensive and defensive players of the year.  Then this clear breach of justice could be left to history.

Next: NFL Power Rankings: Top 10 Players Teams Can't Afford To Lose

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