J.J. Watt has stayed relatively quiet about brother T.J. Watt not winning 2023 Defensive Player of the Year. Aside from a tweet expressing disappointment that Watt lost out to Myles Garrett, he hasn’t shared much commentary. He kept that same approach in a Wednesday conversation on the Pat McAfee Show about Micah Parsons’ criticism of T.J., saying he wasn’t a top-five pass rusher.
While J.J. Watt said little, his body language did the talking.
“I think the Internet handled that properly,” Watt told the show. “I think it was handled appropriately. That’s what we’re dealing with, man. That’s what we’re dealing with.”
On radio row in the leadup to Sunday’s Super Bowl, Parsons said the numbers indicate Watt isn’t in the top five.
“I mean, look at the stats, like that’s one thing. Stats don’t lie,” Parsons told CBS Sports’ Zac Gelb. “I think he might’ve been fifth or sixth. Alex Highsmith I think had a better pass rate and a more double-team rate than T.J. Watt.”
Steelers Twitter fired back at Parsons for his take, leading to another debate of Garrett vs. Watt and analytics vs. tape. It’s not the first or the last time that’ll happen.
Advanced analytics played one role in Garrett getting the nod over Watt (and Parsons, who finished third in the voting). Metrics like pass-rush win rate were in Garrett’s favor and while it’s unlikely all 50 voters combed through the data line-by-line, Pro Football Focus’ reach and influence touting Garrett certainly swayed things.
Of course, the “conventional” stats fall in Watt’s favor. More sacks, more QB hits, more tackles for a loss, more QB pressures, more interceptions, more tackles, and more pass deflections, Watt paced the rest of the group. It led J.J. to throw the “stats” comment back at Parsons.
“And the stats. But not the stats. And the stats. But definitely not the stats. But look at the stats,” he said with a laugh.
Watt’s point being, Parsons was selective in what stats he chose to focus on.
Ultimately, Garrett took home the award in a close race. He edged Watt by four first-place votes and 25 total points, making for one of the closer races in recent DPOY history. Garrett is a fantastic player, and the analytics discussion should be treated with more nuance than it is. That’s unlikely to occur. What you can bet on is the debating existing for the next five years and probably longer than that when Watt and Garrett’s entire careers are judged in an attempt to answer the question of who was the better player, even if both will end up in the Hall of Fame someday.
