Houston Texans: Never question J.J. Watt’s value
Since it is the offseason, we get to engage in heated debates over questions such as, “Who is the best player in the NFL”? Unfortunately, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt‘s value has been called into question by a haphazard analyst nitpicking a certain NFL Network list.
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In each of the past two seasons, Houston Texans 27-year-old franchise icon J.J. Watt has been unreal, recording over 75 tackles with 20.5 and 17.5 sacks, respectively. Linebackers and safeties are known for filling up the stat sheet in every single category, but Watt has redefined greatness at his position by defending as many passes as several defensive backs in this league, in addition to breaking records with his sack totals.
Some mainstream analysts use “rings” as a common way to assess players, specifically quarterbacks. As long as the team’s supporting cast is adequate, using “wins” to measure QB play doesn’t lead you completely off the mark, even if it is a flawed approach.
Using wins and championships to rank quarterbacks is one thing, but there’s one man out there who applies this statistically dense approach to defensive players.
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Meet Michael Irvin, legendary wide receiver and three-time Super Bowl winner whom I, respectfully, disagree with here.
Irvin believes that Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, who is another one of the game’s best players, should be ranked ahead of Watt. While this assertion isn’t unfair in itself, the flawed logic he uses to back up his point is an insult to Watt.
He said, via the Houston Chronicle’s Greg Rajan, that the Panthers greater success is a key reason for Kuechly being a better player than Watt:
"“Whose fault is it? He’s the star of the team. If the Dallas Cowboys lose on my watch, it’s my fault. If you’re the baddest man on the team, you’ve got to take it both ways when it ain’t going right and you ain’t winning, that’s on you.”"
No, it isn’t, and my retort goes for both Irvin on the Cowboys (though he did win plenty of bling in his NFL career) and Watt on the Texans.
Isolating quarterback play can be difficult enough (check Andy Dalton‘s 2014 season vs. his 2015 season for a quick crash course on this subject), but trying to pinpoint a defensive player’s impact on a team is an entirely different beast. So how can you use wins and playoff success as your only parameters here?
One of Irvin’s points focuses on the number of plays Kuechly makes on defense, and while Kuechly is obviously an elite playmaker, how does Watt not qualify here? Aside from the work in the running game and copious pressures, Watt shows up on the stat sheet.
Last season, Watt had 76 tackles, 17.5 sacks, three fumbles forced, and eight passes defended. The year before, he had 78 tackles, 20.5 sacks, one pick-six, five fumbles recovered, four fumbles forced, and ten passes defended.
Yes, Kuechly will score more defensive touchdowns, but how easy is it for a defensive lineman to do the same? In 2015, 14 linebackers returned interceptions for touchdowns and just one defensive lineman (Derrick Shelby) accomplished this feat. You can go check my counting on Pro-Football Reference if you are so inclined.
The Panthers are so successful because they are a great team. Not only did they have the NFL’s MVP in Cam Newton, but their defense alone contained Charles Johnson, Kawann Short, Thomas Davis, Star Lotulelei, Kurt Coleman, and Josh Norman alongside Kuechly. Houston, on the other hand, only received big seasons from Johnathan Joseph and Whitney Mercilus. Vince Wilfork and Jadeveon Clowney get honorable mentions, but that’s really it.
Yet, the Texans did finish third in yards per game allowed and third in net yards per pass attempt allowed last season. They didn’t have a stacked defense, but they were among the league’s best against the pass. A noteworthy cornerback trio led by 22 passes defended from Joseph certainly helped, but it’s clear that they wouldn’t be a top-ten defense without Watt’s huge sacks and relentless motor.
The Panthers had a high-powered offense to match the plays they made on defense, as they were first in the NFL in points per game. Meanwhile, the Texans were 21st in scoring offense, further showing that a head-to-head comparison of team success is inherently unfair to Watt, who was one of the two biggest reasons (DeAndre Hopkins being the other) for the Texans winning their division.
Without Watt, the Texans would have been closer to the three-win Tennessee Titans in the AFC South’s basement. I mean, just look at their roster last year. Instead of an MVP QB like Cam, the Texans had nothing at the position. On offense, they averaged a lousy 3.7 yards per carry with no 700-yard rusher, and Nuk was the lone player with 50 receptions. Over on defense, Watt was first in sacks, second in tackles, first in fumbles forced, and fourth in PDs.
That’s not a team that is expected to win many games.
Now, with Brock Osweiler, Lamar Miller, and some promising rookie skill position players in the fold, a bigger season from Houston will be expected, even if the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars also became much stronger this offseason. Perhaps the Texans will make Irvin rethink things by winning more games, turning the legendary wide receiver’s words on themselves.
Even if that doesn’t happen, Watt’s value shouldn’t be put into question after his heroic performances last season, though any quibbling should have never existed, seeing as how the Texans won a franchise-record 12 games in his 21.5-sack, 16-swat breakout season in 2012.
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The fact that people try to use Houston’s wins to knock Watt- but never do the same for other defensive players around the league-down a few pegs speaks volumes about his greatness. Detractors have to try to treat him like a franchise quarterback in order to make their case, tacitly valuing him as highly as a franchise passer. Watt also makes less money per year (and don’t get started on guaranteed money) than 20 NFL signal-callers, which is a definition of “value” that the Texans probably like.