PFF's agenda against Steelers Pro Bowler T.J. Watt strikes again with top 50 NFL players rankings
For whatever reason, Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowler T.J. Watt has received a lot of criticism this offseason. But the national media outlet that seemingly is out to get Watt, would be Pro Football Focus, who through either their metrics or rankings, continue to discount what the former DPOY has accomplished. But their latest take on […]
For whatever reason, Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowler T.J. Watt has received a lot of criticism this offseason.
But the national media outlet that seemingly is out to get Watt, would be Pro Football Focus, who through either their metrics or rankings, continue to discount what the former DPOY has accomplished.
But their latest take on Watt may be their most egregious yet.
Watt outside of the top 10 NFL players in PFF's top 50 rankings
Not only did PFF rank Watt outside of the top five in terms of total defensive linemen as seen in the graphic, (which is laughable in its own right) but he was also ranked 14th overall among NFL players.
Some players generate more pressure than T.J. Watt or beat their blocker with greater frequency, but nobody has a better knack for making a big play at the right time. Watt led the league in sacks despite ranking 25th in pass-rush win rate, and we have enough evidence by now to see it is a repeatable skill. On top of the sacks, Watt also notched four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, an interception and a defensive touchdown. There may not be a better playmaker on the defensive side of the ball.
– Sam Monson, PFF
Perhaps you see the contradiction here. How can it be that: "There may not be a better playmaker on the defensive side of the ball," yet there are six other defenders raked ahead of Watt?
The best player on the Steelers has become polarizing not only among media and fans of other teams but even players around the league. Who can forget Micah Parsons leaving Watt off his top five pass rushers, citing the useless pass rush win rate metric that many use to argue against Watt?
But at its core, pass rushing is about one thing, getting to the QB. It's hard to argue that anyone does that better than Watt when healthy, as you can book 15+ sacks a season.
In fact, Watt has become so dominant of a sack artist, that should he surpass the 19-sack mark again in 2024, he will stand alone in NFL history, with a mark that could have him realized as quite possibly the best pass rusher the NFL has ever seen.
We'll see if PFF can figure out a way to discredit that as well.
Steelers starter just gave hundreds of other players an advantage heading into training camp
He helped a lot of guys with that one.
