Minkah Fitzpatrick: Steelers’ T.J. Watt deserves defensive player of year, ‘robbed’ of it in past
T.J. Watt is on pace to break the NFL’s all-time season sacks record, despite missing two full games and more than a half of two others.
A recent former NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate believes Watt should win the AP-voted award for his efforts this season.
“He’s definitely deserving of the DPOY award,” Minkah Fitzpatrick said during a video conference call with media Monday. “He’s been robbed of that the past two years, so hopefully he can get that this year.”
Watt was finalist for DPOY after the 2019 and ’20 seasons, the former in which Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Fitzpatrick also was a strong candidate. But the New England Patriots’ Stephon Gilmore won it in 2019, and the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald was the winning vote-getter last season.
Watt, though, already has surpassed his career high in sacks with 16 through 10 games, including a career-high 3½ during Sunday’s 20-19 win against the Baltimore Ravens after a week in which he did not practice and was isolated at his home because of a positive covid-19 test.
Watt deserved some rest after his week — and after squeezing out of his body 31⁄2 sacks, six quarterback hits, a forced fumble and an effort that altered the pass that ultimately decided the game.
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“That’s what he does, man,” Fitzpatrick said. “He’s a game-breaker, a guy who’s gonna go out there and cause havoc. I think just the energy that he plays with, the passion that he plays with, I don’t want to call it anger but when he’s out there he’s angry, and that just inspires everybody out there to play at that same level, whether we are up, whether we are down, TJ’s gonna be consistent in the way he’s moving out there on the field.”
Said coach Mike Tomlin of Watt: “He’s unique (in) a collection of unique people. But his production and output is unique, so we shouldn’t be surprised that his method or his process is unique. His level of effort, his attention to detail, his intensity, all are unique.”
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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