NFL DPOY for

Garrett? Nah

To more than a few members of Browns Nation and the Cleveland media, it sure looks as though there are a large number of haters with regard to the exploits of Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.

After a five-tackle, 3.5-sack, five-quarterback-hits, umpteen-pressures masterpiece in the Tennessee victory last Sunday, the best Garrett could get in AFC defensive-player-of-the-week balloting was a "not-quite-good-enough."

The award went to Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard, who had seven tackles, two sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery. Which leads to the belief that as great as Garrett plays the game, he has no chance at best of pulling down the big award: NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

So what does he need to do to gain the attention of those who vote for these awards? Five sacks? A dozen quarterback hits? A couple of strip sacks and a touchdown in a Cleveland victory? Break out a cape with a big S at the end of the game? In the same game? Maybe that won't be good enough.

That's because he is penalized statistically by the position he plays. He is counted on to be a quarterback disturber, wreak havoc in opponents' backfields, make quarterbacks throw before they want. That's it. He is not versatile enough to impact or dictate the outcome of games like, for example, Pittsburgh's T. J. Watt.

Browns fans know very well how destructive the Steelers' outside linebacker can be. In 11 career games against Cleveland, Watt has 59 tackles, 16 sacks and always seems to come through with game-altering plays. The result: He is 9-1-1 against them.

Garrett and Watt entered the National Football League in 2017. So it's fair to draw comparisons. But when you compare their résumés, you realize it's not even close statistically as to who is the better player, but the player who is more impactful to his team.

In 87 career games, Garrett (6-4, 270 pounds) has a club-record 79 sacks, 271 overall tackles, 152 quarterback hits, 13 passes defensed, 14 forced fumbles, four fumbles recovered and one returned for a touchdown through the Tennessee victory last Sunday.

You also have to take into consideration he was suspended for the final six games of the 2019 season for bopping Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph on the head with the quarterback's helmet. They were 4-6 with him, 2-4 in his absence. No noticeable big difference.

Watt missed seven of the first games eight games last season with a torn pectoral muscle. The Steelers were 1-6 in those games, but were 8-2 when the 6-4, 250-pounder was healthy as they finished the season at 9-8 after beginning 2-6.

In 90 games, he has intercepted six passes, defensed 39 passes, forced 25 fumbles, recovered nine, returned one for a TD (in  week two against the Browns), and recorded 344 overall tackles, 174 quarterback hits and 83.5 sacks.

His 22.5 sacks in 2021 tied Michael Strahan's single-season record. He already has six this season, on pace for a record-shattering 34. He can be found anywhere on the field depending on the situation. He is as comfortable as a heat-seeking missile rushing the passer as he is dropping into pass coverage. 

He is arguably more important to the Steelers' success than Garrett is to the Browns' success. He is almost always near the football. Garrett is almost always near the quarterback. He does only one thing and does it well, but he is a one-trick pony.

They have two things in common. At their current pace, both are headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And neither has been to a Super Bowl title game. Garrett has the edge in the postseason. He is 1-1; Watt is winless in three games.

So who would you rather have on your team? From this angle, that's a no brainer. If Watt had been drafted by the Browns, I believe the fortunes of this franchise would have shifted 180 degrees and the last half dozen seasons would have been much more enjoyable and joyful.

They had two shots at selecting him in the opening round. After making Garrett the top overall pick, they chose instead to pass on Watt at #25 for safety Jabrill Peppers and at #29 for tight end David Njoku. The Steelers grabbed Watt immediately after Njoku fell off the board. The Cleveland GM? Sashi Brown. 

Peppers is still around, starting in the New England Patriots secondary after three seasons with the New York Giants. Njoku is in his seventh season with the Browns, still producing mediocre results. Watt, meanwhile, is a perennial Pro Bowler who seems to be getting better by the season.

And the Browns? Still trying to find the magic that made them one of the great franchises in the NFL the last half of the 20th century.