A big deal was made out of JuJu Smith-Schuster receiving the Steelers' MVP vote in 2018 and how it related to the team's succeeding fallout with Antonio Brown. But what if another young star from the Steelers' 2017 draft class won team MVP this season?
I'm calling my shot: That player will be T.J. Watt. After a good start with seven sacks in 2017 and almost doubling that with 13 sacks in 2018, Watt looks to be on the verge of becoming a superstar. I've followed his trajectory closely, and here's my case for him being team MVP this season:
For context, remember that no defensive player has won the Steelers' MVP since Troy Polamalu in 2010. It's no coincidence that the past two times a defensive player won MVP, the Steelers made the Super Bowl (James Harrison, 2008), and the past three years they've made the Super Bowl, a defensive player was at least named co-MVP (Casey Hampton and Hines Ward, 2005).
That's why it would be a big deal if Watt could pull this off, and it would be a good omen for the Steelers' season. Watt's shown a steady climb in his skills and production.
When the Steelers drafted Watt, I noted his biggest challenge would be to develop a mix of pass rush moves because he really had a limited range of moves at Wisconsin, but often won because of his athleticism. In his first training camp, I wrote about how he struggled with that challenge. And in his first two seasons, I've focused on how he's learned quickly, benefited from a side switch, and was the team's best linebacker in 2018.
Now, Watt is ready with multiple tricks in his bag to beat offensive tackles. His best move, and my personal favorite to watch, is what I call his "Watt swat." Typically an edge rusher looks to engage and disengage with an offensive tackle to get around the line and sack the quarterback.
The textbook method for tackles to keep rushers at bay is to use their long arms to keep them controlled at a distance. Watt's swat targets the hands of blockers with an accurate and powerful chop that prevents them from ever getting their hands to his inside frame, allowing him to get favorable position in his rush. It's not a unique move to Watt, but the accuracy and success he has with it makes it special.
Watch his inside hand and how he prevents the right tackle from ever getting his hands set on Watt, clearing a path to the quarterback:
It seems simple, but when you're firing off the line and huge tackles put out their long and powerful arms, it's not easy. Plenty of Watt's sacks included a variation of his swat, which is why it's a big part of his arsenal and something Steelers fans should watch for in 2019.
But he needed to develop a diverse mix of edge moves. And he has that now with different approaches that play off each other. Watch how he employs a rip move to sack Drew Brees. Instead of the swat coming downward, when the tackle meets him he uses a textbook rip move to come under his hands and allows him to keep his momentum:
Watt doesn't just have different moves, he's become very good at them. My biggest question for Watt in 2018 was whether he'd have a sophomore slump, but he didn't. He continues to grow in how he uses different moves while also playing well within the Steelers' scheme.
For Watt's 2019 to be amazing, he doesn't need to make the kind of leap he did from 2017 to 2018. He just has to become more consistent at how he wins edge matchups. Almost half of his sacks (6) came in two games against the Browns and Falcons where he recorded three sacks in both games. If Watt can produce at a steadier pace and finish the season with 16 or more sacks, he will have a major case for team MVP.
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