Defensive Player of the Year: on the field, not off the field, Admiral Smoot.
Jason Taylor says, and a lot of people agree, that if you get busted for using performance-enhancing drugs that you forfeit your right to be considered for any postseason awards because, y’know… you cheated. Shawne Merriman got 16 sacks on steroids, so who knows how many sacks he would have gotten if he wasn’t on the Romanowski/Bonds diet. Shawne Merriman says that he’s done his time, paid his fine, sat out his suspension, and still has 16 sacks in 11 games and thus, should be treated with the respect that he’s earned on the playing field.
If this were a sacking competition, you’d have to give the award to Shawne Merriman, based on force of numbers alone. However, Defensive POY is more than just how many times you can hit the quarterback, otherwise Dallas’ scout team would all be in the Pro Bowl for the millions of hits they’ve put on Drew Bledsoe in practice this year. There are many other factors to be considered, so let’s go inside the numbers and examine the roles each player plays within his defense.
Jason Taylor: A consummate professional in his 10th year in the league, Jason Taylor has been consistently excellent as a starter at right end, matching up with the best tackle on the other team’s offensive line night in and night out. Playing in a traditional 4 3, the defensive end is the most important position in the front seven, as he’s the guy who has to get to the quarterback and create havoc on the line of scrimmage while still hopefully being able to take pressure off the linebackers. Taylor has put up gaudy sack numbers before, and has recorded a high amount of tackles this season for someone in his position in his system.
The Numbers on Jason Taylor (15 games): 58 tackles (38 solo), 13.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions (2 touchdowns), and a block.
Shawne Merriman: The 2005 Rookie of the Year, Shawne Merriman was on a tear through the first 8 weeks of the season. Had he continued at that pace with no controversy, this wouldn’t even be a discussion. Then he got tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, and that’s cast a Bonds sized shadow over his accomplishments this year AND last year’s ROY. Playing weakside linebacker in a 3 4 defense means that Merriman is free to read and react the defense. Sometimes he has to drop back in pass coverage. Most of the time, he’s going straight for the ball and whoever happens to be carrying the ball at that point in time, which allows him to use his athleticism to his advantage.
The Numbers on Shawne Merriman (11 games): 55 tackles (44 solo), 16 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 interception.
Given the difference in position, this is a difficult comparison to make for most people. However, if one of the duties of the weakside linebacker is to drop into pass coverage on occasion, how come a defensive end (who should drop back only once or twice a game to cover a tight end) has more interceptions and more touchdowns? One would assume that Merriman, being a linebacker in a 3-4, would rack up more tackles since he doesn’t have to fight with the left tackle all game long and possibly pick up more sacks, depending on the quality of the line-distracting ends (defensive ends fill the traditional ‘big fat guy who is hard to move out of the way’ role filled by defensive tackles in the 4-3, with the addition of the nose tackle, AKA ‘the fattest guy on the field’). Merriman has more freedom to pick his spots and routes, while Taylor still has to focus on the rushing scheme, so as to not leave a gigantic hole where he should’ve been to stop the run.
The Player of the Year is the guy who makes the most difference in the games over the course of your team’s season. While Merriman has more tackles and sacks, he’s also forced less fumbles, had less interceptions (than a defensive end!), gotten less blocks, and scored less touchdowns. There’s also the issue of Merriman missing a full quarter of the season.
If Shawne Merriman had been hurt and missed four games, I don’t think we’d be having this discussion, but since he was suspended, we’re having it. I don’t care what you do for the 12 games you show up for, you still weren’t there for 4 games that your team needed you to be involved in. Jason Taylor has played a full season and been available for every down; Shawne Merriman not so much.
You had a good season, Shawne. Let’s see if you can do it again next year while not taking steroids for half the season, okay? Then you can bitch about not being considered for trophies.
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