If Patriots coach Bill Belichick had a vote for the defensive player of the year award, Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt would get it.
“He looks like the defensive player of the year to me,” Belichick said of Watt, via CSNHouston.com. “He’s been so productive and so disruptive. It’s not just the pass rush. It’s the batted balls, it’s the tackles for loss, the blocking that he draws, it helps everybody else out. He’s been a terrific player for them in a lot of different ways.”
Belichick said Watt is a great athlete like Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, and that Watt has no weaknesses, in any phases of the game.
“He’s the most disruptive player in the league,” Belichick said. “He’s really pretty good at everything. He’s got great quickness and length and instincts.”
Belichick also praised Texans defensive end Antonio Smith, saying the way he complements Watt reminds Belichick of the way Carl Banks complemented Lawrence Taylor on the Giants in the 1980s. That’s high praise indeed.