Any time there are awards, there are people who will be Loud Mad about the winners of those awards. And on Thursday, when some of the Associated Press NFL awards came out in advance of the NFL Honors show, that certainly happened.
One instance happened when Cleveland Browns edge-rusher Myles Garrett took home the AP Defensive Player of the Year award, which had one fan comparing stats between Garrett, Pittsburgh Steelers edge-rusher T.J. Watt, and Dallas Cowboys edge-rusher Micah Parsons. This individual had a real problem with the Garrett selection… but Garrett himself didn’t take issue at all.
Horrible take!! Myles was the better player!! Reality of the situation ! Myles Faced way more double teams and affect on qbs! Fans please stop looking at stats and look at film please!! https://t.co/neF8LwtfKk
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) February 9, 2024
Here’s what’s interesting, though — per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics, Garrett was double-teamed on 90 of his pass-rush snaps, and he totaled four sacks and 15 total pressures when he was doubled.
Parsons, on the other hand, faced double-teams on 117 of his pass-rushing snaps, and he compiled three sacks and 27 total pressures when he was doubled.
So, it was quite generous of Parsons to stand up for Garrett (spoiler: I’m an AP voter, and I voted for Parsons), and as far as making an impact with double-teams, Parsons was still The Man in 2023.
(fascinating discussion, though per @PFF, @MicahhParsons11 was doubled more in the 2023 season, and had more total pressures when doubled) https://t.co/1xdW3rpzsV pic.twitter.com/2KSKa5MD6o
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 9, 2024
Even presented with the numbers, Parsons was firm in his opinion, which you certainly have to respect.
Nah respectfully I feel like I had a great year but I’m not a sore loser either I just gotta work harder!! https://t.co/Jf9URGguxt
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) February 9, 2024