NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Why It Is Absurd Charles Woodson Got a Vote

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs won the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award last night, edging out Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Jared Allen by seven votes. While several other players earned votes, one stood out to me as a little ridiculous. 

Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson is arguably one of the best to ever play the position in the NFL. That said, he had no business getting a vote for Defensive Player of the Year this season.

Woodson finished the 2011 season tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions. He also had 74 tackles, two sacks, 17 passes defended and a touchdown. That sounds like an excellent year, but a deeper look at the numbers tells a different story.

The Michigan product opened the season on fire, snagging five interceptions in the team's first seven games. But after that he tapered off considerably as Green Bay's defense was repeatedly torched by opponents. 

By the end of the regular season, the Packers had the NFL's worst defense, a unit that surrendered 411.6 yards per game. Green Bay also boasted the league's worst pass defense, allowing 299.8 yards per game through the air. 

I'm sorry, but no one on the league's worst defense should be considered a viable candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.

No matter how good a defensive performance Woodson turned in early in the season, he was repeatedly beaten by opposing receivers as the year went on. And honestly, we should have expected that—he's 35 years old and was in his 14th NFL season. He's a step slow, and while he still has fantastic instincts, he just can't keep up with younger, faster wideouts. 

Woodson is one of the best cornerbacks in NFL history, and I believe he will end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But whoever gave him a vote for Defensive Player of the Year this season is clearly delusional.