NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aftermath: Woodson vs. Revis

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You can't be all that surprised that Green Bay Packer vet Charles Woodson won the DPOY award today. Nor should anyone be surprised that supporters of Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis feel he was shortchanged.

Fact is—as far as I am concerned at least—either player was worthy of the honor.

As I have been watching the back and forth on message boards, twitter, and various other places, there have been some real fallacies being bandied about by both sides.

Here are a few and my takes on them.

How can you give the DPOY to a guy whose defensive squad gave up 45 points?

Frankly the fact that the Packers got torched is irrelevant. Did Revis take the lion's share of the blame when the Jets got lit up by the Patriots in Week 11?

No, and it's silly to consider it. Granted, it wasn't 45 points, but the point is that no player—even the DPOY—can make up for an entire defensive scheme that fails. There's is only so much one man can do.

Now if you want to argue that Woodson failed to shut down receiver Larry Fitzgerald (6-82-2), that argument holds some water. I'd counter that Fitz benefited from some of the terrible officiating on the touchdowns, as did Ochocinco against Revis, though to little effect.

But you can't pin the whole defensive collapse on Woodson, especially when he still managed to make plays like a huge ball strip.

The defensive squad sucked and Woodson struggled. But one game does not wipe away a great season, just as it wouldn't/shouldn't for Revis.

Revis doesn't have impact in all phases of the defensive game.

Also composed as doesn't tackle well, can't support the run, and has no sacks.

The last one is true, but that's because the Jets don't blitz with Revis. You can argue that they aren't because he's not effective at it but the only people who really know the truth are the Jets coaching staff.

However, Revis has played well in various roles in the past. This year, the Jets had a very specific role in mind for him. They knew that he could be left isolated on any single wide receiver and eliminate that player from the game.

He was also often on a vertical threat, which means he is less likely to be involved in run defense or gather tackle stats on short passes. He just wasn't in a position to accumulate those in bunches.

So don't mistake how he was used by the Jets with what he is capable of.

That being said, when it comes to pure stats, Charles Woodson has it all over Revis. That can't be argued. However, you can argue that this is because of how the Jets used him more than his inherent ability.

Also, frankly I would bet opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks were less afraid of Woodson than Revis. This means they tried him more, and he had the opportunity to pad the INT stats.

The voting is too early.

This is an off-shoot of the "Packers gave up 45 points" thread and I'm not totally sure I agree with it.

On the one hand, one great game or bad game shouldn't impact the voting that much. If Woodson or Revis or Sharper had a top-notch season, a bad game in the playoffs shouldn't negate that.

Also, say Revis or Woodson had a great season. They're sure things as DPOY—or at least as sure as these things are usually. And then a player—anyone really—gets ultra-hot in the playoffs.

Don't care who it is, name anyone. Assume he didn't stand out in the regular season that much though—plenty of players fit the bill on all the playoff teams.

Anyway, Playoff Stud (as I will call him) gets hot and is a beast in the playoffs, doing amazing things that make your eyes pop.

Does that mean Playoff Stud deserves to be named DPOY? Remember, it's Player of the Year, not Playoffs, not Week, not hour.

Sure, maybe this is a bit of hyperbole and a little off the subject, but why muddy the waters? If we want to celebrate a great playoff series by a player (offense or defense) have a Defensive/Offensive Player of the Playoffs award.

We don't need to muddy waters by adding more games into the mix. If you can't decide by Week 17...

Finally there's this:

Charles Woodson feasted on a few terrible teams.

I can't argue that anyone who gets to play Detroit twice a year isn't coming out ahead. The Inceptosaurus Cutler-led Bears isn't a bad game for a corner to be in either.

There are two things wrong with this argument though.

First, you play who is in front of you. It's kind of a tired response, but it's also a true one. Woodson doesn't schedule the games, he just shows up.

And he didn't exactly light Chicago up in Week One (two tackles) or the Lions in Week Six (three tackles).

He did go off in the other games in those matchups as well as against a then-awful Cleveland team and the sad-sack Rams. On the other hand, he also had big games against the Bengals and the Cowboys.

Dovetailing off of this, Revis saw his fair share of cream puffs. Carolina in Week 12 with Delhomme imploding yet again. Oakland in Week Seven with the new Ryan Leaf aka JaMarcus Russell at the helm. The Bills twice. Tampa Bay.

So let's not start pointing fingers here. Everyone had their favorable matchups. They played who they played. I'm not about to knock anyone for that.

You can make a case that Woodson rarely saw a top wideout aside from Calvin Johnson, but we're getting into territory again that involves defensive schemes.

I didn't play that card against Revis, I won't against Woodson. They don't always put him on the Ochocincos or Sidney Rices of the world. Maybe it's because he can't always keep up. But it's also because of scheme, in my opinion.

I won't ding either of them for that.

These awards are always ripe for controversy and debate. I'm actually more shocked this has gotten the debate going in a far more fervent fashion than Cadillac Williams being ignored for the Comeback Player of the Year for NFL poster boy Tom Brady.

And consider this, especially Jets fans—for Revis it's only just begun. Think about what he could be down the road once he has the opportunity to add to some already impressive skills.

I have a feeling Revis will get some more chances down the road. That may be little comfort right now—until Rex Ryan turns this into a motivational tool for the team to wreck the Chargers.