NCAA Basketball – Casino Review

March 9, 2015March 8, 2015

Thoughts on Rory,NFL Free Agency and the Kentucky Wildcats for Monday

As hard as I am on Tiger Woods, I’m a little disappointed that the sports media world hasn’t been a little harder on Rory McIlroy after he chucked his 3-iron into pond on the par five fifth hole at Trump Doral. One ESPN writer even went so far as to say “it wasn’t all negative.” Wait a minute… Why do we crush Tiger Woods for moments of anger that are a simple as a curse word but McIlroy gets a pass? Sorry but if you’re going to continue to push golf as a game of honor then demand it from all players not just some.

National Football League’s free agent frenzy is underway with some surprises and some some very expected moves. Ndamukong Suh will reportedly sign the richest deal for a defensive lineman ever on Tuesday when the formal signing can begin. Suh will get $60 million in guaranteed money as heads to the AFC East to play for the Miami Dolphins. The Raiders were thought to be major players for Suh but in the end the first rumored team to want him has gotten him.

In a bit of a surprise, Randall Cobb re-signed with the Green Bay Packers after it appeared there was no way they would be able to afford him. The Raiders reportedly offered him as much as $11-12 million per season but Cobb made a decision that far too many players do not. He chose less money and the chance for team success over anything else. Cobb continues to catch passes from Aaron Rodgers and will benefit from having other talented receivers around him.

I’m not sure I understand what the Philadelphia Eagles are up to in terms of their running back situation. They traded LeSean McCoy who is arguably in his prime years and now are rumored to be looking at former 49ers’ running back Frank Gore who is absolutely on the downside of his career. Granted, if they sign Gore, he’ll make much less money than McCoy would have but at the same time isn’t McCoy a better fir for the Chip Kelly offense?

No pun intended by this but what a tough break for the San Francisco Giants who have lost outfielder Hunter Pence for six to eight weeks. Pence, who played in all 162 games last season was struck on the forearm which fractured while he was batting. The defending champion Giants really have no room error in their quest to return to the playoffs. With the Dodgers already poised to be the division’s best team, the much-improved Padres will not be easily dismissed in 2015 either.

The Kentucky Wildcats achieved a perfect 31-0 regular season on Saturday with a win over SEC rival Florida. The arguments will be far and wide as to whether the team needs to lose in the SEC Tournament in order to capture the National Title. My take is that there will be pressure on these kids one way or another. They’ve been the overwhelming favorites to win the title since the season began and losing in the conference tournament will not make a bit of difference in the amount of pressure these players will face. Should UK lose somewhere in the next four weeks, the hindsight will be ridiculous. Just let the kids and John Calipari navigate the waters. There will be rough seas ahead one way or another.

Usually by this time in the NBA season I have a firm grasp on who I think will win the title but to be honest, I think any team in the Western Conference is capable of winning the championship while in the East I have faith only in the Hawks and Cavaliers.

March 3, 2015March 2, 2015

Duke in Hot Water Plus Take it Easy on LeBron People

Duke University is finding itself once again embroiled in a sexual assault case but this time around it isn’t the storied LaCrosse program. This time around the stakes are much higher because the spotlight is now on the most prominent person at the University and that would Head Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Back in late January, Coach K dismissed Rasheed Sulaimon for “repeatedly struggled to meet the necessary obligations.” Now as it turns out, Sulaimon is alleged to have been in two different sexual assaults at the school.

Both accusers allegedly told people about the alleged attacks but did not go to anyone of authority. Options included the Durham Police as well as the Office of Student Conduct on campus. According to ESPN, the two women chose not to got to authorities because they feared what could come from the Duke fan base. If you think that line of thinking is wrong then read the story about the reporter who covered the Jameis Winston case in Tallahassee, Florida.

He was barraged with death threats and was attacked at every turn for simply doing his job as an investigative reporter.

I have no idea if what took place with Sulaimon and the two women involved but that won’t be the biggest story about this by a long shot if there is evidence that Mike Krzyzewski knew about this and did nothing. Coach K has power beyond belief on the Duke campus but people also said the same thing about Joe Paterno and Penn State and we know how that ended up.

If ESPN’s sources are accurate, then Krzyzewski did indeed know about about the alleged assaults as far back as as March of 2014.

I am in no way suggesting that this is on par with the events of Penn State; hopefully nothing ever will be again. But this can’t be waved away, not in 2015 where the media and more importantly social media are everywhere. We’ve already seen a legendary coach taken down for not doing enough. I sure would hate to see it happen to another.

Take it easy on King James

I’ve written in these very pages before that I will never view LeBron James in the same stratosphere as Michael Jordan and the most simple reason why is the lack of a killer instinct. That said, the people throwing darts at James for his two missed free throws with just four seconds remaining in Houston the other night need to chill out.

“Jordan would have never missed those! Kobe wouldn’t have missed those either!”

I’ve got news for you folks… Both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant missed plenty of game-winning shots during their careers. To say they didn’t means you have not seen enough of either of them because I’ve seen it and I know many others have too.

Like I said, I will never be able to place James above His Airness simply because he lacks the titles but just as importantly he lacks the killer instinct that drove Jordan so hard. That’s not his fault, it’s just how it is. Either way, lay off LeBron for crying out loud. There isn’t a professional alive who hasn’t missed key shots down the stretch.

Sometimes I wonder what universe you people are living in when you say “Jordan would have never missed those.”

March 1, 2015March 1, 2015

The First Sunday in March Brings Many Thoughts From Across the Sports’ Spectrum

With numerous goings on in numerous sports, I’m giving you a little bit of everything as the third month of 2015 begins.

There was a time when it was extremely rare for fans to get a hold of hats, shirts or jerseys of their favorite teams and while that difficulty no longer exists the Pittsburgh Pirates have to wish it still did. With the revealing of “Jihadi John” of ISIS this week, a photo of him surfaced wearing a Pirates baseball cap and it has sickened not only the fans but the Pirates’ organization. It’s too bad you don’t actually have to do something to prove your fandom.

Remember the saying, “Do you want another hole in your head?” While a hole is not what Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook has after being kneed in the head inadvertently by a teammate. Westbrook had a clear ‘dent’ on the right side of his face and he had surgery to repair the zygomatic arch bone which is officially part of the cheek. He’s out for today’s game against the Lakers and will be re-evaluated this week,

Kentucky rolled to another SEC victory yesterday as they knocked off a pretty good Arkansas team. I have a really hard time seeing the Wildcats get beat before the NCAA Tournament begins. Yes, they could face some challenges in the SEC Tournament but once tourney time hits I expect them to be even better.

QBs — Mariota and Winston each have questions about their games heading towards the draft.

In what is already a weak quarterback class, both Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota have separate issues that teams considering them will have to contend with as the draft approaches. Winston’s issues are obvious; can he mature enough to make off-field problems a thing of the past? For Mariota, the issue might be bigger. I worry about him having to take traditional three, five and seven step drops at the pro level. It might not sound like a big deal but trust me, it is.

RIP Anthony Mason. The former New York Knick was the epitome of basketball in the mid-1990s when the game went from a fast-paced, back and forth style to an aggressive, physical style ushered in by the ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons. Mason played with the Knicks and Patrick Ewing when they made the NBA Finals in 1994 and lost to the Houston Rockets. Mason was consistently at the epicenter of the chaos in the sometimes brutal and physical Eastern Conference Playoffs. Whether it was the Jordan-led Bulls or the Alonzo Mourning Heat, Mason was a physical presence not to messed with.

The Cleveland Browns did their due diligence in getting Josh McCown to come to them for the 2015 season. McCown will not be any kind of savior for Cleveland at 35 years of age but with Johnny Manziel in rehab and Brian Hoyer likely heading elsewhere, the Browns acted wisely to get a veteran QB into the fold. McCown was 1-10 last year with Tampa Bay and perhaps the reason the Browns liked him was that his one win was over the Steelers. Still, one has to wonder just what the direction of the Browns is.

While the NFL toys with the idea of one or possibly two teams in Los Angeles, a new study says a new stadium there would immediately be a terrorist target. While terrorism is nothing to joke about, why should we assume that a stadium in LA would be any more of a risk than one in New York or Chicago or Kansas City for that matter? Obviously bigger cities are better targets for terrorists but I don’t think we can just say the others aren’t susceptible as well.

February 28, 2015

Bob Knight Says Kentucky Will Not End Undefeated

One question for close to the entire college basketball regular season has dominated: Will the Kentucky Wildcats finished the season undefeated.

Now Kentucky is sitting at 28-0 as it head into Saturday’s big game against No. 18 ranked Arkansas. With 28 games played, the Wildcats need just 12 more wins to match the last college basketball team that finished the season undefeated, Bob Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers in 1976.

The question remains on everyone’s mind, but the odds remain against it.

Bill Self, the Kansas coach whose team lost by 32 points to Kentucky in November said at the time if the Wildcats were still undefeated in February, then a perfect season could happen.

In the 12 games that remain, some should be quite close. Prior to the end of the regular season, the Wildcats much play the Razorbacks, Florida as well as Georgia. Both the Gators and Bulldogs gave Kentucky tough games the first time they played in earlier this month.

Kentucky could play any of those same teams during the SEC tournament or even rivals such as LSU or Texas A&M.

If the Wildcats do make it out of the regular season and SEC tournament unscathed, they would still have to win 6 games of which as many as 4 could be versus ranked teams.

One analytical expert ran a calculation on Kentucky going undefeated and the Wildcats came out with a 24% change of going 40-0, earlier this season.

Kentucky’s odds of ending the regular season undefeated have gone up to over 74% at this point. Its chances of winning the SEC tournament are now 73% and over 48% of winning the national championship, says one basketball expert. Last season, no team entering the tournament had more than a 15% chance of taking home the title.

Most odds makers are giving the Wildcats just a 24% chance of winning the national championship and going undefeated, which is very high for something that has not been accomplish for the past 39 years.

Nevertheless, it will take excellent coaching from head coach John Calipari since his players are between 18 and 22 years of age, with the majority less than 20 and pressure situations, which will only increase as they continue winning, will make it hard on the young players.

February 25, 2015February 24, 2015

Thoughts on Tiger Plus the Latest “Storming the Court” Problem

Everyone these days seems to have an opinion on what’s wrong with Tiger Woods. The man who Tiger is chasing in the Major Victories category, Jack Nicklaus, thinks Woods’ problems are “between his ears.”

Former swing coach Butch Harmon, with whom Tiger won eight of his 14 majors with, said recently he’d actually spend time with Woods but that he’ll never call because “his pride will get in the way.” I can’t argue one bit with either Nicklaus or Harmon because I believe both guys to be among the most credible in terms of ‘talking Tiger.’

I honestly don’t know if Woods’ issues are limited to just one thing because I really think what he’s going through is as a volatile cocktail of things ranging from his broken down body, failing swing and mental issues that go far beyond even what the Golden Bear is suggesting.

Paul Azinger mentioned that what Tiger is doing by taking a leave of absence of is the right thing to do. He needs to sort out not only his mental side but also he needs to find the right swing again and the only way he can consistently do that is with practice, not tournament golf.

I do believe however there will come a time when he has to return or else his chances of returning as a top player reduce with every tournament he misses. The great ones need competition not just to better themselves but to thrive and even survive. Woods is exactly the type of player I speak of and he certainly doesn’t need me to tell him that.

Storming the Court Take II

What was it? A year or two ago that Duke Head Basketball Mike Krzyzewski pulled his team off of the floor in the waning seconds of a loss on the road? Remember how many went after Coach K saying this was just another example of the “spoiled Dookies” not being able to take losing?

I defended Krzyzewski at the time and I will again today in the midst of another story about a large contingent of fans rushing the court. Two nights ago in Manhattan, Kansas, the under- .500 Kansas State Wildcats had knocked off arch-rival Kansas and before the final shot had even touched the floor the Wildcats’ faithful were running wild on the hardwood.

To his credit, K-State Head Coach Bruce Weber and his assistants were doing their best to keep the Jayhawks safe until the crowd could disperse but their efforts were essentially fruitless. If you watch the video, you can clearly see students rushing directly to the KU bench to taunt the players. Several are moved out of the way by security personnel while more keep piling on the court.

Conferences like the SEC have adopted rules against students rushing the court. Those include fines against the university in question but that doesn’t always stop the crowds from going bonkers. Personally, I like the storming of the court or field in the case of college football. At least on the gridiron, there is more room and typically opposing players have a sliver more of time to get into the locker room but still, there are dangers.

The overwhelming majority of fans who rush the court mean no harm to the opposition. They run out there to celebrate with other fans and the players but unfortunately there are a small percentage who are rushing the court to instigate problems. Jayhawks’ Head Coach Bill Self said as much when he talked about fans who “chicken wing” players as they rush the court.

Before long, it won’t be a chicken wing but an actual elbow, punch or worse and then the NCAA might actually be forced to act.

February 24, 2015

Who Would No. 1 Seeds Be in NCAA Tournament as of Today

If the college basketball season ended today, who would the four No. 1 seeds be? According to odds on Bovada and topbet, the four top seeds would be Kentucky, Duke, Wisconsin and Arizona.

It is near the beginning of March, which is college basketball’s most important month and just around the bend in less than three weeks is Selection Sunday.

Observers everywhere in college basketball are giving their opinions on what the 2015 Tournament field would consist of and what teams would be the No. 1, 2, 3 seeds and so on. Odds makers are betonline and sportsbook.com have also released their odds on the same.

If the season were to end today, the four top seeds based on odds we be Kentucky, which is 4 to 5 to win the national championship, Wisconsin sitting at 6 to 1, Duke at 10 to 1 and the Virginia Cavaliers at 12 to 1. The overall No. 1 seeds would hands down be the Kentucky Wildcats.

While both Gonzaga and Arizona share the same odds at 12 to 1 as Virginia, the Cavaliers would get the nod over the two because of their power ranking.

Another tie that would have to be broken for a No. 2 seed would be between Villanova and Kansas who are both at 30 to 1 to win the title. That seed would likely go to Villanova based on two things. The power rankings and on Monday night the Jayhawks lost to Kansas State to put their Big 12 regular season championship in jeopardy. Villanova on the other hand has won 8 straight including two over teams that were ranked at the time.

Of course, it is very early for answers to who will be the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. There are two weeks left of the regular season followed by conference end of the season tournaments and the remaining games along with conference tournament outcomes will influence the selection committee going forward.

Kentucky has a tough game against Arkansas this weekend, while Wisconsin must play No. 14 ranked Maryland Tuesday night. Therefore, anything can still happen to stir up the pot and likely will before it is all over.

Four Projected No. 1 Seeds
KENTUCKY 4 to 5
WISCONSIN 6 to 1
DUKE 10 to 1
VIRGINIA 12 to 1

February 9, 2015February 8, 2015

The Passing of Smith Plus Thoughts on Potential Title Games

I could write much of what you’ve read already regarding Dean Smith who passed away this past weekend but I’m going to give you something else to think about. Yes, he was an amazing coach and even better person but my question is this; just how successful of a coach was Smith?

He recorded 17 Atlantic Coast Conference Regular Season Titles and 13 ACC Tournament titles. He also coached his Tar Heels to 11 Final Four appearances and two national titles. Smith also revolutionized the game with his four-corners offense which took time off the clock and ushered in the creation of the shot clock in college basketball to combat it.

Back to the question at hand though, could Smith have been better?

11 Final Fours is impressive and ties him for second all-time with Mike Krzyzewski and one behind all-time leader John Wooden but to win just two titles out of 11 leaves a little to be desired in my opinion. Consider also that his two titles needed ridiculously bone-headed plays by Chris Webber of Michigan and Fred Brown of Georgetown.

Jim Calhoun of UConn won three titles in just four Final Four appearances.

My goal here is not to kick the man when he’s just dying. What I hope is that perspective can be gained from looking at his overall record.

Bobby Knight won three titles in just five Final Fours, legendary Adolph Rupp won five in six Final Fours, Krzyzewski has won four in his 11 tries and UConn’s Jim Calhoun won three NCAA titles in four trips. There are always many factors that must be considered in each coach’s Final Four appearances but in my opinion Smith’s Tar Heels often under-performed.

My feelings nor the feelings of anyone else can take away Smith’s contributions to the game. Most importantly we cannot ever forget his commitment to bringing in black players to a southern university either. All that said, I believe Smith to be worthy of his Hall of Fame status but I can’t help but wonder if he shouldn’t have achieved more in terms of titles.

Other College Hoops News

If you haven’t seen the ESPN special feature on University of Michigan basketball player Austin Hatch then do yourself a favor and check it out. Take the name off of the jersey and just imagine this is a kid going to any major university in America. What he has been through is unbelievable and that’s putting it mildly. Head over to ESPN and check it out.

While my dreams of seeing Virginia and Kentucky meet in the NCAA National Title game undefeated went by the wayside, I can still hope for some epic potential match-ups can’t I? Despite a serious scare from Florida yesterday, the Wildcats moved to 23-0 on the season.

Obviously a one-loss Virginia team would still present a great title game but can you imagine if Gonzaga hooks up with the Wildcats? It would be a David and Goliath-type game despite how good the Zags have been recent years.

Wisconsin would be a very intriguing match-up simply because of the overwhelming contrast in styles and we cannot forget the possibility of yet another Kentucky versus Duke thriller.

There’s still a lot of basketball left to be played but the conference tournaments will be here before you know it so there’s still much to be decided.

February 8, 2015

ACC and Pac-12 Games Highlight Sunday College Basketball Schedule

Betting action for the weekend in college basketball ends with two Sunday games involving Pac-12 and ACC teams. Miami hosts Clemson in ACC action, while USC is on the road against Stanford.

Clemson Tigers at Miami Hurricanes

Odds: Miami -7

Clemson has put together a run of 4-0 straight up and 3-1 against the spread in its past four games overall. The Tigers defeated Florida State their last time out 62-56, as a road dog by 2.5 points. The total has cashed UNDER in seven straight games for Clemson.

Miami is below .500 in conference play. The Hurricanes are 0-3 SU and ATS in their past three games overall, including a loss on Tuesday to Louisville 63-55 as a home dog of 4.5 points.

Clemson is 4-1 ATS over its past 5 games on the road and 5-1 ATS in it past 6 games versus an opponent with a winning record straight up.

Miami has not covered in 4 of its past 5 games at home and is 0-3-1 ATS during its past 4 games after a loss straight up. The total has cashed UNDER in 16 of Miami’s past 21 home games.

The underdog is 12-3-1 ATS in the past 16 games between the two teams. The total has cashed UNDER in 6 of the past 8 games between the two in Miami. Over the past 6 head-to-head games, the series is 3-3 SU, with Clemson 5-0-1 ATS.
Pick: Miami 69-65

USC Trojans at Stanford Cardinal
Odds: Stanford -13.5

USC is buried at the bottom of the Pac-12 conference standings with a 1-9 SU and 5-5 ATS record. Thursday night as a road dog of 7.5 points, USC covered in a one-point loss to Cal.

The total has cashed on 4 of the past 7 games for USC. One bright spot for USC has been Jordan McLaughlin a freshman guard who scored 20 points and pulled down 5 boards in Thursday’s loss.

Stanford trails Arizona by three games in the Pac-12 race at 6-4 straight up and 4-5-1 against the number. Stanford is 0-2 SU in its past two games versus UCLA and Washington State.

USC is 6-2 ATS in its past 8 games on the road and 9-3 ATS in its past 12 games away from home versus a team with a straight up home winning record. The total has cashed OVER in 4 of USC’s past 5 games played on Sunday.

Stanford is 9-3-1 against the number in its past 13 games versus a team with a losing record straight up and is 4-2-1 against the number in its past seven games at home. The total has cashed UNDER in 8 of its past 11 games played at home.

Pick: Stanford 65-59

February 6, 2015

Kentucky Remains No. 1 on NCAA National Championship Futures Board

The NCAA men’s basketball regular season has entered its stretch run as conference play continues. Most teams have another half dozen conference matchups before playing in their conference tournaments to end the regular season before March Madness begins.

Odds makers released this week an updated futures board for the 2015 NCAA tournament. Three teams now have the same odds in second place. Arizona and Duke were joined this week by Wisconsin with the second best odds for the national title at 8 to 1.

All three trail Kentucky the odds on favorite at 4 to 5. The Wildcats have been at the top of the futures board since the start of the season thanks to such a deep lineup of talent, and remain the only undefeated team in the top 25.

Wisconsin however has won five consecutive games including wins on the road at Iowa and Michigan. The Badgers are 13-1 over their past 14 games overall, with the only blemish an embarrassing loss to Rutgers. Their only other loss of the season was in early December against Duke.

Duke has been on an emotional rollercoaster of sorts. On January 25, the Blue Devils defeated St. John’s to hand their coach his 1,000 win. Since, they have blown a second half lead of 10 points to lose to Notre Dame, kicked Rasheed Sulaimon their sixth man off the team and hand the Virginia Cavaliers their first loss of this season.

In the eyes of odds makers such as Bovada and topbet it has been just a wash, as the Blue Devils odds remained unchanged from this same time last week.

On the other hand, the loss to Duke pushed the Virginia odds for the national title higher to 10 to 1 from last week’s 8 to 1.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs continue to get very little respect in the eyes of odds makers. On most national polls, the Bulldogs are ranked No. 2 with just one loss on the season. However, odds makers such as betonline and sportsbook.com have Gonzalo no higher than tied for fifth with odds of 10 to 1 to win the national title.

2015 NCAA TOURNAMENT TITLE ODDS

KENTUCKY WILDCATS 4 to 5
ARIZONA WILDCATS 8 to 1
DUKE BLUE DEVILS 8 to 1
WISCONSIN BADGERS 8 to 1
VIRGINIA CAVALIERS 10 to 1
GONZAGA BULLDOGS 10 to 1
KANSAS JAYHAWKS 25 to 1
VILLANOVA WILDCATS 30 to 1
LOUISVILLE CARDINALS 30 to 1
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS 35 to 1

February 1, 2015February 1, 2015

Super Bowl Sunday Bullets From Across the Sports World

Super Bowl Sunday is upon us and I’m tackling a number of stories that have developed in recent days.

-If you haven’t placed a wager yet on Super Bowl XLIX, then you may want to add a bit of research before doing so. So much action has been coming the Seahawks’ way that most Vegas sports books have moved the game to a “pick’em” selection.

-Congrats to Serena Williams for her victory in the Australian Open. She is now three grand slam titles away from tying the great Steffi Graff.

-If you ever needed further proof about just what kind of person NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is then I give you his “State of the Game” Presser on Friday. CNN’s Rachel Nichols asked a very direct question related to the conflicts of interest regarding investigators the NFL has chosen to run its’ investigations. Goodell was clearly annoyed and couldn’t even look Nichols in the eye as he gave a condescending answer. He even badgered her at the end of the his diatribe.

-My dreams of an unbeaten NCAA Championship Game in college basketball went out the window last night. Duke went into Charlottesville and knocked off second-ranked Virginia 69-63. Now I can only hope that Kentucky gets there unbeaten to give the game just a little more added flavor.

Bus — Jerome Bettis was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame last night along with seven other worthy candidates.

-Congratulations to the eight men selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame yesterday. Junior Seau, Will Shields, Jerome Bettis, Tim Brown and Charles Haley were the modern-era selections. All in my opinion are worthy and should come with no debate whatsoever. Also elected were Mick Tingelhoff who was elected by the Seniors’ Committee and team executives Bill Polian and Ron Wolf.

-This is one of the rare Hall of Fame classes that should come with no debate across the board.

-UFC 183 saw Anderson Silva return from a 399-day layoff to defeat Nick Diaz in a unanimous decision. The bout was an odd one with Diaz taunting Silva throughout and even faking a knockdown at one point. Last we saw Silva, he suffered that horrible broken leg against Chris Weidman. At 39 years old, Silva is considering retirement but has announced nothing at this time.

-Tiger Woods shot a career-worst 82 Friday and finished dead-last and missed the cut at the Phoenix Waste Management Open. Heading into the tournament, Woods was very excited about his newly crafted swing and added length off the tee. To his credit, Woods didn’t give the typical excuses we’ve become used to after his poor rounds. He instead went with humor and even resorted to Marshawn Lynch’s “I’m just here so I won’t get fined” comment.

-Speaking of golf, how can you not love the atmosphere around the 16th hole? Golf purists of course find it to be a disgrace to the game, but the arena style par three is fantastic for fans and makes great television. Are there people a bit out of control at the 16th? Of course, but then again this isn’t a major so let’s just take a deep breath and enjoy it.

-Aaron Rodgers won his second Most Valuable Player Award last night and J.J. Watt became the first-ever defender to unanimously win the Defensive Player of the Year Award. I can’t argue too much with the selection of Rodgers but if Watt can’t win the MVP with the year he had then I don’t see a defender ever winning the award again. Watt wasn’t just a great defender though, he was a great player who probably deserved better.