Experts see Texans DE J.J. Watt as potential MVP

HOUSTON – Should J.J. Watt be the NFL’s Most Valuable Player?

Many who are paid to find ways to slow down the overpowering Houston Texans defensive end say yes.

“I’d vote for him,” Cincinnati offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said. “I’ve never had a game in my coaching career when I basically had to plan to run one way all day, and he forced me to do that.”

No defensive player has won the MVP since Lawrence Taylor in 1986, joining Alan Page in 1971 as the only defenders to pick up the honor. Only quarterbacks and running backs have won since Taylor had 20 1/2 sacks for the Giants in 1986 to win it.

Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano has had to plan for Watt twice this season, and perhaps Watt’s best game this year came against Indianapolis in Week 6. Watt had two sacks, swatted down three passes and returned a fumble by Andrew Luck 45 yards for a touchdown.

“He’s a nightmare,” Pagano said. “It’s like a scary movie … he’s near unblockable. And his motor never stops. … He’d get my vote for MVP right now.”

Watt leads the NFL with 25 tackles for losses and 47 quarterback hits. His 17 1/2 sacks are second-most in the NFL and he needs 2 1/2 to become the first player in NFL history with at least 20 sacks in two seasons. He leads the NFL with five fumble recoveries and is the first player since Bill Golding in 1948 to have three offensive touchdowns and two touchdowns on takeaways in a season.

Former Idaho and Washington assistant coach Scott Linehan, the passing game coordinator and play caller for the Dallas Cowboys, doesn’t see why Watt shouldn’t win MVP.

“It’s hard to argue against it,” said Linehan, also formerly the St. Louis Rams’ head coach. “I don’t vote for that stuff so my vote doesn’t count. But the things he’s done are so rare. I think rare things make people MVP candidates.”

The 25-year-old, in his fourth NFL season, has sparked a Houston defense that leads the NFL with a franchise-record 34 takeaways this season.