While the MVP debate continues, three-time All-Pro J.J. Watt has garnered another distinction - best player in the NFL, according to ProFootballFocus.com.
Because it doesn't agree with the premise of a Most Valuable Player, the statistics-driven sports website instead awarded Watt its esteemed Dwight Stephenson Award.
"The (MVP) award has lost all meaning. It has become a quarterback only award that an occasional running back can squeeze his way into if his quarterback is bad enough. The best players, though, can play in any position," PFF analyst Sam Monson wrote.
PFF grades players with its own set of metrics to determine the best performances across the league. The Dwight Stephenson Award, named after the Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame offensive lineman, opens up the competition to all players and grades them on a more level playing field and without any positional biases.
Receiving the site's first triple-digit grade - an astonishing 107.5 on a scale that begins at zero- Watt blew past his competitors and is Pro Football Focus's winner for the third-consecutive year.
"Watt is so far out on his own in terms of play that he breaks every graph we create to try and illustrate it, extending axes and generally sitting off on a data point all to himself," Monson wrote.
Watt finished the 2014 seasons with 20.5 sacks, 50 quarterback hits, 10 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, one safety, one interception returned 80 yards for a touchdown, among other statistical categories graded by PFF.
Runner-ups for best player included Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston, Broncos cornerback Chris Harris, and Ravens guard Marshal Yanda.
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