Defensive Player of the Year
In a separate post, NFL.com polled 18 different experts on their early prediction for MVP, Rookie of the Year and more. Two Denver Broncos featured in their predictions for Defensive Player of the Year, and surprisingly, the one getting the most attention was not on the midseason All-Pro list.
Von Miller, not surprisingly, was picked as a possible DPOY winner by Judy Battista. According to her, he is “The engine — and it runs fast — of the Broncos’ stellar defense.” But Miller didn’t receive the most acclaim from the group.
Four of the 18 experts polled selected cornerback Aqib Talib as their pick for Defensive Player of the Year. Only Charles Woodson received as many votes as Talib – edging out such names as Luke Keuchly, Clay Matthews, Josh Norman, and J.J. Watt.
Here’s what each experts voting for him had to say about Talib:
Jeffri Chadiha: Aqib Talib, CB, Denver Broncos. He’s been the most dynamic contributor to the league’s best defense.
Michael Silver: Talib. The “No Fly Zone” is the most daunting force in football right now, and this physical, prolific player is the chief air-traffic controller.
Steve Wyche: Talib. Almost went with teammate Chris Harris Jr. Talib is a superstar now on a defense that has to carry the team.
Adam Schein: Talib. Just beats out Josh Norman. Talib is a fantastic corner on the best defense in the NFL.
It’s somewhat surprising that Talib is getting so much love from these experts, but was only considered “noteworthy” by Wesseling. Full disclosure, however … we only had him ranked as our No. 6 defensive playmaker.
