Phillip Baggett
The 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year has been announced! No DeMarcus Ware did not win the award. Why? I wondered the same thing myself. So I went looking for answers, and after doing that I am more confused now than I was before!
The award winner was none other than James Harrison, followed by DeMarcus Ware, and Ed Reed. I was shocked to see that James Harrison had won the award, not anything against Harrison he just did not have as good a year as DeMarcus did.
James Harrison is a great player who had a great year. Harrison ended the year with 16.0 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, and 59 tackles. Lets be honest though if Ware has 2.5 more sacks Ware wins the award going away. So if he wins it going away with 22.5 sacks how does he not at least win out a squeaker with 20.0 sacks? DeMarcus Ware’s final stat sheet looked like this: 20.0 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, and 69 tackles.
Yes I know I have a biased opinion on this, but to me DeMarcus Ware should have won this award. James Harrison has the privilege of playing opposite of LaMarr Woodley (10th in the league in sacks) and James Farrior (6th in tackles) and Troy Polamalu (the second best safety in the league) and the top ranked defense in the NFL. While Ware carries the Dallas defense pretty much by himself! The last time I checked this award was designed to go to the TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER and by the numbers DeMarcus Ware was the best their was! Like all other “individual” awards if your team is a loser then you must be as well! Sorry D-Ware as far as A Cowboy Nation is concerned you are our Defensive Player of the Year!
