Despite his season-low output, former All-Pro offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz does not think T.J. Wattis is losing ground. Watt is only 67th in pressures and has only 11.5 sacks, but his play isn’t all to blame. Instead, Schwartz observes how teams are using him and how the Steelers’ schematic usage of him detracts from his ability to produce in the passing game.
The Steelers were a more effective pass rush unit without Watt on the field, according to some numbers provided by Marcus Mosher, an analyst with the 33rd Football Team, although Schwartz disagrees with the idea.
“Being double teamed has a far less effect on winning under 2.5 seconds as a DE than being chipped more than anyone else. This is partly because teams respect him, but it’s also partly because he’s more of a stationary player and knows where he’s going 98% of the time. Watt’s get off and quick win rate is also impacted since he is asked to square his stance and play a head-up 2-gap role on TEs more than any other DE. Before I made a more comprehensive case for a person based on the statistics shown here, I would prefer to look at chip rate, double team rate, and then win % on pass downs (both with and without those things happening),” Schwartz stated.
Watt is now trailing Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain in the betting odds to earn Defensive Player of the Year. Given that the Steelers need to win to guarantee the fifth seed in the AFC, Watt will need to play well against the Cincinnati Bengals in order to regain that position.
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