Von Miller Snubbed in Defensive Player of the Year Voting
By Cody Roark
One vote kept Von Miller from becoming the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2016. Let’s take a look at why Miller’s snub is upsetting.
Von Miller attended the NFL Honors hoping to take home an award that he had worked so eagerly hard for, however the evening would prove that the voting process may have flaws.
One total vote kept Von Miller from another impressive accomplishment to add to his growing NFL resume; Defensive Player of the Year.
Instead, Khalil Mack of the Oakland Raiders took home the honor, and it left a bad taste in the mouth of Broncos Country.
Von Miller was a man possessed during the 2015 NFL Playoffs and carried that same fire into 2016. Miller amassed a total of 13.5 sacks on quarterbacks (2nd in the NFL) and tallied 78 total tackles (62 solo).
His rival and counterpart Mack gathered 11 sacks and 73 total tackles (54 solo) while being a pass rusher and occasionally a defensive end in situations. Was the difference in voting determined by Mack’s lone interception to Von’s zero?
Conspiracy?
I don’t intend to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but Oakland’s 26th ranked defense in comparison to Denver’s #4 ranked defense doesn’t add up. Was the award given to Mack as a sympathy for how the Raiders epic season collapsed in the final two weeks?
Don’t get me wrong when I say Khalil Mack is a great football player, but understand this: Mack cannot hold a candle to Von Miller’s accomplishments.
Until Khalil Mack has a dominant post-season, wins a Super Bowl MVP, and warrants double and triple teams on nearly half of his defensive snaps then he can be in the same conversation.
Orange and Blue bias aside, Von Miller has kicked down the door for what a dominant pass rusher should resemble: since coming into the league in 2011 he has 73.5 sacks while also missing half of the season in 2013 due to a torn ACL.
More importantly what supports this notion is the comparison between the two in the playoffs. Von Miller tore a path to Super Bowl 50 by going through Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, and Cam Newton.
Next: Demaryius Thomas' Guarantees Kick In Soon
Khalil Mack didn’t even sniff getting to Brock Osweiler and the Texans 29th ranked overall offense in the Raiders 27-14 playoff loss.
Surely at this point Von isn’t stressing about coming up short in voting, because all he has to do is look down and see that shiny Super Bowl 50 ring, something Mack does not have.