DPOTY: Is Daron Bland a Lock?

[Tabascocat]

He was noticed last week, tonight put him on the map. There are a few things not working in his favor:

Not a household name
Not a DE with lots of sacks
On the same team as Micah
Minimal mainstream coverage

Those above will keep him below the likes of Bosa, Watt, Garrett, etc. If he keeps this up, he will be in those serious conversations in the future.

 

[Runwildboys]

he needs 10 int return td's probably. sacks are way too sexy of a stat.

IDK, pick 6's are more game changing than sacks.

 

[LovinItAll]

Lol....the guy won't even get a second contract here. No way in hell is Jerry gonna pay for another CB. NOT HAPPENING....

I got a weird thing when I tried to post. This us what I was trying to say;

Bland, if he keeps it up, is going nowhere as long as Quinn is the DC. We have him through 2025 for peanuts. If he starts off next year and continues to improve, get him signed early before he becomes a UFA in ‘26. May cost $20MM/year, but he’ll be cheaper then than in ‘25. We still have to see how Diggs looks when he gets back. Having 2 near lockdown corners in a league that continues to encourage throwing the ball will win many, many games for us.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

RG3 says it best.........IMO it's his to lose. To not give it to him, would be a slap in the face of one of the hardest record-breaking stat in the league.

 

[TNCowboy]

If you look at the odds, Myles, Parsons, Watts are big favorites. Bland is way back, but today on national TV with Nance giving him that epic call will move his odds way up. He'll probably still need a big finish to have a chance to win.

 

[Roadtrip635]

 

[Dale]

If you look at the odds, Myles, Parsons, Watts are big favorites. Bland is way back, but today on national TV with Nance giving him that epic call will move his odds way up. He'll probably still need a big finish to have a chance to win.

This. Doing what he did in front of that audience will move the needle quite a bit.

I’d still consider him a long shot of sorts. He just doesn’t have the name recognition yet. You’re right that the final weeks will matter — if he goes silent down the stretch, I think he will become forgotten about for this award as a guy like Garrett keeps adding to an 18-ish sack total.

 

[KJJ]

Yep.

This is the stretch that Bosa won it in last year.

People will forget about this accomplishment if he does nothing else the rest of the way.

No one will forget about the 5 pick-sixes but he may need a big INT down the stretch to help us win a critical game.

 

[Dale]

I’m curious how the national narrative moves around him. Is this looked at as a novelty stat? A “Hey, that’s cool! But it’s not a sign of dominance” statistic? Or is he viewed as a nightmare for opposing offenses?

 

[Roadtrip635]

 

[Clove]

He absolutely has a chance to be DPOY. Not just 5 interceptions, but 5 pick sixes. Comes once every 30 years.

 

[sacase]

If DPOY was fair he would be a lock. He has sole possion of a NFL record that is extreamly hard to get. No question is DPOY. That's how impressive his accomplishment is.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

At this point, Daron Bland has to be an absolute lock for defensive player of the year…….right?

He has already set an NFL record with 5 INT returns for TDs.

Stephon Gilmore won DPOTY a few seasons ago, and I assume that he didn’t have anywhere near the flashy stats/records.

Who would even be a remotely competitive alternative, and how on earth could you not give it to Bland?

Not even unremotely.
signed M. Parsons

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

If DPOY was fair he would be a lock. He has sole possion of a NFL record that is extreamly hard to get. No question is DPOY. That's how impressive his accomplishment is.

Bland men, rejoice!
And his best is yet to come!

 

[Roadtrip635]

I’m curious how the national narrative moves around him. Is this looked at as a novelty stat? A “Hey, that’s cool! But it’s not a sign of dominance” statistic? Or is he viewed as a nightmare for opposing offenses?

Right now he has as many TDs as Travis Kelce, only 1 less than AJ Brown and Ja'Marr Chase and more TD than, I believe, than 5 teams entire WR corps. I don't know if it's a novelty when he's accounting for more points than many, many offensive players.

 

[Roadtrip635]

He absolutely has a chance to be DPOY. Not just 5 interceptions, but 5 pick sixes. Comes once every 30 years.

Not every 30 years, it's literally never been done before.

 

[TNCowboy]

I’m curious how the national narrative moves around him. Is this looked at as a novelty stat? A “Hey, that’s cool! But it’s not a sign of dominance” statistic? Or is he viewed as a nightmare for opposing offenses?

Exactly. Many see it as a fluke or a novelty, which is why with 4 TDs, he was still way back in the field.

One advantage he has is every game from here out is a night game or will be the marquee game Sunday game, at least until the final week.

 

[plymkr]

Ok it’s really saying something when you have more TDs as a CB than a WRs on 2 different teams. Especially when one of those teams has the almighty Mahomes throwing the ball. Bland is pretty phenomenal. I think he is in the conversation for DPOY but it’s not a lock. National TV and thanksgiving helped him, or more accurately he took advantage of the opportunity.

 

[Nav22]

Even the enemy agrees.

 

[plasticman]

Bland should be highly considered but I doubt he is for a few reasons. However, before I list these reasons, let's understand that I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it. I am giving you my opinions on the reasons they will use to deny him. I am just the messenger, and only a potential one at that.

The first is that the voters tend to favor previously established players. Most of the time, they have made Pro Bowls and 1st team All Pro in previous seasons, like Gilmore, for example.

Secondly, when looking at the "signature" plays that earned recognition, they value relevance. How meaningful were these big plays in determining the outcome of games? The Cowboys led their opponents by an average of 21.4 points at the time of these pick-sixes. None were absolute game deciders. None of them switched the lead from the opponent to the Cowboys.

Thirdly, the voters tend to favor sack leaders although INT's are far more valuable, especially when they are returned for TD's. Only one of the last 12 DPOY's was a DB.

Fourth, and I know this to be true, there is some bias against the Cowboys as well as envy and resentment. For confirmation, consider the HOF and how long it took some very deserving players to get there.