Houston Texans J.J. Watt Takes Home Defensive Player of the Year

Since the beginning of the NFL season, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt was heavily favored to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Watt received the award Saturday with 98 percent of the votes. Forty-nine of the possible 50 votes went to Watt. The other vote went to Von Miller of the Denver Broncos, according to Yahoo! Sports.

“It is an individual award earned by the hard work of many,” Watt wrote on his Facebook fan page. “Thank you to all of my teammates, coaches, front office & staff.”

The Houston Texans lost to the New England Patriots in the second round of the playoffs after beating the Cincinnati Bengals during the Wild Card Weekend.

Watt, who had 5.5 sacks during the 2011 season, recorded 20.5 sacks during the past NFL season. He also was nominated to the ProBowl, where he switched from defense to offense. He also blocked 16 passes, according to CBS Sports, earning him the nickname “J.J. Swatt.”

Watt grew up in nearby Pewaukee and was drafted into the NFL in 2011 following his Rose Bowl appearance with the Wisconsin Badgers. His family lives in Waukesha County with younger brothers Derek and T.J. playing for the Badgers and Pewaukee High School this past season. T.J. will play for the Badgers next fall. His father is a lieutenant at the Waukesha Fire Department.