2) Brian Cushing, LB, Houston Texans: This is not a misprint. Yes, I voted for J.J. Watt as Defensive Player of the Year -- didn't even think twice about it. Watt had an amazing, MVP-caliber season. But the heart and soul of Houston's defense is Cushing. To realize this, all you had to do was watch the games last year. When Cushing went down, so did the Texans' Super Bowl chances.