J.J. Watt is widely regarded as the greatest defensive player on the planet. Sheldon Richardson believes he should be in that conversation.
The Jets defensive tackle took Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2013 and has been a bright spot in a lost season in the Meadowlands. Richardson is serious about this Watt thing.
"J.J. Watt, he's got a few more sacks than me, but it's the same type of disruption," Richardson told ESPNNewYork.com on Thursday. "He's a little more active, I'll give you that, but we have the same type of determination, same heart, same skills. He scores touchdowns, I score touchdowns."
The numbers don't paint a favorable picture for Richardson's case. Watt has 16.5 sacks and five touchdowns, three of which have come on offense. Richardson has 6.5 sacks and has yet to get a touch in Marty Mornhinweg's offense. Richardson had two rushing touchdowns last season. He believes he should be seen in the same class as Watt, Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh.
"The same people you see mentioned every day, getting big contracts, I'm on the same level," Richardson said. "I don't put them over me, I don't put them under me. Most definitely, it's the same comparison, really.
"You name it, I'll put myself up there. I'm not scared to say it. You don't get to this point not being confident. If somebody calls me cocky, oh well, they'll get over it."
This is crazy talk, but Richardson does have the goods to be a special player. He also brings some swagger to a Jets operation that really hasn't had any since Braylon Edwards was doing backflips in Foxborough.
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