Very cool to see Clay get it. I'm not surprised because even though his numbers fell off during the season, nobody else in the league really emerged to steal his thunder. One surprise from the vote tallies, though, is that Julius Peppers finished way back, in fifth place. I would have expected him to be a close second:
The top five in voting
1. Clay Matthews, OLB, Packers 188
2. Troy Polamalu, S, Steelers 148
3. Cameron Wake, OLB, Dolphins 64
4. James Harrison, OLB, Steelers 45
5. Julius Peppers, DE, Bears 44
(Note: 609 NFL players, coaches and executives voted for this award.)