This T.J. Watt guy is pretty damn good isn’t he? Earlier this evening, the team tweeted out that with his 1.5 sacks on Sunday in Cleveland, Watt has now moved into eighth place on the team’s all-time sack list. He passed a guy named LaMarr Woodley who was part of the Super Bowl XLIII defense. He was really good opposite James Harrison but injuries were ultimately his demise. As I sit here today, Watt is still on his rookie contract. Yes, he signed a new deal but technically, well, you get it.
The win in Cleveland demonstrated just how good Watt has become in such a short time. He might be the most diverse and well-armed pass rusher of his generation. He can bull rush. He can swim. He can slap. He can fake one way and go the other. He can spin and he can battle. Opposing blockers must feel like ‘Forrest Gump’ with his box of chocolates. They never know what move from Watt they are going to get.
What I have found most interesting about Watt in 2021 is that not only has he missed a game but I don’t believe he’s anywhere near 100%. The groin strain that hampered him earlier in the season may not be as bad as it was but the chances that it’s fully healed are slim and none. Injuries like that take time to heal. In football, the only time you truly heal is in the off-season. During the season, you don’t heal, you manage. I think he’s doing that quite well at the moment.
Where Watt goes from here no one knows. Health as Mike Tomlin says “will be our guide.” As for his journey up the Steelers’ all-time list he now sits 22.5 sacks shy of James Harrison’s 80.5 which is number one. Watt should catch Keith Willis (59) and Joey Porter (60) relatively soon. Where it gets interesting is that sitting at 60.5 sacks is Cam Heyward. Jason Gildon’s 77 sacks is probably a goal for another season but the top five is clearly within Watt’s grasp.
It wasn’t that many weeks ago that some media members and fans were ripping Watt. He was injured just weeks after signing his big new deal and they had already started to turn on him. Such is the way of pro sports in the social media age. You’ll notice however that Watt stayed the course. He didn’t make excuses despite the fact he easily could have and he just kept plugging away. This is largely what endears players like him to the majority of fans. We all know what it’s like to work when you aren’t 100%. No one cares if we complain and no one was going to listen if he did either.
This my friends is why T.J. Watt is what he is and why we fans are lucky to have him.
Feature image courtesy post-gazette.com