We’ve seen OLB T.J. Watt absolutely manhandle opposing offensive tackles. Speaking as a guest on The pat McAfee Show Monday, McAfee praised Watt’s ability to execute the push-pull move and displace another grown man on the field as he pursues the opposing quarterback.
While on the show, Watt was asked about his vast array of pass rush moves, specifically how he’s able to get into the backfield virtually untouched by the offensive lineman or tight end tasked with blocking him. Watt responded saying that clearing blocks without getting touched comes with film study and anticipating how the blocker is playing you after the ball is snapped.
“Yeah, I think it’s just trying to understand what offenses are trying to do,” Watt said on The Pat McAfee Show which aired live on the show’s YouTube channel. “A lot of times those tight ends and tackles try to take those flat steps to widen you out, to have to expand with them. And just the way to be able to crease it and get in the backfield quicker is just by going up and under and it just keeps them honest. Later in the game they might take a more shallow step and then you can step on the outside and shorten the edge. So, I think it’s just kind of playing the game within the game.”
The play Watt was asked about was his sack against the Falcons last Thursday where he cleared the right tackle with a clean swim move, using his left arm to quickly slap the side of the blocker while using his right arm to clear the inside shoulder of the blocker with the arm over his torso. Watt gets into the backfield untouched by the offensive lineman, runs right pass the running back, and wraps up the quarterback in the backfield for the sack.
As a pass rusher in the NFL, you often can win either with power or with finesse. We see the likes of DL Cameron Heyward impose his will on interior offensive linemen, using his patented long arm move to forklift blockers into the laps of quarterbacks. We also see guys like OLB Nick Herbig show feats of athleticism and grace like on his sack against the Buffalo Bills this preseason, showing impressive movement skills to evade the block and finish at the passer for the sack.
Watt has the talent and capability to do both, possessing the strength to overpower tackles on the edge as well as the speed and elusiveness to avoid blockers altogether. It comes with plenty of film study, mental reps, and trial-and-error on the practice field as well as inside stadiums.
Pass rushing can be a game of chess, and T.J. Watt is a master chess player. You can think you have him beat to the outside, but that exposes you to an inside counter rush. If you are focused too much on the inside, he can come with speed to your outside shoulder or convert speed to power on a pull rush. Watt is playing the game within the game as a pass rusher which can be one of the best feelings in the game of football. When you know you’re in an offensive lineman’s head and you got him guessing what your next move will be, that’s when you are dangerous and can have a big night like Watt has shown he’s capable of doing.
