From one Hall of Famer to someone on a Canton-bound track, former Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker Jack Ham has nothing but praise for T.J. Watt’s approach to the game. Joining 93.7 The Fan’s Cook and Joe Show with Ron Cook Friday, Ham said Watt’s attention to detail separates him.
“I see a player, and I’ve watched him quite a bit,” Ham said. “A guy whose hand placement, getting underneath and leveraging offensive tackles…the way he works at his technique. I watched him play, Wisconsin played Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game his senior year, and you knew what a player he was.”
After years of knee injuries stalled his college career, Watt stayed healthy for the 2016 season. It was a breakout campaign, finishing the year first in the conference with 11.5 sacks to pair with a healthy 15.5 tackles for a loss. In that Penn State game Ham – a Nittany Lions alum – referenced, Watt racked up 1.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, and one forced fumble. His night also included this bone-crushing hit on QB Trace McSorley.
That one season coupled with his Watt bloodlines made him a first-round pick, taken by the Steelers at the end of Round One in 2017. His game only grew from there. By his sophomore year, he was a double-digit sack player. By 2020, he was leading the league in that category. And by 2021, he was Defensive Player of the Year.
“Once you get to the pros, now he really works at it,” Ham said. “You’ve got to really work at your craft. He has made himself into an outstanding pass rusher.”
Watt is highly likely to end 2023 as the Steelers’ all-time sack leader, needing just 3.5 sacks to break James Harrison’s current mark. Watt and Cam Heyward are in a race to be the first there but by year’s end, Watt should have that top spot. Based on his current resume, five Pro Bowls, three All-Pros, a DPOY award, and even conservative projections going forward, Watt is likely to wind up in the Hall of Fame alongside his big brother. Ham understands as well as anyone the value of when Watt plays.
“The numbers show when he’s not in the lineup, that’s a different defense out there,” Ham said.
Once Watt went down with his partially torn pec in Week One last season, the Steelers’ defense became a shell of itself. When he returned following the bye, even though he wasn’t 100 percent, Pittsburgh’s defense returned to a normal version of itself, strong down the stretch that helped lead to a 7-2 finish. Watt will look to again be one of the three pillars of the defense, alongside Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick, as Pittsburgh will again rely on its defense to keep the score down and hope that the offense can average at least 21 points per game.
