Who says golf isn’t a real sport? As it turns out, Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt’s work on the golf course directly contributed to one of his three sacks in Sunday’s season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
It was, specifically, his second sack, which just so happened to be the only one that didn’t produce a fumble. But it did come on third and 6 and forced the 49ers to punt for just the second time in the game, in the middle of the third quarter. As it turns out, it come on a move he learned from and perfected with his brother, J.J. Watt, a move that was one of his specialties.
“Yes, this was my baby. I love the double-hand swipe around the edge”, he told Pat McAfee yesterday, “especially when an offensive lineman opens up that gate for you at two or three yards. You can just swipe the hands, get around the corner, get the sack”.
J.J. announced his retirement from the game earlier this year after 12 years in the league and three Defensive Player of the Year awards. He should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer as soon as he is eligible, so it’s wise for younger brother to listen up—even in unusual settings, like a golf course, where they actually worked on pass-rush moves together this summer, including the two-hand swat.
“We were” working on it, he told McAfee, who pulled up a picture of them on the golf course together practicing the move. “There’s a patch of grass right in front of my house”. He went on to talk about how they discuss their craft and work on it together, even now that he is retired.
“He has an arsenal of moves”, J.J. said of T.J., seemingly marveling at the diversity of options he has to attack the offense, which is admittedly probably a little easier off the edge. “He can do a bunch of different things, and this is one that he’s added in the last year or two”.
While T.J. recorded his 80th sack in his 88th game, ahead of where J.J. got his in his own career, the younger Watt still has a lot of catching up to do. J.J. retired with 114.5 career sacks, even recording 12.5 just last year at age 33, coming off yet another major injury.
Right now, the Steelers have an outside linebacker room that is full of dedicated craftsmen, including Alex Highsmith, Markus Golden, and rookie Nick Herbig. All of them love to talk shop and work on their game, building out their arsenal, getting ideas no matter where they come from. Highsmith even admitted he was working on a move he saw Herbig doing.
And T.J. saw J.J. do the two-hand swat any number of times over the years.
Left side. Right side. Orlando Brown Jr. Cody Ford. Taylor Lewan. It didn’t matter where or who. This is just a short list of readily available examples of J.J. Watt effectively executing the move he’s been working with T.J. on perfecting. Based on Sunday’s results, things seem to be going pretty well.
