Nobody’s perfect, even though some may come closer than others. Even the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt has his embarrassing moments in his history. In spite of the fact that he won Defensive Rookie of the Week honors in his first career game with a two-sack, one-interception performance, he recalls one play he’d like to forget as his rookie mistake.
“My first ever game, going up against the Cleveland Browns, I forgot to tie my shoe after it came undone on a play and I dropped to the flat and I actually stepped on my shoelace and fell over and the pass was completed and I was not part of the play”, he told Colleen Wolfe during a segment on the NFL Network. “So that’s my rookie mistake”.
Watt had already long made his impact on the game at that point, but nevertheless, it could have been significant. It was against the Cleveland Browns on September 10, 2017, and the Steelers were up, 21-10. Cleveland just took over on a punt at its own 27 with 6:41 to go in the game.
After an incomplete pass, QB DeShone Kizer dumped the ball off leftside to RB Isaiah Crowell, who evaded a tackle attempt by an off-balance Watt after getting back up from tripping over his shoelace to pick up the first down on second and 10. The Browns went on to score a touchdown on the drive and pulled to within a field goal with 3:36 left to play, but the offense was able to close out the game.
You might recall the play that sealed it, QB Ben Roethlisberger under pressure tossing the ball up to WR Antonio Brown deep left in traffic. That converted on second and 12 from the Steelers’ own 18 with 2:47 to go, the Browns still with two timeouts. One more first-down run by RB Le’Veon Bell allowed Roethlisberger to run out the clock.
Watt’s shoelace-influenced missed tackle helped Cleveland get back on the board late with a touchdown that made it a three-point game, though of course the Browns still had 63 more yards to traverse before they would find the end zone. Still, a good defense gets the opponents off the field when they are in adverse down-and-distance circumstances.
The eventual 2021 Defensive Player of the Year finished his rookie season with 54 total tackles, 10 for loss, with 7 sacks, an interception, seven passes defensed, and one forced fumble. It was just the beginning of what should prove to be a Hall of Fame career.
But even he reminds us that sometimes you can trip over your own shoelaces. So just remember, always tie your shoes. Or you might end up like T.J. Watt.
