Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt has been one of the NFL’s most prolific pass rushers and one of the best defensive players in the NFL since entering the league as a first-round pick by the Steelers in 2017. Watt’s work ethic is second to none, and Mike Tomlin told a story on The Rich Eisen Show that foreshadowed the ethos Watt has shown in Pittsburgh.
“We flew into Madison, Wisconsin, the night before his Pro Day. In an effort to get to know him, you take him out to eat. We had some other people there, but really I was there to kind of get a feel for him,” Tomlin told Eisen. “It was really fun and cool that he was really annoyed by the whole process. He didn’t want to chit-chat, He wasn’t interested in getting to know me or me getting to know him, man he just wanted to get to work. And that’s kind of indicative of T.J.”
He added that he appreciates Watt’s mindset when it comes to football.
“There’s an urgency in that guy that’s really contagious and fun to be around,” Tomlin said. “You know how sometimes someone can show you a lack of personality and it becomes personality? T.J. was not interested in getting to know us and us getting to know him. But having gotten to know him, obviously over the last seven years, I just really appreciate that about him. He’s on go as it pertains to football.”
You don’t get to be as skilled as Watt is by not working at it, and it’s something Watt’s done his entire career. Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth and LS Christian Kuntz said that Watt gets “pissed off” before games, something that helps make him so successful. They used the same wording Tomlin did, saying that Watt is “on go” when a Friday before a game hits.
It’s no surprise that Watt’s attitude toward football is one of the things that attracted Tomlin and the Steelers to him, and it’s one of the better first-round picks the team has made in franchise history. Watt already has one Defensive Player of the Year award — and he should have more — while also leading the league in sacks three separate times. The only thing Watt doesn’t have on his resume is a Super Bowl, or even a playoff win, and that’s something that needs to change.
It’s rare that a player being annoyed during a dinner/meeting with a team makes the team like a player more, but that was the case with Watt and the Steelers. His love and dedication to football were clear, and neither has waned as he now enters his eighth NFL season. The extra edge that Watt brings every day and especially every gameday helps make him one of the best players in the world. With Pittsburgh’s defense expected to be talented again this year, maybe this can finally be the season where Watt gets his elusive playoff win.
