In order to be among the best players in the NFL, you have to be built a little different from the rest. All professional athletes are competitive. That’s how they ascend to the top of their sport. But the generational talents have an extra edge in their personality that enables them to be great. It sounds like Pittsburgh Steelers OLB T.J. Watt brings plenty of that edge.
Pat Freiermuth was a guest on The Christian Kuntz Podcast this morning and opened by asking Kuntz when Watt would be a guest on the show.
“I’m not gonna ask him till probably after the season,” Kuntz said with a laugh. “Till he is out of his psycho mode.”
Freiermuth echoed that sentiment.
“He is a good guy around the building obviously. But it’s like, when Friday hits, he’s on go before games. Like it’s don’t talk to him,” Freiermuth said. “But that’s why he’s the best player in the NFL.”
If it looks like Watt plays like a man possessed on the field, his demeanor leading up to games might explain why.
Watt has enjoyed a historic career through his first seven seasons. He has registered double-digit sacks every year except for his rookie season in 2017 and his injury-hampered season in 2022. He tied the single-season sack record in 2021 with 22.5 sacks, and he is on a historic pace for his first 100 sacks, which should be reached in the first few games of the 2024 season.
T.J. Watt is a leader on the team, but leaders fall into two different buckets. There are the vocal leaders and the leaders by example. Watt seems to fall more into the latter category. He even discussed that earlier this season, saying he is working on being more of a traditional leader in the locker room.
“We’re all locked in, to a certain extent, but that man’s like pissed off locked in,” Kuntz said.
If his teammates are intimidated by his demeanor, you can imagine what some of the opposing offensive tackles must be feeling on game day.
