T.J. Watt is one of the best players in football, and each week opposing coaches have made mention of how much an impact player he is. With the New York Giants on deck for the Steelers on Monday night, Giants head coach Brian Daboll praised Watt, calling him one of the best players in the league.
“I mean, we could stay here for a long time talking about [T.J.] Watt,” Daboll said Thursday during his press conference via the Giants’ team website. “He’s one of the best players in the league. He creates issues in the run game, he creates issues in the pass game. He bats balls down, he jumps up and intercepts balls that you’d never think could be intercepted. He’s got hustle, chase. He’s one of the better defensive players in the league. He’s a problem.”
Watt’s a player teams can’t just block 1-on-1, and he’s a guy they have to specifically game plan against. It makes it harder when the Steelers have another elite EDGE rusher opposite him in Alex Highsmith with Cameron Heyward in the middle of their defense, but teams can’t let Watt operate without bringing help. As Daboll said, he’s a menace in all facets of the game. He can disrupt the run and make plays in the backfield, even when teams try to run opposite him. He gets after the quarterback, and his ability to tip or bat passes is incredible.
The Giants are likely going to have Jermaine Eluemunor blocking Watt, and Eluemunor is apparently confident in his ability to block Watt. It’s one thing to say you’re confident, quite another to go out and actually block him, and the Giants aren’t going to be able to leave Eluemunor on an island against the Steelers’ all-time sacks leader. New York’s offensive line is banged up with the loss of OT Andrew Thomas, which will also help out Highsmith, as he’ll be going up against a backup on the right side.
Watt didn’t register a sack last week, but even if he doesn’t get a sack, he’s still an impact player because teams have to game plan against him. He’s also elite at forcing fumbles, and he forced two in Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders. He’s going to make an impact even if he isn’t bringing the quarterback down because his presence alone opens things up for the rest of Pittsburgh’s defense to get pressure or get sacks. It’s not going to be an easy assignment for the Giants’ offensive line, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Watt put up a big performance on Monday Night Football.
