At this point in his career, Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt is on a very clear path to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He was the second-fastest in NFL history to reach 100 sacks, already owns the Steelers’ all-time sacks record, has one Defensive Player of the Year award under his belt, and continues to put up some eye-popping numbers overall as arguably the best defensive player in the NFL.
What you see on game days is a culmination of all the hard work and preparation Watt puts in throughout the week in an effort to put him in the best position possible to dominate. His week of preparation happens to be rather regimented, especially by the day.
In a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Hannah Storm on Sunday, Watt detailed what his day looks like from a preparation standpoint. Unsurprisingly, it’s very regimented down to the minute.
“I’m just very like, specific on what time. I get in the facility at 7:10 every day. I eat breakfast, I’m out of the breakfast by 7:30. I’m in the cold tub by 7:30 to 7:40. And then I go up and watch film at eight and then 8:30 is meetings till whenever we have lunch. And then right after we have walkthrough, I have to get my lunch at a certain time,” Watt said to Storm regarding his day-to-day routine, according to video via ESPN. “But it’s not like if I don’t do these things, I’m gonna go crazy. It’s all about consistency. It’s about having months, years, and seasons of great success and doing it over time when people are trying to game plan against you. And when the lights come on, I know that I did everything that I possibly could so that I’m ready to for battle.
“And I know that the guy across from me most likely didn’t do the things that I did throughout the week because I just want everything to fall in line because I’ve worked so hard. You put everything into this one day…”
Considering how intense Watt is on game days and how he becomes a different person entirely, it’s not a surprise at all that he has a regimented, down-to-the-minute daily schedule to help him get as prepared as possible for each and every game.
That type of mentality, discipline and overall commitment is what separates the good from the great. Doing everything humanly possible that is within one’s control helps take players to another level. Having that type of regimented routine throughout the week on a daily basis helps him feel as prepared as possible, which has led to some monster performances and a career — to date — that has him on pace for a spot in the hallowed halls of Canton.
In his younger days, Watt was maybe a bit more intense on a day-to-day basis from a physicality standpoint. Now in his age 30 season, Watt is being smarter, but still doing everything within his power to make sure his body and his mind are ready to go to battle on game days.
“As I get older, it’s not always about doing more necessarily, ’cause I can’t, like, I don’t want to put more wear and tear on my body, but it’s still getting the mental reps and the little things, the walkthroughs and being locked in and taking notes and still trying to extract as much as I can from the game,” Watt added.
He’s been open in the past about cutting back on some stuff from a training perspective, whether that’s during the offseason or in-season. He knows he doesn’t need to be as physical in that aspect of the game, and so far, it’s seemed to work as he’s been able to stay healthy, allowing him to stay on the field and dominate week after week.
It all goes back to the work done behind the scenes out of the limelight. That’s where Watt separates himself. And it’s by being disciplined and regimented within his daily routines.
Check out Storm’s full interview with Watt below.
