Anyone who watches the Steelers can see that OLB T.J. Watt gets held far more than it’s called. It’s something that Watt and the Steelers have been dealing with for years, ever since Watt emerged as the best pass rusher in football, but it’s not something the team is complaining about or using as an excuse. Speaking to the media today, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said it’s something the Steelers have no control over and that they know Watt is going to continually get held.
“The great pass rushers get held. They’ll hold him this week. We have to fight through that because that’s out of our control. There is nothing we can do about that. We let New York take care of that,” Austin said via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Twitter.
Watt is pretty much impossible to stop routinely one-on-one, and the best way to stop him is to hold him. Unless it’s a blatant hold, it’s not going to get called most of the time, so it’s the best way to slow down and neutralize Watt. His brother, J.J., an elite defensive player during his time in the NFL, said he knows the feeling, and while it’s got to be frustrating for T.J., there’s simply nothing to be done about it except move on to the next play and try to make an impact.
As Austin said, it’s the nature of being a great pass rusher in the league. It’s not a problem exclusive to Watt, as it happens around the league with guys routinely getting held if they’re winning their matchup. It’s just not something that can be called every play, and it has to be clear and obvious to rise to the occasion of a foul for it to get called. It’s one reason why Gene Steratore said Watt doesn’t draw as many holding calls as he should since there’s only so long before the quarterback gets rid of the ball where the officials are looking for the hold to begin with.
Watt’s been the most productive pass rusher in football for years even while not getting as many flags as he probably should, and it’s not something he seems to worry about too much. For the three-time NFL sacks leaders and the Steelers, it’s just another thing they have to deal with, and their defense is going to need to put their heads down and look to rebound this week after a rough performance in Week 4 against the Colts.
