Over the course of the last couple of seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers have gone as far as T.J. Watt has taken them. Watt has become one of, if not the best defenders in all football. His effect on the game is impossible to ignore, and he’s capable of making a difference both rushing the passer, as well as against the run.
You don’t have to know a ton about the sport to know that Watt can impact the game in a variety of ways. However, hearing that from one of the most legendary head coaches in the history of the league can help solidify that feeling. The second of the three total head coaches in the history of the Steelers franchise, Bill Cowher, joined The Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday, and he had some praise for Watt.
“T.J. Watt, you know his numbers may not be up there, but he has won more games in the fourth quarter with big defensive plays,” Cowher said. “I think he’s still the Defensive Player of the Year when it’s all said and done.”
Watt is a multiple-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner. With that in mind, the fight to win the recognition isn’t something new for him. However, this year, Watt doesn’t have as stacked of a resume as usual through the first half of the season. He has 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for a loss and has forced four fumbles, the most in the league. Watt continues to change games in favor of Pittsburgh. According to Cowher, Watt reminds him of a legendary former player, Lawrence Taylor.
“T.J.’s like a Lawrence Taylor,” Cowher said.
Taylor is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the history of the league. Taylor racked up a whopping 142 sacks over the course of his career, the ninth-most in NFL history. Reaching a similar status to Taylor would be difficult for any player, but Watt actually has a realistic chance of potentially reaching Taylor one day.
Watt has 103 sacks in his career, leaving him tied for 55th all-time. He’s only 39 sacks behind Taylor, though. With a couple more good seasons Watt would actually end up very close to Taylor. It’s the ultimate compliment for Watt to be mentioned alongside Taylor. However, it’s even crazier to realize that he’s not that far off Taylor’s career resume.
