The Pittsburgh Steelers shifted T.J. Watt to the right side for four snaps this past Monday, which is a rarity. In the first seven games of the season, he only played one snap on the right edge. They dabbled with it just a slight bit last year, but nothing serious. It’s unclear how much the Steelers want to play with it going forward, but just in case, J.J. Watt has some tips for him.
“The one thing that I was texting him [about] during the game he’s got to work on … is the top end of his rush”, J.J. said about T.J. Watt playing on the right side on Monday, appearing on the Pat McAfee Show. “When you’re ripping through, or the guy’s got your jersey, the hardest thing to do is that final little get-off so you can actually get the sack as opposed to a pressure. I think that’s the one thing he’s just not as comfortable with on that side yet. He’s got good rushes, it’s just the finish that he’s got to get comfortable with”.
J.J. Watt would know better than T.J. because the older brother often moved around. Throughout his career, he played up and down the line, along the interior and on the edges. While predominantly playing on the left side, he always retained positional mobility. He believes that is what T.J. needs to adapt to, as does his body, simply because it’s new.
“He’s always rushing off one side, so you’re always flipping your hips one way”, he said of T.J. Watt. “You’re constantly flipping your hips one way the entire time. You’re used to it. You’re comfortable. On the other side, you’re flipping your hips completely the opposite way. So the flexibility, the muscle movement, the muscle mass, the muscle recognition, is just different”.
Of course, the younger Watt began his NFL career on the right side, displacing James Harrison. Years later, Harrison said he saw things in Watt’s game on the left side he couldn’t do on the right. Watt flipped to the left side in his second season, and he has hardly looked back since.
Of course, T.J. Watt is knocking at the door of history as one of the greatest edge rushers. He recently became the second-fastest player to reach 100 career sacks, doing so faster than J.J. Despite his successes, Watt never passes up an opportunity to learn, no matter the source. He even takes what he can from Nick Herbig, a fourth-round pick from last season.
The great ones never stop growing and have a sense of humility about what they don’t know or don’t do. T.J. Watt epitomizes that humility, taking every opportunity to expand his game. That is one of the reasons he is primed to have a long and productive career, even eight years in. If anybody has a shot at Bruce Smith’s record 200 sacks, it would be Watt. He’s over halfway there now, currently 37th all-time, and quickly climbing the leaderboard.
