Normally, we don’t spend much time writing about what anyone on the internet accuses the Pittsburgh Steelers of. There’s always an aggrieved party on the other side out there. But when J.J. Watt steps in to defend younger brother T.J., it’s worth mentioning. And highlighting that any accusation of T.J. Watt making a dirty tackle on Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow is far off-base.
Monday afternoon, J.J. Watt responded to a post he was tagged in that accused T.J. of intentionally trying to injure Burrow on a wrap-and-roll tackle on his second-quarter strip/sack/fumble.
“just checking, are you talking about the textbook way that tackling is taught by every NFL team to avoid injuries for both the ball carrier and the tackler?” he tweeted.
The original clip showed Watt’s sack/fumble, twisting and spinning Burrow down at the end of the play. Here’s a higher-resolution clip.
As J.J. Watt explained, this is a form tackle taught at virtually every level. There are different names for it, but it’s simply a “wrap and roll” tackle taught by coaches nationwide to bring a player down. It helps take the head out of the block and can be a more effective way to secure the tackle.
This is especially true given Watt’s situation. He was swatting at the ball and knocking it out of Burrow’s hands. This wasn’t a situation where Watt was trying just to hit and tackle Burrow. He’s going after the football. Still wanting to secure the tackle in case he can’t force the fumble, he’s pulling Burrow down and rolling him.
The goal isn’t to grab and roll around the ankles, but Watt clearly slid down as he attempted to wrap Burrow up, so all he had to grab were his ankles. That’s what happens in a live game. It doesn’t always work out like it’s coached and drilled.
The point is that Watt made a basic wrap-and-roll tackle. Burrow wasn’t injured on the play, except for perhaps his pride in losing the ball. There’s nothing dirty here unless basic tackling technique is now considered “dirty.” Good on J.J. Watt for addressing it.
