Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt may come from a famous football family, but he quickly (and some would say easily) carved his niche into the league early on when he entered the NFL in 2017.
In just six seasons and 87 games, Watt has established himself as one of the best pass rushers since, well, his own brother, former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals pass rusher J.J. Watt. And like J.J., the accolades came early and often with five Pro Bowls, three All-Pro selections, 77.5 sacks and Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021.
2022 was a comparatively down year for Watt as injuries limited him to a career-low 10 games. But he now heads into the offseason more determined than ever to be the best player he can possibly be.
We caught up with Watt to discuss the season that was, the offseason to come, his new partnership with Invisalign, his inspirations growing up and much more.
This interview is made possible by Invisalign:
It’s a Watt thing. #DPOY | @Invisalign pic.twitter.com/uglB7wwpjM
— NFL (@NFL) February 11, 2022
TheSpun: You’ve joined with Invisalign for a new campaign. Can you tell us about it and why you felt this was the right time to get involved?
T.J. Watt: It was a perfect fit with Invisalign Aligners for me because I just started my treatment this past year and went throughout the season with them.
How I found out about it is a couple of my teammates said they gotten their teeth straightened or uncrowded and I was asking about the process, then I learned about the emergency appointments that sometimes come with braces and that’s not the case when it comes to Invisalign Aligners. You can easily just pop them out, eat a snack and pop them back in. Oftentimes you can’t even tell you’re wearing them. It was just a good fit for me, for my lifestyle. I’m glad to be partnered with them.
TheSpun: Does your dentist tell you to floss more and if so, do you?
Watt: (laughs) Yeah I’m brushing my teeth all the time, flossing them all the time and doing the process. My guy in Pittsburgh lets me hop in a call, looks at my teeth and make any corrections needed.
TheSpun: I know you had a bit of a rough year from an injury standpoint. How have you been feeling physically since the season ended? Any lingering pain?
Watt: No, I think just general soreness in certain areas that I’m still working through. It was tough during the season. (But) I’m starting to feel like myself and I’m starting to feel a lot better now that I’ve let my body rest after the season.
It wasn’t the season that I wanted, but I learned a lot in the process. I just want to learn from my experience and move forward.
TheSpun: Who is the toughest QB for you to bring down?
Watt: It’s always the next one. Sacking any quarterback in the NFL is the one of the toughest things to do and that’s why a lot of guys when they do it they celebrate so hard. You almost black out from the excitement of getting a quarterback to the ground.
Another one!!!! Saccckkkk!!! @JJWatt
— TJ Watt (@_TJWatt) January 8, 2023
TheSpun: There are obviously certain skills and abilities that you need in order to do what you do at the level you do it. Does taking down a quarterback necessitate more strength or speed?
Watt: I think as a rusher there are so many different ways. You’ve got guys that are just speed, you’ve got guys that are just power and guys that can mix it all up. What I’m trying to do as an edge rusher is try to be the complete package – a guy that can throw any kind of pitch at a tackle and that’s what makes you next level and that’s what I’m trying to do.
TheSpun: Who is the toughest opposing lineman you’ve had to go up against?
Watt: There’s a bunch of good ones. This past year I went up against Lane Johnson. To see him going to the Super Bowl where he’s going up against a lot of good players (it’s great to see).
David Bakhtiari in my rookie year was really good. There’s so many excellent athletes now. These 300-plus pound guys that can move and cut on a dime, change direction – it definitely makes my job difficult.
TheSpun: What is the month-to-month schedule of TJ Watt’s offseason?
Watt: This past month I take like a week to eat whatever the heck I want, drink whatever the heck I want and stay up as late as I want – just anything that lets me reset, get back. After those two weeks are up I start to slowly get back into the training process starting from the ground up. Then you ease into the offseason as each month progresses towards OTAs and training camp before intensifying with more running and heavier lifting – things like that.
Right now it’s just letting my body slowly come out of the resting phase and move around again.
TheSpun: Is there a player who inspired you to play when you were growing up?
Watt: Growing up in Wisconsin, Brett Favre was definitely a huge role in that. Donald Driver, Bubba Franks were some huge ones that you grew up listening to.
Then obviously I had my older brother who got into the NFL, I was super excited to watch him play. The awesome plays he had there really inspired me.
Then along came my brother Derek who also had a heck of a high school career which led to an awesome college career and then into the NFL as well. I’ve had a lot of good role models in my life.
TheSpun: Speaking of your brother J.J., he recently retired. Do you have any idea what he’s got planned next?
Watt: Not that he’s let on. A lot of golf, a lot of relaxation, hanging out with his son and his wife. Anything you guys see, maybe I’ll know a little bit about it beforehand, but right now I think he’s just keeping it low-key. He’s just hanging out and enjoying not having to lift and run super hard right now.
TheSpun: I know you’re right in the middle of your career, but have you put any thought into what you’ll do after you’re done?
Watt: Not really. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself but I think there are so many guys who go into TV or maybe coaching. I just want to play football as long as I can at a high enough level and when it’s time to walk away I’ll probably just walk away from the game (entirely) and maybe just relax for a year or two then evaluate what I want to do next.
Best day of my life. pic.twitter.com/QUvieKNecO
— TJ Watt (@_TJWatt) July 11, 2022
TheSpun: We have Super Bowl Sunday coming up. Would you like to offer a prediction?
Watt: I just want to keep it close. I hope it’s an entertaining game. Two really good football teams coming together. I’m always just rooting for a good game if I’m not in it or one of my brothers isn’t in it.
TheSpun: Outside of football, what are your favorite teams?
Watt: Obviously the Penguins, the Pirates, the Brewers growing up. I love watching sports. One of my good buddies is a basketball coach at a Division III school in Waukesha, Wisconsin – Carroll College – so we like to support him as well. I love watching athletes compete.
Tough to beat an ice cold glass of cow. Half chocolate milk, half white milk.
— TJ Watt (@_TJWatt) July 15, 2022
TheSpun: How about some food takes? Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Watt: Absolutely not.
TheSpun: Does ham belong on pizza?
Watt: Absolutely not. (laughs) That’s the same pizza though so I know what you’re talking about.
TheSpun: Is a hot dog a sandwich?
Watt: No, it is not a sandwich. I don’t know what the heck you call it but it is not a sandwich.
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