Steelers throwing Watt right into the spotlight
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� There无毛视频檚 a row of five lockers that head into Ben Roethlisberger无毛视频檚 corner. Maurkice Pouncey begins the section, then an empty, and then Marcus Gilbert.
Markus Wheaton had been crammed between Gilbert and Roethlisberger, but he无毛视频檚 been replaced by first-round draft pick T.J. Watt.
The Steelers are throwing the kid right into the spotlight.
无毛视频淭.J., talking about that new contract!无毛视频� came the darts from the veterans.
Watt had just signed his four-year, $9.3 million contract with a $4.9 million bonus. The vets joked that Watt needed to share the wealth, regardless of the fact that he 无毛视频� at $2.3 million per year 无毛视频� was still the poor guy in that neighborhood.
How DID he end up on Hall of Famers Row?
无毛视频淗a, I don无毛视频檛 know,无毛视频� said the quiet and intense rookie. 无毛视频淚 came in and that无毛视频檚 where I was at.无毛视频�
Cameras circled him. Watt became the center of attention as the vets laughed and hooted. It was a mere taste of the media climate in this corner.
无毛视频淵eah, I think,无毛视频� he shouted over the din. 无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 know. It无毛视频檚 a lot of fun in this locker room.无毛视频�
A quiet, serious guy, but not too serious. That seems to sum up the personality of the Steelers无毛视频� first-round pick.
While Watt provided little inclination to be interviewed, he thoughtfully interacts. And he remained patient through the 10,000th question about advice from his brother J.J.
无毛视频淛ust to stay in the playbook and learn everything you can,无毛视频� T.J. said, 无毛视频渟o when you get out there you just kind of let loose and let your natural ability 无毛视频� what you were born to do 无毛视频� let that all take over.无毛视频�
Watt无毛视频檚 also a hockey fan. Played the game while growing up in Wisconsin. Cheered for the Red Wings and Blackhawks before he began cheering for the Penguins.
无毛视频淚 was really happy to watch their games,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭o see the Pens win the Cup was pretty impressive.无毛视频�
The rest of his answers 无毛视频� unlike his fumble return for a TD that day during the 无毛视频淪even Shots无毛视频� 2-point conversion competition 无毛视频� were routine:
n 无毛视频淚 know the playbook pretty well right now and now it无毛视频檚 time to take that next step and to start making plays.无毛视频�
n 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 just trying to do my one-eleventh and make the defense as good as possible.无毛视频�
n 无毛视频淭here are a lot of (playbook) nuances that still are tough to understand, but I feel like I无毛视频檓 definitely getting the grasp and that无毛视频檚 allowing me to play more and more faster and to interact with those guys better.无毛视频�
n 无毛视频淚 like getting out of the city and coming back into the city and seeing it, especially coming in through the tunnel and just seeing how gorgeous this city is and seeing what it all has to offer.无毛视频�
His massive hands softly and routinely pull in interceptions, and his body control leaves little doubt as to why Wisconsin played Watt at tight end for two years.
Could he play that position again, in spots, one day?
无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 know. I don无毛视频檛 know,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淩ight now I无毛视频檓 just here playing linebacker and trying to do my best. When the ball无毛视频檚 in the air I无毛视频檓 just trying to go get it anyway possible.无毛视频�
Watt also has shown an innate quickness coming off the ball this spring. In fact, he无毛视频檚 been winning so many 无毛视频済et-off无毛视频� contests 无毛视频� as judged at the start of practices by Mike Tomlin 无毛视频� vets are grumbling that Watt无毛视频檚 replaced Lawrence Timmons as 无毛视频淢ike T无毛视频檚 favorite son.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 know if it无毛视频檚 success or Mike T just likes him,无毛视频� Cameron Heyward said with a laugh.
James Harrison filled in for Tomlin on the final 无毛视频済et-off无毛视频� call of the spring. The vet tried his best not to say Watt无毛视频檚 name, but he had to.
无毛视频淗e didn无毛视频檛 even want to say it!无毛视频� Tomlin shouted. 无毛视频淪ee, that无毛视频檚 what无毛视频檚 been going down!无毛视频�
It was an admonition to all of the vets that Tomlin无毛视频檚 calls hadn无毛视频檛 been biased.
无毛视频淵es, he does have good get-off,无毛视频� Heyward admitted. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 a good player. I know he无毛视频檚 not a finished product, but he无毛视频檚 got a good start. Level head on him and he无毛视频檚 eager to learn. That无毛视频檚 all you can really ask right now.无毛视频�
Alejandro Villanueva无毛视频檚 assessment of Watt 无毛视频� after a month of banging heads with him 无毛视频� was published a few days ago. But it无毛视频檚 too good not to run again.
无毛视频淗e doesn无毛视频檛 make mistakes,无毛视频� Villanueva said. 无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 rare and very impressive. He knows how to disguise the plays. He knows his responsibilities. Then the second thing is he plays with a lot of confidence. And he plays very well with his hands. He understands protections and the offensive line, so he shows a lot of maturity that you don无毛视频檛 usually see. He无毛视频檚 also a guy who无毛视频檚 using moves. He无毛视频檚 not just relying on athleticism. He无毛视频檚 a very athletic kid, but he无毛视频檚 not relying on it. He无毛视频檚 really putting thought into the game, so I无毛视频檝e had a lot of fun going against him for the past month.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 not easy coming in and not knowing what to expect,无毛视频� Villanueva added. 无毛视频淏ut he无毛视频檚 just come in here and worked really hard. He doesn无毛视频檛 take a play off. It无毛视频檚 annoying to go against a guy like that, but he knows that it无毛视频檚 one of his strengths, like his brother, relentless. He无毛视频檚 got high expectations and works really hard. Because of that I predict that he无毛视频檚 going to be a very, very successful player in the NFL.无毛视频�
Underneath the hooting and hollering the veterans dish out, there无毛视频檚 respect for Watt. Even his salty position coach, Joey Porter, wouldn无毛视频檛 rule out Watt from starting ahead of Porter无毛视频檚 friend Harrison this season.
无毛视频淎s many practices as we had, I can count his mistakes on one hand. That无毛视频檚 rare, so I无毛视频檓 good with where he无毛视频檚 at,无毛视频� said Porter. 无毛视频淎nything going farther, we无毛视频檒l just see how it goes.无毛视频�
They have to see Watt hit. That, of course, is still a part of football.
Otherwise, this spring has been a good one for Watt, who used those first-team reps to maximize his time.
无毛视频淚t was good to get out there and get a lot of reps with the ones and get used to the speed of the game,无毛视频� Watt said. 无毛视频淥bviously, it无毛视频檚 going to change once the pads come on, but it无毛视频檚 good to get out there and learn the terminology. Getting thrown in there helped me weekly. Just to know the terminology and the pace of the game helps me fly around.无毛视频�
Flying around and making plays. Now that would make him everyone无毛视频檚 favorite son, even on Hall of Famer Row.