Steelers' Awe-Inspiring T.J. Watt On Beating J.J. Watt's Record Plus Surprising Emotions Of Turning The Tables

Pittsburgh Steelers edge phenom, T.J. Watt has recently heard accolades such as being called the greatest football player on the planet or the best defender in the NFL. While there are still some media outlets that incomprehensibly disrespect him (jealousy is an ugly color PFF), the majority of the people who matter from fans, coaches, opponents, and teammates, can't speak highly enough about how exceptional he is every day. On top of the intangibles he brings to the table, his stats complete the picture. This includes him recently surpassing his older brother, defensive end J.J. Watt for having the most sacks in their first 100 games. Now T.J. is second only to Reggie White.

Recently, T.J. appeared on the Green Light Podcast with Chris Long. The show is hosted by former NFL defensive end Chris Long and his brother, NFL offensive guard, Kyle Long. The two noted that they are big fans of T.J. and the way he plays football. They were curious how it feels to surpass his brother, who is also clearly headed to Canton, with that sack statistic. They wanted to know what that meant to him, other than the fact that they came from an excellent gene pool. Watt, who is always humble said those things have not sunk in yet.

"None of it registers honestly. I can't even fathom all the stuff that's been accomplished and I'm sure one day we'll [T.J. and J.J.] sit down and watch a whole bunch of highlights and talk about everything. I can't get through my mind what's happening."

They will have lots to talk about when that time comes. T.J. is nowhere near done, this is his seventh season in the NFL, all in Pittsburgh. During that time, he has played in and started 96 games. He has seven interceptions, 25 forced fumbles, 88 sacks, 363 combined tackles, and 182 quarterback hits. He even scored his first regular-season touchdown during the Week 2 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. 

J.J.'s stats are as impressive. He spent 11 years in the league and during that time, he played in and started 151 games. He had two interceptions, 27 forced fumbles, 114.5 sacks, and 586 combined tackles. The younger Watt says he doesn't spend a lot of time basking in the spotlight because he is trying to scratch an itch that can't be sated.   

"I just know that I'm addicted to the process of continually trying to get better and I'm just so hungry. It's a massive game this week [Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns] and there's no time to sit back and pat myself on the back and get a big head. I just know how special this moment is, I know how short of a period that I have to play this game and I'm trying to maximize the most of it. I just want to keep going."

Watt suffered a pectoral injury during the Week 1 game in 2022 that cut out a big chunk of the beginning of his season. He only played in 10 games and his partner in crime, Alex Highsmith, was left to hold down the fort. While Highsmith did an admirable job, it was quite obvious that the Steelers play much better when Watt is on the field. 

Steelers' T.J. Watt Had A Surreal Moment During The Tennessee Titans Game

The two brothers bookend the family with J.J. being almost six years older than T.J., and brother Derek Watt falling in the middle. Because all three played in the NFL, their schedules did not always allow them to catch all of each other's games, T.J. and Derek did both play on the Steelers for a few years. However, since J.J. was already in the NFL way ahead of T.J., it allowed the younger brother to attend quite a few of his early games after being drafted by the Houston Texans. 

The Long brothers mentioned they could relate. With Kyle being younger, Chris was able to catch some of his games after he retired. Recently retired J.J. was at the Thursday night game against the Tennessee Titans. He was shown multiple times by the cameras in his box waving (badly mind you, he needs serious lessons) his Terrible Towel. T.J. said that knowing his big brother was there, watching every snap, reminded him of all the times the roles were reversed. 

"It's special when you think back to how many Houston games I went to, and it's like every snap, I'm not watching the game, I'm watching him. I can't watch anything else. So for him to in turn have that for me was very surreal. For him to come to Pittsburgh, to see all 90 jerseys, to live out the experience just like I had in Houston."

According to T.J., it is a special bond that is hard for anyone else to understand. While he and his brothers may play different positions, there is a brotherhood among NFL players. This bond is only intensified by being actual brothers. 

"It's kind of wild. You're so in tune with how you think and you think the same way, so after a game, it's so refreshing to have a guy that I'll be like, 'During that one rush' and he's like, 'Oh, I know, I didn't want to say it, but now that you say it, we'll talk about it.' It was a night game and we stayed up until two or three in the morning just talking about football. It's something I'll remember forever."

Both T.J. and J.J. are known for their exceptional work ethic. T.J. is open about how he spends his off time constantly refining and improving upon his recovery process so his body is ready for the next game. This has been part of why the Watt brothers have given the entire NFL some memories that they will never forget. 

When T.J. was entering the draft process as he wrapped up college at the University of Wisconsin, he was incredibly undervalued. Many analysts thought he would never be as good as his older brother. Teams such as the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys passed him by. They weren't as concerned about his talent as much as his size. They just didn't think he'd be able to deliver the same results in the pros. Boy, were they wrong and Steelers fans are grateful they were. 

What do you think about the Watt brothers? When the Steelers selected T.J., did you expect him to turn out to be as incredible as he is? What did you think when you saw J.J. waving a Terrible Towel? Click to comment below.

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