JJ Watt Admits Texting Steelers' TJ Watt After Horrific Penalty: "He Timed It So Perfectly"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have built the most expensive defense in the league, but they have shown that they are not wasting their money. The entire group brings a lot of talent, as was on display in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, but edge rushers T.J. Watt and his partner Alex Highsmith have created one of the best linebacking duos in the NFL. 

Watt has been paid just about every compliment that can be paid to a linebacker, and Atlanta didn't have an answer for him. He had huge plays, dominating the offense and Falcons quarterback, Kirk Cousins, at every turn. Unfortunately, he had two strip sacks called back. One of those was a definite bad call on the part of the officials. Watt is clearly watching the center and timing their actions. He times his jump exactly right to get around Atlanta's tackle and sack Cousins, but the officials threw a flag on Watt, calling it a false start. 

The next thing shown is Watt, clearly angry, yelling some likely choice words at the official who made the call. Recently, Watt's older brother, J.J. Watt, appeared on The Pat McAfee Show, and Pat McAfee said it was the most "impeccably timed jump" he'd ever seen. McAfee asked exactly what J.J. thought T.J. said to the official and what he thought about the call in general. J.J. joked that he was sure that it was a nice, respectful talk.  

"But truthfully, watching it live, when I'm texting him what I'm telling him is we both knew you were gonna get called for that one. Just because it purely looked like it live, not because he was actually offsides. He was so fast off the ball. He timed it so perfectly that it literally looks illegal. I was like, 'We knew you were gonna get that one.'"

The Watt brothers are notorious for their incredible preparation. They have honed their training to maximize their gameplay. That includes getting an exact amount of sleep, what they eat, and how they train. T.J. has said before that it isn't about being able to bench or squat the most; it is about being able to rush the passer. It is for that reason that everything he does is very specific to succeeding. 

T.J. said that later in the game, the official approached him and said he'd watched the film and realized he had called it wrong. Fortunately, the bad call wasn't enough to cost the Black and Gold the game, this time. 

Steelers' T.J. Watt Works More Than His Body

The evidence of T.J.'s hard work shows up every time he steps on the field. He is a six-time Pro Bowler and was the NFL AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 (and should have been in 2023). He has a whopping 97.5 sacks, 293 tackles and 27 forced fumbles. 

J.J. said that preparation isn't all physical; it also involves the tremendous amount of time he puts into film study. That is why T.J. can time that snap count exactly, which, by the way, he did.   

"This is just all down to preparation, all down to film study. As a defensive lineman, as an outside linebacker, the biggest advantage you can possibly get is the snap count to be able to jump it. He does so much study, so much film work and also just on the field trying to pick up the offensive line talking to each other. You can catch something in the huddle, whatever it may be. It really, really hurts when you get it called back. Cause a strip sack fumble is just the best thing you can have in all of your preparation paid off and it got called back."

The Steelers will face the Denver Broncos and their rookie quarterback, Bo Nix, for their Week 2 matchup. The Steelers' defense will need to continue to dominate as the offense finds its footing under new Offensive Coordinator, Arthur Smith.

What do you think Watt said to the official? Click to comment below. 

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