Unsatisfied with last year, the star of the steelers, TJ Watt, plans to alternate its pressure strategy to quarterback in 2025.
Latrobe, Pennsylvania – standing in front of the backdrop in a costume that was emptied after another direct elimination in the playoffs for the Pittsburgh Steelers, T.J. Watt He admitted that he needed to be open to move morethat running mainly from the left side no longer had the same impact he once had for the defensive player of the NFL year of 2021.
“I prefer the left, but at this time in my career I want to be an impact player,” Watt said in January, days after the 2-14 defeat against the Baltimore Ravens In the AFC Commodines Round Party. “I don't want them to be discarded by schemes. I want to deliver the ball in good field positions or remove the ball. It was not a year good enough for me.”
After seven months and a new contract with 108 million guaranteed dollars, Watt's words are becoming a reality in the field of Latrobe, where divides the practices of the training camp to perfect their pressure to the field marshal from the left – and the right. Now that he will turn 31 on October 11 and enter his ninth year in the League, The best way of Watt to maximize its effectiveness is varying the location of its pressure to the Mariscal, taking advantage of his versatility and adding turns to the defensive scheme instead of simply depending on pure strength and power, although he still has enough of that.
“This time of the year is perfect to move and get comfortable,” said Watt. “It's not about winning all the repetitions and having to be on the left side and get to dominate everything on the left side. It's about trying new things and being moving.”
“… we have so much depth. … I'm sure we will have great packages and some new things for you to see.”
Since the Steelers selected it in the 30th position of the 2017 NFL draft, Watt has played 4,887 plays as a left external supporter, compared to 653 as a right external supporter. Of those few plays on the right, 86% occurred in their rookie season, when Bud Dupree It was the main left external supporter. That season, five of the seven Watt captures were on the right side. A year later, both exchanged sides and the result was considerable. Watt almost doubled its total captures to 13 (10 of them from the left) and five of its six forced loose balls were also on the left side.
Since his rookie campaign, Watt has not played more than 20 plays as a right external supporter in any season.
But even if Watt's alignment became somewhat predictable, stopping it has been almost impossible. In 2021, Michael Strahan's capture recorded with 22.5, all from the left side, and was appointed defensive player of the year of the AP.
Two years later, he led the league with 19 captures and finished second in a close race by the defensive player of the year behind the defender of the Cleveland Browns, Myles Garrett.
Last season, the Steelers continued to use Watt mainly by the left wing, but incorporated some modifications that gave immediate results. He aligned by the right wing 12 times, including 10 specifically as right external supporter. Almost half of those plays were against the New York Giants In the match of week 8 of the Monday Night Football, which contributed to Watt to get its first game with two catches in 2024.
Watt got his first capture from the left in the first offensive series of the Giants in the third quarter. Both exchanged positions in the next play. Watt achieved a pressure victory to quarterback, which helped generate a capture to Alex Highsmith. Before that play, the Steelers had not registered a capture in a play with Watt aligned by the right since 2021, when Chris Wormley captured the Browns Campo Marshal, Baker Mayfieldwhile Watt aligned as a right inner supporter.
Watt's unexpected movement against the Giants then helped cause a 'SACK' of Daniel Jones in the last quarter in the red zone.
“We had it on the right and then we moved it to the left,” Dunbar said on Watt. “The field marshal did not see him move and left the protection on the left side of the offensive. And he got the capture to destroy the game. That is the kind of things that move good players can do for you.”
But in the last five Steelers games last season, including defeat in the playoffs, Watt participated in 260 of 261 plays from the left side of the defense. In that period, he only registered two captures and four blows to the field marshal while confronting the Right Tackles Jack Conklin (Cleveland), Lane Johnson (Philadelphia), Roger Rosengarten (Baltimore), Jawan Taylor (Kansas City) y Cody Ford y Amarius Mims (Cincinnati).
“Sometimes things happen like this, the season takes place,” he said Teryl AustinDefensive Coordinator of the Steelers. “At some point, Alex (Highsmith) was out, so (Watt) wanted to continue with his favorite side and all that. We like it when he moves because it is more difficult for teams simply to say: 'Hey, TJ will be here. Let's block it, let's arm the defense.'
“We will move it a little, but we will not do it in our detriment. We know that it has had excellent seasons on our left defensive side, the offensive right side, and you could still do that. We are trying to open the way, open the way to him and others to get more captures.”
To prepare, Watt worked in pressure movements to Quarterback from both sides during the summer while its agents negotiated its extension of the record contract. Now in the camp, Watt is intentionally about how he works on each side. Instead of alternating throughout a single training, Watt will spend all day on one side. Over time, he said, hopes to change side during practice to resemble the hypothetical party situations.
“We are choosing days to work on it,” Watt said. “I prefer to work on one side that day just to make more repetitions instead of going there for a repetition here or there.”
As happened with Highsmith against the Giants, the Steelers hope that moving Watt also benefits the rest of their pressure defense to the marshal.
“We all try to be as versatile as possible,” said the rookie cazamariscales Jack Sawyer. “Playing on both sides of the ball so that the teams cannot plan the game for the best player in the League will undoubtedly help it, and obviously it also helps us. It gives us the opportunity to fight on a different side and feel the game from both sides, so I think it is beneficial for everyone.”
How will this versatility be seen during the regular season games? His partner, also Cazamariscales Nick Herbighe smiled at the question.
“I can't reveal the sauce, man,” he said.
ESPN Research contributed to this story.
