My Favorite (Other) Player

I have been a Giants fan for years now, watching the boys play in Blue is something that brings me great joy. The sheer excitement of which they play with, Manning connecting with OBJ on a deep ball and OBJ jumping to make a one-handed catch will live in infamy and is one of the reasons fans flock to MetLife stadium. Like Voldemort, Giants fans don’t speak of the 2017 season, but we do speak of our hopes for 2018 and the plethora of incredible talent added to the roster.

Having said all of that and regardless of who I support, there is always that one player that stands out who is not part of your team, and that player for me is JJ Watt.

JJ WATT – DEFENSIVE END – HOUSTON TEXANS

JJ Watt, The Player

JJ Watt for me epitomises who every other NFL player should strive to emulate. JJ is one of the most talented defensive ends in the league and each season he proves just why that is. There are some that argue that his injuries prevent him being the very best, and whilst I agree with that in principal, it’s important that you see what he has achieved on the field even with the limited playing time he has, especially for the last few years.

Watt was drafted by the Texans in 2011 with the number 11 overall pick from Central Michigan.

And what a pick it was.

During Watts inaugural season with the Texans, he played lights out football and started all 16 regular season games. His first game out, against the Colts Watt had 5 tackles and 1 fumble recovery. His first multi-sack game came later in the season against the Jaguars where he recorded 2 sacks on Jags QB, Blaine Gabbett. Watt had one of the best rookie seasons of any defensive player in the league in 2011 and ended the regular season with 48 solo tackles, 8 assisted tackles and 5.5 sacks. But, the hopes that had been pinned on the Texans 2011 draft class, of being able to rejuvenate the franchise, came to fruition. The Texans reached the playoffs for the first time in their franchise history. Watt again was outstanding, finishing the postseason with 11 solo tackles, 3 assisted tackles and 1 interception returned for a TD.

Even though Watt stood out as a rookie in 2011, it wasn’t until 2012 that he solidified his place as a Texan legend. In 2012, Watt had one of the best seasons for a defensive player in NFL history. He amassed 69 solo tackles, 12 assisted tackles, 20.5 sacks, 16 defended passes, 4 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries.

To put that into perspective, the all-time sack leader in the NFL is Bruce Smith with 200 total career sacks. JJ Watt has already amassed 76 total career sacks and has effectively missed the last two seasons due to injury. Bruce Smiths record was achieved due to his durability, he played 19 seasons in the NFL. Based on the 5 seasons Watt has played fully and 76 sacks, if he were to have a career like Smiths he would be on course to achieve 300 + sacks.

At the end of the 2012 season, JJ was voted as the defensive player of the year, receiving a staggering 49 votes out of a total of 50, he was selected to the Pro Bowl and came number 5 in the top 100 list.

The above is just a snapshot of some of the achievements JJ has reached so far in his career. 2018 sees Watt come back to the field after an injured stricken 2016 and 2017 season. I’m excited to see Watt play, hopefully for the entirety of the 2018 season.

JJ Watt, The Man

Whilst we all know that Watt is a talented and productive player when he is on the field, there is also another side of Justin James Watt.

His charitable work has been widely talked about over the last year or so, but this is something that has been close to Watt’s heart for many years. Watt is the President of the Justin J Watt foundation. This foundation provides after school opportunities for children who want to get involved in athletics, and does so in a safe environment, often something these kids lack in their normal day to day lives. The foundation was created in 2010 (before Watt was in the NFL) and has raised over $1 million, supporting children mostly from Texas, a city Watt has truly adopted as his home town and one that he holds close to his heart.

Children are his driving force in respect of his charity work and he holds their care and future as important and something that everyone should be doing their bit to protect. His random acts of kindness have given hope to so many families affected by terrible tragedies. In 2011, the Berry family were travelling home from a holiday they had taken in Colorado Springs when they were involved in a head on collision which resulted in the parent’s deaths. The accident left their two sons, Peter and Aaron handicapped. Their daughter miraculously escaped with only minor injuries. This story promoted Watt to reach out to the children. Watt and the kids grew close and Watt would play wheelchair basketball with the boys.

This is an NFL player with a busy schedule, there is no incentive to do these kinds of things, but he as a man feels it’s his duty to be the best person he can be and to set an example and be a role model to kids all over the world who watch and idolise him. That says something about the character of the man that Watt is.

In 2017 Hurricane Harvey struck and wreaked havoc on the US and surrounding areas. Hurricane Harvey took the lives of 107 people in the US and in Guyana and caused over $125 billion worth of damage. The city of Texas was greatly affected by it and was completely devastated in some areas meaning there were thousands of families displaced and in need of basic supplies. Watt organised a just giving page with an initial target of $200,000 to help families affected. This target was smashed in a monumental way. Watt ended up raising over $37 million and organised efforts through the US, along with his fellow Texans to elevate some of the pain people were going through.

For his sheer selflessness, Watt was voted the 2018 Walter Peyton Man of the Year at the NFL Honours. But, in 2018 tragedy again struck the city of Texas when eight students and 2 teachers from the Santa Fe High School were shot dead during yet another school shooting. Affected by this, Watt promised to do something to yet again relief some of the horror on the parents and families of the victims. Watt stated publicly that he will pay for all the funerals of each victim. Yet another indictment of his love for the city he calls home, Texas.