Houston, We Have An Injury

The NFL Draft class of 2011 will always be a memorable one. Some of the biggest names we now know in the league came from this class. Cam Newton was the number one overall pick for the Carolina Panthers that year. Right after Cam, a kid from Texas A&M named Von Miller was selected by the Denver Broncos. A.J. Green, Patrick Peterson were all taken in the top ten. At 11, the Houston Texans selected J.J. Watt out of Wisconsin. It’s been quite the run for this guy. Yesterday in the game against the Oakland Raiders, he left the game with an apparent shoulder injury according to the initial reports. Later after a Texans win, J.J. announced himself he’d be sidelined for the rest of the year with a torn pectoral muscle.

I know it seems as if injuries have taken over which we seem to discuss more of than his play on the field. Let’s not get too carried away, he’s still one of the best defensive players in the NFL when healthy. He may not be as dominant as he once was during a span of four years when he was the unquestioned best defensive player in the league. If you don’t have him circled on game film or know where he is at all times, he’s going to wreck your entire offensive game plan. He’s such a disruptive force with one of the quickest first steps to get to the quarterback or bring down a running back. He can do it. He plays on the edge as a defensive end, he plays inside as a defensive tackle, he rips through blockers, he swipes past guys or can get lower than his man to go underneath to get by and he loves the outside. Your technique must be right when defending him because if you try to slap away his outside hands, he rips right by you and he’s bringing your quarterback down. I’ll never understand why some teams elect to block him one on one. I’d chip him with a running back or someone to double team him. What I’ve always admired about his game is he plays the entire play. He’s a grinder that works hard and even when he’s double teamed, he’s using his long arms to get by and bring the quarterback down.

I feel for J.J. because he’s worked so hard to remain healthy so he can be on the field. He loves the game of football. He wants to give it all each time and he has. Since coming into the league in 2011, he’s been named the defensive player of the year three times with his first in 2012, 2014 when he had the best season I’ve ever seen from a defensive player and won it again in 2015. I hope he recovers soon and he’s back on the field again next year. The league is even better when he’s 100 percent.