Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher, T.J. Watt, says he is ‘way more comfortable on the left side.’
2017 first round draft choice, T.J. Watt, was recently interviewed by Steelers media following an OTA practice. During the interview he talked about a number of topics, including being a leader on Pittsburgh’s defense.
However, the comments that stood out the most to me had to do with a position change that was made last offseason.
In the interview, T.J. Watt was asked about things he would like to improve this year. Here was his response:
"… Pass rush. I mean, I am way more comfortable on the left side, first of all, and this is my first true year on the left side after a year under my belt. So I feel like I will have a lot more moves for all you guys to see this year, hopefully, and hopefully create more splash in run downs to. I feel like I can definitely improve on run defense… The strip sack is definitely something I a always focus on, just being aware of where the quarterback is holding the ball."
I’ll have to admit that I questioned the decision of Mike Tomlin to have Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt switch sides on defense last year. To be honest, I thought it was one last stitch effort try try to get something out of Dupree – possibly at the cost of T.J. Watt’s learning curve.
However, that was not the case, and the change had quite the opposite effect. Watt increased his sack total from 7.0 in 2017 to 13.0 last season, and proved to be one of the best pass rushers in the league down the stretch last year.
With true breakout sophomore season, Watt has embraced his new role on the left side of the Steelers defense. It suited him well last year, and according to his statements to the media, he is hoping to impress even further in 2019.
Watch the full OTA interview with T.J. Watt, Maurkice Pouncey, and Jaylen Samuels here: