Oh, brother
The Steelers’ T.J. Watt is disappointed brother J.J. won’t be on the field, but he follows advice
Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt wishes his brother J.J was on the field when the teams meet.
The Texans’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day was supposed to be the Watt Brothers Bowl, but J.J. Watt’s knee injury ruined his chance to have bragging rights over his youngest brother.
J.J. will resume his role as a cheerleader for the Texans on Monday, while Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt will try to make life miserable for quarterback T.J. Yates.
“Obviously, there was a lot of hype around us playing against each other, but more than anything, I’d love to see my brother on the field,” T.J. Watt said Wednesday. “I’m more disappointed that he’s not able to play this whole season.”
J.J.’s rehabilitation may make it easier for Connie and John Watt to pull for the Steelers.
“You’d have to ask them, (but) they’ve been watching the Texans more, so I don’t know if they’re still going to be rooting for the Texans,” T.J. said. “I hope they’ll be rooting for the Steelers, but I understand they’ll be torn.”
Connie and John came to Houston from their home in Pewaukee, Wis., to watch the game and celebrate Christmas with two of their three sons.
Derek Watt, the middle son, won’t be available. As San Diego’s fullback, he’ll be busy Sunday when the Chargers try to stay in the playoff race with a game against the New York Jets.
“It’s very special to have three kids from the same household in a small town work our tails off, be competitive in everything we did growing up (and) get to the ultimate level of football, and to be succeeding, is a pretty crazy story,” T.J. said. “At the same time, we’re just so hungry to keep getting better and to keep chasing success.”
Since the Texans play Monday, the Watt family should be able to get together at J.J.’s house, which is near the Steelers’ hotel, on Christmas Eve.
“I think he’s going to come over to my house, and we’re going to do a little Christmas, hopefully open up some gifts and have a nice little meal together,” J.J. said Wednesday. “We haven’t gotten to have, really, a family Christmas in a long time.
“Unfortunately, Derek won’t be able to be there because he’s playing on Christmas Eve, but we’ll be able to watch Derek’s game, have a dinner and really spend some time together, which I think will be awesome.”
Justin James is a veteran of seven NFL seasons. Trent Jordan has looked up to his older brother since he was a child. He still sounds in awe of his brother, who’s a three-time winner of the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.
“He’s a superstar,” T.J. said. “And rightfully so. The guy works his butt off. No one sees all the behind-the-scenes work he’s put in to get himself to this point.
“What I’ve been able to witness is to see a guy who’s handled success so well and yet stays so humble and throughout this journey of success.
“I’m so proud to have him as my older brother and my No. 1 role model. He came out of Wisconsin to host (television) shows, be on the late-night shows, raise all this money ($37 million for Hurricane Harvey victims) and have so much success on the field, but he’s still the same person, and that’s why I love him to death.”
Like his oldest brother in 2011, T.J. is a former tight end who made the transition to defense and became a first-round pick. After the Steelers drafted him, T.J. got some brotherly advice.
“The one piece of advice that has really stuck with me is keep your mouth shut, learn the playbook and let your play do the talking,” T.J. said. “He said a lot of rookies, from his experience, come in trying to talk the talk, but they can’t walk the walk.
“He said if you just come in and gain respect through what you do on the field, you’ll be all right. Everyone always says I’m so serious, that I need to lighten up, but football’s my job.
“I take it very seriously to be successful, and that’s what I have to do to end up where we want to be as a team.”
T.J. has six sacks for one of the NFL’s best defenses. The Steelers are 11-3 and trying to earn a trip to the Super Bowl.
Unfortunately for J.J., he’s had time to watch some of his brother’s games since he’s unable to play since suffering his knee injury against Kansas City.
“One of the only advantages of the unfortunate situation I’m in is that I get to watch both my brothers every week,” J.J. said. “I get to actually sit down and watch their games in-depth and focus on them.
“That’s really been nice for me. I’m so proud of what they’ve accomplished.”
J.J. has been impressed with his youngest brother’s rookie season.
“He deserves all the credit,” J.J. said. “He’s the one who put in all the work, who’s always eager and asking questions and willing to learn. He’s the one with the athletic ability.
“Obviously, I wish I was out there playing against him, but I’m very much looking forward to seeing him play (Monday).”
T.J. was asked to compare his personality with J.J.’s.
“I always tell people that J.J. and I are very similar,” he said. “He definitely has more personality. He’s been in the league for so long he can kind of open up a little more.”
T.J. admits to being more reserved, at least for now.
“Until I know you more,” he said. “I’m a rookie, and I like to kind of handle my business, and I feel like all those personality traits will come down the road.”