J.J. Watt is an empathetic man.
Though the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year imparts on his younger teammates the significance of playing with urgency earlier in their careers, he understands why it sometimes doesn’t stick. After all, the Houston Texans defensive end was the same way his first few seasons as the club’s first-round pick in 2011.
“As a young guy in this league, you think you have a long time and you think that, obviously, you win a divisional title and you think, ‘maybe it’s next year,'” Watt said. “In my first two years down here, we won our first-ever division title. We won our first-ever playoff game and we made it to the second round. Then the next year you go 12-4 and you’re like, ‘Okay, we’re moving in the right direction.’
“And then boom, next year was 2-14. Then obviously the past six or seven years we’ve had division titles but not much past that. It’s very, very difficult in this league. The sense of urgency always has to be there.”
The Texans are at 1-4 and face the undefeated Tennessee Titans on the road at Nissan Stadium. Heading into Week 6, Watt is simply trying to win a game, not teach lessons at the moment.
“I want to win one game,” said Watt. “I think that’s when you have success is when you realize that’s the focus, not the biggest picture. I think you have to take those one at a time and sometimes you can get caught up in looking at the big picture and forget about the little things, the fundamentals and the details that help you win the games that get you to that point.”
There is more sand at the bottom of Watt’s career, much like the Texans’ playoff chances. If the Texans can get a win over the Titans, it should expand their opportunity to get back in the playoffs, where Watt can get back to impart the sense of urgency on his younger teammates.