J.J. Watt is back from his torn pectoral. Two months after suffering the once-thought-to-be season-ending injury, the Houston Texans defensive end is practicing and primed to play in the postseason.
What’s Watt’s mental state after surprisingly coming back from injury?
“I’m excited,” Watt said on Tuesday. “I’m excited to play football, I’m excited to get back out there and hopefully get back on the field in front of the fans. I love the fans, I’m excited. The fans are a big part of the reason that I want to be out there and I’ve worked so hard to come back. It’s because I love these fans, I love this city and I want nothing more than to win for these people. So, that’s why every single day, when you’re going through rehab, when you’re going through difficult times, when you’re going through tough situations.”
For Watt, the focal point and driving force of his recovery are the fans. That should come as no surprise, of course, considering his public love for them, from playing catch before games with them to raising millions of dollars to support them after Hurricane Harvey struck Houston. His teammates and family are fudge on top of the sundae.
“Some days you don’t feel like doing it, some days it’s very tough,” Watt said. “What gets you through is your teammates and your family and the fans, and knowing that when you do get back on that field, you’re doing it for people that you care about and that you love. You want to do it so that you can give them something to be proud of. Every day that I’ve had a tough day in my rehab, that’s what I’ve thought about.”
Watt’s not doing it for the fans’ viewing pleasure alone. He wants to bring a Super Bowl to Houston. With the Texans in the playoffs, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year has the chance to do so.
“Running back out of that tunnel, playing in front of those fans with my teammates and being able to do for them what I’ve wanted to do since the day I got here and that’s win,” Watt said. “That’s what I’m trying to do. That’s why after two months, I’m coming back because that’s what I want to accomplish. I want to win for these people.
“So is there an element of risk? Yes. But is the upside 100 times better? Yes. Because there’s nothing I want to do more than to win with these guys in the locker room, for these fans here in Houston, because I love them and I love the game.”
The city of Houston has not had their NFL team play in the AFC Championship game since the 1979 season when the Houston Oilers fell short to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-13. Watt’s Texans would have a similarly special place in the hearts of Houston sports fans if they could get into the NFL’s final four or beyond this postseason.