Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt started the season as a clear favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, but he gradually lost steam.
Watt failed to register a single statistic in their last four games, including the season-ending playoff defeat to the Ravens.
Throughout his time in the National Football League, Watt has always been open and truthful about his performances, both good and terrible. He addressed his play at a media conference on Monday after the loss, and this time he was no different.
“Definitely feel like, schematically, it’s been a tough year for how offenses scheme things to try to get me out of the game,” Watt stated. “I’m going to have a major breakdown trying to figure out how to create plays.
He also wanted to clarify that he is not attempting to blame his lack of output on the modifications made by other teams, but rather on his own performance.
“I’m not at all trying to justify myself. I want to perform. Watt stated. I have to figure out how to keep winning in games like chips and slides. This offseason, I’m going to put in a ton of effort to resolve it.”
In order to support the team’s success, he also stated that he is prepared to modify his playstyle, which has been effective for years but hasn’t been so this season.
“I need to be more open to moving around more and trying to affect games as much as possible,” Watt stated. “You guys know I wanna affect the game more than anybody, but I don’t wanna selfishly take another guy’s, go to a different spot where I feel like I could have a better rush than on the left side.”
This season will be crucial for Watt’s future as well as the future of the Steelers because he will be a free agency at the end of the current campaign.
