J.J. Watt amazes his Texans teammates, but a simple approach is the key to his comeback

Mike Jones | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Making sense of the NFL helmet rule SportsPulse: NFL reporter Lorenzo Reyes attempts to explain the helmet rule that is causing chaos this preseason and if the NFL plans on making any adjustments to rule ahead of the regular season.

HOUSTON — J.J. Watt knows what you want.

The three-time defensive player of the year can’t go anywhere without hearing the questions.

How does he feel? Is he fully healthy? And after two injury-riddled seasons and three surgeries — two on his back and one on a broken leg — can he recapture the form that made him the most dominant defensive lineman the NFL has seen since Reggie White?

Watt’s fan base would welcome assurances of some kind, and he understands. He has appeared in just eight games since repeating as defensive player of the year in 2015, and the Houston Texans have held him out of the first two preseason games this year.

But even though he understands, Watt sees no point in making lofty promises.

“Of course, you hear (the questions) a lot, but I don’t really have an answer for anybody,” the 6-5, 295-pound Watt told USA TODAY Sports following Tuesday’s practice. “I could say whatever I want. I could say I’m going to have an incredible season. I could say I’m going to have a terrible season. It doesn’t matter what I say. It matters what I do. So, for me it’s going to practice every day, focusing on what I have to do to get better.”

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It's a simple approach, but it’s what has best equipped Watt to navigate this arduous journey back to health.

“There’s a lot of mental hurdles that you have to climb,” he explained. “You go through some very dark days where you question everything. You have days where you have very miniscule exercises and you feel like your progress should be further along than it is, or it’s one step forward and two steps back, and things like that. ... People tell you that you’re going to come out on the other side stronger. But early on, you definitely question it and say, ‘That seems like (expletive) to me.’ But when you do come out the other side, you realize it’s true.

“When you look back at it,” Watt added, “you realize there’s definitely beauty in the struggle. It’s hard to see that when you’re in it. But when you look back at it, you appreciate what you went through and the people that helped you to get on the other side.”

Yes, Watt believes he has made it to the other side. No, he won’t make any proclamations about his potential impact in 2018. But he acknowledges “I feel normal now.”

Watt’s version of normal, according to teammates, is explosive, powerful, consistent and relentless.

“It’s amazing to watch him every day,” nose tackle D.J. Reader said. “I’m always amazed by the stuff he does and plays he’s able to make. Sometimes I’ll be on my block and he’ll just flash across my face (and get into the backfield), and I’m just like, ‘Man, that’s just crazy.’ But it’s a testament to how good he is as a player and the work he puts into the game.”

New Texans safety Tyrann Mathieu can attest to that. The former Arizona Cardinal, who signed with Houston this offseason, had always admired Watt. But he didn’t have any idea how detailed and extensive Watt is in his preparation. After witnessing it firsthand in training camp, it all makes sense, Mathieu said.

“That (expletive) is just 99 mph every play,” Mathieu said. “After every rep, he don’t care if the ball is in the end zone or tackled for a 5-yard loss. He’s always running, trying to get a sprint in, trying to get his conditioning up.”

Indeed, he is. At the end of each play during 11-on-11 action, Watt takes off sprinting 15 to 20 yards upfield and then runs back to the huddle. He started this in 2012 while rehabbing from a left elbow dislocation that forced him to miss the entire preseason. Watt’s position coach challenged him to get in extra running because the time off had put him behind his teammates, and so he started the post-play runs. Still working to ensure he achieves top physical form entering the season, Watt has continued the practice.

“His effort is unmatched,” Mathieu added. “I realize why he’s so special. Whoever’s counting him out because of his back and his leg, they doing him wrong. Just seeing him show up and put in all the work, it’s special to see.”

Watt’s physical strength and work ethic have impressed Mathieu and others. But those attributes also reveal a deeper mental fortitude. Having come back from a torn ACL and LCL injury that derailed his promising rookie career in 2013, and a shoulder injury that cost him six games in 2016, Mathieu knows all too well the psychological challenges that players face while recovering from major surgery.

There are bouts with depression and continual thoughts of self-doubt. He, like Watt, described those times as “dark.” Outsiders often overlook this aspect of recoveries, believing therapy and recovery are sufficient for a player to return to form.

But Mathieu says, “I’d say the mental battle is just as important. Half the time, you just go through the motions of rehab, but your mind is not there. That’s why I would say the mental is just as important, maybe more, as the physical — by a long shot.”

Watt appears likely to make his debut Saturday against the Rams. His goal is simple: Get in, log a few plays, exit healthy.

Having seen him compete against teammates, and against the 49ers during joint practices last week, the Texans believe Watt will show flashes of his dominant form in limited action. They then hope Watt can make another run at defensive player of the year honors during the regular season.

“He’s defying the odds, being an interior guy, having a back injury, having a leg injury, surgeries,” Mathieu said. “Is he going to get back there? Yep. He’s showing us every day that he just might get 20 sacks this year.”

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