FOXBORO — New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is known for heaping effusive praise on his opponents prior to a given matchup.
While the 71-year-old has occasionally been accused of doing so for the sake of a seemingly undeserving foe, the plaudits with which he showered Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt were both sincere and well-deserved.
Despite being a man of few words — especially in the recent midst of a 2-10 season, his worst as ‘HC of the NEP’ — Belichick spoke uninterrupted for over five minutes while answering a pair of questions regarding Watt’s abilities as a linebacker on the eve of the Pats Week 14 matchup with the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.
“He’s a very instinctive player,” Belichick told reporters via videoconference on Wednesday. “He’s very quick off the ball. He has a good edge pass rush. He’s got really good lower-body strength and balance. He does a very good job of closing to the quarterback and rarely gets knocked off balance. He might get hit but he’s able to play through contact and stay on his track. He really does a good job of condensing the pocket; even when he doesn’t hit the quarterback, he forces the quarterback into a smaller space that helps everybody else who’s rushing … he’s really good.”
Full Text of Belichick’s Response:
Still, it should be noted that Watt has not illuminated the stat sheet in his three career games against Belichick and the Patriots. Having not faced New England since 2019, the 29-year-old has just six solo tackles, one assist and one sack. Ultimately, the stats have done little to deter the Patriots coach in considering Watt among the elite players at his position — both presently and historically.
“I think that rating a player is a little bit like a jigsaw puzzle,” Belichick stated. “There’s a lot of pieces that go in there. Instincts are important … Speed — Strength and balance — coordination of the hand and footwork — they all fit together differently for different players and their skill sets.”
Perhaps the highest compliment given to Watt by Belichick, however, was his recognition of the single season sack leader’s (tied with Michael Strahan at 22.5) ability to act as a facilitator for his teammates. Whether it be his tendency to command the double-team, or his own star quality that raises the bar for his fellow defenders, Watt is typically at the center of mostly every defensive highlight – something that occurs by design rather than happenstance.