Grantland--The Trenchie Awards: ...the Play of the Year from J.J. Watt

[Playoffs]

Grantland
THE BIG FELLAS
The Trenchie Awards: Some Vintage John Abraham and the Play of the Year from J.J. Watt
By Robert Mays on December 7, 2012

...
On the play, Houston is lined up in a 4-3 defense — rather than its base 3-4 — with Watt as the left defensive end. At the snap, the run action comes Watt’s direction, and his job, as right tackle Mike Otto (no. 66) attempts to reach him, is to maintain outside leverage and push the play back inside. Because he’s J.J. Watt, he gets his hands on Otto quickly and does this with relative ease.

After it’s clear that Watt has beaten Otto to the outside, tight end Craig Stevens (no. 88), who lined up at fullback on the play, sprints toward the sideline in an effort to get to Watt’s outside shoulder. Initially, Stevens beats Watt to the spot, but his advantage doesn’t last very long. Watt disengages with Otto, extends his hands onto Stevens, and using a subtle swim over the top with his right hand, regains position to the outside.

All of this is enough to make for an incredible play. Watt’s avoided being reached by two separate defenders (including one not assigned to block him; Stevens’s job here is actually to take now-unblocked outside linebacker Connor Barwin), and the expectations for him on such a play should be over. With the play forced back inside, pursuing teammates should be able to make the play for little or no gain. That doesn’t happen.

Instead, just as Chris Johnson slows to cut back, Watt stops, sheds Stevens, spills back to the inside, makes a tackle four yards deep in the backfield, and forces a fumble. The play is a collection of what makes Watt the best run-defending defensive linemen in football, but nothing here is more impressive that the use of his hands. While never stopping his movement to the outside, the ability to shift his hands from Otto to Stevens and then shed the second blocker is something few, if any other defensive linemen in the league are capable of. The first 12 games of this season have seemingly been a collection of J.J. Watt highlights, but they aren’t going to get any better than this....

read the complete article here: http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-tr...-from-j-j-watt

[76Texan]

Meh, he's containable.

Even Leroy Harris said so.

[The Pencil Neck]

Beast, thy name is JJ Watt.

[Dutchrudder]

I can't tell from the gif, but did he knock the ball loose, or did he scare the **** out of CJ causing him to drop it?

[GP]

Originally Posted by The Pencil Neck

Beast, thy name is JJ Watt.

"Thou surely jests when projecting a launched pigskin above thine head?!?" replied Sir Watt in a quarrelsome tone to the thrice swatted Quarterback.

[Specnatz]

Originally Posted by Dutchrudder

I can't tell from the gif, but did he knock the ball loose, or did he scare the **** out of CJ causing him to drop it?

As CJ reverses he turns his back to JJ who, as he goes to make the tackle, hits the ball with his right hand forcing the fumble. Moments before CJ would have gotten into the fettle position cause he knew who was coming.

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by Dutchrudder

I can't tell from the gif, but did he knock the ball loose, or did he scare the **** out of CJ causing him to drop it?

CJ didn't drop it. Watt got it with an upper-cut-like stab. The ball pops out & lands about 5 yards from them, to the inside. Antonio picks the ball up & unleashes the 4.5 (not the 4.2 that day) making Chris Johnson like cuts towards the endzone.

However, the ref standing right there didn't see the ball pop out, thought CJ still had it & blew the play dead, thus nullifying the Ninja endzone dance.

[TejasTom]

Originally Posted by Fiddler

CJ didn't drop it. Watt got it with an upper-cut-like stab. The ball pops out & lands about 5 yards from them...

However, the ref standing right there didn't see the ball pop out...

The ball was traveling so fast after Watt hit it that the ref couldn't see it...


Posted using Tapatalk from my phone. May contain errors.

[Dutchrudder]

Originally Posted by Specnatz

As CJ reverses he turns his back to JJ who, as he goes to make the tackle, hits the ball with his right hand forcing the fumble. Moments before CJ would have gotten into the fettle position cause he knew who was coming.

Originally Posted by Fiddler

CJ didn't drop it. Watt got it with an upper-cut-like stab. The ball pops out & lands about 5 yards from them, to the inside. Antonio picks the ball up & unleashes the 4.5 (not the 4.2 that day) making Chris Johnson like cuts towards the endzone.

However, the ref standing right there didn't see the ball pop out, thought CJ still had it & blew the play dead, thus nullifying the Ninja endzone dance.

http://youtu.be/CMoPTm1KeXE?t=7m13s

I'm not seeing JJ making contact with the ball. I think he hit CJ so hard that the ball just popped out of his hand, which would explain why the ball goes forward downfield, rather than backwards. His right arm wraps up like a normal tackle and may have made contact with CJ's arm that's carrying the ball, but in any case I think the force of the hit on the body is what caused the fumble.

[GP]

Notice how none of the media talking heads were going orgasmic about how the Texans were robbed of a TD on that play.

LOL. I laughed so hard when we got robbed of the TD! I was like, "Yup, there's the make-up call from Forsett's TD that wasn't a TD but WAS a TD!"

None of those people were on the ground when the ball was picked up off the ground, so how did a ref blow the whistle? Out of fear that CJ was about to be killed? To spare us the bloody imagery of Watt consuming CJ in a single bite?

[Playoffs]

Originally Posted by Dutchrudder

...I think he looked at CJ so hard that the ball just popped out of his hand...

fify

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by Dutchrudder

http://youtu.be/CMoPTm1KeXE?t=7m13s

I'm not seeing JJ making contact with the ball. I think he hit CJ so hard that the ball just popped out of his hand, which would explain why the ball goes forward downfield, rather than backwards. His right arm wraps up like a normal tackle and may have made contact with CJ's arm that's carrying the ball, but in any case I think the force of the hit on the body is what caused the fumble.

Something like that.

Got to give some credit to Mitchell as well though.
He made CJ ducked and turned to get away from his grab, giving Watt just the right angle for the kill.

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

Something like that.

Got to give some credit to Mitchell as well though.
He made CJ ducked and turned to get away from his grab, giving Watt just the right angle for the kill.

That's another play where Mitchell's quickness impresses me. If only he didn't try to decapitate CJ2ypc, he could have had that tackle.

[76Texan]

Originally Posted by Fiddler

That's another play where Mitchell's quickness impresses me. If only he didn't try to decapitate CJ2ypc, he could have had that tackle.

He went in high; maybe it's something they want to do with several guys around the ball.

Stand the ball carrier up so another guy can create a turnover???
(Obviously, he didn't stand CJ up in this instance, but ya' know what I'm talking about.)

Or am I reading too much into it?!?

[thunderkyss]

Originally Posted by 76Texan

He went in high; maybe it's something they want to do with several guys around the ball.

Stand the ball carrier up so another guy can create a turnover???
(Obviously, he didn't stand CJ up in this instance, but ya' know what I'm talking about.)

Or am I reading too much into it?!?

I don't know. Just saying I'm impressed by Mitchell's speed.