Watt leaves ‘our realm’ after a sack
PITTSBURGH 鈥� Want to know where the Steelers鈥� sacks leader goes during his in-game celebrations?
The guy playing next to T.J. Watt does.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what world T.J. goes to after he makes a play,鈥� said Stephon Tuitt. 鈥淚 always wait until he comes back into our realm, but he does a great job generating excitement as he makes plays.鈥�
The guy on the other end of the line has noticed, too.
鈥淭.J., man, he gets really animated when he makes a play,鈥� said Bud Dupree. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just part of the game, part of the tradition of the Watt family.鈥�
So is leading the NFL in sacks. Watt brothers J.J. and T.J. are tied at the top of the NFL sacks leaderboard with Geno Atkins of the Cincinnati Bengals. The three have six sacks apiece.
T.J. got three the first week and three last Sunday and was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week both times. He was asked if he鈥檚 competing against his brother.
鈥淣o, no competition. Just trying to make each other better,鈥� said T.J., who has 13 sacks in his first 20 games. 鈥淚t鈥檚 healthy competition and I鈥檓 just really happy to see both of my brothers out there playing on Sundays. It鈥檚 something I鈥檒l never take for granted. To be able to sit on the couch and watch them play is pretty special.鈥�
On Sunday, J.J. will be in Houston at the same time Atkins will be trying to add to his sack total against David DeCastro and Ben Roethlisberger. T.J. will be chasing Andy Dalton to take the lead himself. And if he does, don鈥檛 mind that he leaves 鈥渙ur realm鈥� for a bit.
鈥淚 kind of just black out,鈥� explained T.J. 鈥淵ou work so hard and you put in so much effort, and it鈥檚 so hard to make big plays in the NFL. When you do, you just kind of spazz out and just go crazy and just celebrate because it鈥檚 worth celebrating when you make a play.
鈥淥bviously, you go back and celebrate with the team, but I always have that moment to myself that鈥檚 like, 鈥楧amn! This feels so dang good!鈥� And the body just does whatever the heck it wants. That鈥檚 why I can鈥檛 stick to one celebration. I just can鈥檛 figure it out.鈥�
Watt has time. In only his second season he鈥檚 become the leader of a pass rush that sacked Matt Ryan six times Sunday and is on pace for a team-record 61 sacks.
鈥淚 just think we鈥檙e doing a great job of pressing the pocket and collapsing the pocket as a whole,鈥� Watt said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anyone in this scheme is meant to eat up blocks. We all have great opportunities. It鈥檚 awesome when those guys push the pocket. It allows the quarterback to step back and allows us to get a little wider rushes and also get the quarterback in our hands. It鈥檚 been working out really well.鈥�
Watt was also flagged 15 yards for a low hit on Ryan that was clearly a missed call by the official. Mike Tomlin was critical of NFL officiating after the game and has been reportedly fined $25,000.
鈥淚 pulled my hands off. You can see it in the film,鈥� Watt said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what is a penalty and what isn鈥檛 anymore, so I just play my game and if a flag is thrown, a flag is thrown. It sucks that it鈥檚 a 15-yarder.鈥�
Was he happy when Tomlin criticized the officiating?
鈥淎h, he鈥檚 doing his job,鈥� Watt said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not my job to complain about the refs because my opinion means absolutely nothing. I鈥檓 just going to go out and play football and control what I can control.鈥�
HAUNTING SCENE
The Steelers on Sunday will return to the scene of last year鈥檚 comeback win at Cincinnati, where they trailed 17-0 in the second quarter and were playing with the realization that Ryan Shazier had been taken to the hospital after a tackle left him on the field without feeling in his legs.
n 鈥淚 hate even going back to think about it,鈥� said Ben Roethlisberger. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 know what was going on. We knew that a guy went to the hospital, but you didn鈥檛 really know the severity of it at the time. In the midst of the football game you just keep playing.鈥�
n 鈥淚t was tough at that point, kind of knowing what happened,鈥� said Maurkice Pouncey. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 know the whole severity of it until after the game. We celebrated the win, but at the same time we had a lot of concerns for our brother Ryan.鈥�
n 鈥淥ne thing I can say about this team is we always rally back to each other,鈥� said Tuitt. 鈥淲e always defend each other. We always have each other鈥檚 backs. Knowing that game was already a physical game, and having something like that happen to one of our brothers, we just did what we do best and that鈥檚 have each other鈥檚 back and continue to push till the end.鈥�
LE鈥橵EON OR JAMES?
If Roethlisberger were the coach, how would he he use James Conner and Le鈥橵eon Bell when Bell comes back, reportedly next week.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a good thing that I am not the coach,鈥� said Roethlisberger. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know. I think James has done some amazing things and deserves to be on the football field. We also know what Le鈥橵eon is and what he brings to the table, so I guess we鈥檒l cross that bridge if and when it happens.鈥�
Conner鈥檚 coming off a 110-yard rushing performance against the Falcons, which followed a 19-yard performance the previous week. But Roethlisberger won鈥檛 call Conner inconsistent.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know that there has been much down,鈥� Roethlisberger said. 鈥淚 guess if you are saying in terms of rushing yards, but if you look at the overall picture of what we ask him to do every week, I think it鈥檚 been going up every week. I think that鈥檚 what gets lost in what a running back has to do: pass blocking, picking up the blitz, catching the ball out of the backfield. I don鈥檛 want to jinx it, but he鈥檚 caught almost everything I鈥檝e thrown to him and he鈥檚 in the right spot every time quickly.鈥�
INJURY REPORT
SS Terrell Edmunds (calf) and ILB Vince Williams (hamstring) were full participants Wednesday, but the other injured players 鈥� WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (ankle), Morgan Burnett (groin) and L.J. Fort (ankle) 鈥� didn鈥檛 work at all.
Fort is coming off an outstanding game that was played almost entirely with a sprained ankle. The injury occurred on his first play in the game. Fort didn鈥檛 say whether he thinks he can play Sunday, but his expression and an outburst of laughter from his neighbors in the locker room say that it鈥檚 unlikely.
It鈥檚 also expected that Burnett will once again sit out Sunday鈥檚 game and take the bye week to attempt a recovery.
Roethlisberger, Pouncey and Joe Haden were given a veteran鈥檚 day off by Tomlin.
The Bengals鈥� injury report: RB Giovani Bernard (knee), G Clint Boling (hip), TE Tyler Kroft (foot) and C Billy Price (foot) did not practice; LB Preston Brown (ankle), CB William Jackson (knee), DE Michael Johnson (knee), DE Carl Lawson (ankle) and WR John Ross (groin) were limited.