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JJ Watt Reveals He ‘Hated Football’ During His Rookie Season

JJ Watt is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a future Pro Football Hall of Famer. You might think a player like that would love every second he’s ever stepped foot on a field.

That’s not the case, though. During his rookie season, Watt admitted that he hated the NFL and football. He said making the adjustment from college to the professional ranks was incredibly difficult.

“I hated football, for like, the first eight games of my rookie year,” Watt said on HBO’s Hard Knocks. “I sucked, I was just bad.”

Watt said he wasn’t pass-rushing very well and just generally didn’t play to his capabilities. He said that, in one game, he got pulled three times because of his poor performance.

Ultimately, Watt figured it out. For a decade now, the defensive end has been one of the best defensive players in the NFL. It just didn’t come quite as easy as you might think.

When Did JJ Watt Turn it Around?

JJ Watt eventually figured out how to be effective on the field — and he has the stats to prove it. He’s racked up 108.5 sacks in 147 career games. He’s also forced 26 fumbles and recovered 17 over the course of his time with the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals.

Once it started clicking for the former Wisconsin standout, his motor never stopped running. So, how did Watt realize his potential on the field? It came after he got pulled three times in one game.

“The next day, I kind of said, ‘I’m sucking already, so why not suck doing it my way?’” Watt said. “And I was so much more free and I was so much more trusting myself and playing football.”

Apparently, all Watt needed was a little confidence. He hasn’t looked back since.

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