Tag Archives: sage 2011

Watt, J.J.

Card: Sage Hit 2011
Acquired:  In Person 12/6/11, Whataburger Community Player of the Month

So I nailed down the Houston Texans #1 pick from 2011 along with Mario Williams at a freezing player of the month event at Whataburger in Sugarland. Despite the fact that I earned a migraine from the event and drove some 400 miles today round trip, it was totally worth it, even if this card was probably one of the worst I have seen in a while.  SaGe 2011 lacks any logos of any sort, or even players in pads for that matter and marks a painful fall from grace for this product. Of course the day after I open a box of Score 2011 and find a JJ Watt rookie card among the set which far and above would’ve been better to autograph than this one.

JJ Watt played tight end at Central Michigan before transferring to Wisconsin in 2008. After redshirting for a season, Watt came into his own and won the Ronnie Lott award in 2010. His career totals at Wisconsin included 106 tackles, a whopping 36.5 TFL, 11.5 sacks, and 4 FF. Watt was pegged early on as being targed by the Houston Texans as their #1 pick. A sound fundamentalist with a motor that doesn’t quit, JJ was tabbed at #11 by the Texans after an impressive combine that saw him finish in the top 5 in every category for his position.

New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips had plans for the Texans. After shifting the team to a 3-4 defense, he’d add Watt, and move incumbent defensive end Mario Williams to outside linebacker. The move paid off and Watt became an immediate starter. With a near 6’6″, 290 frame JJ was a threat right out of the gate recording 5 tackles in his first contest against Indianapolis. He’d block his first field goal against the Dolphins in Week 2, and his first sack on Drew Brees (NO) in Week 3. In Week 12, JJ recorded a career high 7 tackles versus the Jaguars, and sacked Blaine Gabbert twice. As Watt’s 2011 season continues, it appears that the young rookie is already beginning to pay dividends on the selection with the Texans sitting amongst the top 5 in defense.