J.J. Watt says he has a ‘billion’ things to improve

RICHMOND — Re-enactment was among the few things that knocked J.J. Watt off-balance on Friday.

Still in cleats and gloves after the Houston Texans and Washington Redskins practiced together for the second day, Watt explained his passion for “dunking” a football over double-wide teammate Vince Wilfork. Showing his technique of raising a football overhead off one leg, Watt began to slip on a wooden dais and grabbed the podium — which he almost pushed off the edge earlier — to steady himself. Unfazed, he continued, the 6-foot-5, 289-pound menace explaining how he enjoys goading Wilfork on a daily basis with the pre-practice flush attempt. According to Watt, Wilfork eventually had enough of the antics once Watt smacked Wilfork’s hand one day.

Wilfork is a 33-year-old curmudgeonly nose tackle spending his first season with Houston after 11 seasons with the New England Patriots. Watt, a 26-year-old defensive lineman, is arguably the best player in the NFL. He tackles everyone on the field, and even catches touchdowns, fulfilling his role as a blonde, spike-haired freak with an odd origin story. He also finds it difficult to remain still. Hence, what Watt labels a puppy-old dog relationship between him and Wilfork.

“It’s pretty funny, man,” Watt said. “It’s a blast. I love the guy, he’s experienced, and he knows what he’s doing. We have great conversations, both about life, football, everything. So, we talk about how he had success at where he was and we talk about different things on the field, off the field, but Vince and I, I don’t know, we’re just buddies, it’s just a friendship and it’s a lot of fun. It’s great to have him around and he’s a lot of fun, and I’m sure that I annoy him quite a bit.”

The benefit for the Redskins of having Watt around is their inexperienced right side of the line is opposing the game’s best defender. Second-year player Morgan Moses at right tackle and rookie right guard Brandon Scherff have been trying to handle Watt since the Texans arrived in Richmond on Thursday. Their success rate has been predictably low. Once on Friday, the Redskins triple-teamed Watt. Earlier in the day, the Redskins ran away from Watt, leaving Scherff alone to seal him. Watt immediately moved inside of Scherff, stuck his left shoulder into Scherff’s chest, then roared down the line for what would have been a tackle for loss on the running back, were the teams tackling.

Watt is the only player in Richmond as in demand as Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III. Fans scream his name, some in Texans gear, some in Redskins apparel. A Richmond police officer stopped in the Redskins’ merchandise store to buy a Watt shirt after Friday’s practice. Watt’s hard-working Wisconsin demeanor does not allow the act of his jersey being available for purchase to be taken lightly. His response to the news a form of his jersey is for sale in an opposing team’s store was just short of a sermon steeped in aw, shucks.

“My jersey is in their store? Geez Louise, that is pretty cool,” Watt said. “I mean it is incredible, like I said, I think one of the biggest, I mean the fans in Houston are incredible. I am so, so fortunate to play for Houston and to have the incredible fans. One of the biggest compliments I can receive is when people come up to me and say, ’I am a fan of this team, but I love the way you play, or I am a fan of this team, but I am a fan of you.’ For me, that is why you work so hard, because you want to go out there and you want to play the game the right way. You want to do things the right way and you want do it in a way where people are proud.

“My goal has always been, like I have always talked about, I know what it is like to be a fan. I grew up a fan of football so I know how I would have loved for the superstar on my team to act and how in my mind I had that you had to act to be a superstar. So, I am so fortunate that I get to come out here and try and be that guy. I am trying to be the superstar that every average Joe would be, that is my goal.

“I can only hope that I make people proud with the way I work, the way I act, the way I handle myself, because that is my goal. I want to make my family proud and I want to make all of these fans proud because like you said, people that are buying my jersey, I am so fortunate and so thankful because they can choose any jersey in the whole world to wear, but they choose to wear 99 and Watt on their back so it is my job to go out there and make them damn proud every single day to put that 99 on.”

Watt is so far removed from his days as a tight end at Central Michigan, he does not notice the cameras from the HBO series “Hard Knocks” currently following the Texans. In 2013, Watt said he couldn’t go to the grocery store much anymore, and just moved from home to practice and back because his celebrity had quelled any chance of a peaceful public trip. Friday, he said the extra cameras are not a nuisance since they seem to be present at all times anyway.

This is the result of Watt’s $100 million contract, which made him the NFL’s highest paid non-quarterback, and his stunning accomplishments. After last season, he was named first team All-Pro defensive end. He was also named second team All-Pro defensive tackle. In addition, Watt scored five touchdowns. One on a fumble recovery, one on an interception, and three as a freak receiver. Among Redskins receivers, only DeSean Jackson caught more touchdown passes last season than Watt.

Texans coach Bill O’Brien has slowed Watt’s participation in camp with the Redskins. He receives minimal reps in one-on-one drills. At times, Watt has to watch practice from the sidelines. He paused, gathered and smiled when asked about having to stifle his perpetual motion.

“I do what coach says,” Watt said. “I think it’s going to be beneficial in the long run. Obviously, you know my style, you know how that conversation probably went, but I trust coach. I trust the plan that we do have and I think it’s going to be very beneficial and just from the results we’re already seeing so far, it’s been great.”

There was conjecture the contract would slow Watt’s ambition. He was a 6-foot-2, 200-pound, 16-year-old when he showed up at NX Level gym in Waukesha, Wisconsin, ready to build his body. Just a two-star recruit out of high school, Watt had to manage his way to to defense at Wisconsin from Central Michigan. He performed so well at the NFL combine, Watt finally moved from underdog to preferred when the Texans selected him 11th overall in 2011. The pick, the praise and the raise have done nothing to hold back Watt, who believes his best years are yet to arrive.

“There’s about a billion things I’d like to get better at,” Watt said. “I always say, and it’s the absolute truth, when I watch the film I click over the good plays real fast. All I see when I watch the film is the negative stuff.”

The sessions must be short.