HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 28: J.J. Watt #99 of the Houston Texans pumps up the crowd in the fourth quarter of their game against the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium on September 28, 2014 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)The “March 1st vs. April 1st” meme has been all over Twitter today, so naturally some of the athletes being portrayed in it are giving their thoughts. Among them is Texans all-world DE J.J. Watt, who had a strong statement about one especially awkward photo.
Someone on Twitter posted a comparison photo of Watt now versus Watt in high school. There’s an awful lot you can say about the younger Watt, and not much of it would be very polite. Naturally, present-day Watt quickly went to Twitter for a little bit of self-deprecation.
“For the love of pete, what in the world was happening in high school?” he wrote. “Could someone introduce me to a bicep curl please? A squat? Anything. Those extra large shoulder pads aren’t fooling anyone.”
He must have found that bicep curl pretty quickly. Watt was 6-foot-5, 220 pounds when he committed to Central Michigan in 2007. By 2011, he had bulked up to 290 pounds without growing an inch.
For the love of pete, what in the world was happening in high school?
Could someone introduce me to a bicep curl please? A squat? Anything.
Those extra large shoulder pads aren’t fooling anyone. https://t.co/9rvc7pHXpR
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) April 1, 2020
But while Watt may have grown in mass by leaps and bounds, his speed hasn’t declined much. He’s one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers, with 96.0 sacks in 112 games.
Watt is one of only two players to boast three Defensive Player of the Year awards. The other is Hall of Fame pass rusher Lawrence Taylor.
But there was a time where even the mighty looked meek. Maybe we should all talk to Watt’s dietitian instead of Tom Brady’s…
