INDIANAPOLIS – T.J. Watt is one of those guys.
Think older brother J.J. Or Aiden Hutchinson, one of the Bosa brothers, Myles Garrett, Von Miller or the recently retired Aaron Donald.
Going a little further back and closer to home, think Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.
They’re among that rare group of pass rushers who command special attention as a team prepares for them.
Heading into Sunday’s meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers, that means Shane Steichen, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter and offensive line coach Tony Sparano Jr. circling Watt’s name on the whiteboard in heavy red circles.
“Yeah, you’ve got to have a plan,’’ Steichen said Wednesday. “You’ve got to have a plan in place for him for sure.’’
So, do the Colts have a plan to deal with arguably the NFL’s most disruptive defensive force?
“I hope so,’’ Steichen said with a smile.
Like his brother, T.J. Watt – it’s Trent Jordan Watt, if you’re curious – seems headed for permanent residence in Canton, Ohio. Included on his eight-year bio:
*2021 Defensive Player of the Year, runner-up in the voting in 2020 and ’23, and third in ’19. He’s a four-time first-team All-Pro.
*NFL sack leader in ’23 (19), ’21 (22.5, tying Michael Strahan’s single-season record) and ’20 (15).
*99.5 sacks, 91 quarterback hits, 112 tackles for loss and 27 forced fumbles in 107 games. His 0.93 sacks per game is the best in NFL history. Reggie White is No. 3 (0.85) and Lawrence Taylor No. 4 (0.79).
*22 games with at least 2 sacks. The Steelers are 18-3-1 in those games.
One of those losses? Week 15 of last season against Steichen’s Colts.
Rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson was on the sideline and in the early stages of rehab from season-ending surgery to repair a sprained right shoulder. Gardner Minshew II was running the show against Watt and the Steelers.
Jonathan Taylor also was in sweats following surgery on his right thumb. During a three-play stretch during the second quarter, the Colts lost backup running back Zach Moss to an arm injury sustained on a horse-collar tackle at the end of his 16-yard TD pass and wideout Michael Pittman Jr., who suffered a concussion on a wicked and illegal hit that resulted in safety Damontae Kazee being ejected, fined and suspended for the remainder of the season.
Yet the Colts snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Steelers with a 30-13 victory in large part because they were able to semi-neutralize Watt.
He finished with two sacks as the Steelers notched 3 total sacks, five hits on Minshew and three other tackles for loss.
A key to the win: Watt wasn’t allowed to generate the type of blow-up plays that routinely turn games around in a flash. The elite edge rushers can be kept in check for 95% of the game, then take over with strip/sack or two.
“As a tackle, you’ve got to be on your game every single time you set in or you run block him,’’ left tackle Bernhard Raimann said.
Raimann will be a safe distance from Watt but have his hands full on the left side with Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig or another of Pittsburgh’s edge rushers.
Watt lines up almost exclusively at left end – either standing up or with his hand on the ground – which means opposite the Colts’ right tackle. In 2023, that was rookie Blake Freeland, who made his eighth career start against the Steelers.
Sunday it will be veteran Braden Smith, who missed Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury, or perhaps rookie Matt Goncalves if Smith is unavailable.
But regardless of the complexities of the Colts’ game plan and protection schemes, it will include heavy doses of the tight ends.
“Most definitely,’’ said veteran Mo Alie-Cox. “We know (Watt) can wreck a game. "It’s our job to disrupt his timing and get a good thump or chip on him to make sure he doesn’t get on the tackle too fast. Just help out as much as possible.’’
Added Drew Ogletree: “A lot’s on our plate. We know the whole offense is counting on us and especially the tackle is counting on us to thump him whenever a thump is called. All of my attention goes to him.’’
Last year, the Colts left Freeland in one-on-one situations a handful of times. On one of those occasions in the first quarter, Watt’s wicked burst allowed him to get on Freeland, slap his arms down, veer to the outside and sack Minshew for a 6-yard loss.
The vast majority of protections featured Alie-Cox, Ogletree, Kylen Granson and/or rookie Will Mallory positioned in some alignment to the right of Freeland. Usually, there was a chip before the tight end passed Watt onto Freeland and ran his route. A few times, the tight end ignored Watt altogether and quickly got into his route.
The latter resulted in Alie-Cox’s 18-yard touchdown and a 6-yard reception by Granson.
Alie-Cox insisted it’s critical to play “the game within the game’’ with Watt.
"Just have him thinking,’’ he said. “We might just flash and not touch him. "If he’s thinking we’re going to chip him, his get-off isn’t going to be as fast because he knows he has to beat us and beat the tackle also. Just trying to play that little mind game with him.’’
The importance of changing it up against Watt can’t be overstated. On one play, left guard Quenton Nelson pulled across the formation and walled off Watt on a short run by Tyler Goodson.
To do anything less than funnel attention toward Watt is courting disaster. He already has a sack in each of Pittsburgh’s first three games. He also has seven quarterback hits and five tackles for loss.
According to Pro Football Focus, Watt’s 92.0 grade trails only Detroit’s Hutchinson (93.4) among edge rushers. Herbig is No. 3 at (91.7)
“The guy is a phenomenal football player,’’ Steichen said. “He has a relentless motor. He plays 100 miles an hour on every snap. So, we’ve got to have a plan for him.’’
Richardson’s eyes widened when Watt’s name was mentioned.
“Man, I mean everyone knows he’s a potential Hall of Famer,’’ he said. “He’s a great guy; high motor, a lot of effort. So, we definitely have a few things for him so he doesn’t get to the quarterback.’’
As much as the Colts’ protection scheme limited Watt’s damage last season, so did their overall efficiency on offense.
With Taylor out and Moss lost in the second quarter, Trey Sermon and Goodson lifted the run game. The Colts rushed 34 times for 170 yards. Sermon finished with 88 yards on 18 carries and Goodson added 69 yards on 11 attempts, both career bests.
Minshew, meanwhile, passed for 215 yards and matched a career-best with three TD passes without an interception and a 123.4 rating. Often, he relied on short drops and quick throws to negate the rush.
Last December, the plan worked.
Is there an effective sequel?
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.