After missing much of last season due to a pair of microdiscectomy surgeries to repair a herniated disc in his back, Houston Texans pass rusher J.J. Watt admitted that the word “retirement” had crept into his mind. In fact, he said straight out he’d retire from football if he was no longer one of the league’s best.
But with each passing day, Watt felt better and better. And after an offseason in which he worked on his core to almost unheard of proportions, Watt now says he feels “fantastic.”
“I feel fantastic,” Watt told the Houston Chronicle at a charity softball game on Saturday. “I’ve done more core work in the past eight months than I think just about anybody in the world. My core is about as tight and locked in as it can get at the moment.”
If his word wasn’t good enough, Watt went out and proved just how fantastic he really does feel by winning the softball homerun derby over punter Shane Lechler.
WOW! @JJWatt BEATS Shane Lechler in HR derby at J.J. Watt Charity Classic. SERIOUS BOMBS OUT OF MMP! @abc13houston @HoustonTexans pic.twitter.com/DbTZP2eY6D
— Joe Gleason (@joeagleason) May 13, 2017
The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has been cleared for all physical activities, obviously, and is expected back when the Texans report to training camp in July.
So long as Watt doesn’t suffer any setbacks, he should feel more than confident in taking back his title of the league’s most feared defensive superstar.
