For a while now, it’s been apparent that JJ Watt’s football career would earn him a spot in Canton, Ohio. But despite his status as a first-round pick out of Wisconsin, few could have predicted such an outcome earlier than Watt’s first NFL defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips.
Watt played in his final NFL game on Sunday, fittingly logging two sacks and three tackles for loss against the 49ers. He made an instant impact as a rookie in 2011, starting every game and logging 5.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. That left enough of an impression on Phillips that, entering the team’s 2012 training camp, the veteran coach offered a bold prediction for his budding new star.