Fans waiting to see T.J. Watt work from the left side of the defensive formation have been forced to wait on that particular look from the Steelers.
It's not because the Steelers haven't wanted to work on it. It's been because Watt's hamstring hasn't exactly cooperated.
The second-year outside linebacker has been sidelined for over three weeks now, and while he's begun ramping up his workouts, he remains sidelined with the injury. Watt, however, feels he'll be more than ready to go when the Steelers line up to face the Browns in Cleveland for their regular season opener Sept. 9.
In fact, he thinks there might actually be a benefit to him not playing in the preseason. It won't give future opponents anything to study from what Watt feels is his much better side from which to rush the passer. The majority of his pass rushes last season came from the right side, where Bud Dupree will now line up this season.
"In college, I played both sides, so it doesn’t matter to me, but I do feel like I’m a better pass rusher from the left side," Watt told me Wednesday. "You guys will see it. It’s things that I’m not going to be able to show you right now. But it helps me with film study, other guys not being able to see what I can do. I can throw way more pitches and I bend a lot better on the left side. I’m a better pass rusher on the left side, in my opinion, so I think I’ll do more this year."
Watt burst onto the scene a year ago as the Steelers' top draft pick and recorded a solid rookie season in which he recorded 54 tackles, seven sacks, one interception and eight passes defensed. His seven sacks were the second-most by a Steelers rookie in team history, behind Kendrell Bell's nine in 2001.
Bell's career was marred by injuries and he never repeated his early success.
Watt is intent on building on his rookie year.
"Last year, I was just training. I didn’t know what to expect," Watt told me. "I still had the rookie stuff, so I wasn’t going to be as honed in as I was this year. I just wanted to make everything football-specific and come into this season ready to go."
He spent the entire offseason last year training for the NFL Scouting Combine, then went straight into workouts with the Steelers, earning a starting job in training camp. But he played nearly every snap of the preseason -- including on special teams -- and then did the same in 15 games in the regular season.
All told, he wound up playing 900 snaps as a rookie — despite missing a game — just in the regular season.
The Steelers are intent on decreasing his snap count this year to keep him from wearing down. He won't be used as much on special teams. And given that he hasn't played at all yet in this preseason and might not, he should feel much more fresh this year.
"I’d love to be playing now and it stinks that I’m not out there because of a little injury now, but I feel like I’m taking this time and doing really good things to my body, and I’m staying on the right course so I’m primed and ready for Week 1," Watt said. "I’m just super excited for where I am and where this whole defense is. I think it will be a special year for us."
Given Watt's ability to translate things from the classroom to the field, his teammates aren't concerned about Watt not playing in the preseason, especially since he spent the entire offseason program working on the left side of the defense.
"I know he’ll be ready," Dupree told me. "He’s a hard worker, so he’s always got his head in the book. So that’s one thing we don’t have to worry about."
As Watt noted, he feels more confident rushing from the left side of the defense, much as Dupree does from the right.
The Steelers recorded a team-record and league-best 56 sacks a year ago, but only 13 came from their starting outside linebackers. Both Watt and Dupree want to be a bigger part of those pass rushing efforts this season.
And the confidence they have on what they're doing could be a major factor.
"I think that’s at least half the battle when you’re pass rushing, is knowing that you can win," Watt said. "I just feel way more confident from the left side."