Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich is bad at comparisons, as he says. However, if he must give one for Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, it would be none other than his former Buffalo Bills teammate: Bruce Smith.
Smith, the all-time leader in sacks (200), is a first-ballot Hall of Famer (2009), two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 11-time Pro Bowler and eight-time first-team All-Pro. Despite the gaudy resume, Watt — who boasts three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards — stacks up well to all-time great, in Reich’s eyes.
“He reminds me of Bruce Smith, a guy who I played with,” said Reich during the Colts’ Wednesday media availability.
“He doesn’t have the edge speed that Bruce had, but has the elusiveness. When you watch J.J., he’s so tough to block. We know about his pass-rush ability, but in the run game he is tough to block because he’s got this swim move and he’s very disruptive and elusive. When I played with Bruce Smith he was the same way.”
Watt needs 106 more sacks to eclipse Smith’s career sack record. He can get closer on Sunday, when he faces the Colts in Indianapolis, with a sack, or two, or three on quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
