Late Hall of Fame defensive end Reggie White collected 198 sacks in his 15-year NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers, many of which came with his signature “hump move.”
It raises the question: If White’s hump move was so effective, why does Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, do it and add to his 94 career sacks?
“If I could throw a 325-pound man 10 yards with one hand, I would do it every play, but that’s what made Reggie so special,” Watt told reporters Wednesday. “He had that move, and it’s an incredible move. It takes so much — there’s so much skill to that, that I think people don’t even realize.”
Most of the execution of the hump move comes in the initial footwork and core coordination, Watt explained.
“You have to have the ability to set it up properly, the ability to plant your foot at the right time and coordinate it with the torque that you need with your core,” he said. “There’s so much that goes into that, and it’s an incredible move.”
The former 2011 first-round pick from Wisconsin acknowledged that he has tried to add the hump move to his collection of moves to evade pass blockers and get to the quarterback. However, he is no Reggie White.
“I’ve tried to do it many times and I’ve never thrown a guy the way that he throws guys, and I don’t know if too many people ever have,” Watt said. “That’s why he’s one of the greatest of all time, and it’s an unbelievable move.”
The Texans take on the team White spent his final season with, the Panthers, on Sunday at noon at NRG Stadium. Watt will use whatever moves he has to make second-year quarterback Kyle Allen feel uncomfortable in the pocket and help Houston secure a 3-1 record for September.
