Baltimore Ravens

Ben Watson: Low volume, high impact

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The perfect picture of Benjamin Watson was painted at Mile High on January 14, 2006.

It was the 2005 AFC Divisional Game, and Watson’s New England Patriots were visiting the Denver Broncos. It was third and goal with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady targeted his favorite wide receiver, Troy Brown. Broncos corner Champ Bailey swooped in, intercepted the pass, and returned it 103 yards to the Patriots 1-yard line.

“I definitely thought I was there,” Bailey said of the near-touchdown, according to the Denver Broncos official site. “I never even saw him coming.”

“Him” was Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson, who sprinted the length of the field at a diagonal angle to knock Bailey out and save a touchdown. The Patriots would lose that game, 27-13, thus ending the opportunity to defend their Super Bowl XXXIX title. Yet Watson’s play lives as a monument to perseverance . The play was even turned into a children’s word math problem, where estimates are made on Watson’s distance ran using the Pythagorean Theorem.

That’s what Ben Watson does: He surprises people, finding ways to impose himself in a room full of Tom Bradys and Champ Baileys.

Thing is, Watson may be best known for surprising people with his intellect and character off the field. You shouldn’t have to be enticed by NFL accomplishments or any qualifier to want to know more about a substantive, good human being, but such is life. This became especially and unfortunately relevant when Watson’s 13th NFL season was cut short in the Baltimore Ravens’ third preseason game on Saturday afternoon. On the first play, Watson tore his Achilles, likely ending his Ravens career before it started. Last season with the New Orleans Saints, Watson caught 74 balls for 825 yards and six touchdowns, his best statistical season to date.