J.J. Watt gives heartfelt speech for the NFL coach who believed in him
J.J. Watt said there was one guy who believed in him when the Houston Texans drafted "that big white kid from Wisconsin" — Wade Phillips.
"Wade saw something in me that nobody else saw in me — and that I might not even have seen in myself," Watt said Friday night at a roast for his former defensive coordinator. "But that's the type of man that Wade Phillips is. He leads you to be what you can be, not what you are. He's the man who taught me that my abilities could far exceed anything that my dreams ever imagined, if I was willing to put in the work, if I was willing to listen, if I was willing to play within the system that he's created, and just go out and give it everything I had. So I did.
"And here I am today, thankful for everything that I've been able to accomplish in my career so far, because of Wade Phillips."
Check out Watt's whole speech in the video above.
Other players prepared video tributes to Phillips, including a roast by Peyton and Cooper Manning, which you can watch below.
-
2025 Super Bowl LIX odds: Chicago's odds shorten after drafting Caleb Williams
2025 NFL mock draft: Who are next year's top prospects
2024 NFL predictions: An early look at division winners
-
2024 NFL Power Rankings: A post-draft look at where every team stands
2024 NFL Draft grades: Analyzing all 32 teams' classes; Who gets top marks?
Mahomes Mountain: Where do Caleb Williams, rookies land on Nick Wright's QB tiers?
-
2024 NFL free agency tracker: Signings, updates, best players available
2024 NFL Draft RB rankings: No clear stars, but deep top 10 prospects
2024 NFL Draft order: Updated after Round 1
-
2025 Super Bowl LIX odds: Chicago's odds shorten after drafting Caleb Williams
2025 NFL mock draft: Who are next year's top prospects
2024 NFL predictions: An early look at division winners
-
2024 NFL Power Rankings: A post-draft look at where every team stands
2024 NFL Draft grades: Analyzing all 32 teams' classes; Who gets top marks?
Mahomes Mountain: Where do Caleb Williams, rookies land on Nick Wright's QB tiers?
-
2024 NFL free agency tracker: Signings, updates, best players available
2024 NFL Draft RB rankings: No clear stars, but deep top 10 prospects
2024 NFL Draft order: Updated after Round 1