J.J. WATT DE - HOUSTON TEXANS - Ingles

J.J. WATT

Q. J.J., working with Wade Phillips, how much are you looking forward to that?
J.J. WATT: I'm looking forward to working with coach Phillips and Mario Williams and Brian Cushing and all those guys down there. It's a great day to be a Texan, that's for sure.

Q. How excited are you to be in a state with no income tax?
J.J. WATT: I'm excited, that's one of the perks and I'm excited to be in a state with great fans, I can't wait to experience it.

Q. Who did you talk to?
J.J. WATT: I talked to everybody, the GM, everybody, it was a whirlwind phone call. It was great.

Q. Are you getting ready to sack Peyton Manning?
J.J. WATT: That's what everybody is saying to me all day, he's a guy that we need to sack. I want to sack a quarterback every week. That's a goal for us defensive linemen.

Q. How much are you looking forward to helping them get over the hump and into the playoffs?
J.J. WATT: I'm excited about that opportunity. I think as a first‑round draft pick you are expected to come in and contribute to the team and that's exactly what I want to do. I want to come in and contribute to the team. Every team in the NFL is working towards the Super Bowl and we are no different.

Q. They have really built their defensive line the last few years; how much are you looking forward to joining them?
J.J. WATT: Any time you can work with other great players, especially a guy like Mario Williams who makes everyone around him look good, I'm just going to go in there and excited to be part of the defensive line.

Q. Were you really a walk‑on?
J.J. WATT: I started at Central Michigan and went to Pizza Hut and worked at a local college for six months and walked onto the Badgers in June. I played for the scout team for a year, got on scholarship in May, started for two years and left after my junior year.

Q. How many free pies as were you allowed?
J.J. WATT: I've eaten plenty of pizzas in my day. I kind of have to stop now. My dietician wouldn't be too happy.

Q. What are the challenges you face at the pro level facing the offensive line in the NFL, technique‑wise, what do you feel are going to be it the challenges?
J.J. WATT: Every single week you are seeing a great football player line up from you on the offensive line. They have great footwork and you have to be on your game every single week. I'm excited to work with the coaches in Houston. I can't wait to protect my technique so we can win more football games.

Q. What do you feel are your moves that will translate?
J.J. WATT: I feel like I have a good bull rush, using my strength and size and I have some moves that work off of it, and I watch a ton of film so my opponent very well that's going to help me at the next level.

Q. What do you think about your friends and where they are going?
J.J. WATT: I'm extremely excited for those guys. When I saw Christian get picked, that was an awesome pick and Blaine, going to Jacksonville, that's a great pick for him. We want to have a fishing trip down there but we have to go to work first.

Q. When you were working at Pizza Hut, what was your outer limit of your dream? Did you think you could be a top NFL pick?
J.J. WATT: It was a goal and the dream to be a first rounder. I mean, a lot of people looked at me like I was crazy if I ever told them that but that was always my dream and goal but I never could have imagined being where I am today and it's an unbelievable feeling and it's a testament to my parents for raising me to always work my tail off.

Q. Talk about how you and Gabe challenged each other and how that's going to help you.
J.J. WATT: Yeah, Gabe is a great football player. He has great feet and he has great hands and he's a strong guy and so going against him single day in practice, he was the best offensive lineman in college and no one else got the practice I did and that's definitely going to help me transition to the NFL.

Q. Now that you're a first round pick, at this point, this is the dream, how do you keep yourself motivated to be the best that you can be and excel at a high level?
J.J. WATT: It was my dream to get drafted in the first round of the NFL and that dream has been accomplished so it's time to set new dreams. Going to the NFL, it's your dream to win a Super Bowl, to make the Pro Bowl and all those great things. So as soon as I accomplished one dream I set a new one and so I'm working starting tomorrow, going to my next dream.

Q. Reliant Stadium is a really noisy home field; how much do you think that's going to give you an advantage and how much are you looking to playing in an intense atmosphere?
J.J. WATT: I can't wait. When the fans get rowdy for a defense you know you have a good fan base and nothing gets us more excited than the fans going crazy and I can't wait to play in that crazy environment.
I've heard from Garret Graham and Owen Daniels that said they love it down there, so I can't wait to see it for myself.

Q. Can you talk about the draft process?
J.J. WATT: Back in the Green Room, guys were scrambling around a little bit because I guess however it was supposed to go, it didn't go that way. But for me, I was just waiting for a phone call and extremely excited when I found out it was Houston on the other end of the line.

Q. When will you continue your education?
J.J. WATT: I definitely want to get my college degree. I'm not exactly sure when it's going to happen. But I feel like I would be a hypocrite if told other kids that they needed to get a college degree if they didn't have one. I will be getting my college degree at some point.

Q. Who did you model yourself after?
J.J. WATT: I love watching guys like Howie Long, Reggie White. Those are two great defenders that I really like the way they play the game.

Q. Are you an NFL historian? Do you study older defenses?
J.J. WATT: When I got moved to defensive line, I had to study the greats and see how they did it, and he played the game just with this tenacity that was unbelievable and I love the way he plays it. I love watching him.

Q. You went from one position to another, offense to defense. Talk about how that transition helps you read the defense and see what they are doing and the advantage it gives you when you lineup.
J.J. WATT: Playing tight end and switching over to defensive end, I obviously knew some of the tricks of the trade I guess you could say. But for me it's just more the athleticism, playing tight end you have to have a little more athleticism, and the mind‑set is just a lot different on defense. I get to control my own destiny on every single play.
So if I want to sack the quarterback, I go sack the quarterback. I don't have to wait for somebody to throw me the ball to make the play. That's what I love about defense and I love just being able to go all‑out on every play.