Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt dealt with a serious shoulder injury that cost him half of his 2021 season. He played in only seven games but, after blowing out his shoulder and more, he made a miraculous comeback to play in the Cardinals’ playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Getting back from the injury was not easy but Watt said his teammates were his motivation to get back on the field, he explained when he appeared on The Dave Pasch Podcast recently.
As we learned a while ago, Watt’s shoulder injury was much more serious than originally believed.
“Initially, they were only supposed to open up one big scar and the do like a scope on the back,” he explained, “and when I woke up, there were two huge scars and two scope holes, so there was a little more than expected.
“It was pretty much a total loss in there but they put it back together extremely well.”
There are no lingering effects with the shoulder now that he is training and has been participating in the Cardinals’ offseason program.
Finding the motivation to come back as quickly and as smartly as possible was easy, he said.
“When you’re in the building every day, it’s easy,” he said. “You see the guys, you see them working, you watch them practice and go to meetings and you want to be part of it. As a competitor, as an athlete, you want to be a part of that and you see it in front of you every day.”
He admitted that some days were hard.
“Not every day is easy,” he continued. “It’s extremely difficult. Some days are depressing. Some days are tough. Some days the rehab doesn’t go as well as you hope it would.”
But he was pushed by his teammates.
“Those guys, seeing them every day, them coming through and dapping you up, wishing you the best every day and chatting with you, shooting the breeze, it just makes me want to get back out there, makes me want to work that much harder, makes me want to do everything the right way.”
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