JJ Watt blasts media for 'sh---ing on' rookies in OTAs: ‘Let guys develop'

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J.J. Watt will go down as one of the best pass rushers of all time, but even he had his fair share of rough experiences on the gridiron.

In his prime, Watt was a menace. In his second, fourth and fifth years in the NFL, he was the Defensive Player of the Year. However, he played in just eight games in 2016 and 2017 combined, eight in 2019 and seven in 2021.

Now that Watt is retired, he's been scoping out the likes of NFL OTAs, which recently opened up. However, he has beef with all the pressure media and fans are putting on rookies who struggle in their first taste of professional football.

Watt posted a video of himself on Twitter and Instagram ranting about overreactions based on one bad practice in the very beginning of one's career.

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Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt is shown before a game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sept. 25, 2022, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin/File)

"'Rookie has rough practice in his first week of OTAs.' Yeah, that's called being a rookie. It's called first week of OTAs," Watt said. "I had rough practices every single year in my 12 years. I've had rough games. I've had multiple rough games. S--t's hard. It's the National Football League."

"This is part of the reason why it's tough for guys to develop. Because we're judging everybody on every single individual rep every single day," he continued. "We're posting videos online of practice reps and guys working on their craft and guys trying to do new things. It's one of the reasons that guys are scared to try a new pass-rush move in one-on-ones in practice, which is when you should