J.J. Watt Explains Why Facing Bill Belichick, Tom Brady Was 'Really Frustrating'

Former Houston Texans defensive end and likely future Pro Football Hall of Famer J.J. Watt explained this week what it was like going up against the Bill Belichick-coached and Tom Brady-quarterbacked New England Patriots over the years.

During an appearance Monday on the Let's Go! podcast (beginning at the 7:10 mark), Watt said the following about how the Pats were consistently able to frustrate him:

"It's really frustrating, especially when you're going up against a mind like Coach [Belichick] and a quarterback like Tom because you can do whatever you want on our side. We'll try and disguise things all week long. We're like, 'All right, we're gonna throw them this two-high and then rotate down to a single-high look.' You do it and you think you're brilliant. It's like that little kid who thinks they're fooling their parents and then at the last second their parents are like, 'No, I know exactly what you're doing.'

"Tom just comes up, he makes a check, he knows exactly where he wants to throw the ball and then fires it over there. All you did all week is for nothing and it's frustrating and it's so annoying. And then from my perspective as the defensive end, Coach throws a chip my way, so I've gotta beat the tackle, I've gotta beat the chip. Lucky for me, I happen to beat them both on one play and guess what? Oh, Tom threw the ball in 1.7 seconds, so I couldn't get there anyway. So, I had my best pass-rush of the day and it was all for naught, and that is the most frustrating part of all. And that's what they did so well, is they just always knew how to negate the best player on the defense."

Over the course of his 12-year NFL career, 10 of which were spent in Houston, Watt established himself as a dominant force.

In addition to recording 114.5 sacks, 27 forced fumbles and 195 tackles for loss, Watt was a five-time Pro Bowler, five-time First Team All-Pro and three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

As great was he was most weeks, success truly did elude Watt during his career against the Patriots, as he posted a 1-7 record against New England. Watt also never recorded a single sack against the Pats, instead settling for six tackles for loss, four passes defended and one forced fumble.

The Patriots were essentially Watt's Kryptonite, but that can be said for many great players who had to deal with Belichick and Brady over the years.

It is tough to create a strong argument against the notion that Belichick and Brady are the greatest coach-quarterback tandem in NFL history, as their six Super Bowl wins together eclipse everyone else.

Watt provided a glimpse into why the Pats were able to stay on top for so long, as Belichick always had them prepared and Brady was able to execute the gameplan to near perfection.