Texans DE J.J. Watt mum on significance of playing the Packers, his childhood team

In 2019 when the Houston Texans held a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, defensive end J.J. Watt bubbling over at the thought of practicing in a venue he spent many summers following the Packers.

“I stood outside of those fences and I watched practice through the fence, and I watched the bikes be ridden, and I stood over by the player’s parking lot and tried to get autographs,” Watt told reporters on Aug. 5, 2019. “So, it’s a pretty special thing. It’s pretty unique, it’s pretty cool. I literally dreamt about this as a kid, so to be able to practice on these fields that I watched Brett Favre practice on, there’s not going to be too many days like this in my career. I’m very thankful and grateful that I got to have it.”

However, in Wednesday’s meeting with Houston media, Watt wasn’t as open with his feelings as he was last summer, as evidenced by his response to a question about whether he envisioned playing in a Packers uniform growing up in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.

“I imagined myself playing for Pewaukee High School,” Watt said. “That’s as far as I got in my dreams at the time. No, I can’t say I got to that level of my dreams at that moment.”

The former 2011 first-round pick from Wisconsin did point out that the Packers are a huge part of the sports culture in the Badger State, including Watt’s alma mater.

“Everything you had sports-wise was either green and gold or red and white,” said Watt. “That’s what it was. It’s an incredible fan base that they have. Incredible people, obviously. I was fortunate to grow up there. I absolutely respect and appreciate the loyalty that their fan base has to that team.”

With a 1-5 record and gearing up to play a two-time NFL MVP in quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Watt may be trying to zero in on the present task and not get trapped in remembrances of things past.