J.J. Watt Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
By Reice Shipley on

At this point in the calendar year, NFL fans are clamoring for information about how their favorite team’s training camp is going and who some of the standout players are. But what is the best way for beat reporters at training camp to relay this information to their audience?

Some beat reporters simply post highlight plays throughout training camp to give their followers a sneak peek of how practice is going for individual players. Others actually post “stats” in team drills, specifically for quarterbacks, to help show how many passes each quarterback is completing throughout the day.

Former NFL star and current CBS NFL game analyst J.J. Watt took issue with the practice of recording stats during training camp practices, explaining how beat reporters largely don’t understand what NFL coaches are trying to accomplish with specific drills, skewing how the stats look.

“Training Camp ‘stats’ are insane and ridiculous,” wrote Watt in a post on X. “Used to think it was always just people joking, but now seeing them seriously reported. You have no idea what the purpose of that period is, what the goals are, what the context is, etc. It could be a strictly 3rd & Long blitz period where every play is skewed to the defenses advantage. Coaches could be asking the QB to focus specifically on one route concept. DLine may be focusing only on bull rushes one day or just speed rushes for one period.

“More importantly, practice is for practicing. You’re supposed to fail. You’re supposed to try new things, see what works and what doesn’t work, etc. If you only do what works, you’ll never grow, adapt, change. The entire point of training camp is to build and grow towards the season so that you perform your best when the real games start.”

It’s certainly a fair argument from Watt. Watt knows more than anyone given his extensive history in the NFL what teams are truly trying to accomplish in training camp. The fact of the matter is, as much as NFL coaches are trying to simulate live game reps during training camp, it is a practice that is meant for working on concepts and trying new things.

Watt’s take on the matter caught the attention of many in the sports media landscape. And the vast majority of Watt’s peers in the media space are on his side, similarly arguing against these “stats” don’t have any real validity.

“This this this, all of this,” wrote Watt’s CBS colleague, NFL analyst Amy Trask. “And also, ‘throwing against air,’ as we said – and hi JJ.”

“It’s a good thing no one was covering Kirk Cousin’s training camp stats back in 2013 when he got picked off by an undrafted free agent,” wrote Bussin’ With The Boys podcast host and former NFL linebacker Will Compton, joking about how he intercepted Cousins at training camp during his NFL career. “Doubt that anyone would’ve predicted that he’d learn from this play & amass over $290million during his career.”

“This,” wrote Zak Keefer of The Athletic. “Tip: don’t overreact to training camp tweets. Read actual stories (which have context).”

“I cannot find a large enough number to amplify this by,” wrote Giants pre and postgame host John Schmeekl.

For all of the complaints from some about former players increasingly entering the sports media space, this argument from Watt proves that in many cases, former players are the perfect people to be discussing these kinds of topics and hopefully changing how the sport is covered for the better.

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.

View all posts by Reice Shipley