J.J. Watt is taking lessons in leadership from Vince Wilfork

When Vince Wilfork first joined the Houston Texans, he said that all he wanted to do was free J.J. Watt up to be himself. "I don't want to change his game one bit," Wilfork said. "I'm not coming in here to say, 'You need to do this differently.' No. You continue to do what you do. We're going to learn off of you. We're going to play off of you. My goal is to let J.J. be J.J. I'm pretty sure the coaching staff is going to feel the same way."

Now that the two players are in camp together, though, it seems Wilfork couldn't help but dispense some valuable leadership advice. "He said, 'Listen, just keep doing what you're doing,'" Watt said, per ESPN.com. "I'm going to just keep doing what I'm doing. Keep working hard. Lead by example. Be vocal when I feel like I need to be vocal. For the most part, I don't think there's ever any better leadership style than going out there and working as hard as you possibly can and setting an example for us to follow.

"He's seen championship teams, he's been around great players, great leaders. Obviously myself being a leader I'm always trying to be the best leader I can be, so I go to him and [ask], 'What made your championship teams great? How did you guys get to where you were?' Then I just let him speak and listen to what he has to say. Let him talk about my leadership style, what he thinks I can do better."

For his part, Wilfork seems very impressed with Watt as both a player and a leader already, independent of anything the younger player (and current best defensive player on the planet) might pick up from one of the best defensive linemen of his time. "Just to be with him every day to see exactly what he puts in, because a lot of guys don't put a lot of work in the game," Wilfork said. "They just get to a certain level and they get complacent. They're just happy with where they're at. To see him work every day, he's going to be a great player for a long time and it all starts with the way he works. He makes me work harder."

These two already seem like a match made in heaven.


(cbssports.com)