J.J. Watt lauds Brenden Schooler over Patriots safety's blocked kick play - "Extremely clever and executed to perfection"

J.J. Watt knows a thing or two about football. He is a bona fide Pro Football Hall of Famer when he is eligible for induction. As one of the fiercest competitors in the NFL, he won three Defensive Player of the Year awards and was a five-time First Time All-Pro member.

Therefore, people must listen to his football-related wisdom. He shared his thoughts during the Week 2 Sunday Night Football game between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. It’s not on a defensive play but a heads-up special teams sequence.

---

J.J. Watt shares his thoughts regarding Brenden Schooler’s field goal block

The Miami Dolphins failed to account for Brenden Schooler, who started the play from the sidelines. However, the second-year player from Texas dashes sideways toward his teammates before crossing the line of scrimmage.

The Dolphins were caught off guard by the play, giving Schooler a free pass to Jason Sanders’ field goal attempt. As a result, he made a successful field goal block.

It’s legal for the opposing team to run back a blocked field goal for a touchdown. But while the play ended quickly after Kyle Dugger recovered the ball, Schooler’s heads-up play gave the New England Patriots an excellent field position.

This sequence had J.J. Watt tweeting:

“About to see a whole lot of encroachment penalties when everyone starts trying to run that “motion” on field goal block and they mistime the snap or the kicking team goes on two. 🤣🤣 But that was extremely clever and executed to perfection.”

Encroachment is when a defensive player like J.J. Watt illegally crosses the line of scrimmage before the snap. Game officials can also call it a false start. Watt’s concern is valid because Schooler must time the snap perfectly before crossing the line.

A split second too early, and Schooler would have given the Dolphins free yards. Sometimes, those yards could be enough to provide the opponent with a first down.

The infraction gets costly, especially if the other team took advantage and scored a touchdown. That’s why J.J. Watt is impressed with Schooler’s impeccable timing.

Schooler tried the play again late in the fourth quarter, forcing Sanders to miss a 55-yard field goal attempt.

---

Who is Patriots player Brenden Schooler, the player Watt praised?

NFL's Next Game Stats tweeted about Schooler's play that J.J. Watt reacted to:

"Patriots special teamer Brenden Schooler got a running start before blocking Jason Sanders' 49-yard field goal attempt. Schooler was traveling 12.70 mph when the ball was snapped and 13.19 mph when the kick was blocked."

The former Longhorn went undrafted last year despite being a First Team All-Pac-12 member in 2017 and 2018. He also ran the 40-yard dash during the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine in 4.43 seconds.

But while no team drafted him, the New England Patriots signed him to a three-year standard deal for undrafted free agents. The AFC East squad also gave him a $15,000 signing bonus. His inclusion in the Patriots’ 2022 final roster extended the team’s streak of having undrafted players in the 53-man squad to 19 seasons.

Brenden Schooler became a member of the 2022 Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team as a special teamer. The California native also played for the Oregon Ducks before transferring to Texas.