24 minutes ago

Their love of sports was borne on the cul de sac in front of their house and on the grass fields behind it.

The work ethic was instilled by their firefighter father and work-her-way-up-the-company-ladder mother.

Their competitiveness? That came by way of an elderly woman over sips of cranberry juice-and-Sprite.

“She put it in a special glass,” J.J. Watt said of his late great-grandmother, “and then we’d all sit around the kitchen table and play rummy together.”

For Watt and his brothers, T.J. and Derek, the special beverage – served in “little sippy cups,” said Derek – was the only sweet part of the ritual from the sweet woman who died in 2019 at 101 years old.

Turns out, the late Sophie Musial’s congeniality belied a merciless assassin, willing to figuratively bowl over even her own great-grandsons en route to rummy world dominance.

“Great Grandma wanted to win so bad,” Derek said during a video conference call with media earlier this week. “She was always getting the most upset if somebody else beat her – and that was usually me.”

The victories were so treasured that the scorecards got hung on the wall. Grandma Watt has kept every one of them, J.J. said, for posterity.

“It was all about just sitting around the table, talking, spending time with family – and being extremely competitive,” J.J. said. “You know, Great Grandma, even though she was 100 years old, takes no prisoners. When that’s the attitude of your 100-, 101-year-old great grandma, it kind of trickles down throughout the whole family.”

So, don’t expect the Watt brothers to take it easy on each other Sunday at Heinz Field.

For only the second time in 93 years, three brothers will participate in the same NFL game when J.J.’s Houston Texans face the Pittsburgh Steelers of T.J. and Derek.

After all, Derek, a fullback, already showed some of the familial Watt competitiveness during the lone professional meeting of even two of the three Watts, the other two of which are among the NFL’s best edge rushers. Almost a year ago to the day Sunday, Derek (then of the Los Angeles Chargers) at one point chipped a passrushing J.J. as Derek left to go on a passing route during a game.

“I saw him open an exposed rib,” Derek said with a matter-of-factness, “and gave it a little shot.”

“That’s what he does,” J.J. said. “He’s a pesky little fullback. He sticks his elbow in your ribs as you’re passrushing, and then he goes on his way.”

Brett Keisel, fans coax J.J. Watt to Steelers so he can join his brothershttps://t.co/EPbj3JxymB

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) March 18, 2020

Derek brought his talents to Pittsburgh when he signed a three-year, $9.75 million contract in March. T.J. had by that time become a star over his three years with the Steelers, going from an all-rookie first-round pick in 2017 to Pro Bowler his second season to a first-team All Pro last year.

T.J. was so good, he finished third in NFL defensive player of the year voting. Of course, that earns him zero bragging rights among the brothers’ group chat – J.J. has won that award a record-tying three times.

“He’s not very shy of telling people he has those awards,” T.J. said with playful eye roll. “Especially me.”

Sure enough J.J., covertly found his way onto the T.J./Derek video call, identifying himself as “Justin James” (his first and middle names) from “the Better Brother Gazette.”

But is he the better uncle? Derek’s toddler son, Logan, sees T.J. a lot more now that they both live in the same town.

“The whole thing is just set up for me to fail,” J.J. said, “in terms of me being a great uncle.”

Then again, for as smitten as T.J. is with Logan, he’s not yet entrusted with babysitting duty.

“I’m not changing diapers,” T.J. said. “That’s where I draw the line.”

“That,” Derek interjected, “is a crucial part of being a babysitter!”

All part of the banter that only a trio brothers can share. It’s just that, for these three, each of them does it while employed at the highest level of professional football.

#Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt and his brothers, J.J. and Derek, are apparently trying their hand at comedy https://t.co/NSkJeV59D4

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) July 15, 2018

It was a journey started in Pewaukee, Wisc., where they’d play rollerhokey on the street and football out back.

“We would connect the three back yards with neighbors on each side of us,” T.J. said, “and we’d play football.

“We’d play baseball in the backyard, (too). Whatever we were doing, we were trying to get as many people, as many kids in the community to come over our house and play as many sports as we possibly could.”

The Watts match the feat of the Edmunds’ brothers last season – the Steelers’ Terrell and Trey, the Buffalo Bills’ Tremaine – in gathering three brothers in uniform for the same NFL game. That parents Connie and John aren’t allowed in because of Gov. Wolf’s conronavirus restrictions won’t mute how special the afternoon will be for the entire Watt family.

“It’s unbelievable,” J.J. said. “And I mean it truly is incredible. Just to have all of us playing at (the University of) Wisconsin was really cool, just to have all of us playing in the NFL was really cool, to play against one other brother was cool. And now to have all of us on the field at the same time in the same game? It really doesn’t get any better than that.”

Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.

Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris by email at cadamski@triblive.com or via Twitter .