Watt focused on getting back to football form

Prior to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats signing Canadian receiver Spencer Watt in 2015, the Ticats were looking for national depth at the position while also adding a proven receiver to the Ticats potent offence.
Watt was drafted by Toronto in the third round (18^th overall) in 2010. During his five years with the Argonauts, Watt amassed 135 catches for 1,715 yards to go along with nine touchdowns.
An Achilles injury suffered during last years mini-camp has postponed Watt’s Tiger-Cats debut and following a year of rehab, he’s been looking great leading up to Hamilton’s first preseason game against the Argonauts.
“I actually haven’t really thought about my Achilles,” said Watt. “It’s just trying to get back into football shape.”
Coming into training camp, Watt admits he was nervous being removed from the game and the atmosphere surrounding it, as well as having yet to play a game with his new team.
“It’s more just the general idea of getting back into football, and can I perform the way I use to perform? That’s basically how nervous I was,” admitted the North Vancouver native.
With his first game in over a year fast approaching this Saturday, Watt says those jitters will be short lived however.
“I’ll be fine going into the game. Catch a couple balls, maybe get hit once or twice and then I’ll be good to go.”
With the depth the Tiger-Cats have at the receiver position, Watt showed no hesitation as training camp opened up in showcasing that he can still be a dangerous offensive weapon. On day two of training camp during 12-on-12 team drills, Watt fully extended as he brought in a 40-yard touchdown off of a diving catch from Jeff Mathews.
“I’m not going to be careful about how I go about my game. If I’m careful then I’m not necessarily professional. I might be cut, you never know. I’m just going to play how I use to play and not worry about my injury.”
Watt comes back to join a position group that provided fans much to cheer about in 2015.
“We’ve got a talented receiving core. It’s good to have Tasker and Fantuz on my side communicating, getting on par with running routes and getting on cue with the quarterbacks.”
The seven-year vet still takes the opportunity to be a student of the game, especially learning from veterans like Andy Fantuz and Luke Tasker, who have been with the Tiger-Cats for quite some time.
‘I’ll look towards them a lot just because they’ve been in this system for a while,” says Watt. “Those are the guys most of the rookies are looking for.”
While playing with Toronto, Watt earned a knack for being a consistent player with the ability to make plays when needed. Being in the same locker room as Fantuz, another player who’s proven to be consistent will only help bolster the position as well as the Canadian content in Hamilton.