Benjamin Watson (born December 18, 1980) is an American football tight end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New England Patriots 32nd overall in the 2004 NFL Draft and later he would win Super Bowl XXXIX with the team over the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Georgia. Watson has also played for the Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens.
Video Benjamin Watson
Early years
Watson was born in Norfolk, Virginia. He attended Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and was a letterman in football and track. In football, as a senior, he caught 31 passes for 515 yards. The two-time All-Region selection and Northwestern HS Student of the Year led his team to the state championship in his junior season. He was also a member of his high school chapter of The Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
In track & field, Watson was a standout sprinter, recording personal-best times of 22.37 seconds in the 200 meters and 50.03 seconds in the 400 meters.
Maps Benjamin Watson
College career
Watson played football at Duke University prior to transferring to the University of Georgia where he majored in finance. In 3 seasons at Georgia he had 65 catches for 852 yards and 6 TD.
o1999 (Duke): 8 catches for 93 yards with 1 TD.
- 2001 (Georgia): 11 catches for 187 yards with 1 TD.
- 2002 (Georgia): 31 catches for 341 yards with 3 TD.
- 2003 (Georgia): 23 catches for 324 yards with 2 TD.
Professional career
New England Patriots
Watson entered the league after scoring a 48 on his Wonderlic Test. That is tied for third highest score ever in the NFL. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 32nd overall in the 2004 NFL draft. He was on the injured list for almost his entire rookie season for the Patriots, playing in only one game. Watson received a Super Bowl ring following the Patriots' win over the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.
He continued to battle injuries throughout his stint in New England, starting just 47 games in six seasons with the team. He nabbed a career-best six touchdown passes in the Patriots' undefeated 2007 campaign, third best on the team. His highlight as a Patriot occurred in the 2006 playoff defeat to the Denver Broncos, when he ran the distance of the football field to catch and tackle Champ Bailey on the Broncos' one yard line after an interception in the Patriots' end zone, preventing a touchdown. The play has been called "one of the greatest forgotten plays in Patriots history."
Cleveland Browns
On March 12, 2010, Watson signed a three-year deal with the Cleveland Browns, reuniting him with former Patriots assistant coach, Eric Mangini. In the 2010 season, Watson led the Browns in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns (tied with wide receiver Brian Robiskie).
New Orleans Saints
On March 18, 2013, Watson agreed to terms on a three-year contract with the New Orleans Saints. In 2015, he was elected as one of the offensive team captains (along with Drew Brees and Zach Strief). In Week 6, he had a solid performance, catching 10 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown as the Saints beat the undefeated Atlanta Falcons in a nationally televised Thursday Night Football game. In a Week 8 game against the New York Giants, Watson caught 9 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown, easily besting his previous performance against the Falcons.
At the conclusion of the 2015 season, Watson was recognized as one of three finalists (Eli Manning and Anquan Boldin) for the Walter Payton Man-of-the-Year award, which was won by Boldin. As well as being named a Pro Bowl Alternate.
Watson was also one of five finalists for the NFLPA's Whizzer White award.
Baltimore Ravens
On March 9, 2016, Watson signed a two-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens worth $7 million with $3 million guaranteed until 2018. On August 27, 2016, during the Ravens' third preseason game, he suffered a torn Achilles tendon, ending his season.
Watson returned to the field for the 2017 season. In 2017, Watson caught 61 passes for a total of 522 yards and four touchdowns, but it was not enough to stop the Ravens from missing the playoffs for the third consecutive year. On January 21st, 2018, Watson was once again named a finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. The award was won by JJ Watt.
New Orleans Saints (second stint)
On March 28, 2018, Watson signed with the New Orleans Saints.
Personal life
Watson is married to Kirsten Vaughn Watson, who grew up in Baton Rouge. Vaughn was a multisport athlete at Episcopal High School. Her grandfather, Isaac Greggs, was the longtime band director at Southern University. Her father Percy Vaughn, is from New Orleans and a Southern University graduate. Her mom, Audree, attended Louisiana State University.
Vaughn and Watson married in 2005 after his rookie NFL year. Together they have five children: daughters Grace and Naomi, sons Isaiah and Judah (March 19, 2013), and daughter Eden (August 15, 2015). Watson is a devout Christian who is known for being outspoken about his faith.
Benjamin has a younger brother, Asa, who was signed by the New England Patriots on May 10, 2014 but was released before the season started.
Following the events in Ferguson, Missouri, Watson wrote a Facebook post on the issue of race in America that was "liked" on Facebook more than 850,000 times. The post received national attention.
On November 17, 2015, Watson released a book, Under Our Skin: Getting Real About Race--And Getting Free From the Fears and Frustrations That Divide Us, with Tyndale House Publishers.
On January 27, 2017, Watson was one of the speakers at the 2017 March for Life, an annual rally protesting abortion and Roe v. Wade.
On January 21, 2018, Watson was announced as one of the three finalists for the Walter Payton Man of The Year Award by NFL Network.
References
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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