National Post (National Edition)
Quarterback quandary for Raiders, Texans
PLAYOFFS BEGIN
Winning in spite of your quarterback isn’t usually a recipe for playoff success, but that’s exactly what the Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders will by trying to do this weekend.
In Houston, Tom Savage’s concussion has the Texans handing the keys to Bill O’Brien’s offence back to Brock Osweiler, with the stench of his Week 15 benching still lingering.
It’s definitely not something the fan base was hoping for.
Signed to a hefty US$72-million deal last off-season, Osweiler was the worst starting quarterback in the NFL this season, averaging a putrid 5.8 yards per attempt on his way to throwing more interceptions (16) than touchdowns (15) in his first season in Houston.
Savage didn’t exactly light the world on fire — he completed 63 per cent of his passes with no touchdowns or interceptions — but there was nowhere to go but up after watching Osweiler struggle mightily and turn one of the league’s best receivers in DeAndre Hopkins into a weekly non-factor thanks to his inability to push the football down the field.
When Savage wobbled off with his brain injury Sunday, Osweiler entered the game and finished 21-of-40 for 253 yards and a touchdown in the meaningless loss to the Tennessee Titans, and now he gets a chance to right some of his wrongs.
“I thought Brock did some really good things on Sunday with his teammates and almost brought us all the way back,” O’Brien said Tuesday. “I thought he did a nice job, and we have a lot of confidence in him that he’s going to go out there and play well on Saturday.”
O’Brien might be the only one.
The same fans that cheered when he was relegated to clipboard duty will now be hoping Osweiler can lead the Texans to a playoff victory over the Raiders, a team with major quarterback problems of its own.
With Derek Carr done for the season with a broken leg — a Super Bowl return five weeks from now seems unlikely for a number of reasons — the Raiders turned to Matt McGloin, who promptly suffered a shoulder injury during Oakland’s failed attempt to lock down a firstround bye over the weekend.
That leaves the Raiders with the unproven Connor Cook and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Oakland head coach Jack Del Rio is fully prepared to start the 23-year-old fourthrounder on the road Saturday in Houston.
Cook would be the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to make his first start in a playoff game.
While it may be a QB sawoff with Osweiler and Cook slinging pigskins, the winner of this game won’t be so lucky next week, as they could earn a road date with Tom Brady.
UNBELIEVABLE?
The New York media has been all over the Giants receiving corps for taking an off-day trip to Miami to hang on Justin Bieber’s yacht, but Eli Manning isn’t too concerned.
The veteran quarterback did allow that he was a little “disappointed,” but it had nothing to do with the actual trip, which was documented on social media like just about everything else these days.
“As a team, we kind of always pride ourselves on being well prepared, so when I saw some of those pictures, I was a little disappointed because obviously, they didn’t pack accordingly,” Manning told reporters. “They didn’t have any shirts — all long pants, no shorts, no flip flops or anything. So I was disappointed in their packing and not being prepared for that situation.”
Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, Sterling Shepard and Roger Lewis all returned to work on time Tuesday.
GAILEY RETIRES
Todd Bowles will return to the New York Jets sideline in 2017, but the rest of the coaching staff cannot say the same.
Coming off an ugly 5-11 season, the Jets canned five assistants Tuesday, while offensive co-ordinator and former Buffalo Bills head coach Chan Gailey announced he’s retiring.
Bowles will now attempt to find a co-ordinator to lead an offence that has quarterback problems and very little wide receiver depth.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo is on the Jets’ radar.
QUICK HITS
Missing the playoffs for a second season in a row doesn’t require a coaching shakeup in John Harbaugh’s mind, as the Baltimore Ravens head coach announced offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, defensive co-ordinator Dean Pees and special teams co-ordinator Jerry Rosburg will all return next season ... Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin says TE Ladarius Green is progressing and has a chance to escape concussion protocol in time for Sunday’s wild-card game against the Miami Dolphins.