Texans take on Jaguars in opener as Houston recovers from Hurricane Harvey
>> HOUSTON: Hurricane Harvey made football an afterthought in Houston.
Tomorrow when they open the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Texans know a city just beginning to rebuild after the storm will be looking for them to provide a boost.
“We know it’s a hard time here in Houston right now,’’ running back Lamar Miller said. “We’re just trying to do anything to make this city proud this upcoming Sunday. And for us to do that, everybody has to do their assignment, play fast and just put on a show.”
The Texans last took the field for a preseason game against the Saints on Aug 26. They spent several days in Dallas before their last preseason game was cancelled after the storm.
Houston look to extend their winning streak against the Jaguars to seven games in a match-up that will feature the return of superstar defensive end JJ Watt. He missed the final 13 games of last season following his second back surgery.
Watt has become the celebrity face of the storm after a fundraiser he started has raised more than US$29 million (and counting) for hurricane relief. He’s been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support he’s received from around the country and can’t wait to play tomorrow to help provide the fans an escape.
Watt was also quick to note his teammates have also pitched in to help out in the days since the storm.
“Our guys understand how big this city is for us,” Watt said. “We wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for these incredible fans and these incredible people supporting us, and our guys have been unbelievable about trying to give back and do whatever they can. It’s been really cool to have their support behind all of this.”
While the Texans move into their season after the storm, the Jaguars will have to leave their family and friends behind to head to Houston as Hurricane Irma approaches Florida. Coach Doug Marrone said they’ve had long discussions about how the team will deal with it, but declined to provide any details on their plans.
“We’re going to handle that all internally of what we’re doing with all of our plans and trying to make sure we keep everyone in mind as this is going on, because this is a difficult thing for the people that work here,” he said.
“It’s a difficult thing for the people in Jacksonville. We just got to do the best job at this time for the families and the people that are involved.”