One player trumps all
Texans’ 2018 success depends on flashy, young quarterback with no shortage of supporters who think Watson is up to task
Brian T. Smith notes that Texans’ fate rests on a certain QB.
It was the perfect image for a franchise in need of another major makeover.
A first-team All-Pro wide receiver sitting on the wing of an airplane, appearing calm, cool and on top of the NFL world.
His 22-year-old quarterback standing to the right, wearing a sweatshirt that read “Shine Together” and posting a photo of the Texans’ future with the same promising caption.
“2018 Trending … SHINE Together!” Deshaun Watson tweeted this week, tagging teammate DeAndre Hopkins in the same image.
We spent the last two weeks engaged in an endless conversation (OK, argument) about the Texans.
To extend, lame-duck or simply fire Bill O’Brien.
To move on from or wait for the potential return of Rick Smith.
How clued in (or clueless) Bob McNair is, as his football team waits for the big man up above to again make another franchisealtering decision.
Here’s one thing we can all agree upon as 2018 begins: We can’t wait for the return of DW4.
And, really, isn’t this what it all comes down to for the Texans?
Could be special season
Why O’Brien is on the verge of sticking around for a fifth year, and why McNair is about to extend a fiery coach whose 2017 campaign went down in the 4-12 flames.
Why we already have some weird, unexplainable feeling that next season truly could be special for a team that has, thus far, always disappointed us in the end.
Why the worst team in the AFC South this season should be a Week 1 playoff contender in 2018 and could have NRG Stadium packed for every home game.
Even with the season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered following a Week 8 shootout at Seattle, Watson tied for 18th among all QBs in total touchdowns (19) in 2017, while completing 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,699 yards, posting a 103 passer rating and running for 269 yards and two TDs.
The constant four-year debate about O’Brien has only just begun. Right now, it appears McNair is going to hand his coach a long-term extension, when the only thing O’Brien might be entitled to is another shot with Watson and a Brian Hoyer-like short leash.
The TBD GM who replaces Smith will have his hands full on Day One and is behind schedule.
But “Shine Together” really could be a thing for the remade Texans in ’18.
And if it suddenly happens, we know it’s probably going to be all because of Watson.
“He’s an exciting player. He’s an even better person off the field,” said O’Brien, during one of the only times this week when a coach winning a power struggle actually sounded excited. “He’s just a very coachable guy, eager to learn, eager to get better.
“He’s got great poise on the field. We’re all excited about his future.”
At his best under pressure
Watson has that Carlos Correa rookie-year feel. Very, very special — especially when the lights shine brightest.
He also won’t turn 23 until September and only started five full-week games as a rookie — his Week 2 starting debut at Cincinnati came with just three days of preparation — which means the weight on and attention surrounding the No. 12 overall pick of the 2017 draft borders on absurd.
But that is also what has initially been so special about Watson. Every time he should have slid backward — NFL starting debut on national TV; third pro game at New England against Bill Belichick — he leapt over every expectation and wowed a hard-to-impress football nation.
People who don’t know much about the Texans go back to Week 1.
How could they have started soon-to-be-benched Tom Savage over Watson?
Because Watson didn’t look ready during the preseason, and a team lacking an offensive line was trying to protect and gradually build up its first-round QB.
Two games later, Watson surprised the franchise by throwing for 301 yards and almost knocking off Tom Brady inside the home of the Super Bowl LI champions.
By the time Week 8 rolled around, Watson was staring at the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, and he put up 402 yards and four touchdowns against Seattle’s defense in his final stunner of 2017.
Watt is in his corner
No wonder J.J. Watt is saying this about a young man who has only played in seven NFL games.
“We have won a few division titles with, like, 15 different quarterbacks,” the three-time Defensive Player of the Year said. “So if we have one quarterback who is back there who can play the way that he plays — who has the potential and has the abilities he has — of course (you have more confidence). I think he has great potential. We are really excited to see what he can do with a full season. I’m definitely excited to have a franchise quarterback.”
Will the Texans do the obvious and build a wall around Watson?
Can he stay on the field for all 16 games in 2018 and avoid one of the most painful terms in sports: injury prone?
These numbers add up
How good can Nos. 4 and 10 be together, especially when they know on the first day of training camp that Watson is the only arm that matters?
A time of healing has allowed Watson to strengthen his bond with his teammates. During the same week the QB posted his photo with Hopkins, Watt tweeted a video of the Texans’ two biggest names pulling weights inside the team workout room as the franchise and AFC logos hovered in the background.
You, O’Brien, McNair, the next GM and I can all agree on this: We’re counting down the days until Watson leads the Texans again.
And if Kirby Drive is a better and aligned place in 2018, it ultimately will be because of the leader we’re all waiting for.