Weeden finds a home with a comfort zone
QB re-establishes ties with Osweiler in an offense he knows
Back in the day, Brandon Weeden was judged the superior prospect, and he was drafted well ahead of Brock Osweiler, going 22nd overall in 2012 to Cleveland, where the Browns immediately threw him into the breach as a starter. Thirty-four more names were called before Osweiler learned he’d have to patiently ply his trade as Peyton Manning’s understudy in Denver.
As members of the same draft class, Weeden and Osweiler worked out together that spring and become good friends. That proved crucial four years later when the
Texans outbid the Broncos for Osweiler’s services, a decision that ensured Weeden would be battling only for backup status in Houston if he returned. It was his call, too. He was a free agent with enough of a résumé, mixed bag though it may have been, to land a job in several places.
But three weeks after Osweiler got the big bucks to become a Texan, Weeden re-upped here. He saw it as a no-brainer, he explained this week as the Texans prepared for Sunday’s preseason opener against San Francisco at Santa Clara, Calif.
Osweiler, Weeden reasoned, was another guy — like Tony Romo in Dallas — he could comfortably play behind and get behind without feeling hypocritical. And although Weeden is seven years Osweiler’s senior, the former Bronco, only 25, had spent four years in the classroom earning a quarterbacking master’s degree from Manning, the master himself.
QB chemistry ‘special’
In Weeden’s mind, that gave Osweiler a surfeit of credibility despite his relative lack of playing experience — seven starts last season, resulting in five Broncos victories. Bottom line: Weeden was certain he would enjoy being Osweiler’s teammate and profit professionally, too.
“(Osweiler’s signing) was a big part of the reason I decided I wanted to come back here,” Weeden said. “Brock is extremely smart, extremely intelligent. And being around him, you can tell he’s been learning from one of the best ever. Also, I knew him personally. I respected him, and I’ve always liked his personality and his demeanor. He’s a great guy, a stand-up guy.
“And look, I know my role. When they signed Brock, it became my job to push him, help him, communicate with him, and be a good teammate in the meeting room and on the field. I’m the old guy in the room. It’s on me to establish the relationships that help us separate football from our personal lives. All three of us (along with third-year pro Tom Savage) have become close friends. You’re coming to work here every day not dreading being stuck in the same room together. I’m sure there are teams where that’s not the case.”
Osweiler called the chemistry among the Texans’ three quarterbacks “something that’s very unique and very special.”
“Obviously, we’re all competing, we’re all trying to get better, we’re all trying to push each other, but we’re all there to try and help each other,” Osweiler said. “We have a great relationship off the field. I’ve known Brandon for a while, and I like him. In the spring, we went golfing. In the summer, those guys came up to Idaho with me. We have a very close (meeting) room, and I don’t think every room is like that in the National Football League.”
Weeden’s “good ol’ boy” affability and natural equanimity make him preternaturally adaptable to new situations. Although he has tasted more failure than success — he’s 1-0 as a starter for the Texans but 6-19 overall — he shows no signs of being damaged goods. Getting a late start in football, after trying to make the major leagues as a pitcher straight from high school, gave him the maturity to handle adversity.
A rocky road in NFL
Launching his career in Cleveland as a starter from the get-go ensured there would be plenty of playing opportunities. In retrospect, Weeden believes first sitting a spell would have benefited him hugely. But it wasn’t a luxury the ever-in-turmoil Browns thought they could afford.
“It is so hard to come from college football and play Week 1 in this league,” Weeden said. “Not only are you worrying about understanding the playbook, learning new X’s and O’s, communicating with veteran players, the other side of the ball is so much more complex. You throw a guy in there who doesn’t have success early on, and you risk ruining him. I felt like I was ready (in Cleveland). But I found out right away it’s a fast, complex game in the NFL.”
In Weeden’s first start on opening day in 2012, he completed barely a third of his passes and suffered four interceptions in a one-point loss to Philadelphia. Four more defeats followed, after which few Browns fans weren’t willing to cut him any slack. He was gone by the end of the next season.
But Weeden went to Dallas and won the backup job behind Romo. That was a relatively easy transition because the Cowboys’ offense was still influenced by Norv Turner’s philosophies, and Turner had coached Weeden in Cleveland. Still, when he got the chance to play — he received one start in 2014 and three in 2015 with Romo injured — the results proved desultory: zero victories, four defeats.
His 0-3 run last season, concluding with a 30-6 trouncing by the New England Patriots, ended his tenure as a Cowboy.
“We let a big lead go against Atlanta,” Weeden recalled. “I threw a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter with a twominute drive that tied up against the Saints, but then we never got the ball back. Just didn’t play well enough against New England.”
But more quarterback turmoil to the south in Houston kept him from leaving Texas. The Texans were desperate. Brian Hoyer had suffered a concussion, and street free agent T.J. Yates was back in town, preparing to take the reins after spending two months as a couch potato. Savage already was trapped on injured reserve after getting hurt during the preseason and couldn’t be reactivated.
Dallas flashbacks
To suggest Weeden’s head was spinning when he joined the Texans is an understatement. Nonetheless, he rallied the Texans to victory at Indianapolis — a franchise first there — after Yates went down with a torn ACL, then presided over a 34-6 trouncing of Tennessee before handing the keys back to Hoyer.
“That was tough, a big hurdle,” Weeden said. “This offense puts a lot on the quarterback, getting people in the right place and running the show. You’ve got to try to wipe the slate clean, and I have now. I still find myself remembering (the Cowboys’ system) at times, but I’ve mostly gotten over that hump. I got a very good base understanding of this offense last year. It was a good head start, and I think I did a good job of retaining stuff when I returned this spring.
“As far as my comfort level goes, being in the pocket, executing the offense, I’d say I’m comfortable. And it helps that I’ve experienced the really good and the really bad. You learn from both and just try to better yourself.”