For an exhibition, there’s quite a lot worth scrutinizing
NEW ORLEANS — You obviously have bigger things to worry about than preseason football. Rain. Wind. Harvey. But some of us are stuck in the city that normally hosts hurricanes. And since we — loony sports writers, devoted traveling Texans fans — came all this way to watch a fake game in person, we might as well pretend that it’s for real.
So here’s what I’ll be looking for from the top of the Saints’ Superdome on Saturday night.
I hope your TV stays on so you can watch it until the third-stringers take the field. Much more importantly: Stay safe,
Houston. • Deshaun Watson I’ll get to the Texans’ starting quarterback in a moment.
The QB I’m most eager to see is the reigning national champion, who didn’t have the best practice week and was just 3-for-10 against New England in preseason game No. 2.
He’s only a few months into his rookie season and Watson might have to wait until 2018 to really take charge. But he needs to be more decisive in the pocket, and three up-and-down practices this week were a reminder that the first-round pick is still adjusting to the confines of NFL life.
New Orleans’ defense isn’t exactly legendary. Watson should shine brighter during the peak of the Texans’ exhibition schedule. • The front seven J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney combined for two tackles in the Texans’ first two preseason games. Then they made Drew Brees race backward Thursday in Metairie, La., as the defensive front seven kept opening its huge jaws.
This will be the last time we get to see Whitney Mercilus, Watt, Clowney and Co. attack in full until Chad Henne (or Blake Bortles) runs backward for Jacksonville in Week 1. Brees still has one of the best arms in the league. He’s also 38 and isn’t getting any younger. If the Texans are really going to have the best defense in the NFL in 2017, they should be able to consistently hound Brees in the Dome.
• No. 9 for the black and gold
How dumb has the NFL preseason become? One of New Orleans’ greatest modern heroes — Super Bowl winner and MVP, 10-time Pro Bowler and champion of the city — hasn’t even taken an exhibition snap yet.
That’s supposed to change Saturday, as Sean Payton briefly rolls out his weapons in a Week 1 tease.
Can Watt and Clowney get to Brees? The bigger test will be whether the Texans’ secondary — especially the safeties — can contain a man who threw for an NFL-best 5,208 yards and completed 70 percent of his passes last season.
The Texans would kill to have Brees as their QB. Saturday, they’ll try to defend him in person. • The other receivers DeAndre Hopkins, Braxton Miller and C.J. Fiedorowicz are expected back for Week 1. Lamar Miller will be the focus of the Texans’ run-first offense against the Jaguars.
But who in the heck is going to catch the ball for Tom Savage against the Saints?
Bruce Ellington and Dres Anderson are the leading options, and neither have 10-6 in 2017 written all over them. Jaelen Strong could step up, but he’s already out for Jacksonville because of a one-game suspension. Savage will have to rely on a collection of little-known receivers to keep up with Brees.
Great QBs make average receivers good. Savage will have to carry more weight than normal Saturday.
• Bill O’Brien, playcaller
The Texans’ fourth-year coach is way too smart to unleash his grand plan for a preseason game that no one will remember Sept. 10. But this offense can’t run, checkdown, run, drop it off, run and throw to a tight end forever.
Even without his main receivers, Savage still has an arm.
Open up the attack just a little, O’B. Please. Just for preseason fun. • Savage Can he handle pressure up the middle?
What happens when his pocket disappears?
The Saints got to Savage on Thursday during an endof-practice, two-minute drill. With left tackle Duane Brown engaged in the quietest holdout in NFL history and the Texans’ offensive line a walking question mark, Savage could be constantly harassed near the French Quarter. Or he could get rid of the ball early, allow the run game to open up the soft middle and then stretch the field with (gasp) deep throws.
Everything is a test for the Texans’ unproven starter. Preseason game three will be the final time we get to see him lead his team until Week 1. If he can’t handle the Saints’ pressure, Jacksonville’s defense will have a perfect template for Sept. 10 at NRG Stadium.
• Weather updates on Twitter
Speaking of the Texans’ home
There already have been preliminary discussions about moving the team’s preseason finale Thursday to Jerry World, in case the hurricane prevents the Texans from hosting the Dallas Cowboys at NRG.
The Chronicle will be watching Savage, Watson, Watt and Clowney on Saturday night in the Dome.
And you will, too, if your TV stays on.
But the real focus will obviously be on the Houston area, and hoping for the best for the city we cannot wait to get back to.