Savage prepares response for critics
Quarterback Tom Savage knows the widespread criticism of his performance in the Texans’ 20-14 loss to Indianapolis was justified.
With a full week of practice with the first team as his starting point, Savage is determined to prove something to his critics on Sunday when the Texans play the Rams at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
“I’m telling you, there’s no lack of confidence on my part,” Savage said Wednesday. “I really do believe I’m a starting quarterback in this league, and I do believe I can throw the ball really well and accurate. That’s never been an issue for me.”
Replacing the injured Deshaun Watson, Savage struggled so much against an Indianapolis defense that ranked 31st that it makes fans wonder if he can possibly rebound against the Rams, who are 6-2 and leading the NFC West.
Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips watched tape of Savage’s 19 of 44 performance against the Colts and will have a game plan designed to magnify
his weaknesses.
“I’m my worst critic,” Savage said during his regular weekly session with the media. “I know you guys probably write some bad stuff, but I can promise you there’s no one (harder) on myself than me.
“I’m upset, too, just as much as everyone else is. I think that’s the one thing that I’m good at — I hold myself accountable (and) this isn’t anyone else’s fault.
“Obviously, I look at everything I can work on and try and get better. There’s a lot of times where you’ve just got to give these guys shots and give them a chance to catch the ball and not throw it out of bounds. We need to be aggressive and make plays.”
Bill O’Brien will go for that. The Texans’ coach calls the plays, and he made it clear Wednesday what he wants to see from his quarterback.
“Play loose, play free (and) let it rip,” O’Brien said. “Have some fun. Don’t worry about anything other than making the right reads, getting us into the right play and let it rip.
“He knows the game plan. He knows the offense. He’s very schooled on how to run our offense. He’s a smart guy. He’s going to have a full week of practice under his belt, which I think is a big deal. Hopefully, he can go out there and play well.”
O’Brien and quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan want to see against the Rams the same Savage who got his groove back on the last two possessions against the Colts.
Savage was terrible for three quarters, completing 8-of-26 for 81 yards and a 40.7 rating.
Better at the end
In the fourth quarter, he was 11-of-18 for 138 yards and a touchdown. His rating was 103.5.
On the last two series, Savage went 10-of-14 for 123 yards and a touchdown. He threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins and drove the Texans to a first-and-goal at the Colts’ 7 with 18 seconds left. Then he threw three incompletions and was sacked as time expired.
Savage was asked Wednesday if being rusty contributed to his lack of accuracy because he had not played since the first half of the first game of the season.
“I’d love to (stand) here and tell you, ‘Yeah, it was rust, that’s my excuse,’” he said. “But I know I can go out there right now and make those throws. This is the NFL, and I’ve got to make plays. That’s what the team needs me to do.”
Perhaps Savage needs to think less and react instinctively more, as he did on the last two possessions when he was forced to play with a sense of urgency because of the clock.
“He probably is thinking a little too much,” Ryan said. “It’s basically about making sure he gets enough reps.
“I think that whenever you haven’t been the guy and gotten as many reps, seen as many looks, there’s certainly more pressure on you (and) you’re looking at different situations.
“It’s repetition and repetition. That’s the best way to handle it.”
Anytime a player struggles the way Savage did against the Colts, the coaches have to bolster his confidence.
“The more he stands in there and sees the different looks and the more reps he gets, his confidence is going to keep improving,” Ryan said. “I think anytime you perform like that, I don’t care who you are, it can affect your confidence for a little, but then you have to get over it and move on. I think Tom has the mental make-up to be able to do that.”
Tough assignment
Seeing will be believing. It’s going to be a difficult assignment Sunday for Savage to bounce back against the Rams, who are coming off a 51-17 road victory over the New York Giants.
“I think Tom’s got to look at it — and we’ve all got to look at it — where do we need to perform better?” Ryan said. “It’s all of us. It starts with coaching. We’ve got to pass that on. Tom knows that.
“I think what Tom has to understand that in order to make sure he’s confident is to think about the way he performed all through last spring (and) training camp. The guy performed at a high level. I think we need to focus on that.”