Yates aids Watson; now it’s vice versa
Almost six months before he returned to Houston for a third time, quarterback T.J. Yates made a contribution to the Texans. Yates, who will start at Jacksonville on Sunday, spent a day with Deshaun Watson after the draft, showing the first-round pick Bill O’Brien’s offense and telling him what to expect from his first NFL head coach.
“We both work with the same quarterback coach in Atlanta,” Yates said Wednesday about Quincy Avery. “Deshaun has been working with him for years. He’s really close with Deshaun. I’ve worked with Quincy for a couple of years in the offseason. It helps me stay prepared.”
Yates was preparing for his first season with Buffalo.
Watson worked with Avery while he was leading Clemson
to the last two national championship games. He prepared for the combine and his pro day with Avery.
“It was after he was drafted, sometime around the rookie minicamp,” Yates said. “He was in Atlanta, and we got set up, and we got on the (grease) board and talked ball.
“I knew the offense he was going to. It was very brief, like one day, basic information to get him started.”
As Watson showed O’Brien, the Texans coaches and new teammates, he’s a quick learner and a hard worker who received a solid offensive foundation from Clemson.
“When you get drafted, they give you a playbook and say, ‘See you at the rookie minicamp,’ ” Yates said. “I was trying to help him get started as much as I could.
“He’s a quick study. He picked it up quick, obviously. I gave him as much information as I could.”
Watson wanted to play for the Texans. He had spent a day at NRG Stadium before the draft getting to know the coaches, especially O’Brien.
“I told Deshaun that (O’Brien is) a quarterback guy,” Yates said. “I told Deshaun that (O’Brien) asks a lot from the quarterback position, that there’s so much put on the quarterback compared to other offenses. I told him, ‘This is going to be your life’s work, so treat it like it.’ ”
Coming full circle
Even from their limited time together, Yates knew Watson could be a special player with the Texans.
“Absolutely, just from drawing up some plays on the board and talking to him and seeing his understanding of football was a lot further along than I was expecting,” Yates said. “That’s a testament to his college coaches and how much they taught him.”
This week, Watson has been supporting Yates, who’s making his first NFL start since 2015, when he played with the Texans for the second time.
In Sunday’s 26-16 loss to San Francisco, Yates came off the bench late in the first half to replace Tom Savage, who suffered a concussion. Yates, who finished with 14-of-26 for 175 yards, two touchdowns and a 100.6 rating, can sympathize with Savage.
Yates suffered a concussion with the Bills, was placed on injured reserve and reached an injury settlement in early September.
“I’ve talked to (Savage) a bunch,” Yates said. “He’s feeling good and just going through the protocol. I hope Tom gets back as quick as possible.”
Taylor Heinicke is expected to be promoted from the practice squad to back up Yates against the Jaguars. That’s a sign Savage could return the next week against Pittsburgh.
“You don’t want anybody to go through that, especially one of your friends and your teammates,” Yates said about Savage’s concussion. “He’s got a family and a beautiful daughter.
“When you see stuff like that, you think about (how) it’s so much more than football.”
‘I’m glad we have him’
Yates came to the Texans’ defense as far as how Savage was handled.
“I know for a fact that nobody on the sideline — coaches, players, medical staff — had any idea that happened,” he said. “We didn’t know until we saw the video (after the game). There was one guy that had a pretty good look at it, and it was that ref that was standing over (Savage). Obviously, that has to be addressed because that’s a scary situation for anybody.
“Every concussion is different. You can never categorize two concussions as the same. Obviously, there’s going to be holes in the system. You’ve got to treat every single one different. That’s a sticky situation, and, obviously, the protocol has to be improved, and it will continue to improve with all the situations that are happening.”
Yates is eager to get back into the lineup against the Jaguars, who sacked Savage and Watson 10 times in Jacksonville’s 29-7 victory in the season opener.
“It’s definitely a blessing to be able to be in this position again,” he said. “I don’t take it for granted, so go make the best out of it. I’m just happy to be playing football again. Being able to actually play and start is cool. I’m going to prepare my butt off, and, hopefully, we can try to get a win.”
O’Brien is confident Yates can play fast and get rid of the ball quickly.
“He’s got a good command and a good idea of what we want to do,” O’Brien said. “He doesn’t hold the ball. I think he’s got pretty good anticipation. I think he throws the ball at all levels pretty well. He’s a smart guy. He knows our system. It’s not hard to get him ready. T.J. will be ready to go, and I’m glad we have him.”