Texans expect to weather through
The Texans are keeping a close eye on weather conditions for Saturday’s late afternoon game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson is more concerned with the Jets’ defense than the weather, even though he grew up in Georgia and played at Clemson.
“You can’t really focus on that,” Watson said about the conditions. “You’ve got to play ball.”
Although the weather forecast changes daily, cold rain is the one certainty the Texans must be prepared for against the Jets. The temperature won’t be bad, but the rain and swirling wind could be a problem for both offenses.
Saturday’s forecast calls for a high of 50, a low of 36 and rain in the New York metropolitan area. The temperature will drop after darkness sets in near the start of the second quarter.
“Fifty and rain — we’ll have a walkthrough underneath a fire hose,” coach Bill O’Brien said, laughing. “I think we’ll be all right.”
O’Brien, who grew up in Boston, might have been able to take off his shirt and get some sun if not for the wind and rain that’s predicted.
“I think we’ll deal with it as best we can, and we’ll figure out ways to help them,” O’Brien said about his players. “I know what you’re talking about relative to the wet football. We’ll figure out ways to work on that in practice.”
If a team is expected to play in rain, footballs sometimes are soaked in water so the quarterback can get used to gripping a wet ball.
Watson said he played in “a couple” of rain games in college.
“I guess you can practice that, but you’ve got to try to grip the ball as best you can,” he said. “(You) focus on your footwork a little more, be cautious with that and understand the receivers might — depending on where we’re playing — (focus on) their footwork.”
Watson said the coldest games he played in while at Clemson were at Boston College and in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game at Charlotte, N.C.
“In high school, it snowed, but it was not the true snow like if you played in New York,” he said. “Honestly, it’s not going to affect my game.”
Weather hasn’t been an issue this season. The Texans won road games at Denver and Washington. Game-time temperature at Denver was 53; it was 48 at Washington.
As a rookie last season — in the last game he played before tearing his ACL in practice — Watson played his best game at Seattle, where the temperature was 50 degrees at kickoff.
Watson threw for 402 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-38 loss. By the time the game ended, it was raining, and the temperature had dropped into the mid-40s.
Watson never gave the weather a second thought.
“No, I just go out with the game plan and go ball,” he said. “I’ve got to put on some Icy Hot, Rock Sauce or something like that and kind of warm up. Once I step on the field, I’m good.”
Watson was asked about swirling wind.
“Depends on which way it’s blowing,” he said.
Texans tight end Ryan Griffin grew up in New Hampshire and played at the University of Connecticut, so he knows about how wind, rain and cold can impact an offense.
“We pay attention for sure,” he said about the weather forecast. “That could change the game. We’re prepared for a cold-weather game.
“It could affect throwing the ball. It’s always windy there on the water in the Meadowlands.”
Bad weather doesn’t impact a defense like it does an offense. J.J. Watt couldn’t care less about the game-time conditions at MetLife Stadium.
“I’m from Wisconsin. I’ve seen it all,” he said. “I played in a game one time that was negative 28 degrees. A guy got hit so hard the decal on his helmet flew off. I’m OK with whatever they’ve got up there.”