Hurt Watson tests the Texans
Don’t write off the Houston Texans just yet.
Maybe after Sunday, once we’ve had another glimpse of Tom Savage, we’ll be able to scratch them from the list of playoff hopefuls. Savage, remember, opened the season as the starter and was benched after playing just a half, giving way to rookie sensation Deshaun Watson.
Perhaps Bill O’Brien will turn in the coaching performance of his life after losing Watson to a torn ACL on Thursday afternoon, according to multiple reports.
Good luck. The Texans’ season rides on it.
The next-man-up theory won’t work here. There’s no chance that Savage, who has yet to throw for his first NFL touchdown, will replace much — if any — of the magic that Watson produced.
Watson, who put up 38 points and threw for 402 yards against the vaunted Seahawks defense in Seattle last Sunday, had already passed for 19 touchdowns and carried a 103.0 passer rating while learning on the job. Getting better by the week, he was producing one of the most impressive rookie seasons in NFL history.
Now he’s done for the year. Poof. Like
that. A dreaded non-contact injury while running a simple read-option toss play during practice.
The Texans, who won the last two AFC South titles on the strength of a bigplay defense, were instantly transformed this year into Watson’s team, seemingly as fast as they now seemed doomed. In six weeks with their special rookie at quarterback, Houston was the highest-scoring team in the NFL, averaging 34.7 points during Watson’s starts.
This was how the Texans were going to survive after losing J.J. Watt, the NFL’s biggest defensive star, and underrated linebacker Whitney Mercilus to season-ending injuries. The suddenly explosive offense was going to cover for the injury-stung defense.
Dabo Swinney, Watson’s coach at Clemson, was so right. Watson was indeed “the Michael Jordan of the draft,” and O’Brien was so fortunate to get him with the 12th pick after two other quarterbacks, Mitchell Trubisky and Patrick Mahomes, were picked ahead of Watson.
Now the NFL’s new MJ is headed to rehab.
What a tough week for the Texans. Last Friday, comments from team owner Robert McNair surfaced — seemingly referring to players as “inmates” — alienating many of his players. DeAndre Hopkins, the star receiver, was so steamed he left the team that day. On Saturday, McNair’s meeting with the players had sour reviews, like his two awkward statements of apology. On Sunday, the Texans lost a heartbreaker of a shootout when the defense couldn’t contain Russell Wilson in the final min- utes. On Monday, the best O-lineman on the roster, Duane Brown — who was also a team leader — was traded.
Now this.
It’s on O’Brien to prove why he’s one of the most respected coaches in the NFL.
He altered his complex offense to accommodate Watson, playing to the quarterback’s dual-threat abilities while not overloading a rookie in development. Rather than force a player to rigidly conform to a system, the best coaches give and take.
Now O’Brien, whose teams generally respond well to his demanding-but-fair, straight-shooting approach, must get extra creative to try winning with Sav- age. On top of that, O’Brien must deal with this team’s psyche and morale.
These are some long odds. But the Texans (3-4) are just a game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans in the AFC South.
O’Brien’s response, in strategy and leadership, is so critical for a team that just got robbed.