CLOWNEY PROVIDES OPTIONS
Clowney’s talent, strength give coaches options in positioning Watt & Co. for effectiveness
The evolution of Jadeveon Clowney from edge rusher at South Carolina to outside linebacker and defensive end with the Texans was born out of necessity.
Coordinator Romeo Crennel wants his best 11 players on the field in his base defense. It makes sense to have Clowney at end opposite J.J. Watt rather than outside linebacker, where he has been competing for playing time with Whitney Mercilus and John Simon.
Rather than keep Clowney, Mercilus or Simon on the sideline in his 3-4 formation, Crennel used Clowney exclusively at end in the 23-14 victory over Chicago to open the season. Clowney showed Crennel he’s more than capable of taking each of his snaps at end, primarily on the right side.
“We thought it would be a good shot for our defense,” Crennel said. “You’re looking for playmaking ability, and he’s an impactful player. Having him on one side and J.J. on the other poses some problems for the offense.
“He can handle it mentally, and we think he can handle it physically. It wasn’t perfect, but I think he held his own.”
Flexible with assignments
Crennel and coach Bill O’Brien were secretive about their plans for Clowney against Kansas City at NRG Stadium on Sunday, but considering the results he produced, it would be surprising if he returns to outside linebacker against the Chiefs.
“We’ll do a few different things with him,” O’Brien said. “He likes to play different spots. He really understands blocking schemes. He’s the type of player you can move around and ask him to do different things because he understands football.”
Clowney’s contributions to the victory over the Bears extended beyond the stat sheet. Officially, he recorded one sack and four tackles. He also had three quarterback hits, tying Watt for the team high.
The Texans sacked Jay Cutler five times, including two by Mercilus, and hit him 13 times. In the second half, the Bears had seven possessions and crossed midfield once. The Texans limited them to 71 yards in the second half. Afterward, O’Brien called Clowney “disruptive.” In a film review, the defense was on the field for 54 plays, and Clowney participated in 45 (80 percent).
There were plays when Clowney forced running back Jeremy Langford to change direction. On other plays, Clowney forced Cutler to get rid of the ball or slide to his right before releasing.
On one play, he came off the right side and used his speed to chase Cutler to the sideline, where he ran the quarterback out of bounds.
Besides having long arms and huge hands that help him shed blockers, Clowney is fast (4.53 at the combine) and has impressive upper-body strength. He explodes off the ball, bends his knees to get leverage and bull rushes blockers, driving them backward.
“He’s got a lot of natural strength, and he’s been working hard in the weight room,” Crennel said.
Clowney (6-5½, 270) is ideally suited to play the right side or the open side in a 4-3. He’s light for a 3-4 end. Most weigh in the 300-pound range because they usually line up over a tackle and are responsible for two gaps.
For much of the Chicago game, Crennel used Clowney as a 5-technique over left tackle Charles Leno Jr. (6-3, 305). But Clowney also lined up between Leno and left guard Josh Sitton (6-3, 318). In obvious passing situations, Clowney lined up wide — outside Leno to rush in space.
Dynamic defender at his best
On the few plays when he switched to the left side, Clowney was blocked by right tackle Bobbie Massie (6-6, 320) and sometimes by right guard Kyle Long (6-6, 320).
“He’s not as wide, and maybe he doesn’t have the body type that some other guys that play inside do, but he has tremendous explosion.” O’Brien said. “And he’s got a real knack for finding the football.”
On his best plays, Clowney, 23, fired off the ball and showed strong hands at the point of attack. He anchored against the run. He used his hands to keep blockers off his lower body. He showed a quick change of direction and discarded blockers and used his pursuit skills to chase down the run or pressure Cutler.
There were plays on which Clowney was doubled. He also was chipped by Langford several times.
If Clowney remains at right end against the Chiefs, he’ll be blocked by left tackle Eric Fisher (6-7, 315).
Texans fans are concerned about the injury issue. Playing in a three-man front is a physical job with a lot of wear and tear. It’s linemen on linemen except in passing situations. Clowney certainly felt it the day after the Chicago game. “I could tell I played on the inside,” he said. “I was back in the trenches. My whole body was hurting. I was beat. It was rough.”
Standing at outside linebacker and sometimes having to drop into coverage is a difficult transition for a lot of college defensive ends used to having a hand on the ground and firing off the ball. They have to think more.
“(End) is a lot easier than being an outside linebacker,” Clowney said. “You just listen to the call, move to the left or right a couple of steps, get off the ball and stay in your gap.”
Formidable unit
Crennel keeps a close eye on Clowney. In the Bears game, he got some breathers and was replaced by Christian Covington.
“(Clowney) knows how to maneuver and handle himself in there a little bit,” Crennel said. “He showed he can do it, so we might try it again.
“He has tremendous ability, so having him on the field with the other guys who are making impact plays improves us.”
With Clowney and Watt lining up opposite each other, switching sides or on the same side combined with Mercilus and Simon, the Texans have a chance to break last season’s sack record of 45.
“We can line up anywhere,” Clowney said. “Pick any of the guys up front, line them up anywhere and go. That’s the best part about it.
“It makes (offensive coordinators) game-plan a lot harder. You can’t just double one of us. If you double one, the other guys (are) winning. “We’ve got a lot of guys who can get to the quarterback.” Because he was the first pick in the 2014 draft, Clowney faces higher expectations. So far, he has been healthy. Staying on the field is essential to what he wants to achieve this season.
“It was all new to me,” he said about playing 3-4 end. “I have to do what they ask me to do. I’m just trying to be disruptive and hope we keep winning.”