Up close and personal
Rookie Deshaun Watson has his coach’s undivided attention.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson will spend so much time with Texans coach Bill O’Brien this season they might as well be roommates.
That kind of attention from the head coach should make for a smoother transition into the NFL for Watson, the first-round pick from Clemson. He’s the first to admit he’s a student with a lot to learn, and he’s glad O’Brien is helping to teach him.
“I think it’s cool to be able to have your head coach and the main guy that knows this system to be hands-on in the meeting rooms with you and on the field with you,” Watson said Saturday, his second day on the field at the rookie minicamp. “You can learn it firsthand and see what he sees (so you can) be that same coach on the field.”
O’Brien is the regular play-caller for the first time since 2014, his first season with the Texans. He said Saturday he’s more involved with the offense.
New language to learn
O’Brien has spent the last three days coaching Watson in meetings and on the field.
“He’s a hard-working guy,” O’Brien said. “He pays attention in the meetings. Competitive guy.
“We start him with what we call the basic information section of the playbook. How do we huddle? Where do you go in the huddle? If the Houston Texans are on this sideline, you’re on this side of the huddle. If you’re on (that) sideline, you’re on (that) side of the huddle. I mean, it’s that simple. It’s that detailed.
“Then it goes to how we call a play. What’s the verbiage of a play call? Obviously, our verbiage is a lot different than what he had at Clemson. It’s like learning a new language.”
In that case, Watson needs to become fluent in this second language.
“It’s like learning Spanish,” Watson said. “It’s a whole different terminology.
“You have to flip everything you learned before, turn a page, learn something brand new and make sure you’re on the same page with not just the coaches but your teammates.
“It’s going to take the hard work and the grind. You can want to be great, especially early, but it’s a process. It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to take long nights and early mornings to be successful on the field.”
When he met with the rookies for the first time, O’Brien let them know what is expected of them. He reminded them that he doesn’t care how they got to NRG Stadium — draft choice or undrafted free agent — the coaches judge them on how they prepare and perform.
Watson gets the same treatment, even though general manager Rick Smith traded up from No. 25 to 12th in the first round to get him.
“Show up every day and get better, simple as that,” O’Brien said. “Improve on the things you need to improve on every day.
“There’s always going to be something, whether it’s a play call or footwork or some type of decision at the line of scrimmage, that maybe you made a mistake on the day before or answered a question wrong in the meeting. Let’s fix that.”
Watson, who led Clemson to the national championship game against Alabama as a sophomore and junior and ignited the Tigers to a come-frombehind victory last season, is eager to learn. He doesn’t expect any favors.
“It’s just a different environment,” Watson said. “This is the NFL. It’s your job, your career. I’m focusing on the playbook, trying to improve and to make sure I master my craft, learn how coach O’Brien coaches.
“It starts with the meetings and on the field, being able to communicate, being able to talk to each other, learn about each other, learn about how he teaches, learn how I learn and just making sure we’re on the same page.”
‘I’m a competitor’
Watson knows Tom Savage and Brandon Weeden are in front of him in the QB ranks. How fast he moves up the depth chart depends on how fast he develops and how Savage plays.
“I’m a competitor,” Watson said. “Savage is the veteran guy. I’ll learn from him, learn from Brandon and continue to improve.
“I was a starter at Clemson the past three years, but I would go into the day thinking, ‘I’m not the starter, and I could lose my job,’ so for me that’s natural. Everyone around me is getting better. As for as the competition, I’m just working on improving my skills.”
O’Brien believes Watson will make more progress when he’s on the field with the veterans next week.
“It’s also good to visually see how it’s done,” O’Brien said. “We’re running routes right now, (and) that’s the first time these guys have seen these routes, whether it’s a quarterback, a receiver, a tight end or a back.
“Monday, (the rookies) can observe how it’s supposed to be done. That goes a long way toward learning, too.”