Texans QB Deshaun Watson is eager to return to the Super Bowl as a player.
QB supports O’Brien, says his extension good for organization
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson hopes to return to the Super Bowl as a player rather than as a product promoter.
Before he did interviews on Radio Row on Wednesday morning promoting Old Spice, Watson talked about his goal of returning to the Super Bowl as a player.
“I hope to come back in a different capacity,” he said. “I hope when I come back, I’ll be playing and doing a different type of interview with the media than I’m doing now.”
As a rookie last season, Watson hit it off with coach Bill O’Brien. He threw 19 touchdown passes and eight interceptions and compiled a rating of 103.0 before suffering a torn ACL in practice.
Watson was coached by O’Brien, who oversaw the game plans and called plays.
Watson is happy O’Brien got a four-year contract extension after so much speculation that he might be fired. Watson is glad to see stability in the front office with O’Brien being paired with new general manager Brian Gaine.
“It’s good to have OB back,” Watson said. “We have a great relationship, and we’re going to continue to grow it. When I was playing, what we were doing was special, and there’s so much we can really improve on.
“I’m very excited about it (extension) and what we can do for this organization. Having those guys (Gaine and O’Brien) in strong positions is going to trickle down to the team.”
When speculation began about O’Brien’s job, Watson tweeted his support of his coach.
“It (tweets supporting O’Brien) wasn’t for the media,” Watson said. “It was just me expressing how I feel about him. That shows how much I care about coach O’Brien and what I believe we can do together.”
Watson continues to undergo rehabilitation on his knee. There’s a chance he might be able to participate in parts of OTAs in April. How much he can do remains to be seen.
“It’s a possibility, but we don’t want to get our hopes up too soon,” he said. “I think there’s some things I’ll be able to do.
“I’m doing really well. I’m on track and moving around good. The process is going good. I’m making sure I stay ahead of schedule and not take a step (back).”
At this time last year, Watson was preparing for the draft. Now he’s preparing for his second season.
“I’m going to be so much more comfortable going into camp this year,” he said. “Last year, my head was spinning. There was so much I had to learn.
“With a year under my belt and knowing what it takes to get ready for a season, it’s going to be good.”