OTAs essential for getting offense’s house in order by shoring up foundation — the line
These OTAs matter.
Not for Jadeveon Clowney, who’s still MIA from NRG Stadium as his 2019 contract remains TBD.
Not for J.J. Watt and DeAndre Hopkins, who weren’t seen on the field Tuesday while the Texans ran and walked around in shorts and shirts.
But for first-round pick Tytus Howard, second-rounder Max Scharping and the rest of a still-being-pieced-together offensive line that is supposed to protect young franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson a whole lot better this season?
Yeah, these OTAs matter more than normal.
“The biggest thing is really just communication … everyone building that chemistry,” Watson said. “There’s going to be some mixups, especially bringing in the young guys up front and getting adapted to the way I communicate with the other O-line and the whole offense. It’s just really communication. … Work into it and get them used to it and bring them along.”
We’re still getting over the Rockets, the Astros are still scorching (without George Springer, Jose Altuve, Collin McHugh and Yordan Alvarez), and May is just beginning to warm up. But the Texans’ first preseason game is less than three months away, and Week 1 on “Monday Night Football” inside an absolutely roaring Superdome will soon follow.
Which means that if the Texans are going to get anything real out of their rebuilt wall in 2019, the serious work must start now.
It’s going to take a village — Bill O’Brien, Mike Devlin, Brian Gaine, Seantrel Henderson, Nick Martin, Zach Fulton and many more — and every brick matters when there’s this much at stake.
“You’re looking for, basically, the way they learn, the improvement of their technique, working together, working different combinations together, moving guys around,” said O’Brien, referring to his new offensive line. “The versatility, the different skill sets that you have up there — guys that can play guard and tackle, guys that can play center and guard. … The true test for any offensive or defensive lineman comes during training camp when you put the pads on.
“You’re looking for various things during the spring that you think can really help you get that thing streamlined, so when you go into training camp you have a good idea of where you want to start.”
It’s easy to make fun of OTAs and the media’s ever-increasing fascination with the 24/7/365 NFL life.
The fourth-best wide receiver is suddenly treated like an imminent Pro Bowler. The running back who disappointed and was injured much of the previous season is having a tremendous spring. Unofficial internet depth charts are scrutinized; backup QBs throw the ball perfectly into wide-open air; an abnormally large collection of media members scroll down a long list of names, zeroing in on all the guys who probably won’t be making an impact in Week 17.
But Watson was sacked a league-high 62 times last season. That number is still surreal, as is the fact the face of the Texans started all 16 games, won 11, and guided his team to the playoffs while playing behind that line.
Can Howard start Week 1 and professionally hold down the position throughout 2019?
Will returning names such as Martinas Rankin and Julie’n Davenport provide the Texans with more strength this season?
Perhaps more importantly, how long can Watson keep his cool — he was wearing a hip
orange T-shirt after Tuesday’s light workout; he has spent time on top of a camel and watched a heavyweight knockout this offseason — while the Texans slowly construct a wall to consistently keep DW4 healthy and upright?
“(Howard is) going to bring competition,” Watson said. “He’s going to bring a lot of, however you want to call it, doggedness or a little nastiness in that front O-line. He’s a guy that loves to compete. He’s a guy that loves to go out there and have fun. You can see it in the huddle. You can see it in the work he’s doing in the locker room.”
Andre Johnson, now a special adviser to O’Brien and Gaine, watched another OTA up close.
Cal McNair, now the Texans’ chief executive officer, stayed close to the on-field action.
Watson, as always, received the most attention, especially with Clowney on an extended Kirby Drive vacation and two of the Texans’ other biggest stars focusing on other things.
The names and numbers — some new, some yelled at throughout 2018 — that will compose Watson’s ’19 line sweated in the background and on the side. That’s where the real work was being done. That’s where OTAs will lead into mandatory camp, training camp, then the Saints, Chargers, Chiefs, Colts and Ravens on the road.
After starting 0-3 last season, winning nine straight, then faceplanting on their home field in the playoffs, the Texans can’t afford to fall backward in 2019.
If they move Watson’s clearly promising career forward this season, the real work will have started during the boring voluntary practices that aren’t supposed to matter.
Do your job — and do the job right.
“My mindset since I’ve been here is saying, ‘Hey, I belong here. I’m here for a reason. I’m here to help this football team,’ ” Howard said. “I’m here to be the best player I can be and help this team become a better team.”