Omenihu will draw on lessons of master
Watt mentors player who will have to try to help fill large void
Charles Omenihu provided a unique perspective when J.J. Watt officially left the Texans on Friday.
Omenihu was a protégé of the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, gleaning knowledge from Watt over the past two years about how to become an all-around defensive lineman.
It was Watt who provided a master’s degree in defensive line education for Omenihu, teaching him about strategy, pass rushing moves, run-stopping and how to handle himself on and off the field.
It was an emotional goodbye to his friend and mentor for Omenihu, whose growth and continued improvement after a strong finish to the season is pivotal for the Texans as they try to collectively replace one of the top defensive players in NFL history.
It was such a significant parting of the ways that it reminded Omenihu of when Michael Jordan left the Chicago Bulls for good.
“Comparing those two situations, Michael Jordan was everything Chicago,” Omenihu said. “Jordan brought the six rings and, yes, Houston hasn’t won a Super Bowl, but J.J. brought relevancy to the organization and that superstar thing to Houston. He holds that kind of weight. I’ve seen it. I’ve been out with him in public.”
Long before Watt asked for his release, there was a growing sense that he could be passing the torch to younger teammates like Omenihu. During the second half of the season, Watt steadily imparted advice to Omenihu, 23, and other younger players.
“We had a lot of conversations, me and J.J., texting, him telling me to watch his 2012 season (the first of Watt’s two 20½ sack years) and watch his tape, and I did,” Omenihu said. “He gave me little pointers. That elevated me. It helped me see things a little faster. There never was a time when I wasn’t trying to learn from J.J. He traded knowledge.
“You saw me and him grow closer. We worked together more after practice, did extra work in
the weight room on off days. J.J. helped me with my game. I told him I’m forever grateful.”
The final game of the Texans’ dreadful season displayed Omenihu’s value and how much he picked up from Watt’s example.
Omenihu recorded a sack against the Titans to finish with four for the season. That tied Omenihu for the second-most on the team with outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus, one less than Watt. Omenihu also had 16 quarterback hits, one fewer than Watt during a 4-12 season.
Although Omenihu played 547 snaps for 49.37 percent of the defensive snaps, he was one of the most productive defensive linemen in the NFL based on percentage of playing time.
“Personally, I think I grew during the season,” Omenihu said. “From the Green Bay game on, I had a little fun. From the Detroit game on Thanksgiving, I think I showed this is what a complete player looks like. As I earn more opportunities, as I did at the end of the year, the numbers will be even better.
“I saw the benefits from J.J. from the Detroit game to the end of the year as a complete defensive lineman. That helped me excel. That’s going to help me going into my third season and taking on probably a bigger role and maybe being that guy on the defensive line.”
After being shut out on the stat sheet in a season-opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Omenihu recorded at least one quarterback hit in 14 of the final 15 games. He had a season-high three quarterback hits along with four tackles and one for a loss against the Titans in the last game of the season.
Over the final three games of the season, Omenihu played 71 percent, 80 percent and 82 percent of the snaps and combined for two sacks, eight tackles, two for losses, and five quarterback hits.
“I can’t predict what the next season and what the future holds,” said Omenihu as he heads into his third season. “As a unit, the goal is for everybody to improve. The next step is to become a dominant force that everybody knows, not just in the AFC South.”
Omenihu has seven career sacks. Only five players have recorded more sacks in franchise history in their first two NFL seasons.
To continue his arc of improvement, Omenihu (6-5, 280) has been training with former Texans and Denver Broncos strength and conditioning coach and performance therapy specialist Billy Voltaire of Volt Performance and Physical Therapy at Kinitro Fitness.
Omenihu worked out with retired Dallas Cowboys and Broncos All-Pro pass rusher DeMarcus Ware last year to hone his skills.
“From the minute Charles walked through the door, he had this energy and buzz about him and he always wanted to compete and be one of the best,” Voltaire said. “That has played a big part in his offseason training and working with a future Hall of Famer in DeMarcus Ware to try to perfect his craft. Charles is down to earth, a cool guy where the work always comes first. There are very few people you can put into that category.
“He’s definitely on his way. As long as he remains humble, grounded and continues to work hard and stays with that lasersharp focus, the sky’s the limit for Charles.”
Among the points of emphasis for Omenihu this offseason: increasing his flexibility to be able to bend and contort his body as a pass rusher to squeeze through gaps to pressure the quarterback.
Ideally, Omenihu will be able to get up to 287 to 290 pounds before next season while adding lean muscle mass.
Omenihu has been doing a variety of exercises, including power cleans, to boost his explosiveness.
“The idea is to jump-start the system and his basic power development,” Voltaire said. “We’re working on functional range, hip mobility, knee mobility. The primary focus is his lower back and hips to get his pad level where he wants while maintaining a lot of energy and add to his ability to transfer power to strength, shed his opponent and create his moves and create space to have the ability to throw an opponent to the side.”
And the knowledge Omenihu has gained from Watt could accelerate his development as the Texans will lean on him heavily as they hope for a big year from him that could propel him toward financial security off the field. Omenihu will be eligible for a contract extension after next season. That’s a conversation for the future, though.
For now, Omenihu is focused on improvement and trying to do his part to replace the void created by Watt’s departure.
“Obviously, we haven’t come close to comparing me to J.J., the defensive MVP who has done some amazing things,” Omenihu said. “It’s just me trying to help in any way that I can and not single myself out or try to single-handedly do anything. That’s not how we stand as a defensive line, but we’re all going to step up our game, guys like me and Ross Blacklock. It’s the next-man-up mentality that J.J. taught us and we’re all going to have to grow up a little bit faster.”