NOT SO FAST

NFL’s popular theory on Watson takes a big public hit

NFL’s popular theory on Watson takes a big public hit
The Watson situation looks different in Philly. Composite image by Jack Brame.

Today on The Maury Povich Show:

"In the matter of 25-year-old Derrick Deshaun Watson …. Philadelphia Eagles, you ARE the team most likely to trade for the Houston Texans talented but troubled quarterback."

At least that's what we're hearing from national football pundits at ESPN, the NFL Network and Sports Illustrated.

It does make sense, if you're not plugged into the Philly sports scene. The Eagles seem to be the only team that has the trade capital the Texans are seeking for Watson: two first-round (possibly three) draft picks coming up, and a couple of veterans who might start for the Texans or at least make the squad.

But up in Philadelphia things look different. As Lee Corso would say, when it comes to Watson to the Eagles, not so fast, my friend.

I contacted my buddy Glen Macnow, veteran sports talk host on WIP Radio and co-author of several bestselling books including The Great Philadelphia Fan Book, The Great Book of Philadelphia Sports Lists, and children's biographies of Allen Iverson and Charles Barkley.

Macnow isn't known as "The Professor" in Philadelphia media for nothing.

I asked him, "In addition to rumors of Watson going to Philadelphia, we're also hearing that many teams won't touch him because it could be a public relations nightmare. Are the Eagles unconcerned about that? They did sign Michael Vick after he spent two years in prison for his involvement in an unimaginably cruel dog fighting ring. I'm thinking that the Eagles would sign Kim Jong Un if he could throw 60 yards on a frozen rope. What about it?"

Here's how Macnow sees the probability – or let's say improbability – of the Eagles emptying their first-round treasure chest to trade for Watson.

Macnow said, "I think you're incorrect. The Eagles did sign Vick. The owner (Jeffrey Lurie) initially disapproved but was talked into it by Andy Reid, whose own kids had gone through the criminal justice system. Reid argued that Lurie should believe in criminal rehabilitation. To Vick's credit, he really did seem a different person after imprisonment. He got involved in charities here and never again got into trouble."

"Watson is toxic right now. With Vick, there were no more surprises to arise. He had done his time and there were no pending cases. With Watson, who knows where this is going? One other factor, Jeff Lurie may not be a dog lover, but he got his doctorate in women's studies. He's a feminist. Watson's civil court accusations and potential criminal charges involving sexual misconduct go against everything Lurie has ever stood for. Next season, maybe, after all this plays out. Right now? I can't see it."

Like any hard-hitting investigative reporter, I followed up: so how come the national media keeps pushing the Eagles as Watson's likely landing spot? Surely those reporters know all this stuff about the Eagles and their owner.

Macnow: "The Eagles are always cited because of the Vick precedent. Carson Wentz is gone and a second-round untested quarterback (Jalen Hurts) has the keys to the car. The Eagles own two first-round picks, perhaps three if Wentz plays 75-percent of plays with Indy. It adds up, so reporters keep going with it. That doesn't make it true. Rumors come out for a lot of reasons. This could be Watson's agent floating it to reporters for all I know. And if Watson is suspended or goes on the NFL commissioner's exempt list, how does that help the Eagles? Anyway, that's what I've been telling my listeners. I've been incorrect before."

Macnow's resume is impressive. He made his mark writing for the Philadelphia Inquirer, then moved to WIP Radio where he's a trusted voice of Philadelphia sports, and he's a respected author.

But his real claims to fame: Macnow grew up in Buffalo, and one summer his parents sent him to overnight summer camp. His camp counselor was Wolf Blitzer, anchor of The Situation Room on CNN.

And No. 1 on his LinkedIn resume (or should be), one of his first newspaper jobs was at Florida Today in Cocoa, where I also worked, and we lived in the same apartment building across the Banana River in Cape Canaveral. Rocket launches rattled our windows. That's when Macnow and I developed an insane habit, given our newspaper starting salaries, of attending jai alai matches in Melbourne. We occasionally snuck out from work at lunch to catch matinées at the fronton. Here's a jai alai betting tip. Don't box the 1-2-5-8, especially at the end of the month when your gas tank is on E and rent is due.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
CJ Stroud and Jordan Love face off this Sunday.Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Texans head to Green Bay this weekend to play in one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the season.

On offense, the Texans will look to maintain the boost Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce provided to the running game last week against the Patriots.

Despite Houston's success with the ground game against the Pats, there are some concerns. Most of the production came from two explosive runs. They ranked in the Bottom 5 in success rate (26.9%) and Top 10 in stuff rate (23.1%) amongst all teams in Week 6.

Air it out

The passing game once again will go through Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs with Nico Collins sidelined. Dell received a large portion of the downfield work that Collins had been doing.

Tank posted the highest route win rate and average separation score for Houston in Week 6, per Jacob Gibbs, and Fantasy Points Data.

In what should be a high scoring game, expect Dell to be Stroud's main target downfield.

What about the defense?

The Texans defense is 30th in EPA against play action, so don't be surprised if that's how the Packers will try to get some big plays down field.

D'Angelo Ross stepped in at corner with Kamari Lassiter injured last week. He lined up at the left corner spot, where Packers receiver Christian Watson will likely run the majority of his routes this week.

With Derek Stingley lining up outside on the right, he'll be facing Romeo Doubs a majority of the time. We expect Doubs will have a quiet day and the Packers will target Watson against Ross, and Jayden Daniels in the slot versus Jalen Pitre.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans has been dialing up the blitz more and more. And that looks like a good idea once again this week, as Love is 28th in QBR when blitzed this season.

What does Vegas think?

The Packers are favored by 2.5 points, with the total set at 47.5 points.

There are so many more angles to cover in this exciting matchup. Don't miss the video above as we break it all down! And head to the SportsMap Texans YouTube channel right after the game as we react live!

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome