ADAM SCHEFTER INTERVIEW
Exclusive: Adam Schefter sheds light on Clowney's future and O'Brien's reputation
May 21, 2020, 5:49 pm
Photos by Getty Images. Composite image by Jack Brame.
It has been a very controversial offseason for the Houston Texans after trading away All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter had no shortage of interesting things to say about how internally the Texans are justifying the trade.
"Bill is running the team with the way that he wants to," Adam Schefter said on The Jake Asman Show on Gow Media's SB Nation Radio. "I can tell you from speaking with people from around the league and in Houston that they (Texans) believe they have a strong justification/validation for every single move that they made. They had numbers on DeAndre Hopkins, with the contract situation being what it was, in their minds they were going to have a tough time justifying paying what he wanted… The issue is that we are living in a world where everybody wants to assess things right away… They can justify that move, their analytics say it was a good move, they believe it was a good move and over time we will find out if they are right."
Former Texans DE Jadeveon Clowney is still a free agent but don't count on Clowney playing for the Texans again even though he has been working out in the Houston area.
"How many teams are out there right now that are going to pay Jadeveon Clowney what he wants," Schefter said. "Cleveland is the one I can think of. Maybe Seattle but it won't be what he wants exactly. I think there are teams out there that won't want to spend money if they don't know if they are going to be losing money this year without fans. Do you want to go and throw all this money at Jadeveon Clowney when we don't know for sure there is going to be a season?"
One under the radar impact caused by the pandemic on the NFL is the future salary cap number for the league. While Schefter said that he still anticipates the league still finding a way to play 16 regular games, he believes that the loss of revenue is going to have a huge impact on all 32 clubs.
"Right now nobody knows the answers to those questions," Schefter said. "If there are no fans, based on the way I calculated it talking to people, it would be roughly about 100 million dollars lost per team... I was told that the number is even higher than that. Again, when you factor in the 2021 salary cap, you take in the revenue from 2020 and if there are no fans in the stadium, it is going to be down. The pandemic impacts just about everybody and I don't believe in the end that NFL owners and NFL players are going to be immune to that.
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C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are looking for answers after their passing game couldn’t get going in a loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Houston’s passing attack had been a strength all season, and the Texans ranked fifth in yards passing per game through their first six games. But on Sunday at Lambeau Field, Stroud was limited to a career-low 86 yards in the 24-22 loss, which snapped a three-game winning streak.
Stroud was 10 of 21 and didn’t have a touchdown pass for the first time this season. The second-year player was under duress for much of the day and was sacked four times and hit seven other times.
“We have to go back to the drawing board and see what those issues were,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “As we watch the film, we’ll see what happened, starting for me the communication and just guys being on the details of the job.”
'Everything is on the table. We have to get it fixed' #Texans coach DeMeco Ryans on offensive line and if personnel changes are being contemplated @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/AwK0rqeU2z
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 21, 2024
The Texans scored a season-high 41 points in a win over New England a week earlier in which Stroud threw a season-best three touchdown passes despite being without star receiver Nico Collins.
They were unable to replicate that success Sunday with Collins out for the second of at least four games after a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve.
Stefon Diggs led the team with five receptions against the Packers, but they only amounted to 23 yards. Tank Dell, who the Texans expected to step up with Collins out, was targeted four times but didn’t have a catch.
Stroud discussed the importance of getting Dell more involved in the offense.
“We have to find a way to try and get him the rock early and often and then go from there,” he said. “It has to be a focus for us, not only just him, but the whole offense clicking early. That is really my job to get the ball out on time and to where it is supposed to go. So yeah, that definitely has to be fixed.”
Ryans spoke about his confidence is getting Dell going.
'I have all the faith in Tank' #Texans coach DeMeco Ryans expressed confidence in Tank Dell ability to get back to making explosive plays again as he did as a rookie @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/bojBEx3lYo
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 21, 2024
What's working
The Texans have forced seven turnovers combined in their last two games after they hadn’t caused any in their previous three games.
Houston scored 16 points off three turnovers Sunday. The Texans had two interceptions and recovered a fumble on a punt. In their win over the Patriots, they scored 17 points off a season-high four turnovers.
What needs help
The Texans won’t get to where they want to be this season if Stroud doesn’t get back on track. Before Sunday, last year’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year was averaging more than 262 yards passing a game, giving the team confidence that the problems in the passing game are fixable.
Ryans knows the line must give Stroud more time to throw and said the coaching staff will focus on improving in that area this week.
Stock up
RB Joe Mixon continued to shine Sunday in his second game back after missing three games with an ankle injury. Mixon, who is in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati, had 25 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns against Green Bay.
Mixon is confident the Texans will rebound this week if they quit making mistakes.
“Does it look I’m worried? I’m not worried at all,” he said. “Like I said, we got a ... good football team. At the end of the day, we are our own worst enemy.”
Stock down
Dell was unable to help Stroud get the passing game going. The second-year player had a solid rookie season with 709 yards receiving and seven touchdowns in 11 games before breaking his leg. But he hasn’t been able to build on that success this year and has just 194 yards receiving with one score in six games.
Injuries
LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), LB Henry To’oTo’o (concussion), CB Kamari Lassiter (shoulder) and S Jimmie Ward (groin) all missed Sunday’s game and it’s unclear if any of these starters can return this week.
Key number
3 — Safety Calen Bullock had his third interception Sunday to tie Dunta Robinson and Jumal Rolle for most interceptions by a rookie in franchise history through the first seven games. He leads NFL rookies in interceptions this season and is tied for third-most among all players.
Next steps
The AFC South-leading Texans (5-2) return to division play Sunday when they host the second-place Colts (4-3), who have won two in a row and four of five.