Two offseason acquisitions come up big for Texans in win over Pats what's that mean for the future?

No GM, no problem for Texans

Cody Stoots
Dec 2, 2019, 3:16 pm
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3 Headlines, 2 Questions, and 1 Bet after the Texans beat the Patriots and get ready for the Broncos.

Jacob Martin finally breaks out

Jacob Martin had a big day for the Texans against the Patriots. I'm not breaking any news there, but as the above stats indicate this was finally a game he put it all together. The Texans desperately needed it too. Not to say he wasn't helped out, the rest of the line had their fair share of pushes and even Bradley Roby got a sack, but Martin was giving the Pats fits all night.

He has a lot of speed and Bill O'Brien mentioned as much when he said he sees Martin going "100 mph" and lauded his practice routine. This is what the Texans hoped for when they added Martin. A young player, under team control, that can grow into a key role player for this defense. I am sure he is slightly ahead of schedule in that regard.

Oh, and for the folks keeping track at home, Jacob Martin is healthy and a half a sack off Jadeveon Clowney's sack total on the year. Yes, Clowney plays Monday and can add to it, but he's dealing with a core injury that is expected to limit him.

Duke Johnson

This type of game is what we all envisioned from Duke Johnson when the Texans sent what is now a third round selection to the Browns. Up until this point Johnson hadn't put together a ground and air game that impressed at the same time. Last night he ripped off 90 total yards. It was his highest yardage total since week one in New Orleans. He was also targeted in the passing game a season-high six times.

If this is the Johnson the Texans are going to get going forward and the Carlos Hyde-led ground game is going to pick up watch out for what the Texans offense could be. Bill O'Brien intimated Monday Johnson's involvement was in the gameplan and if that is a mainstay going forward we maybe have just scratched the surface on Johnson's actual usefulness.

No general manager, no problem for me

Look, tell me the Texans have been managed poorly under the Bill O'Brien and company general manager leadership group and I will call you a liar. Plain and simple. Sure, there has been a hiccup or two, but the situation has been overwhelmingly positive so far. The Laremy Tunsil/Kenny Stills trade pays off week after week while additions like Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson have played well. The reshaping of the secondary on the fly through injuries has been impressive as well.

Is it the worst idea to let this crew operate a draft? No. You will know right off the bat if they can get it done though. It's not like they could hire Nick Caserio before the draft anyway so unless they were going elsewhere with that hire the current system was set to run free agency and the draft anyway .

I would be worried about the money. There is a possibility for a tremendous spend this offseason with Deshaun Watson potentially getting a new deal, Tunsil hunting money, and D.J. Reader and Bradley Roby expiring on the defense. I also expect J.J. Watt to want an adjustment on his deal.

Brian Gaine was a bargain hunter, I don't anticipate the current administration to be similar. The Texans have the money, and it leads to the star wideout, quarterback, left tackle, and pass rusher getting locked up for a few years there is nothing wrong with that.

Should the Texans try to get Bradley Roby locked up?

Bradley Roby has been as advertised in his role with the Texans. He is physically gifted and the flashes of first round talent are apparent in his play. Sure, there has been an issue here or there and he was hurt for a while but he played excellent against the Patriots.

I don't want to overreact to one good game, so let's see how he plays against his former team as well as the other games left on the Texans schedule. He is certainly on his way to achieving what he set out to do when he signed with the Texans. Roby intended to take a one-year "prove it" deal and enter free agency again hoping to cash in.

The right number might entice Roby to alter his strategy but it would be prudent for the Texans to see what else he can do this season now that he is healthy.

Can J.J. Watt come back? Sure. Will he?

I don't believe J.J. Watt is going to play again this season, regular season or the playoffs, but I would be happy to be wrong. His pectoral injury doesn't seem like it is anywhere close to as serious as the one Whitney Mercilus suffered in 2017. The thought and rumor was Mercilus was healthy enough by the end of the season, if the Texans had been in contention, to play.

It would stand to reason the same could apply to Watt. If by some chance he could return in week 17 for instance, the team could ease him back into the game and then ramp up his snaps in the playoffs for as long as they go.

Watt is third in QB Hits according to Pro Football Focus. He is the only player who has played in less than 10 games in the top ten. He obviously could help the Texans. For Watt though, there is a lot of risk.

There is no more guaranteed money on his contract. If he was hurt again that could hinder negotiations but at the same time a healthy-ish Watt could cause chaos and drive his tag way up. It is quite the risk if it gets to the decision.

As for the rumors, Bill O'Brien decided to take a pass on addressing it.

"I'm not going to get into all those things...we really need to focus on Denver."

I bet the Broncos are fired up to be playing with Drew Lock

Drew Lock looked like more than a capable passer at times in his NFL debut against the Chargers. He hit Courtland Sutton twice for a score but passed for just 164 yards. He threw a really bad interception that almost cost the Broncos horribly in the second half. Not bad though for his first NFL action that matters.

There's life though. He is clearly the team's quarterback next year and there are young pass catchers who need to grow with him like Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton, and fellow rookie Noah Fant. There's obviously still some talent on defense there as well. The Broncos are a live team compared to plenty of other teams who look like they've quit on their season.

O'Brien was emphatic on Monday he doesn't care about Denver's record he believes them to be a good football team. What I believe O'Brien has to drive home this week is the Texans beat the Patriots, but don't let beating the Patriots beat them against the Broncos.

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SPRING FORWARD

There's an easy solution for how college football should handle the season

Photo Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

College football needs to call a timeout on the 2020 season.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 are set to announce, maybe today, perhaps in a few weeks, whether they will play football this fall.

Already the Ivy League, Mountain West and Mid-American Conference have canceled their fall football season for health and safety reasons amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Power 5 conferences – the Big Ten, Pac-12, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 and Southeastern Conference – should get onboard and put their football seasons on hold, too.

While some elected officials without medical degrees say that coronavirus amounts to little more than sniffles for young people, healthcare experts argue that college-age people, while they do recover quickly and may not exhibit symptoms, do contract and spread the virus.

There has been a 90 percent increase of young people testing positive for the virus in the past four weeks. More important, health experts say they can't measure the long-term effects of the virus, which may include brain damage, heart disease and reduced lung capacity.

There is a simple solution to play or not play college football this fall – postpone the season to next spring, when health experts will know more about the disease. There possibly could be a vaccine by then, which would allow fans back in stadiums.

Many high-profile college players and coaches weighed in on the debate Monday, almost unanimously saying that the 2020 football schedule should be played on schedule, starting in a few weeks.

Players, including Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, adopted the hashtag #WeWantToPlay. In a tweet, Lawrence said that players would be more at risk for coronavirus if the fall season doesn't move forward. "We are more likely to get the virus in everyday life than playing football."

Lawrence added that, if the football season is canceled or postponed, players "will be sent home to their own communities where social distancing is highly unlikely."

Alabama coach Nick Saban told ESPN, "Look, players are a lot safer with us than they are running around at home."

Two points: University presidents should listen to only one group of people – healthcare professionals – when they decide whether to cancel or postpone the fall football season. Yes, players want to play during this pandemic. But players also want to play when they are injured or their brain was just scrambled by a vicious tackle. We applaud athletes who play with a broken leg. We see players with concussions plead with their coaches to put them back in the game.

As for the argument that players are more likely to catch the virus if they're sent home – who's sending them home? These are student-athletes. Students. Most college campuses will be open with students attending classes this fall. Major college programs like Clemson have 85 full scholarships designated for football. Colleges won't take away players' scholarships if the football season is canceled. Clemson's campus will open Sept. 21 for in-person classes.

ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy also said the season should be played as scheduled: "If they're (players) OK, then I'm OK." Texas governor Greg Abbott chimed in on the players' side. He said, "It's their careers, it's their health."

What "careers" is he talking about? There are about 775 colleges that play football. Only 1.7 percent of all those players will play in the NFL or another professional league. On Sept. 3, Rice University will play Army. It is unlikely that any of those players will have a career in football. However, given the excellence of academics at those colleges, players will have career opportunities in something other than football. The average NFL career is 2-1/2 years. Rice and Army grads can top that.

The NBA is completing its season in a bubble in Orlando, with players confined to their hotels between games. Only 22 teams are in Orlando for the lockdown. The Rockets organization sent about 35 people, including coaches, players and essential personnel to Orlando.

Baseball is playing its season outside a bubble. So many players are testing positive for coronavirus that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred last week threatened to end the season if teams don't do a better job of enforcing the league's health protocol. What's left is an unbalanced season. For example, the Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners have played 18 games, while the St. Louis Cardinals have played only five games. The ironically first-place Miami Marlins, which had 18 players test positive, have played only 10 games.

College football can't be played in a bubble. There are too many teams, with some having more than 100 players and 20 coaches. And no sport thrives on fans' excitement and marching bands like college football. Several colleges, including the University of Texas and Texas A&M, have stadiums that hold more than 100,000 fans. Even if college football could be played in a bubble, it would require isolating players from August to January, when they're supposed to be in class. I know … supposed.

This one is easy. For the health and safety of players, play the fall 2020 season in spring 2021.

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