Despite a penalty that infuriated most, Clowney had a good day
Pro Football Focus: Watson, line struggle while Clowney shines
Dec 12, 2018, 7:05 am
Deshaun Watson had an up and down day. Tim Warner/Getty Images
Pro Football Focus grades each individual player's performance and assigns them a grade. All 32 teams use Pro Football Focus.
Each week we will take a look at some of the key grades as well as some from the Texans upcoming opponent. They also do great fantasy analysis and draft coverage as well. Stats are for the previous game unless otherwise noted. You can join Pro Football Focus here.
Jadeveon Clowney - 77.6 Defense Grade
Clowney had one of his strongest graded games although the box score isn't going to be lit up by this. It was nearly a top grade in almost every category highlighted by an 87.0 run defense grade. He is absolutely a terror in slowing down rushing attacks. He had plenty of near misses that likely ended up as a positive play but could have been much more. If he hits on half those plays the Colts likely lose to the Texans.
Senio Kelemete - 60.0 Pass Blocking Grade
He allowed a sack, two hurries, and three pressures as the Colts were a terror to Deshaun Watson all day. It is the first time in a long time he dipped below average in the category. The plan and execution of the Colts definitely played a role in his dip. He has to play better as he is the entrenched starter there.
Deshaun Watson - 58.7 Offense Grade
His worst grade in a while. He was charged with creating quite a bit of the pressure on himself and PFF credited him with two of the sacks. He has to get rid of the ball faster and trust his reads. Watson, who usually has some success against blitzes, was terrible against pressure in the Colts game. He has to make a few more plays when the pressure is there and it won't go away. The Texans have an offensive line that is suddenly struggling again.
Sam Darnold 75.7 - Passing Grade
The rookie had it going in his return from injury. He wasn't asked to do a ton but played an efficient game against a nice Buffalo defense. He hit a huge portion of his yards deep down the right side showing he isn't afraid to take chances. The team kept him upright too. Darnold might have a decent game if the Texans secondary doesn't respect what he is capable of accomplishing.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.