A star in the making

The Texans have a new face of the franchise in Deshaun Watson

The Texans have a new face of the franchise in Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson leaves the field after Sunday's win over Cleveland. Tim Warner/Getty Images

Since midway through the 2011 season, J.J. Watt has been the face of the Texans, the reason people tuned in to watch the team. He has been one of the biggest stars in the league both on and off the field. It was a crushing blow when he went down with another season-ending injury last week. He missed all but three games last season, and basically played four plus games this year. 

Watt's presence is huge, and the Texans scrambled to make the playoffs without him last year, mostly because the defense was phenomenal.

This year, the team has a new leader, and he is on the other side of the ball.

The torch was probably going to be passed sooner rather than later, but Watt's injury hastened the change.

Deshaun Watson is now the face of the Texans.

Six games into his NFL career.

Watson led the Texans to an easy 33-17 win over Clevelandon Sunday. Yes, the Browns are terrible, but Watson continues to impress.

With most NFL teams, the quarterback is the face of the franchise. The Texans have had a lot of ugly faces over the years, and none of them was a player you would spend money to buy their jersey or pay to see play. None would be a player that the rest of the nation would tune in to see.

Watson is all that. He is a legitimate star in the making and came in with a substantial buzz after leading Clemson to the national title, beating mighty Alabama. Since he has taken over the offense, the Texans have been nothing short of dynamic, scoring 30 or more points in four straight games.

There are so many reasons to like Watson. He's smart. A good person off the field and an exciting player on it. He is an accurate passer, and his mobility has opened up the Texans offense and made Bill O'Brien look like the genius we were told he was. Finally, the Texans O looks like an NFL unit, and O'Brien's playcalling has been creative and effective.

And Watson makes it all go. His threat to run creates lanes for his backs. His elusiveness in the pocket and awareness keeps plays and drives alive. 

His numbers Sunday were not jaw dropping (17 of 28, 225 yards, 3 TDs, 1 interception; 5 rushes for 24 yards) but he continues to produce points and limit negative plays. His accuracy was not as sharp against the Browns, and he had some throws he would like to get back, especially the pick six. But for the most part he continues to avoid negative plays that plagued the offense in the past. He has yet to fumble the football. He has 15 TD passes and just five picks. He has also run for two touchdowns. He was sacked just once on Sunday.

That he did it against the Browns had to sting for Cleveland fans, since the Browns -- who have had quarterback issues longer than the Texans -- traded the pick that became Watson.

You have to wonder they were thinking. And what the Bears were thinking when they took Mitchell Trubisky. 

Would Watson have been as effective in Cleveland or Chicago? 

Probably. He has the it factor. He may be the best QB in the city since the man he honored by wearing a No. 1 Warren Moon jersey before the game. 

There will be hiccups. Bad games. Bad plays, like the interception. He still has much to learn, but he picks things up fast. The Texans have long sought The Man at quarterback. They have that. And he is well on his way to being a star.

And the new face of the franchise.

 

 

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Kyle Tucker returns to Houston this weekend. Composite Getty Image.

Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.

The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.

The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.

On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.

Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.

It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs

Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.

The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.

How the mighty have fallen.

Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.

Screenshot via: MLB.com



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