Kevin Johnson (right) is broken again. Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images
3 Headlines
O'Brien Thought Gronk Caught It
Bill O'Brien said he thought Rob Gronkowski caught the ball from Tom Brady late in the second quarter and initially his eyes in the booth were unsure and those were the reasons he didn't use a timeout.
"I very much realize I can take a timeout there," he said. "I decided not to because I felt from my vantage point that it was a catch and that's what I went with."
O'Brien said since seeing the play and the angles and in hindsight, he would take a timeout to hope they would buzz down.
"Surely I would've taken a timeout to see if they would have buzzed down," said O'Brien.
Regardless of the review, O'Brien believes after watching the coaches film Gronkowski caught the ball. He also explained he didn't want to take a timeout, have the review go against the Texans, and let the Patriots have the time to scheme their next few plays.
Seantrell Henderson finished for the year, Rankin and Davenport at tackle for now
Seantrell Henderson is done for the year with a "significant ankle injury" according to O'Brien. He will have surgery this week.
Martinas Rankin, one of the team's third-round picks, made his debut yesterday as he headed to left tackle and Julién Davenport manned right tackle.
"I think Martinas Rankin went in there and did a nice job, for a rookie, and I think he's going to be a really good player," said O'Brien.
Rankin was pleased with his first real NFL action.
"It's a learning experience," he said. "Hate to see a guy go down, one of my brothers, but I adjusted."
Rankin said he learned that he "belonged here" throughout the game and said there was plenty to work on for him. He said building chemistry with the line would be a focus as he hasn't had many reps with the group he played with yesterday.
"No fear. I belong here. They brought me here for a reason."
The Texans only other tackle on the roster is Kendall Lamm. O'Brien said they would look at players in the building and the practice squad as well as likely work out some players.
Kevin Johnson's return uncertain
Kevin Johnson left yesterday's game with a concussion, his second in a month. His status is up in the air going forward, but he won't be playing soon.
"I think he will definitely miss a lot of time," O'Brien said of his injured cornerback. "Two [concussions] fairly close together, it's concerning."
Johnson had a rough day on the field, allowing a couple of big plays and drawing a holding penalty wiping out a third-down stop by the defense. Kayvon Webster is on the roster as a cornerback but O'Brien said he isn't ready for this week but trending the right way. Johnson Bademosi had quite a few key reps in the preseason when Johnson was out with his first concussion. Andre Chachere is a rookie cornerback on the practice squad.
2 Questions
Can O'Brien and Watson figure it out quickly?
Bill O'Brien and Deshaun Watson both were upset with the performance of the quarterback position in the loss to the Patriots. There were flashes though; Watson made a few nice throws and O'Brien's rhythm calling plays appeared once or twice. It has to be from the start though.
O'Brien mentioned today the team needed to get "back to the basics" and that would be a good move. O'Brien said they needed to make better coaching decisions but Watson also has to make better decisions and the "rust" word showed up. He also agreed they needed to guard against letting Watson try to do too much. The easy stuff opened things up for the Texans yesterday and the rushing attack getting going was a nice sign and a bright spot in an otherwise dim offensive showing.
Will Fuller and potentially Keke Coutee returning as well as a potentially healthier Sammie Coates would be huge for the Texans on offense against the Titans. Jordan Akins and Jordan Thomas both earned praise from O'Brien after their debut. With more weapons back and those players who took a lot of the reps together in the preseason the offense will have the chance to look totally different. It's up to O'Brien and Watson figuring it out though.
Will the second half defense show up for a full game?
If they do, watch out. Everyone on the front seven started pretty slow for the most part but they looked far better in the second half. The Patriots managed just six points in the second half. The Texans defense sacked Tom Brady twice and hurried him five times after having zeros in those categories in the first half. Despite a few issues with coverage early, Johnathan Joseph had a nice game at cornerback as did Aaron Colvin. The safety play was good for most of the game as well.
Credit to the Patriots, they were not going to let the Texans get to Brady like they did last year. Whitney Mercilus and Jadeveon Clowney were both vocal about how they didn't like how they played in the game. If one of those two gets going, with Watt playing closer to his second half self, the defense will be a tough one to score on like many thought they would be. The Texans already have faced the best quarterback, coach, and offensive coordinator on their schedule. There are still dangerous offenses ahead, but, this defense showed plenty in the second half to get everyone excited about the next 15 games.
1 Bet (0-1 on the season)
Just one more score and the over hits in Sunday's game but alas, it is called gambling. This week is another nod towards offense. The Texans dominated the Titans last year when Watson played against them, establishing the franchise record for points with 57. It was, incidentally, after the Patriots game as well. Mike Vrabel is the head coach of the Titans now and his defense was a mess with the Texans last year. This is the perfect get right opportunity against a defense that allowed a mildly talented Miami offense over 300 yards and 20 points. It will look a lot closer to last year's Titans game after the Patriots than Sunday's game against the Patriots. The Texans are scoring a ton this week and they should roll the Titans.
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Jan 10, 2025, 2:32 pm
Everyone raved about the leadership of second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud this week as the Houston Texans prepared for their wild-card playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Everyone, that is, except the man himself.
“I don’t think I’m a great (leader),” Stroud said sheepishly. “I don’t know. That’s probably a bad thing to say about yourself, but I don’t think I’m all that when it comes to leading. I just try to be myself.”
But the 23-year-old Stroud simply being himself is exactly what makes him the undisputed leader of this team.
“C.J. is authentic, he’s real,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It’s not only here, it’s in the locker room around the guys and that’s what leadership is to me. As you evolve as a leader, you just be authentic to yourself. You don’t have to make up anything or make up a speech or make up something to say to guys. C.J. is being C.J.”
Sixth-year offensive lineman Tytus Howard said he knew early on that Stroud would be special.
“He has that aura about him that when he speaks, everybody listens,” he said.
Stroud has helped the Texans win the AFC South and reach the playoffs for a second straight season after they had combined for just 11 wins in the three years before he was drafted second overall.
He was named AP Offensive Rookie of the Year last season, when Houston beat the Browns in the first round before falling to the Ravens in the divisional round.
His stats haven’t been as good as they were in his fabulous rookie season when he threw just five interceptions. But he has put together another strong season in Year 2 despite missing top receiver Nico Collins for five games early and losing Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell to season-ending injuries in the second half of the season. He also started every game despite being sacked a whopping 52 times.
“He’s taken some crazy shots,” Howard said. “But even if he’s getting sacked and stuff like that, he just never lets that get to him. He just continues to fight through it, and it basically uplifts the entire offense.”
He also finds ways to encourage the team off the field and works to build chemistry through team get-togethers. He often invites the guys over to his house for dinner or to watch games. Recently, he rented out a movie theater for a private screening of “Gladiator II.”
“He’s like, ‘I want the guys to come in and bond together because this thing builds off the field and on the field,’” Howard said. “So, we need to be closer.”
Another thing that makes Stroud an effective leader is that his teammates know that he truly cares about them as people and not just players. That was evident in the loss to the Chiefs when Dell was seriously injured. Stroud openly wept as Dell was tended to on the field and remained distraught after he was carted off.
“It was good for people to see me in that light and knowing that there is still a human factor to me,” he said. "And I think that was good for people to see that we’re just normal people at the end of the day.”
Stroud said some of the leaders who molded him were his father, his coaches in high school and college, and more recently Ryans.
His coach said Stroud has been able to lead the team effectively early in his career because he knows there are others he can lean on if he needs help.
“Understanding that it’s not all on him as a leader, it’s all of our guys just buying in, doing what they have to do,” Ryans said. “But also, C.J. understanding a lot of guys are looking up to him on the team and he takes that role seriously. But it’s not a heavy weight for him because we have other leaders, as well, around him.”
Stroud considers himself stubborn and though some consider that a bad quality, he thinks it’s helped him be a better leader. He's had the trait as long as he can remember.
“That kind of carried into the sport,” he said. “Even as a kid, my mom used to always say how stubborn I was and just having a standard is how I hear it. It’s stubborn (but) I just have a standard on how I like things to be done and how I hold myself is a standard.”
And, to be clear, he doesn’t consider himself a bad leader, but he did enjoy hearing that others on the team consider him a great one.
“I just don’t look at myself in that light of just I’m all-world at that,” he said. “But I try my best to lead by example and it’s cool because I don’t ask guys and to hear what they have to say about that is kind of cool.”
Though he doesn’t consider himself a great leader, Stroud does have strong feelings about what constitutes one. And he’s hoping that he’ll be able to do that for his team Saturday to help the Texans to a victory, which would make him the sixth quarterback in NFL history to start and win a playoff game in both of his first two seasons.
“That would be making everybody around you better,” he said of great leaders. “Kind of like a point guard on the offense, the quarterback on the football team, the pitcher on a baseball team — just making everybody around you better.”