Deshaun Watson is the man heading into camp. Photo by Edward Clarke
For the first time in a long time there’s no doubt about the quarterback position going into training camp. Deshaun Watson is the franchise and heads into this thing with only his health to worry about. Returning from his torn ACL takes time and while he looks ready to go, it will be up to the coaching staff to keep him on a reasonable snap count while he tests himself in a more regimented practice.
That leaves plenty of playing time for the team to address the real need under center, the one that tanked their 2017 season; Watson’s backup. The fiasco that was Tom Savage is gone, but a lack of available options has left the position still in flux. Currently the options are Brandon Weeden, Joe Webb, and Stephen Morris. The frontrunner is obviously Weeden at this point.
If that doesn’t boost your confidence then you’re not alone. But don’t worry, it could be worse. They could be without Weeden. His seven years have to count for something and it’s not like there are a lot of great options available in free agency. He’s played in the system before so his learning curve won’t be as steep and he is at least capable in a backup role.
Joe Webb has nine years in the NFL but has thrown a total of 159 passes, only seven of those coming after 2011. He’s been used mostly for his athleticism, at times playing positions other than quarterback. He will most likely be in camp the help the offense mimic Watson’s athleticism but not a serious threat to take over as the No. 2 guy.
Stephen Morris is just another guy. He’s been around the league since 2014 but has yet to make a roster. He’s got a great arm, but his accuracy and pocket presence still haven’t quite developed since college. Maybe Bill O’Brien really sees something coachable in him and at 25 years old they keep a third quarterback to develop. I doubt it but stranger things have happened.
Overall, the team is in good shape as long as Watson is ready in Week 1 against the Patriots. Before his injury in Week 8 last season he had a QB rating of 103, on pace to be the highest in franchise history. He was also leading the league in touchdown passes and on pace to throw for more than 4,000 yards. With those numbers he would have been a top contender for Rookie of the Year honors and probably a Pro-Bowl selection.
The goal of the head coach and front office for this position should be a stiff competition for the backup quarterback job. It wouldn’t surprise me if either Webb or Morris were kept on a very short leash while conversations are started with one or two veterans still on the market. Austin Davis, Mark Sanchez and Matt Moore are all names to be considered if the Texans want to go that route. But I assume they will just announce that the job belongs to Weeden and focus attention to other positions of need.
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If you are a believer in the third time is a charm, go ahead and book the Texans for their first ever appearance in the AFC Championship game! Saturday is the Texans’ third crack at the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs. Of course, the Texans had a third time is the charm opportunity at advancing beyond the division round back in 2016 and came nowhere close. Charm will have nothing to do with the outcome at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs have administered the Texans’ two most humiliating postseason defeats in franchise history. They came as the bookend postseason appearances of Bill O’Brien’s tenure as head coach. In 2015, the Texans won the worst division in the AFC (that sounds familiar) but as a division champ got to play host to the Wild Card 11-5 Chiefs. The visitors were three-point favorites. They won by 30. 30-0 to be more precise. Knile Davis returned the opening kickoff 106 yards for a touchdown. It would have been in the Texans’ best interest to have forfeited right then and there. In what was not exactly a shocking development, Texans’ quarterback Brian Hoyer wasn’t up to the task, throwing for just 112 yards and four interceptions. On the Chiefs’ side third-year tight end Travis Kelce had eight receptions for 128 yards. Taylor Swift was not in attendance.
The second Texans-Chiefs playoff get together is the most incredible game in Texans’ history. The Texans showed up in Missouri fresh off the greatest comeback win in their history, having come from down 16-0 in the third quarter to best the Buffalo Bills in overtime. In what could safely be characterized as stunning, the Texans put up three first quarter touchdowns for a 21-0 lead. *Massive bonus points if you can name the three Texans who scored those TDs, answer below. A field goal made it 24-0 Texans with 10:54 left in the second quarter. In a collapse tough to pull off, the Texans would trail before halftime. The Chiefs scored four touchdowns in nine minutes and eleven seconds of game time, with that Kelce fellow scoring the last three of them. Some will recall O’Brien calling a fake punt from his own 31-yard line with the Texans up 24-7. Too soon? Justin Reid (now pursuing his third Super Bowl ring in three seasons as a Chief) was stopped short. An even more damning O’Brien moment came later in that game when he actually had to use a timeout to change his mind and go for it with 11:49 left in the fourth quarter, the Texans down 48-31, and facing fourth and four at the K.C. 42. That was a fire-able on the spot offense! Instead it took an 0-4 start to the 2020 season for O’Brien to be ousted. 51-31 Chiefs was the final score, and they went on to win the first of their three Super Bowl titles in the ongoing Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes era.
Back to the present
Those routs were then, this is now. For a 15-2 team the Chiefs seem vulnerable. Maximum credit to them for having won an NFL record 16 consecutive games decided by eight or fewer points, 11 of them this season including their 27-19 victory over the Texans December 21. Perhaps the two-time defending champions were often bored with the regular season and often did just enough to win. The Texans would have been tied with them late in the third quarter had Ka’imi Fairbairn not botched an extra point. On the other hand, it was the play that got them within 17-16 which resulted in Tank Dell’s catastrophic season-ending knee injury. Who besides Nico Collins will do something in the passing game Saturday? Last Saturday the Texans’ pass rush harassed and flustered Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert. Mahomes is a different breed. Four weeks ago the Texans sacked Mahomes just once and did not intercept him. That seemingly must change for the Texans to pull off what be a shocker for most people. Saturday’s high temperature forecast for Kansas City is 25 degrees. Not ideal for the Texans but better than if the game had been scheduled for Sunday when the high is supposed to be 16.
Still standing
Four Texans who dressed for the debacle five years ago will suit up against the Chiefs Saturday: Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard who were in their first season with the team, Fairbairn, and long snapper Jon Weeks. Granted he’s just a long snapper (important role but not physically taxing), but Weeks is in his 15th season with the Texans and has yet to miss a game-244 regular season games (with Saturday his 14th playoff game, also without a miss). Presuming he is back next season, Weeks (who turns 39 next month) can crack the top five list of most consecutive games played in NFL history by answering the bell in the first 12 regular season games.
*The Texans’ three early TDS in the 51-31 loss at KC: 1. Kenny Stills with a 54-yard reception 2. Lonnie Johnson with a 10-yard return of a blocked punt 3. Darren Fells with a four-yard grab
For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube
The Astros are always in season for discussion. Our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts drop Mondays: Click here to watch!