Since Watson’s arrival in Houston, the Houston Texans Head Coach Bill O’Brien, has praised him, saying the rookie quarterback is simply “a playmaker.” Watson still has a lot to improve upon, but he at least showed a glimmer of greatness that gives the Texans hope he can develop into a franchise quarterback.
He didn’t stuff the box score with a bunch of stats, because he was trying to win, not looking out for himself. He was great when the Texans needed him to be. Watson finished the game completing 15 of his 24 passes for 125 yards. He also had five carries for 67 yards, and his first rushing touchdown of his career.
The Texans offense was still iffy at times. But there were flashes where you could see the potential in Watson, and what he brings to that side of the ball. Bill O’Brien felt he couldn’t get those things out of Tom Savage. “He wasn’t perfect, but he did some good things,” O’Brien said after the game “It will be a lot to learn from.”
With Watson, he’s only going to improve. These were the most promising things Watson showed in his debut.
On the very next play, Watson recovered in the best way possible. He stepped up into the pocket, and realized there was not a play to be made.
“I was just trying to make a play,” Watson said after the game. “I broke away and found a hole. My receivers and everyone else that was down the field did a good job of blocking for me and making me find lanes to get into the end zone.”
The Texans hadn’t seen a run like that since 2014. Deshaun Watson’s 49-yard TD was the longest rush by a Texans player since 2014 (Arian Foster 51-yard run against the Jaguars).
Putting a rookie quarterback in at the beginning of the season can be tough. But Watson showed that one of the reasons the Texans traded up to draft him No. 12 overall was his poise. They also knew he could take a hit.
The above statement seems like an obvious thing. Hopkins is one of the best receivers in the NFL today, and that’s not up for debate — but hear me out.
Hopkins does a great job of getting open, even when he might not be open. Numerous times in the Texans’ game Thursday night, he forced himself off of defensive backs to get open for Watson. Eventually he was called for pass interference in the fourth quarter, but it made a big difference.
On this play, you can see Bengals corner Darqueze Dennard nearly falling to his feet because of the spacing that Hopkins created:
Hopkins enjoyed what he saw out of Watson, too. “He was a leader,” he said after the game. “He was a warrior. He was everything we expected, he was the guy that we drafted.”
Watson targeted Hopkins 13 times during the game, eight more than the next closest Texan, which was Tyler Ervin.
If Watson’s going to be locked in on one receiver in the NFL, Hopkins isn’t a bad choice.
The Texans were on their longest drive of the game, when faced with a third-and-16 from Cincinnati’s 35. The pocket collapsed on Watson, who was looking downfield. It was an opportune time for one of those patented rookie mistakes.
Instead of trying to force a throw, he used his feet, and was able to pick up 11 yards before running out of bounds, giving Ka’imi Fairbairn a 42-yard field goal as opposed to a 53-yarder.
The play seems like a no-brainer to armchair quarterbacks and Twitter head coaches, but there have been plenty of rookies who would have tried to force their hand there. Watson had the composure to make the smart play, and it put his team in a better position to win.
Watson was born on September 14, 1995. Watson attended Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Georgia. Watson arrived at Gainesville in the Fall of 2010. Gainesville Head Coach Bruce Miller had planned to start a rising junior to quarterback his spread offense, but Watson won the starting spot. Deshaun Watson was the first freshman quarterback Coach Miller had ever started. During his career he set numerous state records, including total yards (17,134), total touchdowns (218), career passing yards (13,077), and career passing touchdowns (155). He also rushed for 4,057 yards and 63 touchdowns. Watson excelled in his junior year, winning a state championship and earning accolades such as Junior All-American, 2014 Player to Watch, and 2014 Top 100 Recruit. During his sophomore and senior years, he was able to lead the Gainesville High School Football Team to the state semi-finals.
Watson received offers from numerous colleges before committing to Clemson. Some of the offers he considered most seriously came from schools such as the University of Alabama, Auburn University, Florida State University, University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Louisiana State University, Ohio State, University of Oregon, and University of Southern California. Watson verbally committed to Clemson on February 1, 2012. He was ranked the number one quarterback recruit for the 2014 class by ESPN 300. Since his commitment to Clemson University in 2012, Deshaun Watson has frequently been compared to Clemson’s recently graduated, record-setting quarterback Tajh Boyd. Both Watson and Boyd are considered dual-threat quarterbacks, earning consistent yards in both the passing and rushing stats. They also both ran the spread offense and were given the power to choose which play the team ran depending on what they saw in the defense prior to snapping the ball.
After defeating Ohio State 31–0 in the CFP semifinal (Fiesta Bowl) and receiving the offensive MVP award for his efforts, Clemson defeated No. 1 Alabama 35–31 in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship. Watson completed 36 of 56 passes and passed for 420 yards and three touchdowns against the nation’s number 1 ranked defense, including the last-second game-winner to wide receiver, Hunter Renfrow. He also rushed for 43 yards and a touchdown. This gave the Clemson Tigers program its second national championship in school history, ending a three-decade national championship drought. Watson was awarded the offensive MVP award for his performance during the national championship game.
On November 8, 2016, Watson, along with three other Clemson players, namely Wayne Gallman, Artavis Scott, and Mike Williams, declared for the NFL Draft. In December 2016, Watson graduated with a degree in Communications after three years at Clemson.
In 2006, when Watson was 11 years old, Atlanta Falcons running back Warrick Dunn donated a home to his family. It was donated through Dunn’s charity Homes for the Holidays (HMTH), who partnered with Habitat for Humanity.
The Texans hadn’t seen a run like that since 2014. Deshaun Watson’s 49-yard TD was the longest rush by a Texans player since 2014 (Arian Foster 51-yard run against the Jaguars).
Putting a rookie quarterback in at the beginning of the season can be tough. But Watson showed that one of the reasons the Texans traded up to draft him No. 12 overall was his poise. They also knew he could take a hit.
The above statement seems like an obvious thing. Hopkins is one of the best receivers in the NFL today, and that’s not up for debate — but hear me out.
Hopkins does a great job of getting open, even when he might not be open. Numerous times in the Texans’ game Thursday night, he forced himself off of defensive backs to get open for Watson. Eventually he was called for pass interference in the fourth quarter, but it made a big difference.
On this play, you can see Bengals corner Darqueze Dennard nearly falling to his feet because of the spacing that Hopkins created:
Hopkins enjoyed what he saw out of Watson, too. “He was a leader,” he said after the game. “He was a warrior. He was everything we expected, he was the guy that we drafted.”
Watson targeted Hopkins 13 times during the game, eight more than the next closest Texan, which was Tyler Ervin.
If Watson’s going to be locked in on one receiver in the NFL, Hopkins isn’t a bad choice.
The Texans were on their longest drive of the game, when faced with a third-and-16 from Cincinnati’s 35. The pocket collapsed on Watson, who was looking downfield. It was an opportune time for one of those patented rookie mistakes.
Instead of trying to force a throw, he used his feet, and was able to pick up 11 yards before running out of bounds, giving Ka’imi Fairbairn a 42-yard field goal as opposed to a 53-yarder.
The play seems like a no-brainer to armchair quarterbacks and Twitter head coaches, but there have been plenty of rookies who would have tried to force their hand there. Watson had the composure to make the smart play, and it put his team in a better position to win.
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