I said it in jest. Texans didn't trade a 1st rounder for Osweiler; but they spent a 1st rounder to get rid of him. I don't let the Texans get away with bringing in Osweiler without talking to him.....giving him $17 mil a year. Who does that? That is beyond stupid and should cost all of them a job. That verifies to me that they don't know what they are doing. Same people remain.
It's called QB desperation. They were more willing to gamble with money than draft picks but it ended up costing them both. The very top free agents don't do visits most of the time. They have their deals in hand at midnight. They probably should've gambled and tried to get him in for a visit. But then he would've just signed back with the Broncos. If only.
O'Brien would have taken Mariota over Clowney if he had come out in 2014. Patrick Starr has said multiple times that O'Brien was in love with Mariota as a prospect and that called into question the fact that others always said that his ideal QB is the big stiff who can barely move. The fact that he really liked Garoppolo also called that into question. And then drafting Watson obliterated that idea. Watson has a lot of similar qualities to Mariota. He is a quiet, calm leader who other players gravitate to and he has great athleticism and a quick delivery.
Kinda like Blake Bortles... If Watson busts, then I'll be saying nothing ventured, nothing gained. Iow, at least they took a swing.
As much as you want to make fun of the "justwinz" thing, I think it says a little bit of something. It speaks to intangibles and potentially having the "IT" factor, which I think most would agree Watson has. Geno never had the IT factor. I think that goes a long way, even though it's convenient to dog on it. That being said, there's a reason why QBs are so hard to draft. I could agree with anyone that says Watson will be some kind of Brees/Wilson hybrid, buy I could also see where the Geno crowd is coming from. I just don't see Geno through my rose colored lenses.
He does share some of the same attributes as Wilson coming out of college. If he comes anywhere near what RW has been thus far we'll be happy.
My apologies everyone. Texans didn't trade Osweiler for a 1st. It was a 2nd & flip flopping picks . A lot on my mind recently. Kinda of turned my attention to the Rockets lately. @Yaosthirdleg I would caution people not to get too caught up in college championships. If that's all people are hanging their hats on. As I have said before, Leinart, Reggie Bush, Lorenzo White all won a championship and did they translate to the NFL? Bush has been the only one that is so-so. Vince Young beat that invincible group, and did he translate to the NFL? No. The stat was only 14% of 1st rounders make it in the NFL. Those QB's are my comparisons because they had similar styles in college. Looking at their combine numbers.....Geno Smith had a faster 40 yd dash than Watson; but I would still say Watson runs better. It not always about straight line speed. If you look at the highlights I posted....you can see them running in game time. Either Geno or Teddy took a hit at the goal line and got helicopter'd. Well if you watch the most recent championship game vs Alabama, Watson was running and got helicopter'd. Edited: LenDale White not Lorenzo White
When I say running in the NFL as a QB is different from college.....I'm often hit with; but that Alabama team is like an NFL team. That's deceptive. In 2011 Alabama was chuck full NFL prospects on defense: Mark Barrow Haha Clinton-Dix Hightower Nico Johnson Dre Kirkpatrick Dee Milliner CJ Mosley Jeoffrey Pagan Courtney Upshaw Each player had to fight to be a starter on their respective NFL team. We see Hightower now with the Patriots and see the end product. He wasn't a starter instantly. Probably Clinton-Dix was the only one starting from day one that made a difference. Milliner was unsuccessful as a starter immediately. So when people say the worst NFL team would lose to the best college team.....don't believe it. The NFL team would kick the college team upside the head. I'm done with my negativity. Good Luck Texans.........and Rockets.....Astros. Take Care All.
They had similar final seasons, stats-wise; dissimilar opponents, however. Geno Smith fattened up against inferior teams. Big time. He played 3 teams that finished top 25, all #12 (K-State), or lower (OU and UT), and went 0-3. Geno Smith v. ranked opponents: 66/102 (65%); 731 yards (7.2 YPA); 9/4 Geno Smith v. unranked opponents: 303/417 (73%); 3,474 yards (8.3 YPA); 33/2 Watson, OTOH, faced six top 25 teams (including three top 10 - Alabama, OSU & FSU - all significantly better than '12 K-State), went 6-0 and his numbers didn't vary nearly as much: Desahun Watson v. ranked opponents: 148/234 (63%); 1,899 yards (8.1 YPA); 15/9 Desahun Watson v. ranked opponents: 240/345 (70%); 2,694 yards (7.8 YPA); 26/8 He'll throw picks - if you want to be worried about Deshaun Watson, I think that's the biggest red flag. But I'd also argue that QBs in college *not* in systems (like Holgorsen's at WVU) are often tasked with greater responsibility to make plays and carry the team.
Steve Young: 592/908 (65.1%); 7,773; 8.5 YPA; 56 TD; 33 INT;149.8 QB Rating ...aka....the comparisons are pointless...
I can't help but despise the "justwinz" talk given that it's what people do to talk up garbage QB's. Not saying Watson will be one, but when you hear "justwinz" it's usually associated with QB's like Tebow, Mark Sanchez, Vince Young, Joe Flacco. Basically guys that they can't make a more solid case for but they want to push as good due to team success. There is occasionally something to a player having the "it factor", but it's so overly abused that hearing things like that are like fingernails on a chalkboard.
I wish his arm had more velocity but I do like the quick release which is one of the fastest in some time among QBs. Other great QBs like Payton or Bree's have the way above average release
Did you watch any of his games last year and think, "Man, if only he threw the ball harder..." Velocity has become the latest pre-draft buzzword among all the draft nerds but here's what I think: it's meaningless. There's a reason Peyton Manning set four dozen passing records after losing his fastball: timing. In the NFL, you have to hit your target exactly at the right moment when their tiny window of opportunity opens. Sure, it helps to be able to zip the ball - but understanding your offense, how the defense plays and anticipation can make up for any lack of velocity.
He wasn't throwing against NFL DB's last year either. Things that don't cost you in college absolutely can in the NFL, just ask Tebow. I get wanting to be as positive as possible, but I'm not sure we'd be saying that the red flags on him were "meaningless" if he was picked by a rival team. The fact that arguably the greatest QB of all time was able to make up for a lack of velocity for a little while before absolutely turning to crap doesn't mean that pass velocity isn't important.