Obrien trying to make him into a Tom Brady clone. I think they should run some more read option, I don't necessarily want to see Watson run but give the threat of a run.
Wendall Williams has broken collarbone Tom Savage, Texans offense still appear to be a work in progress Spoiler NEW ORLEANS - He was smooth. Dangerous. Already locked in and just waiting to be unleashed for the real thing. And when Drew Brees completed eight of his initial 10 passes for 65 yards and a length-of-the-field scoring drive in preseason game three, I was again reminded of what was unignorable during a four-day stay in Louisiana. The Texans really could use No. 9 for the black and gold. Instead, the back-to-back AFC South champions are betting it all on inexperienced Tom Savage in 2017. And the same things that were obvious at the start of exhibition play were still evident as the preseason all but ended Saturday night at the Superdome. Has Savage technically been efficient? Sure. He was 10-of-16 for 79 yards in a 13-0 defeat to the Saints and is a combined 27-of-36 for 246 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in preseason play. But has he ever appeared dangerous? No. Smooth? Rarely. Still figuring it all out - rhythm, timing, confidence, feel - and needing every bit of the preseason to lock in as Bill O'Brien's next starting quarterback? Yes. "We didn't coach well or play well on offense. … So we've got a lot of ground to make up there," said O'Brien, whose team fell to 1-2 in games that don't count. "I have to do a better job, and we all have to do a better job offensively. We will. We'll do a better job." I'm sure the Texans' air attack will rip open Week 1 at NRG Stadium. I'm certain it won't all be dropoffs and checkdowns behind a pieced-together offensive line. "Obviously you're not going to show everything in the preseason. That's just the way it is," Savage said. "But there's some shots that can be taken in the game. … We were just taking what they gave us, and a lot of times we shot ourselves in the foot there, with the penalties and stuff. The game is not meant to be second-and-15 and first-or-whatever." Savage soon will get No. 1 wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins back. Maybe the Texans will invite Duane Brown for a private Kirby Drive chat and give Savage his missing Pro Bowl left tackle. This was always going to be a run-first, pass-second offense that knows its elite defense can win games. But in Thursday's practice and Saturday's final fake warm-up, Brees operated on another level. And at the Superdome, the Texans' offense looked like it still had a ton to fix, while threatening to officially be a Week 1 work in progress. "We didn't score, so obviously that's on the quarterback," Savage said. His team was often its own worst enemy, collecting eight penalties and rarely showing anything close to regular-season electricity. "We were sloppy," said tight end Ryan Griffin, perfectly capturing the offense's uninspiring evening in just three words. The last good look at Savage - if he plays in the preseason finale Thursday against Dallas, it should be absolutely minimal - was the most concerning. The quick, nowhere drives were back. He averaged just 4.9 yards on 16 attempts and the field was rarely stretched. "(Saturday) was a tough night," O'Brien said. "They threw a lot of things at us. And he handled some of it. Some of it, we need to do a better job coaching. … I'm very comfortable with him." Key weapons are missing. No. 2 receiver Will Fuller is out, while Braxton Miller was unavailable Saturday. But there's no way around it: If the Texans' offense is still this vanilla by Week 2 at Cincinnati and Week 3 in New England, the start of their season has 1-2 written all over it. "We have to be better," said O'Brien, who acknowledged his team isn't at full strength but declined to use the missing players as an excuse. "We've got to get back to practice and fix some of the things that happened here." Also concerning: For the second consecutive game, first-round pick Deshaun Watson didn't close the gap. The short, quick-release darts continue to be there for No. 4. But the ball keeps sticking when Watson surveys the full field, and an up-and-down practice week dipped again Saturday in the Dome. He started 7-of-14 for 62 yards, which included a 4.4 yards-per-attempt average that was actually worse than Savage's. There were two promising plays when the rookie fought off an attacker, stood strong and found an open receiver. There was also an interception thrown high, two sacks and an intentional grounding flag thrown near the Texans' end zone. "I thought there was some bright spots," O'Brien said. "They threw a lot of pressure at him." The Texans also rushed for only 37 yards on their initial 15 carries - not exactly the grind-it-out stats of a world beater - and Watson, like the QB he's backing up, faced regular pressure up the middle and from the sides. What was the Texans' biggest problem in 2016 (outside of not having a lasting quarterback)? Touchdowns and offensive points. How many did they score through three-plus quarters Saturday? Zero. Watson clearly needs more time to watch and learn. Savage has two weeks left to look like a starting quarterback and get his offense ready for Week 1. _______________ https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-refocused-new-orleans-saints-13-houston-texans-0 TOP 5 GRADES: DI Eli Ankou, 84.3 overall grade DI Rickey Hatley, 83.9 overall grade Edge Ufomba Kamalu, 81.6 overall grade TE Ryan Griffin, 81.1 overall grade CB Dee Virgin, 79.9 overall grade PERFORMANCES OF NOTE: TE RYAN GRIFFIN, 81.1 OVERALL GRADE Griffin played well for the Texans, as he caught both catchable passes thrown his way for 22 yards. He also impressed with his run blocking, as he opened up some cut back lanes for the Texans running backs with his athletic ability on the backside of zone plays. QB DESHAUN WATSON, 71.2 OVERALL GRADE Watson finished 11-of-21 for 116 yards with 2 drops. He made plays with his feet and kept some plays alive while also forcing passes into coverage. Watson had one interception, and had another potential interception dropped. Watson finished 3-for-9 while under pressure as he was sacked twice and threw another pass away. DI ELI ANKOU, 84.3 OVERALL GRADE Ankou thrived in run defense, finishing the night with an 85.2 run-defense grade after he tallied three stops on 15 run-defense snaps. Ankou also chipped in a pressure on one of his eight pass-rushing snaps, making Saturday night his second consecutive game with a pressure. EDGE ERIC LEE, 79.1 OVERALL GRADE Lee led the Texans defense with three total pressures, including two sacks, on 16 pass-rush snaps. Lee now has seven pressures on 47 pass-rush snaps this preseason, giving him a 12.5 pass-rush productivity rating through three weeks, which ranks seventh among 3-4 outside linebackers as of the end of Saturday night.
"Pathetic"is a good term to describe whatever that mess was last night. I'm still not sure just how good this team will be outside of their so-called division. So far I'm looking at another 9-7 or worse team but don't forget who they open against (Jax) and those guys look like dog poop on the street behind Bortles.
While I hated how bad the Texans looked last night, I think it's important to note how many guys they had out.....and with BS like this happening It kind of makes me glad they kept all of them out. All we'd need is for someone like Nuk to tear an ACL in a scrimmage.
you may be drunk and ranting, but what you've predicted is a real possibility. people don't like to hear it when it's gloom and dark, because it somehow messes with their psyche. The Texans have been mediocre and we all know it. They've been able to advance to the playoffs the last few years not because they were good, but because they played in a horrible divison. The problem with this franchise is that not only do we not have "now", we don't really know where our "future" leads. It sucks knowing that no matter how incompetent RS is at his job, he will still be our GM. It also sucks knowing that BoB is not the offensive guru that everyone paints him to be, and yet he's still our HC. Watson has no chance to succeed in BoB's offense, whatever that might be. We'll be without the first two picks next year, and they all go to Cleveland, yes, the laughingstock of the league for so long, who picked up their starting QB while remaining status quo in round 2. RS just got his lunch money stolen under him.
Texans played bad. But again what is good enough for this team? I think the 2nd team being out there, & hurricane things going on / Mayweather Fight - Players heads were on the I gotta leave mentality. I honestly think this team will have a few good games but mostly mediocre. 6-10 / 7-9 is what I see. With Savage or Watson. Watson has to hit the gym and learn more about this offense that won't be around in a year. BOB is done after this year. my predictions.
The NO game was just horrible. I don't think the Texans had their head in the game. Likely thinking about the safety of their families back in Houston. Can't blame them.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-non-first-round-rookie-review-preseason-week-3 Wasn't notable enough to make it
