Quarterback Deshaun Watson disagrees with the idea being floated that he should be shut down for the rest of the season to protect him from injury.
With the Texans mathematically eliminated from the playoffs — even though they hadn’t been a bona-fide contender for weeks — one theory is a healthy Watson would make the job more attractive for a new general manager and coach.
That makes no sense because owner Cal McNair is the only member of the organization who could order Watson to not play again. Candidates to become the new general manager and coach might be suspicious of an owner who tells his team how to handle his quarterback.
Do you think ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, who interviewed Wednesday for the general manager job, or any of the other candidates wouldn’t question working for an owner who told his coach to shut down his quarterback?
It’s a moot point because that’s not McNair’s style, anyway.
Interim coach Romeo Crennel said Wednesday it won’t happen, and Watson made it clear how he feels about playing and working on his game against Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Tennessee.
“A lot of fans are looking at the future, but I live in the present, and I want to finish the season off strong,” Watson said on a Zoom conference call. “My heart and gut would agree with that because of my passion and love for the game, being around my teammates and being out there on the field.”
If Watson is injured, everybody advocating for him to sit for the last three games can say I told him so, but he wants no part of it a no-play mandate.
“I want to continue to get the reps to continue to grow as a quarterback and as a teammate,” he said. “Safety’s always first, but at the same time, I want to finish these three games.
“Every rep I get — the different throws — is an opportunity for me to continue to build my confidence as a quarterback and what I see the defenses are trying to do to me. That’s what I’m working on (to) craft myself and this team for what we want to do in the future.”
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Watson has the normal wear and tear from playing 13 games and being sacked 39 times, but he’s not going to change his style because he thinks it’s been good for him. The secret to staying healthy for the last three games?
“Continue to play like I’m playing,” he said. “Don’t be hesitant. Don’t try to do anything different. That’s what’s been keeping me healthy.”
The Texans are 4-9 and coming off their worst performance of the season in Chicago, where they lost 36-7 to a team with a six-game losing streak. When Crennel was asked about the idea of sitting Watson for the last three games, he echoed Herman Edwards when he was the Jets’ head coach.
“We play this game to win,” he said. “If you shut down Watson, then should you shut down the rest of the team -- everybody pack up and go home (with) three games left?”
Maybe not everybody, but perhaps J.J. Watt, Laremy Tunsil, Tytus Howard and Zach Cunningham — other important players who could be protected as well.
“We’re in the NFL, and there’s certain rules about playing,” Crennel said. “I think that probably if you shut down your team and left and didn’t play the games, there’d be tremendous fining involved. So, we’re going to play the games and try to win as many as we can.”
As competitive as Watson is and considering how much pride he has in his game, it would be tough for Crennel to tell him he wouldn’t be playing the rest of the season.
Of the best quarterbacks who played in Houston — George Blanda, Dan Pastorini, Kenny Stabler, Warren Moon and Steve McNair — they continued to play when their teams were out of the playoffs.
New Orleans finished 7-9 and out of the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, and Drew Brees continued to start. Same with John Elway and Dan Marino.
“You want players who want to be out there,” Crennel said. “He’s the leader. You want the leader to be leading your men. I applaud the fact that he wants to play and that he wants to try to help his team, help the organization. That’s the way it should be.
“If you’re not a competitor, then you probably go over on the bench and sit, wrap up and wait for the game to be over, or, as some have suggested, not playing at all and wait for the season to be over. But we’re not going to do that. We’re going to play the best we can until it’s over.”
Based on the poor protection Watson has gotten the last two games, Crennel is concerned about him being sacked and hit too much.
The Texans have allowed 12 sacks in the last two losses to the Colts and Bears. They allowed that many in their previous seven games. Watson has been sacked 11 times in the last two games, including a season-high six against the Bears.
“I’m definitely concerned about that because one, you don’t want to give up sacks, and two, your quarterback (is) getting beat up (and) you don’t want that to happen,” Crennel said. “Everybody is kind of involved but (it’s) mostly on the offensive line because they’re the ones who are tasked with the responsibility to protect the quarterback.”
Watson’s 39 sacks are five fewer than last season. Some of the sacks are his fault, but he’s escaped a lot more with his pocket awareness and mobility.
“We’ll continue to work to try to improve it,” Crennel said about the pass protection. “If we don’t get behind, it’ll help. Sometimes, when you get behind and have to throw all the time, your opponent knows you have to throw, and they don’t worry about the run. They just come after your quarterback.”
There’s one coach who believes the Texans are making the wrong decision and definitely should sit Watson.
“I think the Texans absolutely should do that, at least for this one game,” Colts coach Frank Reich said with a laugh. “I’m sorry — I couldn’t resist.”
Reich played quarterback in the NFL. He’s coached quarterbacks and was an offensive coordinator before the Colts made him their head coach. He doesn’t agree that a quarterback should sit when his team’s out of the playoffs to protect him from injury.
“I would not adhere to that philosophy, and I don’t think players do, either,” Reich said on a conference call. “Players think they’re paid to play, and that’s their job.
“Now, if a coach wants to make a decision, the player has to respect that. Certainly, in this business, you learn (to) never say never (because) there are unique situations.”
But this isn’t one of them. Watson will play. Case closed.
As long as he’s healthy.
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