Fans and the media have mocked the Houston Texans for 17 years. And rightfully so. Texans have deserved it. (David Carr’s sack record, Letterman Jackets…I could go on, but you get the point.)
In Houston (and Texas) football is bigger than life itself. I grew up with it. People care as they should.
- -The Texans have never even been to an AFC title game, let alone a Super Bowl.
- -Their QB situation up until Deshaun Watson has been a complete disaster.
- -They aspire to be the Patriots, yet they’ve only beaten them once in their history.
- -They constantly tease us with talented rosters, only to see underachieving seasons unfold.
- -They’ve watched one crosstown colleague in the Houston Astros recently win a World Series, and the other has become a perennial Western Conference Finals and title contender in the Houston Rockets (Damn you Warriors!).
And for some reason, they’re operating without a GM.
Just when we settled in for the holiday weekend, Bill O’Brien woke us up and traded away the world for (future All-Pro?) Left Tackle Laremy Tunsil and rid themselves of Jadeveon Clowney.
"Houston reshaped its roster in a major way this weekend, swinging trades for offensive additions Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills and Carlos Hyde but also parting ways with two first-round picks, a second-round pick and a Pro Bowl pass rusher in Jadeveon Clowney in the process."
We’re all on board with the fact Bob McNair screwed up the Clowney situation, and there's no denying that hence Clowney became unsalvageable. But, ask yourself this, Did Clowney really equal wins? His two biggest and best games I can remember (at New England in 2017 and at Philly in 2018) were both narrow, excruciating losses. And both ended up with their pass rush not being able to get Tom Brady and Nick Foles off the field in the end.
Same goes for the AFC Wild Card game last year vs. the Colts. We all remember that quick 21-0 deficit. In their biggest game of the season, Clowney had two solo tackles. No sacks. No tackles for loss. No QB hits. No pass deflections.
So, why did Bill O’Brien go crazy over the weekend? I think he didn’t want to pay Clowney money that he’ll have to pay Watson, Tunsil, and J.J. Watt (if he continues to stay healthy). Throw in DeAndre Hopkins too. (Did you see that stat where he didn’t drop a pass last year?) You can’t pay everyone, right, Dallas Cowboys?
I think O'Brien got tired of hearing how much of a joke the Texans have been. I think he truly doesn’t want Deshaun Watson to lose a limb. I think he did it for Watt and Hopkins, who deserve (way) better. Hey, maybe he did it for the fans???!!? (We can all hope, right?)
We said this week in our Herd meeting, with no Andrew Luck in the division, why do you need two elite pass rushers? (Again, I’m not defending Texans owner McNair for the way he handled Clowney. I'm only thinking about life going forward without him) It seems like McNair feels the same way.
The Texans have prioritized defense for years and look where it’s gotten them. I guess it was time to roll the dice and try something different. If the Texans make their first AFC title game this year (or, gulp, the Super Bowl), Bill O’Brien will be lauded a hero. (OK, probably not). But, you can bet Twitter will declare him the “trade winner!” Maybe he won’t need to hire a GM.
Or maybe, he’ll be out of a job.
Greg Toohey Executive Producer for The Herd With Colin Cowherd