The Titanic II is expected to set sail in 2022 and replicate the ship that sunk back in 1912. The current ship will be built in China; unlike
the first one
Ka’imi Fairbairn Jersey , it is expected to avoid any icebergs.Compare that situation with this season’s Houston Texans. The only difference is that
instead of a 110-year window in between ocean liners, there has been a five-week
window.The Texans started off this season losing in New England to the Patriots,
followed by another road loss to the division rival Tennessee Titans, and then
followed that up with a home loss to the abysmal New York Giants.H-Town was
screaming “Code Red” faster than pre-injury Will Fuller can get behind a
defense. The offensive line was holding up a “Welcome To Our Quarterback” sign,
allowing defenders to nonchalantly pass through. Deshaun Watson looked like a
man who was more worried about protecting his surgically repaired knee than he
was about throwing accurate passes from the pocket. The defense could not stop a
stationary dummy from moving the chains and scoring. It was so bad that when the
2018 season ends, the New York Giants might have to thank the Texans for helping
them avoid becoming the second winless team in the last two seasons. The Texans
went into this year as a dark horse AFC contender, but life comes at you fast.
Sitting at 0-3, they looked like a dark horse for the number one pick in the
2019 NFL Draft.Like the Titanic, the 2018 Houston Texans set sail and struck an
iceberg.Then something changed. Magic happened.Frank Reich decided his team
would attempt a fourth and four from their own 43-yard line with 24 seconds left
in overtime. It was a game that never should have gone to overtime, as the
Texans let up on the gas after leading 28-10 midway through the third quarter.
Nonetheless, after Reich’s questionable decision, Deshaun Watson hit DeAndre
Hopkins for 24 yards. DW4 spiked the ball to stop the clock.Ka’imi Fairbairn hit
a 37-yard field goal.Game over.Season saved.The next week, Houstonovercame a
bunch of failed conversions with goal to go against the new little brothers of
Texas.An overtime win on Sunday Night Football put Houston at 2-3.Momentum might
just have been shifting. Deshaun started looking like Deshaun, and the defense
was holding up its end of the bargain.A sloppy win at home against Buffalo in
Week Six needs emphasis on the word “sloppy”
Kendall Lamm Jersey , but watching the Patriots have their hands full with the Bills for three quarters on Monday Night Football a few days ago makes it a
little more valid of a dub.Walking into Jacksonville and winning 20-7 in Week
Seven was impressive.The Texans finally caused Blake Bortles to get benched,
albeit temporarily, about two seasons too late.Top all of this off with a
dominant, highlight-reel performance from Deshaun Watson on Thursday Night
Football against the Dolphins, and the Texans are looking at the third seed in
the AFC Playoffs. They went from being winless with fans starting to fill out
their mock draft boards to leading the division and the quarterback sliding into
the MVP conversation.So what changed?The main improvement is rush defense. The
Texans’ defense ranks third in the NFL in rush yards per attempt at 3.6. Teams
are not moving the chains as efficiently with their ground games, and they’re
forced to pass. The Texans’ defense isn’t being forced to stay on the field
because the other team is not milking the clock.Additionally, offensive lines
make all the difference in the world. The Texans’ offensive line ranks dead last
in the league in quarterback hits by giving up 71, eight more than the 31st
ranked team. A quarterback running for his life will be put in a position where
he has to rush throws because he doesn’t have time to go through his reads and
allow receivers to run the routes or let plays develop. Houston’s offensive line
has been playing a little better as of late. In the past two games, Deshaun
Watson has been sacked once and hit six times. Running back Lamar Miller has
also rushed for 100+ yards in back-to-back games because of the improved
offensive line play. When a quarterback who makes plays with his legs is given
the luxury of protection, great things can happen. Ask the Miami Dolphins what
happened to them when they could not get to Watson.The quarterback getting
healthy and trusting his legs again is the third reason. It’s a simple reason,
but it’s the biggest one. Watson tore his ACL on November 2nd last year. An ACL
tear might be healed enough for an athlete to return in eight or nine months,
but it typically takes at least at least a year for it to be completely back to
strength. The need for patience with Watson as he returned from the knee injury
was clear early on. On Opening Day in New England, Watson did not trust his legs
enough to scramble around like he is now.He wasn’t getting the power from his
legs under his throws. Even though he currently has a cracked rib and a bruised
lung, the ACL is fine
Joel Heath Jersey , and the Clemson Tiger great can maneuver like he did before the injury.Deshaun Watson has spearheaded the turn of events in
H-Town.Photo by Bob Levey/Getty ImagesWhat’s next?Houston will take a trip to
the Mile High City and play the Broncos on Sunday. The Texans just acquired wide
receiver Demaryius Thomas to replace injured speed demon Will Fuller. Houston
will then go into their bye week before playing the Redskins in D.C., followed
by three straight home games against the Titans, Browns, and Colts. The Texans
have a shot to start running away with the AFC South and extend their winning
streak. If they keep playing like they have the last few weeks, it would be wise
to bet that the Titanic II is not going to sink. The first overall pick of the
2-14 NFL Draft is about a third of the way through the fifth and final season on
his rookie contract. It has taken quite a while, but Jadeveon Clowney has
elevated his play to become one of the most disruptive defenders in the league.
Even through all of the injuries and quick-to-react pundits who called him a
“major bust,” Clowney emerged last season after the loss of J.J. Watt as a
premier run-stopper and good pass rusher. With all the injuries and doubt behind
him, the Texans exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie contract for
$12.306 million dollars. Last year, Clowney put up 9.5 sacks, which was tied for
19th in the league. Clowney made the Pro Bowl for the second time and earned his
keep last year. So far this year, he has 2.5 sacks and 12 tackles. Not
jaw-dropping numbers, but you have to put his impact into the context of a
professional football game. Teams are showing him far more respect this year by
constantly double teaming him or chipping him with a tight end or running back.
Even so, Clowney bursts through opposing blockers better than most in the
league. A significant portion of Clowney’s contribution cannot be seen on the
stat sheet. To account for Jadeveon Clowney means you have to protect yourself
from his speed off the edge. By providing the offensive line assistance in
blocking him, it gives Houston’s secondary and linebackers one less person to
worry about beating them downfield. Especially for teams with an immobile
QB
D.J. Reader Jersey , the Jadeveon Clowney Effect is equivalent to having 9 versus 11. Film doesn’t lie, but stat sheets and numbers are a player’s resume.
He only recorded 59 tackles last year for the Texans - fifth best on the team.
Last year was the first time in Clowney’s career he playled a full 16 game
season. If the Texans want to double down on Clowney, he needs to make it
through another season fully healthy and light up opposing quarterbacks while
doing so. The Texans have already placed a serious investment in Clowney’s
future. Waiting patiently for years for him to develop and get over injury after
injury cost the team several years of quality play while he healed. Watching
Khalil Mack, who was drafted later by the Raiders, flourish while Clowney sat on
a spin bike during games was tough to watch. Now that Clowney is healthy, the
team and fans finally get to enjoy the carnage as Clowney demonstrates the
epitome of athleticism on a play-by-play basisFor some, the decision to keep
Clowney is predicated on the long-term winning probability of having him on the
team. In this line of discussion, it is not just that Clowney makes the Texans
better - but does his value make us more likely to win a Super Bowl? Usually,
this can be extended throughout the team in the “window of opportunity”
debate.This conversation always comes up when deciding to pay big-time players
in any sport. Can this Texans squad or the next five years of this team win a
Super Bowl without Jadeveon on the roster? Immediately, my first thought is “no”
simply because there is no foreseeable future where the Texans can acquire such
a singular raw talent without paying a similar fee for his skills. Combine that
notion with the Deshaun Watson rookie contract window, J.J. Watt’s career
trajectory, DeAndre Hopkins’ prime, and the other 6-8 vital players on the
roster, and you have the makings of a title contender. Therefore if you are
going to be “all in” to win it all
Christian Covington Jersey , you need to have the best collection of talent possible.The rebuttal to a must-have-Clowney debate is the route the Texans took
in 2011 when they signed Daniel Manning and Johnathan Joseph at the same price
tag as one Nnamdi Asomugha. Remember him? Side bar: You’re telling me the
Texans’ front office actually made a good free agent decision? I am, BRB reader.
Clowney has stated that he wants to be paid in the same ballpark as Khalil Mack
and Aaron Donald who both signed mega-deals this offseason. To do so would cost
the Texans a legitimate fortuneAaron Donald became the highest paid defensive
player in the NFL with a six-year, $135 million dollar contract guarantees
Donald $87 million to continue to play in Los Angeles. The next day, the Bear’s
newly acquired linebacker Khalil Mack penned in a $141 million dollar contract
with $90 million of guaranteed. With either Aaron Donald or Khalil Mack’s
contract, you could pay the entire Texans’ offensive line and then have several
million dollars left to buy a house in River Oaks. Imagine spreading over $100
million dollars over a few new offensive tackles, a young cornerback free agent,
and some depth at safety? Weighing the impact of several dependable free agent
signings over keeping Clowney is a true test of this team’s values. There are a
lot of varying opinions on Clowney’s future in Houston, whether to eat the
fruits of our labor and patience or spread the wealth to multiple positions.The
question is whether, with the current level of play we are seeing from Jadeveon
Clowney, is he playing at a level worthy of a maximum contract.Though we do not
have the full answer yet, at least we know what Clowney thinks:
