Handicappers had Johnny Manziel going to Houston as their first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. It seemed like the perfect fit for Texas born Johnny football. Instead, the Texans went the other way and made what could turn out to be a very wise move to bolster their sagging defense. They took Jadeveon Clowney out of South Carolina, who was the number one rated player in the draft.
Then it dawned on the world what the Texans had just done. OMG, Houston now has J.J. Watts at one corner and Jadeveon Clowney on the other. Who’s going to be able to run on those guys, which side do you pick? There’s just no easy way around.
And so far the plan seems to be working. Clowney is impressing fans on both side of the ball with his speed and athleticism and Watt is still there, tuff as ever and holding down his side of the line. Put the two together on the field at the same time and the only term that comes to mind would be ‘dominant’, or maybe scary.
Scary indeed might be the effect of these two thundering stallions coming at a quarterback from both sides. Not at all an envious position to be in.
Against the Atlanta Falcons, Clowney and Watt made their presence known, over and over again. At one point Antone Smith had just taken a handoff from Matt Ryan when he found himself in the arms of Clowney who had somehow appeared in the backfield.
On the very next play Clowney zoomed through Sam Baker and sacked Matty Ryan for a seven yard loss. The Texans went on to dominate the Falcons, allowing only one touchdown while putting up 32 points of their own.
After the game Clowney told reporters, “It’s work. You just got to work and get after the guys, go hard and hope for something good. You just have to do your job.” A no frills answer if I’ve ever heard one.
For NFL fans down in Houston, the Atlanta game must have come as a relief after their depressing shutout loss to the Arizona Cardinals in week one of the preseason. The struggling Texans may yet show us some quality football in the coming NFL season.
Houston’s new head coach Bill O’Brien must have been pleased with the stellar performance of his number one draft pick. He said, “When a guy makes a defensive play that’s a big hit, it really lights up your sideline.”
