Houston Texans: Without Watt Can They Compete?
By Bob Dove
Today the Texans know they will likely play the remainder of the 2016 season without J. J. Watt. That means there is no hope for the Texans this year…Right? Wrong!
I refer you first to The Good, The Bad & The Ugly series that appeared in Toro Times earlier this year. The theme of those posts is that “stuff happens”. In June we think we know what a team will look like and we project the team’s performance from that snapshot. In Good, Bad & Ugly we projected a range of things that could occur, primarily injuries, that would change the picture for better or worse.
J. J. Watt not returning to form was a key element in several of the Bad and Ugly scenarios. A serious injury to Brian Cushing was another. Duane Brown’s slow recovery was a third. Then there is Nick Martin’s season ending injury. That combination puts “Ugly” in play, but it is not inevitable.
GBU assumed a static roster. Alternatives considered to deal with negative scenarios, primarily injuries, were limited to players appearing on the original 90 man roster. In the real world there are undrafted free agents and trades that can supplement an injury depleted team. That takes us back to today’s Texans.