What went wrong for the Texans?
Nov 23, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (90) prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
2. The 2014 Draft choices.
You cannot talk about the draft without talking about the number one pick, Jadeveon Clowney. Selected number one over all, Clowney managed half a game before suffering a knee injury and never recovering through the season. This unfortunate turn of events eventually ended Clowney’s season and putting his future in serious doubt. Early in December they placed Clowney on IR for the season and he was to under go microfacture surgery to repair his knee. This surgery has a low rate of end success in terms of returning to pre-injury level of play. He might still make a come back, it’s happened but the odds are Clowney’s career will have ended before it began.
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Later in the draft the Texans, still needing a quarterback chose Louis Nix III to play nose tackle. This larger then life player from Notre Dame has his own issues with knee problems and while the potential was talked about Nix was never seen on the field during the regular season and replaced by Ryan Pickett formerly of Green Bay who had a great year with the Texans. Nix’s future in the NFL is also questionable.
Finally, in the fourth round after passing on a wide range of potential quarterbacks either who were available or could have been traded up for the Texans grabbed Tom Savage. Savage was a hot topic prior to the season due to his raw potential, but limited play time in college and large question marks as to his durability and overall skills left other teams passing on him. His first call to action was also his last. He came in after Fitzpatrick broke his leg in the second quarter of the final game against the Colts. Savage got off to a rocky start looking like a deer in the headlights lacking confidence or understanding of the offense. Missed hand offs, fumbles were slowly replaced with the skills that O’Brien chose him for. A very strong arm and good release, as the game wore on he got better, got more confident. However on the second to last offense play for the Texans Savage was hit in his upper thigh causing a nasty hyper extended knee that ended his season. After 15 weeks, his first time in action was not great. He looked unready to play, but his final drives showed potential. Still, after seeing the play of Derrick Carr, Zack Mettenberger, Blake Bortles and especially Teddy Bridgewater we’re left wondering how the season would have played out with a better choice for quarterback.