Houston Texans: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – Quarterback
By Bob Dove
In “The Bad” scenario Brock Osweiler misses significant playing time due to injury, and Tom Savage demonstrates why he was not drafted until the 4th round. Brandon Weeden sees playing time in games when Savage falters and may take over if Savage’s shortcomings become too pronounced.
In this scenario Osweiler is injured and Savage performs at the journeyman level either through his own shortcomings or over-conservatism in the play calling. The offense is stunted and quarterbacks are shuffled as O’Brien searches for a consistent game manager; in short, 2015 all over again. The Savage/Weeden duo isn’t bad; they just aren’t good.
Opposing defenses crowd the line of scrimmage magnifying weaknesses of the offensive line. There are more rushers than there are blockers which closes running lanes and increases pressure on the quarterback. The ball comes out too quickly because of the rush, and press coverage dominates the receivers who don’t have time to get deep.
As in 2015, all is not lost. There is enough talent in the other offensive groups to rally around whichever game manager is playing. It’s “next man up, circle the wagons”. In this scenario the offense performs marginally better than in 2015 because there is more talent and speed in the skill positions while the overall quarterback play approximates 2015.
The defense dominates, but labors at times because they spend too much time on the field and face too many short field situations. The Texans win games following their 2015 model and that of the Denver Broncos, but the defense is not strong enough to totally compensate for the lackluster quarterback play.
8-8 is very possible, 9-7 achievable but less likely because of the tougher schedule and improvement in the division. 9-7 could win the division; 8-8 will not. Don’t count on getting beyond the first round of the playoffs.
Next: The Ugly