Houston Texans – Jadeveon Clowney 3.0
By Bob Dove
What do his teammates say?
Clowney’s teammates quietly supported him all along although begrudgingly at times when media focused attention on him rather than players on the field. Now that he is on the field fulltime and full speed his teammates are more vocal. In fact Vince Wilfork recently uttered the unthinkable. Wilfork is quoted as describing Clowney as the best player on the Texans defense…”including J.J. Watt”.
That may be a reach, but if Clowney isn’t better than Watt he’s getting close. Clowney doesn’t provide Watt’s pass rush, but he gambles less. That makes him more reliable against the run. He is faster, maybe quicker. Watt is bigger and has more refined tools. Clowney is stronger pound for pound, but Watt is stronger overall. Both are studs.
The good news is that they are both Texans. This season, again, as with Clowney 1.0 and 2.0, one player is healthy and one injured. We can only reflect upon how good the Texans could be with both on the field. Maybe that’s in the Texans future…some day, some way, not this year, but maybe next. But daydreaming is for the offseason.
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This season defense is the Texans’ strength and Jadeveon Clowney 3.0 is the defense’s strength. Let’s appreciate him for that as the Texans lead and fight to win the AFC South. Jadeveon Clowney is the real deal. The Texans defense would be lost without him.