Now we know why Houston Texans’ head coach Bill O’Brien didn’t waste time in benching Tom Savage for Deshaun Watson.
Now that we’re four weeks into the 2017 NFL season, it’s obvious that rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson should have been the Houston Texans’ starter from day one.
Matt Hammond of SportsRadio 610 is reporting that Texans’ head coach Bill O’Brien wanted to have Watson start right away, but general manager Rick Smith felt like it was important to not rush him along.
"But according to the source, when O’Brien approached Smith about his thinking, Smith said he should “give it time,” in part to ensure that Watson wasn’t being rushed.“(O’Brien) knew what he had a long time ago,” the source said, adding that “it wasn’t a matter of if, but when” Watson would get the nod."
This certainly explains why Tom Savage was benched so quickly during the Texans’ week one loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Savage not playing well was enough for O’Brien to give him the hook without an hesitation and to go with Watson.
While many people didn’t expect Watson to start during the portion of the season, O’Brien knew that he had a special player that could start right away and make a difference for his football team.
It’s now obvious that Smith’s concerns about Watson were off. He was clearly ready to start.
Smith would have been smart to listen to O’Brien, since he’s the coach and works with Watson on the field. But I do understand where Smith was coming from, since his job is also riding on the first round pick panning out and becoming a franchise quarterback for the Texans.
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Comment below and give us your thoughts on the report from Hammond that Smith didn’t want to let Watson start right away. Do you think it cost the Texans a win back in week one?