Houston Texans: 3 aspects Deshaun Watson could improve upon
By Avery Duncan
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is on the path to being one of the top quarterbacks in the entire NFL.
Houston Texans star quarterback Deshaun Watson had nothing short of a stellar 2018 season. Not only was he named to the 2019 Pro Bowl, but he also threw for 4,165 yards, tossed 26 touchdowns, ran for five rushing touchdowns and pilled up 551 rushing yards.
His completion percentage stood at 68.3 percent for the year, while he was also sixth in the NFL in passer rating with 103.1. Simply put, he was an efficient quarterback that delivered electric moments throughout the 2018 season.
But, his efficiency doesn’t make him perfect. Sure, he is electric with both his arm and legs, and he has the charisma to get a team behind him, but Watson was also sacked a staggering 65 times (including postseason) for 402 yards, meaning the young former Clemson star has some things to work on.
1. Identifying a cornerback blitz.
Throughout the 2018 season, the tape started to leak out that Watson struggles to identify a cornerback blitz. That tape began to make a difference on the Texans season. No other quarterback in the NFL was sacked as many times on a cornerback blitz as Watson.
Though to be fair, the inability to identify a cornerback blitz partially comes on a lack of communication from head coach Bill O’Brien. Out of his 65 total sacks, 13 of came via a cornerback blitz. To make matters worse, AFC South teams used this to their advantage.
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Six of those sacks came from the Indianapolis Colts, while three came from the Tennessee Titans. Oddly enough, the Jacksonville Jaguars accumulated zero of said cornerback blitz sacks, but that could be due to their already otherworldly pass rushing talent.
2. Getting the ball out quicker.
Some of the blame for Watson holding onto the ball too long can be attributed to the fact that the wide receiver position around DeAndre Hopkins was a revolving door of new faces in 2018.
That is not entirely excusable on the receivers. Watson tends to play hero ball often where he tried to take over plays with his agility and brilliant arm. Scrambling around like Texas A&M Johnny Manziel then launching the ball 30 yards downfield to Hopkins is okay, sometimes. For the most part, that style of play can get a quarterback in a lot of trouble.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, on average, Watson took 3.01 seconds to throw the ball, which is the fourth worst time in the NFL. Quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Jared Goff, and Patrick Mahomes are all within .10 seconds of his time, but they have the luxury of playing with significantly more talented and more experienced offensive lines than Watson’s.
NFL teams tend to emphasize the need for quarterbacks to get the ball out before the three-second mark, not after, which is what Watson does. Though Watson’s 88.2 rating when pressured is the highest in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, exposing himself to NFL pass rushers for an extended amount of time without a stable offensive line is a massive health risk.
3. Taking advantage of check downs
This relates directly to the first two aspects because one of the easiest ways to beat an oncoming blitz or pressure around a quarterback is to take advantage of a set check down to beat a blitz, otherwise known as a “hot.” NFL analyst Brett Kollmann explains that concept well in this video on the Carolina Panthers. If you are interested in furthering your football vocabulary, I would recommend watching that video.
Again, Watson tends to play hero ball and look downfield for the big play, but in reality, he often has players hovering near the line of scrimmage to help move the ball downfield. Watson was very reliant on his receivers to move the chains, but he seems to tend to forget that Lamar Miller is remarkably useful in open space.
Miller had his worst year since his rookie season regarding receptions with only 25 on the year, and that’s not a fluke. Watson doesn’t take advantage of an open Miller or other running backs and check downs near the line of scrimmage.
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If avoiding sacks via blitzes or stumbling linemen is something Watson wants to do in the future, passing the ball to his backs and check downs will be a key to emphasize.