It’s time for the Texans to move on from Bill O’Brien
By Josh Hill
Without Deshaun Watson, the Houston Texans barely looked like a football team which is a reminder that this is the reality Bill O’Brien wanted.
Deshaun Watson looked like the Rookie of the Year through his first six starts of the season. Running wild over defenses that might very well play in the Super Bowl, Watson proved his worth in a short amount of time. He should have had seven starts, but head coach Bill O’Brien saw to that, choosing Tom Savage over Watson in the first week of the year.
That’s a decision that now looms large, not because O’Brien had anything to do with Savage starting on Sunday but because this is the reality he initially wanted.
Every bad thing that happened on Sunday for Houston was an indictment of O’Brien. It could be argued that it’s not O’Brien’s fault that Watson didn’t play, but it almost was. Lest we forget that O’Brien — a supposed quarterback whisperer — had months to see the light within Watson and decided that Savage was the right choice.
Getting out from under O’Brien now is the right move. Otherwise, it will only get harder to move on.
Houston’s season ended when Watson went down with a torn ACL, but it should have been over much sooner.
Sunday’s horror show with Savage under center was just the latest in a long line of frustrations that fans in Houston have with O’Brien. The Texans had a chance to beat New England on the road with a rookie quarterback — something that hasn’t been done in the Brady-Belichick era — but O’Brien blew a timeout.
Houston lost that game.
Last Sunday, Watson ran all over one of the best defenses in football and put the Texans in a position to win the game. On a critical third-down play late in the fourth quarter, rather than have his quarterback — who had been playing stellar — make a play, O’Brien chose to run the ball.
Houston lost that game.
Watson took almost no time to catch fire and become the most electric rookie quarterback in the NFL. O’Brien missed these signals for months in the preseason and started Savage Week 1.
Houston lost that game. Noticing a trend here?
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The problems all begin and end with O’Brien. Houston is that one friend dating the wrong person, but here’s an opportunity to get out of the relationship now before you are forced to over-commit. There’s no chance the Texans make the playoffs this year, but they are primed to be contenders for the years to come. Getting out from under O’Brien now is the right move. Otherwise, it will only get harder to move on.
If vacated, really good head coaches will be falling over themselves to try and get the position. Houston is a warm-weather city with a young franchise quarterback, a ferocious defense, and a devoted fan base — it’s a top job.
The only problem is the wrong guy currently holds it.