When Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney compared Deshaun Watson
to Michael Jordan prior to the 2017 NFL
Draft
Houston Texans
T-Shirts , where Watson would get passed over by nearly a dozen needy
teams, a lot of people scoffed and snickered. Now, nearly two years later, while
not the bragging sort, Dabo is probably thinking to himself “How do you like me
now?” Having played his entire professional career behind arguably the worst
offensive line in the NFL, Deshaun Watson leads the league in sacks taken. While
he has a tendency to hang onto the ball too long, he also has some magic up his
sleeve. Despite the line’s inability to open rushing lanes for the running
backs, despite their inability to prevent opposing defenses from getting five
steps into the Texans’ backfield faster than Watson can, despite having to field
his backup’s backup, Joe Webb, as his WR3, Deshaun has found a way to drag this
team, sometimes kicking and screaming, to the #2 seed in the AFC Playoff race.
Most of the Texans’ wins haven’t been pretty, and the losses have all been ugly,
but when Watson is on his game, he’s proven to be unstoppable. Maybe the Texans
should bring in Mercy Me to sing “I Can Only Imagine” as the their intro song
before the next kickoff at NRG Stadium as we all dream of the day Watson, J.J.
Watt, and DeAndre Hopkins hold up the Lombardi Trophy while standing behind an
All-Pro offensive line. Or, maybe, just maybe, the Texans do it this year. The
Texans have never been closer to a playoff bye than they are right now. In
fact
https://www.texansfanshop.com/hats ,
if they can beat the Eagles and Jaguars over the next two weeks, they’ll have
clinched the first bye in team history. Ugly wins or not, that’s something to
get excited about. And, ugly wins or not, the trio of Watson, Hopkins and Watt
can find a way to beat anyone on any given Sunday. Sure, they don’t match up
well against teams with star quarterbacks.Sure, they don’t have a great track
record against the Chiefs or Patriots in the NFL Playoffs, having been ousted by
both in recent years. But the ball has been bouncing Houston’s way this season.
Anyone with the ability to examine football teams would conclude Houston doesn’t
match up well with anyone else in the AFC playoff picture. One could also argue
Houston is only where they are due to a weak schedule. But the difference
between winners and losers in the NFL is razor thin, and the winners often
simply are the teams that find a way to win. With Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt and
DeAndre Hopkins – arguably three of the NFL’s biggest talents – Houston’s odds
of success in the postseason should go way up. Most teams often only have one,
possibly two superstars. Having a trio of them means if the Texans can get/stay
healthy,if the offensive line can start functioning at a pro level, and if the
team can continue to get some of the lucky breaks they had during the nine-game
winning streak, a Super Bowl trophy is not only possible, it’s highly probable.
What do you think? Convinced Houston is going to crash and burn or do you think
this year is THE year? HOUSTON (AP) — Robert “Bob” McNair, the man who brought
football back to Houston after the Oilers left for Tennessee by founding the
Texans, has died. He was 81.One of the NFL’s most influential owners, McNair had
battled both leukemia and squamous cell carcinoma in recent years before dying
in Houston on Friday. The team did not immediately release a cause of death, but
said he died peacefully with wife Janice and his family by his side.“He was a
very caring, thoughtful and passionate individual,” coach Bill O’Brien said in a
statement. “As much as he cared about
winning
Houston Texans Hoodie ,
I think the thing I will remember most about Mr. McNair is the way he cared
about the players.”When Houston lost the Oilers to Tennessee after the 1996
season, McNair made it his mission to return the NFL to the city. He formed
Houston NFL Holdings in 1998, and on Oct. 6, 1999, he was awarded the 32nd NFL
franchise. The Texans began play in 2002.“He was the reason professional
football returned to Houston and he (led) our franchise with a laser focus on
honesty, integrity and high character,” team president Jamey Rootes said in a
statement. “He was an amazing champion for Houston and worked hard to make sure
our city received maximum value from the presence of the Texans and the NFL.”His
son, Cal McNair, who has been serving as the team’s chairman and chief operating
officer, will lead the team in the wake of his father’s death.President George
H.W. Bush, McNair’s longtime friend, issued a statement on his passing.“Bob
McNair wasn’t just the brightest point of light in Houston; he was one of the
kindest and most generous people anywhere,” Bush said. “Nobody cared — or helped
people — more, and that’s just one of the reasons I will always be proud Bob was
my good friend. He was simply the best.”Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones raved
about McNair and his contributions to the NFL. .“His love for his team, and
especially his players, was unsurpassed by any NFL owner that I have known,”
Jones said in a statement. “I am most grateful and indebted to him for bringing
Houston back the NFL and re-establishing that great metropolitan area in our
state as an NFL city. I am privileged to have been his friend. We have lost a
great Texan, sportsman and a wonderful person.”“He was not only a strong
personal and professional influence on me, but his presence in the NFL helped
grow and develop our league on so many levels,” Jones continued.Many current and
former Texans took to social media to share thoughts about McNair and send
condolences to his family.Receiver Andre Johnson, who played for the team from
2003-14 and is the Texans’ career receiving leader, tweeted about
McNair
Braxton Miller
Color Rush Jersey , saying: “Can’t thank you enough for giving a kid from
Miami a chance to live out his dream of playing in the NFL.”Three-time NFL
Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt also tweeted his appreciation for McNair
saying: “Thank you for giving myself and so many others an opportunity here in
Houston.”McNair came under fire in 2017 when he said “we can’t have the inmates
running the prison” during a meeting of the NFL owners about players who protest
social and racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem. McNair
issued two apologies after the remarks became public, calling it a “very
regretful comment.”In response, almost all of the Texans kneeled during the
anthem before their game against the Seahawks on Oct. 29, 2017 after no one on
the team had kneeled before.A powerful force in the NFL, McNair served as
chairman of the league’s finance committee and as a member of the audit
committee.In August 2014 he spoke candidly about his battle with cancer, and
outlined the many procedures and treatments he endured to recover.“In the past,
if you mentioned cancer, people thought it’s a death sentence,” McNair said at
that time. “That’s just not nearly the case.”It was then he revealed he’d dealt
with skin cancer for about 20 years.He also noted then that he’d remain in
charge of the team, but would work on delegating responsibilities to other
members of his staff.“We’re in terrific shape,” McNair said. “I’ll continue
being the CEO and continue doing everything I can to put together a winning
football team; that’s what we’re all about. We’ve won this other battle, and now
we’ve got to win the battle of football.“I go to all the games and I’ll plan on
continuing doing that,” McNair added. “I think I will enjoy it more and leave it
to other people in the organization to worry more. I’ll skip the worrying and
take the enjoyment.”He continued to attend many games after that pronouncement
and was often seen at practice under the shade of a golf cart or talking with
various staff members around the facility.“During his nearly two decades as an
NFL owner, Bob McNair left a lasting mark on his city and our league,” NFL
Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “His leadership and
determination brought the NFL back to Houston, built a magnificent stadium that
hosted two Super Bowls, and his beloved Texans are in the midst of another
successful season and are again contending for a place in the postseason.“He
cared deeply about the league and was generous with his time and willingness to
share his insights as an exceptional businessman. But above all, Bob was a
family man. I extend my heartfelt condolences to Janice, their family, the
Texans, and the entire Houston community.”After several difficult building years
as an expansion team, the Texans won their first AFC South title and first
playoff berth in 2011. They also won the division title a year later when they
went a franchise-best 12-4. Both years they lost in the divisional round of the
playoffs.McNair made the agonizing decision to fire longtime friend and coach
Gary Kubiak late in the following season as the Texans limped to
2-14
Cullen Gillaspia
Jersey , tying a franchise record for losses. He hired O’Brien in 2014 and
the team improved to 9-7 in his first year, but missed the postseason. Houston
put up an identical record in 2015, but this time in a weak AFC South it was
enough to reach the postseason for the third time. That season ended with an
embarrassing 30-0 wild-card loss to Kansas City.In March 2016, McNair beamed as
he sat next to quarterback Brock Osweiler on the day the team introduced him in
Houston, and seemed unfazed by the staggering $72 million, four-year contract
they gave Osweiler to lure him from Denver.“We just want to get better every
day,” McNair said. “Certainly this is a day when we got a lot better.”Not
exactly. Osweiler struggled and his name was added to a long list of
quarterbacks who couldn’t help the owner get the title he so longed for.
Osweiler was benched late in the 2016 season before getting his job back
(through injury to his replacement) in time for the playoffs. But he threw three
interceptions in a loss to New England in the divisional round, and Houston had
seen enough and shipped him to Cleveland a few months later.The Texans drafted
Deshaun Watson in the first round in 2017 to replace Osweiler, but he sustained
a season-ending knee injury in a year when star defensive end J.J. Watt also
missed most of the season with a broken leg. Houston went 4-12 in the last full
season McNair would see.McNair was born in Tampa and graduated from South
Carolina in 1958 with a bachelor of science degree. He received an honorary
doctor of humane letters degree from South Carolina in 1999, and in 2010 was
given an honorary doctor of humanities in medicine degree from Baylor College of
Medicine.He and Janice moved to Houston in 1960 and he made his fortune as the
founder of Cogen Technologies, an energy company which was sold to Enron in 1999
for $1.5 billion.The couple has been committed to charity in the city, and he
was the chairman of The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation, The Robert and
Janice McNair Educational Foundation in Forest City, North Carolina, and the
Houston Texans Foundation. Through these efforts the McNairs have given more
than $500 million to scientific, religious, educational and literary
organizations.He also founded the AdvoCare Texas Bowl, which has provided more
than $700,000 in funds to the DePelchin Children’s Center in Houston.Along with
his wife, McNair is survived by four children, 15 grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren.
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