In his first two NFL seasons, Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was a bit of a disappointment as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. This year, things are different.
Clowney hit Andrew Luck twice, was in on a tackle behind the line of scrimmage, finished with three solo tackles and was all over the field as a constant threat to the Colts’ offense as the Texans won last night.
“I think Clowney just - I think he’s very disruptive,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said after the game. “I really think that he’s coming into his own. People ask me a lot about moving positions. He plays all over the front. If you really study the tape and you know what you’re looking at then you can see him in about four or five different positions. I think he’s a very active player. He loves to play the games. He wants to do well for his teammates. He’s really come into his own this year. He’s a very difficult guy to block.”
Clowney was finding himself double-teamed regularly by the Colts, but he said he enjoyed that because it was freeing up his teammates to make tackles.
“Other guys are making plays,” Clowney said. “That’s why we depend on all the guys – not just me. On this team, we’ve got a lot of playmakers, a lot of guys that are good players that came out here and played a good game today and finished.”
In the absence of J.J. Watt, Clowney is emerging as one of the keys on a Texans defense that is carrying Houston to the top of the AFC South.