Based on what he demonstrated as a rookie, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson soon could be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The man generally regarded as the best quarterback in the NFL likes what he has seen.
“He did some amazing things,” Aaron Rodgers recently told the Greenville News regarding Watson, via the Texans’ official website. “Obviously he’s extremely gifted athletically and can throw all over the field. That gives him a lot of different weapons to use in that offense.”
So what advice could Watson use as he prepares for the second year of his career?
“I don’t think he needs any advice,” Rodgers said. “He had a fantastic year.”
And then came the advice.
“As he’ll find out, the second year is maybe the toughest year for a quarterback because you have an entire offseason for teams -- especially teams in your division -- to study you,” Rodgers said. “It makes things a little harder. I played pretty decent my first year and came back in ’09 and was seeing some different looks because there’s a lot more film on you.”
Rodgers is right. As defenses learn more about the things that a player likes to do, defenses figure out how to take those things away, and to force the player to do things that maybe he doesn’t want to do.