While discussing his first game action as an NFL player, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson said that the players were bigger, faster and stronger but that it was “still football” to describe his comfort level against the Panthers.
Texans coach Bill O’Brien agreed with that sentiment, saying that it’s clear to him that nothing is too big for Watson and that any nerves he may have had didn’t show on the field. As for the play itself, O’Brien said it was the mixed bag you’d predict for a player facing an opposing NFL defense for the first time.
“There’s a lot to build on,” O’Brien said at a press conference. “There’s a lot to correct. He knows that. He was about 50-50 on some of the schemes we run, right or wrong. He was right 50 percent of the time and wrong 50 percent of the time. That’s to be expected with a rookie. I think his overall poise and demeanor and the way he sees the game is pretty impressive to me and it’s the same for Tom [Savage]”
Savage started the game and led a touchdown drive after a pair of ineffective drives, leading O’Brien to say he liked the quarterback’s resiliency. In general, O’Brien seemed more pleased with both of his quarterbacks after watching film of the game than he did with the guys blocking for them and that should make the focus on offense clear as Houston moves toward their second preseason outing.