HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- J.J. Watt has noticed the disconnect between the Texans and their fan base over the past couple of years.
He talked about it last season, when he hurried from a torn pectoral muscle to play in the Texans’ postseason run. Watt wanted to recapture the magic of his early years in Houston -- when the Texans won their first AFC South titles in 2011 and 2012, and fans truly felt like they had a Super Bowl contender.
The Texans won four division titles in six seasons with Bill O’Brien as the head coach. But after an 0-4 start, and reports of a confrontation at practice between the coach and star defensive end, O’Brien is out.
Watt indicated Sunday, after the Texans fell to 0-4 with a loss at home to the Vikings, that something needed to change.
He reiterated that Wednesday in his first meeting with the media since O’Brien’s firing.
“When you’re 0-4, obviously things need to change,” Watt said. “I appreciate and respect what we had. We won four division titles in six years with Bill and I appreciate that in that time. But obviously, this year, we’re 0-4 and stuff wasn’t working.
“When you have the talent that we have, specifically at the quarterback position in this league, you can’t be 0-4. And so we’re looking forward to doing what we can to get on the right track and looking to get our first win this weekend.
“One of the things I’m excited about right now is hopefully getting on the same page with our fan base again. There’s certainly been a bit of a tension there in the last months and years. And I can’t wait to have us all pulling in the same direction again. I feel like there’s been a bit of a disconnect there. It’s not fun as a player to be a part of that, when you feel like your fans can’t really back you the way they want to.”
Watt defended O’Brien as a coach who always stood up for his players, in meetings and off the field.
“I truly believe that he always did what he believed was best for this football team. So I don’t have ill-will at all,” Watt said. “But I do look forward to a fresh start. I do think that there’s an energy and excitement.”