HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- Deshaun Watson said Wednesday he doesn’t necessarily believe he’s been held back in three years with Bill O’Brien as his head coach.
Watson, speaking with the media for the first time since O’Brien was fired earlier in the week after starting the season 0-4, said he did what was asked of him.
But he also spoke candidly of the Texans’ shaky foundation, and wanting to be a part of the solution.
J.J. Watt, who reportedly feuded with O’Brien in the weeks leading up to the coach’s firing, made it clear.
Whatever maximizes Watson’s abilities is what’s best for the Texans, and they can’t be 0-4 with a quarterback of his caliber.
“Deshaun Watson’s an incredible quarterback. He’s the face of this franchise. He’s the future of this team and this city,” said Watt, who also spoke Wednesday. “We have to do whatever we possibly can to make sure that he’s in the best position to have success and to lead this place to success, not only this year, not only next year, but for the next 10 years.
“Whatever it takes to give him all the tools he needs to be successful in order to be and flourish and build into the best possible version of himself he can be, that’s what we need to do.”
The next long term head coach for the Texans will be sorted out later. For now, that’s interim Romeo Crennel, who also stressed the importance of putting Watson in a position to thrive.
Watson is the 15th rated passer through Week 4. The Texans’ offense is ranked 29th, largely because of their inability to run the ball.
Crennel said one of the tools Watson will need is an effective run game.
“I think that we would like for Deshaun to be who we know he can be,” Crennel said. “We’re going to work to try to make that happen.”