Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien believes in his team. Even with J.J. Watt out, he sees a lot of talent in the locker room. With that said, the coach is also well aware of what he lost with Watt’s injury.
“You can never replace the best player in the NFL,” O’Brien said, via Garret Heinrich of CBS Houston. “When someone like that goes down it’s a tough thing, obviously, but at the same time this is a football team. A team made up of some really good veteran leaders, some really good young players, a lot of good players. Got a lot of good players in that locker room and we are looking forward to the challenges that are ahead.”
This is exactly what a coach has to say. With the possible exception of Bill Belichick, it’s hard to believe any coach who espouses the “next man up” theory, regardless of who’s out of action. Watt is an irreplaceable player.
What’s immeasurable, of course, is what kind of impact Watt’s absence will have on those still out there — especially on the defensive side of the ball. Watt is not only a statistical monster, but draws an incredible amount of attention.
That puts the other defenders in better matchups. That’s obviously not a luxury any other Houston defender will have for a while.
Still, a coach can’t come out and say that the season is doomed either. Judging by his look forward approach, we can certainly tell that O’Brien learned under Belichick.
Whether he can coach like Belichick and keep his team afloat with his best player on injured reserve remains to be seen.