Football coaches are notorious for what’s known as “coach speak,” and Houston Texans head man Bill O’Brien knows a thing or two about that. He may have a case of buyer’s remorse in regard to his choices in the 2014 NFL Draft — a draft that saw him pass up on the quarterback who very well may burn his team this weekend: Oakland’s Derek Carr.
In the first two rounds of that draft, O’Brien and the Texans took South Carolina superstar defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with the first overall pick and UCLA guard Xavier Su’a-Filo at the top of Round 2.
Carr went to the Raiders with the 36th pick, which in hindsight was one of the best picks the franchise has made in some time. He’s a true game-changer for Oakland, and he’s becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Of course, as a second-round quarterback out of Fresno State, his ultimate potential may not have been apparent for the Texans, but that’s what scouts are for, right?
Especially for an organization that has desperately needed a franchise quarterback, not seeing the potential in Carr has been a huge mistake for the Texans.
Apparently, O’Brien was recently asked about that draft in the lead up to this weekend’s game, and according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, O’Brien busted out some coach speak.
Bill O'Brien on Derek Carr: 'We chose who we chose. We're happy with who we chose.'
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 16, 2016
All you have to do as a reader is look at some of the GIF replies to Wilson’s tweet to see that fans obviously don’t believe that the Texans are all that happy with who they choose.
Clowney is full of potential, but he certainly hasn’t fully lived up to it yet. He was injured in most of his rookie season. He did notch 4.5 sacks last season and this season he already has three sacks, but is that No. 1 overall pick good? Absolutely not. Su’a-Filo, on the other-hand, has started every game this season. However, that wasn’t the case in his first two NFL seasons when he started a combined one game.
Houston enters this weekend’s contest against Oakland with Brock Osweiler at quarterback. So far this season, he’s thrown for 1,818 yards and 11 touchdowns, but he’s also thrown nine picks.
Oakland enters this game at 7-2 with Carr leading the way. He’s thrown for 2,505 yards with 17 touchdowns and just three interceptions thus far this season. Heading into Week 11, Carr has to be seen as a viable MVP candidate.