Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The Houston Texans had a disastrous 2020 season. However, chairman and CEO Cal McNair needs to learn these four lessons from the horrendous season.
2020 was a lost for the Houston Texans as they finished 4-12. However, that doesn’t mean it has to be a wasted season, which is what it would be if they didn’t apply any lessons from the missed opportunity. Here are four lessons chairman and CEO Cal McNair needs to learn from 2020.
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt knows the team has two games left, but they can still end the 2020 campaign on a high note.
The Houston Texans are 4-10 for the fourth time in team history. It is also the third time in defensive end J.J. Watt’s career that the Texans will play a duo of meaningless games as their playoff hopes are shot.
Watt knows what he would like to see from the Texans as they wrap up the 2020 season against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16 and the Tennessee Titans are Week 17, both contests at NRG Stadium.
“Just go out there and play football,” Watt said. “Just try and do your best, put your best foot forward. You’re a competitor. I know for me personally, any time you put the pads on you try to play the best you possibly can. Grateful for the opportunity to play this game. Grateful for the opportunity to try to improve and get better, and you try to do the best you possibly can.”
Watt has provided 46 combined tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, 5.0 sacks, seven pass breakups, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and an interception returned for a touchdown in his 14 games.
“It doesn’t matter what your record is, you go out there and you put your best foot forward,” said Watt. “If each of us puts our best foot forward, it can be a great result hopefully. We would love to go out there and get a win and finish off with something to smile about for this city.”
The Texans have a chance to make Houston sports fans smile as they face the Bengals to begin a two-game homestand to close out 2020.
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Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt says the 2020 season has been one that has featured a lion’s share of drama.
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has had a 2020 to remember — or repress in his memories.
Aside from the COVID-19 situation, the Texans’ season has been a tectonic shift of emotions all throughout 13 games to this point.
“It’s just every week is something,” Watt said. “I think that’s kind of been — it’s just kind of what it’s been. Whether it’s articles or it’s suspensions or it’s whatever it may be. I mean, every week it seems like there’s been something.”
The first “something” was on Oct. 5 when coach and general manager Bill O’Brien was fired. Of course, Houston starting 0-4 is why O’Brien was fired, which meant the drama was building after the Texans started 0-2.
Though Houston rebounded with a 1-4 mark after beating the Jacksonville Jaguars, they lost in overtime to the Tennessee Titans, 42-36, with the defense giving up the game-tying drive for Tennessee and ultimately the game-losing drive in overtime.
Houston fired their PR director, Amy Palcic, on Nov. 13, which was a shock to Watt and other players.
After a two-game winning streak, including a 41-25 win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, receiver Will Fuller and cornerback Bradley Roby were suspended for the rest of 2020 due to violations of the NFL’s performance enhancing drug policy.
Throw in a goal-line fumble to seal their 26-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13, and then a 36-7 embarrassment in Week 14 to the Chicago Bears, and it’s just more drama.
“You just want to play football and you want to be winning,” said Watt. “It’s a lot easier to deal with things like that when you’re winning. So, when you add losing to the equation and then you’re dealing with coaching searches and all this other stuff as well, it’s obviously just a compounding effect.”
The Texans are 4-9 and out of the playoffs, and have just three games left in the horrendous campaign.
Said Watt: “The season hasn’t gone how we had hoped it would. It hasn’t gone how I hoped it would. Like I said all year long, my expectation – this should be nowhere near the expectation, obviously. I don’t believe it is. It certainly hasn’t been enjoyable. That’s for certain.”
Houston initiates the rematch with the Colts Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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