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Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel gave an update on the injury status of players after the 36-7 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel provided an injury update on Monday after the team’s 36-7 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon in Week 14 at Soldier Field. Here is an update on the players he mentioned.
Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel agrees that the 36-7 loss to the Chicago Bears was embarrassing and the most disappointment he has had.
Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel isn’t going to argue with his players about the Chicago Bears game in Week 14.
After the 36-7 loss that dropped the Texans to 4-9 on the season and eliminated them from the postseason, defensive end J.J. Watt said the performance was embarrassing. Not only did quarterback Deshaun Watson agree, but so did inside linebacker Tyrell Adams.
Crennel couldn’t help but add to the chorus.
“I agreed with them,” Crennel told reporters Monday. “I agreed totally with them because we didn’t play the way we’ve been playing the last couple of weeks. We didn’t go out and compete the way you need to compete to give yourself a chance to win. Why that occurred, I’m not sure.”
The Texans were facing a cornered animal in the Bears, who were riding a six-game losing streak in the encounter. If Chicago could just get a win, they would be back int he playoff race in the NFC. Meanwhile, the Texans, even with a win, would have needed a ton of help.
Said Crennel: “I don’t know whether the stress of the season got to them, whether they thought that because Chicago had lost six in a row that it was going to be easy, but we tell them there are no easy games in the NFL. Everybody’s got firepower and you have to be ready to play every time you step on the field. I didn’t think we had the kind of energy and focus we needed when we stepped out there and started playing the game. Then, a lot of times when that occurs, you just can’t flip the switch and now all of a sudden you’ve got it again. That was disappointing.”
What Crennel told the players after the game was it was the most disappointment he had sustained since taking over as interim coach on Oct. 5 when Bill O’Brien was fired.
Houston will have to find a way to flip the switch back on and avoid disappointment as they complete their season series with the Indianapolis Colts Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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The Texans have been eliminated from the playoffs. In a season that has accrued plenty of bad luck for Houston, perhaps QB Deshaun Watson should sit.
The Houston Texans have attracted bad luck in 2020, and as saying goes “when it rains it pours.” Turnovers come in bunches, and so does bad luck.
With three games to go and already eliminated from the playoffs thanks to their 36-7 loss to the Chicago Bears Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field, there is no incentive for Deshaun Watson to keep playing in 2020.
Finish with a winning record — can’t. If Houston wins out, they would be 7-9. They are still going to post their second losing record since selection Watson in Round 1 of 2017.
Build chemistry with his receiving corps — can’t. Will Fuller, who is already in the final year of his contract, is suspended. Randall Cobb is on injured reserve with a toe injury, though is eligible to return. Brandin Cooks missed Sunday’s game with foot and neck injuries. Watson’s top three receivers were Keke Coutee, Chad Hansen, and Steven Mitchell.
Keeping Watson on the field is a risk to his future as the Texans’ franchise quarterback. With meaningless drop back, the organization is rolling the dice on Watson’s availability in 2021, when the slate will be clean and they will have a new coach and general manager to initiate the soft rebuild.
What makes Watson great is his competitive drive, and it won’t allow him to sit, not even amid the worthlessness the final games represent to the team’s legacy.
“I’m going to play,” Watson said after the loss Sunday. “That’s my job. I’ve got to be out there every game. I’m not looking forward to throwing the book of vacation right now. We’ve got three more games. I’ve got too much pride and respect for myself and this organization and this team to go out there and just get embarrassed again or lose. My job is to go out there and play to the fullest and try to get these Ws.”
Similarly, interim coach Romeo Crennel is going to continue to play Watson as the hits he took in Chicago, part of a six-sack, 11 quarterback hit performance, are part of the game.
“This game is called football, and there are hard hits that occur in the game,” Crennel said. “When you’re at the quarterback, you’re going to take some of them.”
If Watson is going to keep playing, the quarterback has to prioritize the hits he is taking as they relate to the future of his career and other seasons when the Texans’ final record will matter.
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Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel says running back David Johnson is on the COVID-19 reserve because he was in close contact with the virus.
The Houston Texans got some good news after the 36-7 thumping at the hands of the Chicago Bears Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.
According to interim coach Romeo Crennel, running back David Johnson’s placement on the COVID-19 reserve is not related to his having tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
On Friday, Johnson missed practice due to what Crennel described as a personal issue. Later, Johnson was placed on the reserve as the final injury report came out for Week 14 against the Bears. However, it was not yet known at the time whether Johnson’s placement was due to testing positive or not.
“It was close contact,” Crennel said. “That’s why he was on the list. And, hopefully, he’ll be back because it’s a five-day deal. So, he should be back getting ready for the next game.”
If the five days commenced on Friday, then Johnson would be able to join the team for the first practice of the week on Wednesday. Houston completes their season series against the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 20 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel thinks that rookie OLB Jonathan Greenard will continue to get better in the last quarter of the season.
The Houston Texans like what they are seeing from third-round rookie outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard and expect to see even more improvement in the final quarter of the season.
The former Louisville Cardinal and Florida Gator provided Houston with a quarterback hit in his 12 defensive snaps in the 26-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13.
“I think that the game experience that he’s gotten has helped him a lot because he knows now how guys are going to try to block him, how they’re going to try to attack him and then how he needs to play those blocks and how he needs to do his responsibility,” interim coach Romeo Crennel said. “He’s a kid that has some strength, good size and he’s a steady player.”
On the year, Greenard has tallied nine combined tackles, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, 1.0 sack, and a pass breakup in his nine games. The 6-3, 263-pound edge defender has played 137 defensive snaps compared to 117 special teams snaps.
“I think that he’ll continue to get better through the rest of this season,” said Crennel.
Greenard will have to battle with veterans for his snap count as outside linebacker Brennan Scarlett’s 21-day window to return from injured reserve was activated Wednesday.
Houston Texans RB David Johnson had 10 carries in the 26-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but his workload could increase against the Chicago Bears.
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David Johnson returned to action for the Houston Texans after having been placed on injured reserve with a concussion.
The former 2016 All-Pro running back sustained the concussion in Week 9’s 27-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Johnson found his way back into the lineup against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13’s heartbreaking 26-20 loss at NRG Stadium.
“I think that he’s missed some time and then when you talk about workload that you put on players, we felt like that maybe it would be a good idea to rotate them a little bit more this game,” interim coach Romeo Crennel said of Johnson’s workload. “Particularly, when you’re talking about guys who are coming off concussions. On a concussion, they tell you that more time a guy has, the quicker he can recover. So, he took the time to be ready to go, so we felt like we should divide it up a little bit more.”
Johnson carried 10 times for 44 yards and scored a touchdown. He was targeted twice in the passing game, but did not log a reception. Fellow running back Duke Johnson carried twice for eight yards, and also caught six passes for 24 yards.
Crennel believes David Johnson was fresher due to the time off.
Said Crennel: “He did come back, and he was good enough to go in and play. He had a couple of nice runs in the course of the game and I think that next week he’ll probably have more than he had this week. I think he’s still a good football player for us.”
The Texans could see more from Johnson as they gear up to play the Chicago Bears Sunday at 12:00 p.m. at NRG Stadium. Getting the run game going would help take some of the stress on quarterback Deshaun Watson to carry the offense.
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Houston Texans defensive end Charles Omenihu is beginning to find his place to contribute consistently on defense.
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The Houston Texans have a promising edge defender in defensive end Charles Omenihu, but the problem for the former 2019 fifth-round pick has been finding his spot.
According to interim coach Romeo Crennel, the 23-year-old former Texas Longhorn is starting to find ways to be a consistent contributor to defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s scheme.
“I talk with Charles all the time,” Crennel told reporters Monday. “We have a good d-line-head coach relationship because I’ve got a d-line background. So, I can talk to him about what I see and what I think he needs to do. I think Charles is beginning to find his spot and how he needs to play the game because of his length and what he brings to the table.”
Against the Indianapolis Colts, Omenihu provided the Texans with two combined tackles, a tackle for loss, and two pass breakups in the 26-20 loss at NRG Stadium Sunday afternoon.
“He can’t play the game the way, let’s say Whitney Mercilus. He can’t play the game the way Whitney Mercilus plays the game. He can’t play the game the way J.J. (Watt) plays the game,” said Crennel. “He has to find out what his way to play the game is, and I think he’s beginning to find that.”
On the season, Omenihu has collected seven combined tackles, three tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two pass breakups and 11 quarterback hits through his 11 games, two of which he has started.
Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel believes if the botched snap had gone right, they may have avoided a 26-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
One of the biggest what-ifs from the 2020 Houston Texans season will be rooted in the last offensive play of Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts.
On Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium, with 1:22 to go in the game, the Texans had second-and-goal from the 4-yard line. They forced the Colts to use all of their timeouts. The game was the Texans’ to win or lose.
Instead, a botched shotgun snap from center Nick Martin went to the left of quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was unable to recover. Colts linebacker Anthony Walker did, and the Texans fell to 4-8 with the loss.
“I just knew we were going to score and that we were going to win the game,” interim coach Romeo Crennel told reporters Monday. “Then, boom, that mishap occurs, and we can’t get on the ball and they do, and you lose the game. That’s a tough way to lose the game.”
Crennel believes that if the snap were to have been low and to the right, Watson would have had a chance to recover the football and give Houston two more cracks at the end zone.
“I think the difference was that it was to his left side instead of to his right side,” said Crennel. “If it had been to his right side, I think he would’ve been able to handle it. But because it was to his left side, he had to go across his body to try to handle it across his body. He couldn’t get the handle on it.”
It would have also worked because Martin’s blocking assignment stunted and went to the left of the center, coincidentally putting him in the path of the loose ball.
Said Crennel: “After he snapped the ball, he tried to get to the right and then the guy stunted to his left, which put the guy right into the backfield. If the snap was better and we handled the ball, then he would be able to get his job done that he was supposed to do on that particular play. As it turned out, the guy stunting inside, the ball being on the ground, we were unable to get to it but the guy who stunted got to the ball.”
Houston has to recover from the loss quickly and get ready for the Chicago Bears, who they face Sunday at 12:00 p.m. at Solider Field.
Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel admits that trying to ice Indianapolis Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship may not have been a good idea.
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The clock was stopped with 1:15 to go until halftime, and the Indianapolis Colts sent out kicker Rodrigo Blankenship for a field goal to extend their lead 24-17.
Houston Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel burned the team’s second timeout just before Blankenship attempted his 42-yard kick. As a result, the Texans had only one timeout remaining as they endeavored to put points on the board at the end of the half.
“I made a decision to try to ice the kicker, probably wasn’t the best decision to make, but I called the timeout on that one,” Crennel said after the 26-20 loss Sunday. “Probably if we had had that timeout, we might have been able to use it maybe to get a touchdown at the end of the half.”
That is precisely the scenario the Texans found themselves in as they were third-and-10 from the Colts’ 16-yard line with eight seconds until halftime. Houston used their last timeout during the drive to put the offense in scoring position.
With conceivably enough time for another play and then a field goal, Crennel sent out kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn for a 34-yard attempt, chipping into Indianapolis’ lead 24-20 at the break.
“I’m going to start at the last one, kicking the field goal on third down,” said Crennel. “The clock, we didn’t have a whole lot of time, so if you don’t kick it there and something goes wrong on the play, then you don’t have an opportunity to get the points on the board, so we kicked it to get the points on the board.”
The Texans running out of time on their last drive of the half stems from Crennel trying to ice Blakenship.
“Sometimes. I mean, hey, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t work,” Crennel said. “If he had missed the field goal, then boom, I would have been a genius, but he made it, so I’m a dufus.”
Crennel has taken some gambles for Houston this season that have paid off, but icing Blakenship was a gamble that got the Texans tossed from the riverboat.
The Houston Texans take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13. Here are four keys to victory that the players and coaches have acknowledged.
