Houston Texans assistant QB coach T.J. Yates has been providing quarterback Deshaun Watson with the details necessary to elevate his game.
The only comparison T.J. Yates and Deshaun Watson share is they were or are still quarterback for the Houston Texans. In terms of talent and ability — forget about it.
“I’ll point out the obvious here and I don’t think T.J. will get upset at this, but obviously there is a different skill level when you talk about Deshaun and T.J.,” offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said.
Kelly, who is the new play-caller as coach Bill O’Brien doubles up as general manager, is also adding the role of quarterbacks coach to his responsibilities. Helping Kelly in the quarterback room is Yates, a former Texans quarterback who went 5-7, including the postseason, in his three different stints with the club from 2011-17.
Houston drafted Yates in the fifth round in 2011; they took Watson in Round 1 of the 2017 NFL Draft.
“When that happens, if you’re not necessarily as talented or as skilled as another player you have to make sure that you really are paying attention to the details in order to have the level of success that T.J. had in this league,” Kelly said. “Because he really had to focus and train and really milk every ounce of ability that he had to reach that level, T.J. has been able to come in there and really dissect that position in terms of the amount of detail that he would go into a game plan with in terms of his preparation, comparing the different styles in the ways that they prepare. It’s been really great to have him in there.”
Kelly has a background as a defensive lineman, having played defensive tackle for Eastern Illinois while in college. All of the 34-year-old’s professional coaching experience has been on offense; Kelly never played the game from the offensive perspective. As such, he has to lean on Yates to check that his advice for Watson is practical and realistic.
Said Kelly: “It’s been great to hear from T.J., like, ‘Hey, can you really see this? I know I can see this when I’m watching tape, when I’m watching film, but when you’re out there and there’s however many people screaming, can you really see that this guys is aligned six inches further inside than he is when he’s doing something else?’
“Having him in there has been really good and I’m looking forward to the room continuing to grow as we go on here.”
Yates helped the Texans to their first ever playoff win at the end of the 2011 season. If Yates, as a coach, can help Houston win their first Super Bowl by cultivating more of Watson’s talent, that is a perspective Texans fans will enjoy.
[vertical-gallery id=52636]
