In every year that the Houston Texans have taken on the New England Patriots since 2017, Deshaun Watson has always looked up to the quarterback on the other side.
This year, it isn’t Tom Brady, but another quarterback Watson has respected for a long time in Cam Newton, who signed a one-year contract with the AFC East powerhouse in the offseason.
“Cam is a big brother to me, a mentor,” Watson said. “I wouldn’t even say mentor, just brother. Just life experiences, life advice, football advice. Just always been there for me since I was in high school. Me and him have a great relationship. We always support each other.”
Watson played high school football in Gainesville, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, where Newton was a Georgia high school phenom at Westlake. When the Carolina Panthers drafted Newton with the No. 1 overall pick in 2011, he spent the next nine seasons with the NFC South club, leading them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2015. While in the region, Watson was playing college football for the Clemson Tigers, eventually leading them to a national championship at the end of the 2016 season.
Though Newton is a force to bring down at 6-5, 245 pounds, and Watson is more conventional at 6-2, 215 pounds, the former 2017 first-round pick has still patterned his game after that of the former 2015 NFL MVP.
Said Watson: “He’s a guy that I based my game, especially at a young age, around what he did. He was definitely a reason why I watched Auburn in college and things like that. He’s just always been my favorite quarterback. It’s a cool opportunity for us to be able to go against each other, too.”
The Texans host the Patriots for a Week 11 encounter Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium. Houston and New England have met six times in the past five seasons, including playoffs.