House of Houston
Fansided

Houston Texans: Every eye in the NFL will be on Deshaun Watson

By Kenneth Cline

FOXBORO, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 24: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans looks to throw during the first quarter of a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 24, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 24: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans looks to throw during the first quarter of a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 24, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson draws comparisons to RG3
BALTIMORE, MD – AUGUST 29: Quarterback Robert Griffin III #10 of the Washington Redskins warms up prior to the start of a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on August 29, 2015, in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/ Getty Images) /

Do the critics actually have a point?

While I think the criticism was a bit unfair because 1) Watson is still young and has a lot to prove and 2) Watson has shown that he belongs in the NFL, it does bring up an interesting thing. Will Deshaun Watson be the same player after the ACL injury?

There have been cases in the past where a player has an incredible start to the season and appears to be on the rise only to have an injury alter his football life. One example I can think of is Robert Griffin III. He was an extremely talented player out of Baylor University who won the Heisman Trophy. After getting drafted by the Washington Redskins, he went on to have an incredible rookie of the year season.

But then, he suffered an LCL injury, which the Redskins decided to sit him out. This led to controversy as the team doctor hadn’t cleared RG3 before a December game. Then in the playoff, he reinjured the same knee. It was from that point on that it seemed like everything was going south for RG3. I think the injury was mishandled by the Redskins, but RG3 has never found his stride. A disastrous stint with Cleveland has gotten him to Baltimore with the Ravens. As much as I used to love the guy, he’s, unfortunately, a bust.

Thoughts

Now if you ask me, Watson is better than RG3. But there is a cause for concern. Thirty-plus years ago, an ACL injury was considered career-ending. These days, an ACL injury these days is not career-ending. But there is the possibility of the athlete not being better than before.

Some examples of this case include:

More from Houston Texans

  • Daunte Culpepper
  • Ickey Woods
  • LeCharles Bentley
  • Earl Campbell
  • Terrell Davis
  • Gale Sayers

The interesting part of this list is that the bottom three are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But, you can imagine how much better they would’ve been without the injuries.

So with the fear of maybe seeing Watson not be himself in his sophomore season, I decided to see if anyone had come back from an ACL injury better than before. Anyone who is religious should thank the good Lord because there are a few athletes who returned from that injury.

Home/Houston Texans