The Houston Texans couldn’t ask for a better starting debut from Deshaun Watson, as the rookie quarterback covered 125 yards on 15-for-24 and completed a record-breaking 49-yard rushing TD to power his team to a 13-9 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday.
Unfortunately, not everybody is happy with Watson’s recent exploit. Neil Schwartz, the agent of quarterback Tom Savage, openly questioned the decision of Texans head coach Bill O’Brien to bench his client in favor of the no.12 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Watson’s gain, Savage’s lost
In an interview with Gabrielle McMillen of Sporting News, Schwartz didn’t mince any word in criticizing O’Brien - who has a reputation for having a short patience when it comes to his quarterback.
The agent felt the Texans head coach didn’t give his client a fair shake when he sent him to the bench after throwing 62 yards on 7-for-13 passing at halftime of the Texans’ 29-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday. In fact, he actually thought Savage played just fine without committing costly mistakes while he’s on the field.
"He went 7 for 13 ...12 of the 13 balls touched the receiver's hands. The only ball that didn't was the strip-sack fumble that they called incomplete (upon replay).
Seven were completions, five were drops," said Schwartz, who even solicited opinions from a couple of NFL personnel to properly analyze the plays involving Savage.
Meanwhile, Savage doesn’t see any major issue with his agent calling out his coach. He believes Schwartz, whom he describes as a passionate guy, is just doing what he is supposed to do - defending his client.
Other than that, the 27-year old quarterback finds no reason for the media to sensationalize the story.
"Listen, we just won. The headline should be about No. 4, not about this bullcrap," Savage stressed.
Romance with Mia Khalifa?
Speaking of sensational story, Watson is already making the headlines off the field as well when former porn star Mia Khalifa posted on social media, Instagram and Twitter, a seven-second video clip of Watson and herself playing nerf basketball.
The video immediately went viral and triggered speculations whether Watson is dating Khalifa.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Khalifa said she invited the former Clemson Tigers standout over for a home-cooked meal recently. The Lebanese American, who retired from the porn industry in 2005, cleared that she and Watson are nothing more than friends.
Watt’s messed up finger
Defensive end JJ Watt re-aggravated a dislocated finger he suffered in the Texans’ season-opener against the Jaguars. Watt said during the post-game interview that he wasn’t sure his left ring finger was still attached until he removed the glove. The All-Pro DE recorded six tackles against the Bengals, including a devastating body slam on center Russell Bodine on the final play of the game.
