Much like a car accident or Keeping Up with the Kardashians, we have a perverse inclination to keep our eyes on disasters when logic tells us to avert our gaze. So when the Houston Texans hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in their wild card matchup on January 9, our attention could not be torn away from Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer and his four-interception performance in Kansas City’s 30-0 victory. As the debacle carried on in all its morbid splendor, one thing was certain; the Houston Texans needed to add a high-caliber quarterback if they wanted to establish themselves firmly among the ranks of the NFL‘s true championship contenders.
So as owner Bob McNair was publicly pressuring the front office to fix his team’s cataclysmic quarterback situation, the Texans went out on the market ready to give a quarterback the keys to the organization.
Texans Championship Aspirations Hinge on Osweiler’s Development
To the surprise of many, it was Peyton Manning‘s heir apparent with the Denver Broncos, Brock Osweiler, who took the Texans money and will don a deep steel blue and battle red jersey in 2016. With a monstrous four-year, $72 million contract, the Texans placed all their faith and hope in Osweiler as the man who can help elevate J.J. Watt and the lethal Texans defense to a title.
All that money for a quarterback who has not proven anything of substance as an NFL starter. The Texans truly took a huge leap with Osweiler and his development will directly correlate with the Texans potential to compete for a ring. Without a profoundly impressive trait, question marks still surround whether Osweiler can be “The Man” for an NFL franchise. He lacks the great arm, exceptional decision-making abilities and accurate arm that the legends on football’s Mount Rushmore of quarterbacks possessed. He struggled in the pocket and had difficulty throwing the football with precision.
Yet throughout all the imperfections in his game, there are reasons to believe if you’re a Texans fan. In seven starts last season, Osweiler had a better completion percentage, more yards per attempt and a better quarterback rating than Peyton Manning. In nine regular season starts, Manning had 198 completions on 331 attempts for 2,249 yards, along with nine touchdown passes, 17 interceptions and a 44.96 quarterback rating. Compare that with Osweiler’s stat line that included 170 completions on 275 attempts for 1,967 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions and a 48.78 quarterback rating. While neither had jaw-dropping statistical seasons, Osweiler was a much more reliable option for Gary Kubiak behind center.
Osweiler showed flashes of brilliance throughout the season, including taking home AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, where he broke a franchise record for highest completion percentage (74.1) in a starting debut. When the Broncos took on the then-undefeated New England Patriots, Osweiler connected on two long passes to Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas in high pressure situations. Osweiler also helped set a fire under the Broncos running game as it improved from 29th in the league when he took over to 17th in the league. He can bootleg and has the arm strength to make passes down the field.
As the Broncos offense fell into a more conservative approach, Osweiler’s big arm became less of an asset in comparison to the veteran game management of Peyton Manning. And while the numbers he put up were by no means All-Pro caliber, Osweiler showed himself to be reasonably reliable in the first starts of his career. Now he goes from one generational, championship-winning defense in Denver to another tenacious defense in the Space City.
The Vegas oddsmakers seem to believe in what the Texans did this off-season in adding both Osweiler and running back Lamar Miller, as the Texans jumped from 40-1 odds to win Super Bowl LI pre-acquisitions to 20-1 odds, making them the eighth most likely team to take home the next title.
More than anything else, though, Osweiler was the best man the Texans could get. Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers was not a free agent, and would cost the Texans players and/or picks to acquire. Robert Griffin III is oft-injured and terribly inconsistent and would frankly be a step down from Brian Hoyer. And drafting a quarterback with the 22nd pick in the draft would not have been the right move for the Texans at this time, when their defense is at its time and the championship window could close before a rookie quarterback could be groomed into an adequate NFL starter.
Brock Osweiler learned under a sure-fire Hall of Famer in Denver. He witnessed two Super Bowl appearances as a Bronco. He was ready to take over the helm of the reigning world champions.
If the Texans are there on February 5, in front of their home crowd at NRG Stadium, as the confetti falls on the Super Bowl champs, it will all be worth it. Brock Osweiler will have the team surrounding him this season to prove he can be a star and is worth $72 million. It’s up to him to take a team, on his back, to the summit.
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