QB Deshaun Watson (9.22.24)
Deshaun, it seemed like early on it was clear the (New York) Giants wanted to pressure you guys, break some blitzes. As offensive as a whole, what can you do? How can you guys do better to kind of combat that when you know teams are going to send pressure your way?
“I mean, they switched up the game plan. I think you got to give their DC Shane (Bowen) a lot of credit for doing something different that we… of course we were expecting pressure, but as much as they brought it, you just got to prepare for the worst. And they did a good job of trying to create some mismatch and different confusion up front to get us off our timing in the passing game. So, for us to try to correct that, we got to win our matchups and try to figure out the right protection to figure out what pressures they were doing off the edge to create and, yeah.”
What happened on that missed exchange between you and Jerome Ford on that handoff?
“It was a draw. That was it. It was just a draw.”
You said they did different things with the pressures, was it amount of pressure they showed? Looks they were giving?
“No. So the tendencies of…this is very similar to kind of what Mike Vrabel does. So it was a lot of shell, a lot of quarters, a lot of cover two. Minimum of cover three. Not very high-on-pressure team. But, you know, this game, that’s what they wanted to do. So they brought a lot more pressure than usual on down-and-distances that they usually don’t bring, on first down especially. Second-and-long usually it’s man coverage, but, you know, they played a lot of man, but brought the pressure with it. A lot of one whole, lurk and things like that. So, like I said, they did a good job of scheming that up.”
How hard was it to function with three of your starting lineman out?
“Just focus on trying to execute that play. So that was my job. It’s just whoever’s out there, just out there trying to execute at a high level and try to get the receivers a chance to get them a ball.”
So wait Deshaun, I’m sorry to go back to this play, but on the draw play, why did the exchange not go well?
“Yeah, I just did my due diligence. Try to hand the ball to him and after that, I just saw the ball was on the ground, so.”
What did you see on that fourth-and-one? It looked like you looked right and then had to tuck it and try to scramble. Did you think you got that first down?
“I was just trying to reach. I mean, the play was to RPO, read the ‘Mike’ or read the ‘Will’, 41 (Micah McFadden). 41 ran with the running back. Pull, throw the slant behind it. Slant wasn’t there. I guess they had a collision and, you know, just after that, I’m not fixing to just throw it covered. So try to get the first down, was one yard and they stopped it short.”
Deshaun, when you watch a game like this, it feels like it’s so bad that it would be hard to pull it together and look good the next week. But what makes you confident that you guys are going to be able to overcome a really ugly loss like this?
“It’s a new opportunity. It’s a new game, it’s a new week. So, that’s all that matters. We go out there and get a W next week, no one’s going to worry about this week. So same thing. You know, you look at the Giants, they started 0-2 and got a win this week. No one’s gonna be talking about the first two weeks. So, it’s always a new opportunity each and every week.”
I know the drive started maybe not how you expected, like, you know, coming, the first drive, you know, getting it off of the fumble recovery. Was the plan always to hit Amari (Cooper)? Is that kind of something like, you guys, as an offense say like we’re gonna try to hit Amari early and often?
“Like I said last week, the week before, it just depends on how the scheme is. They gave a lot of one-high, one-on-one coverage to Amari, so we gave him a chance and he made those plays. So each and every week is different. You know, if they would have played how we kind of was expecting, a lot of shell, a lot of quarters and things like that, then the game could have went differently. But that’s just how the game kind of flowed this week.”
Hey Deshaun, with that last fourth down incompletion to Ced (Cedric Tillman), I mean, he was very adamant that he felt like he had to make that catch. What do you do as a quarterback to a younger receiver so he doesn’t get too down on himself?
“Just keep his head up. I told him I was coming to him on that play, too. I gave him that opportunity. I’m gonna give him a chance to make a shot. You know, sometimes it happens like that and the ball just didn’t bounce our way and we didn’t get to capitalize it. But, you know, I motivated him, ‘hey, I’m gonna keep coming back to you’. All my guys. It’s a long season, it’s only game three. And we gotta, of course, fix things ASAP, very, very fast. But at the same time, we can’t get down on each other because we gotta make sure we keep this team locked in on the task at hand and we gotta keep pushing forward and keep working.”
Amari went into the end zone two times and had 86 yards, with you guys finally connecting. How much does that bode well for the future, for you guys to be cranking it up?
“Yeah, just keep working, just keep working. Keep giving him opportunities, keep giving him balls that he can catch down the field and yes, just give him a chance. And I think that’s the key as a quarterback, giving all our guys a chance to make plays. And he did that today and definitely want more out there, but we just got to keep going.”
When a team is doing something that you didn’t necessarily expect defensively, like you mentioned a few times. How hard is it to adjust the protection plan during the game to be able to combat it?
“We just gotta go back to our base rules. At the end of the day, we still gotta win our matchups, that’s it. And we tried to do adjustments and we missed out on a couple opportunities, but again, we just gotta continue to just keep adjusting and keep working and trying to figure out how we can slow that down.”
And with all the hits and sacks, how did you come out of it physically? I know the TV showed you rotating your arm.
“Yeah, I’m going to be fine. Like I said before, if they’re not going to drag me off the field and I don’t have to have surgery, I’m going to be out there and I’m going to compete to the full, until the final whistle.”
The protection up front has been compounded by these injuries to your offensive line. One, how do you pick those guys up? Two, just your concern level going into a week where three of those guys are, you know, they got to get MRIs?
“I’m never concerned. Like I said, I’m going to step on the field, whoever’s out there, the five, I’m going to keep working. Sometimes it might go our way, sometimes it’s not. But I’m standing up. I’m going to keep working regardless of what people think, what people say, who’s out there, whatever it is. That’s one thing you’re not going to bash me with is my passion of the game and my work ethic and the way I compete, that’s damn sure of that. So regardless of that, I’m not concerned about any of that. The biggest thing, just keep encouraging these guys, keep working, get in the film room, figure out what we can do to figure out to help these guys out, but help all of us. We’re one, we’re us. We’re not blaming anybody; we’re not blaming all that. There were some throws that I missed that could have capitalized things and helped everything out. So, all of this is a team effort as a group.”
Myles Garrett limped up to the podium, went to the tent twice during the game. He’s struggling with some foot and leg injuries. Can you just talk about how he’s out there battling and does that kind of also, not that you need anybody to inspire you, but to see him doing that, what impact does that have on you?
“We just want Myles to be healthy and be out there and be 100%. Can’t talk on the injury. That’s more Kevin (Stefanski) in the team, but, yeah, I mean, he’s given everything he’s got too. And we all are. At the end of the day, that’s one thing that this team is going to do is going to compete even when you’re banged up and all that.”
Deshaun, I’m going off of the offensive line troubles. Your starters were kind of getting beat up pretty good before all the injuries had happened. So when they’re platooning you guys in there, what was your message to kind of keep everyone on key and keep the confidence going within that offense?
“Keep working, just keep working. That’s all you can do. We don’t have time for, ‘my bads,’ and things like that. We just keep working, next play, on to the next play, and that’s all we got next. We can’t go back to that last play and do anything about it. It is what it is, whatever result that was. So, now all we can do is focus on the next one that’s ahead of us, and that’s the next one that’s going to get called.”
In the second half, it looked like you had a big one to Elijah (Moore) and then it looked like a miscommunication. What would happen on that deep ball?
“I don’t know which ball that you’re talking about.”
It was a pass up the seam. You hit your thighs after.
“Yeah, it’s just a missed throw, missed opportunity.”
Talking about picking guys up, Jerome (Ford) had that fumble when you guys were trying to come back. It looked like he’d been kind of a spark for you guys in that second half. So did you have any kind of conversation with him?
“Just told him after the game, ‘Just keep your head up, man and we’re going to keep coming to you. We believe in you.’ And that’s all we can do. And we just got to make sure we’re fully locked in on each and every play, especially when it comes down to that. But he’s going to be fine. He’s going to come back next week and have a good game.”