When thinking realistically about Clowney's 2015 performance, one must reduce his season to an even smaller sample size, searching for moments of brilliance. There needs to be some forgiveness, particularly early in the year when he was still finding his form.
Upon changing from a broad view that doesn’t account for his recovery to a zoomed-in look at a series of games or plays within them, the seeds for potential moving forward are planted. That’s when we’ll see the Clowney who was deemed worthy of being a first overall pick.
When narrowing the view to just two games from 2015, his potential emerges immediately, as Clowney scattered flashes of his immense talent and athleticism throughout each.
The first came in Week 2, which was when a third-ranked Texans defense provided an early blueprint for how to contain
Carolina Panthers quarterback
Cam Newton. He averaged only 5.3 yards per pass attempt against Houston, significantly lower than his overall season average of 7.7 yards.
Clowney played a modest 62.8 percent of the Texans’ defensive
snaps in that game. Yet he still finished with five quarterback hurries, a batted pass and a defensive stop.
He didn’t record a sack, which is both the shining jewel every pass-rusher chases and a misleading metric. Though sacks are the most efficient way to defend any pass, simply being disruptive can be just as effective, and Clowney utilized his speed to consistently make Newton’s life miserable.
The shining example of his impact came during a 2nd-and-13 play in the first quarter.
Clowney was at right defensive end for this passing down, and getting to Newton meant forcing Carolina into a 3rd-and-long situation. He lined up in a four-point stance, and then exploded at the snap as he so often does. Remember, we’re talking about a 6’5”, 266-pound athlete who
ran a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash at the combine. Speed is his thing.
Quick strides that eat up space give Clowney access to angles others only daydream about. On the play in question, he became an oversized sprinter. He created the angle shown below after one short step sideways to set up his route around the edge, followed by three long, looping strides to turn the corner.
He had already established a path to Newton with minimal resistance before even making contact.
Panthers tackle Michael Oher couldn’t come close to matching Clowney’s acceleration around the outside. He was caught flatfooted while trying to shift his weight and counteract the rapid movement of his blocking assignment.
So when contact finally came, Clowney had set himself up for an easy win. With his speed building so Oher couldn’t punch into his chest, Clowney swiped with his right hand, sending the blocker even further off balance.
From there, the rest was easy; it was a matter of first gaining leverage, then using it to finish the job. Clowney tucked his shoulder underneath Oher’s arm and kept his legs pumping. He arrived in time to swat the ball in Newton’s hand as his arm came forward, which resulted in an incompletion.
Clowney excels by creating and capitalizing on leverage, with the element of surprise through speed the main foundation for his thrashing ways.
But he’s capable of winning trench battles with raw strength, too. Even if he’s double-teamed, which the
New England Patriots tried in Week 14.
The Texans rushed only three on a 3rd-and-short, which freed up two blockers to focus on Clowney. He quickly turned a disadvantage into embarrassment.
The 23-year-old engaged with Patriots left tackle Sebastian Vollmer and looked to be contained for a fleeting second. That changed with one violent left hand that clubbed Vollmer, sending him staggering in cartoonish fashion.