Death to Google Ads! Texans Talk Tip Jar! 🍺😎👍
Thanks for your support!

Watson’s a top 5 qb. Do you agree?

DanielTx

Veteran
Though we lost, I’m still kind of happy. watching Watson vs top tier qbs is the same entertainment value as watching the super bowl. He looked like a top 3 Qb prime cam mix with Rodgers. It’s a reason why we’ve been prime time since we drafted him. The gm knew that at the time. Watson’s going toe to toe with the best. He’s been clutch but the defense keeps letting him down (Pats, hawks, eagles, saints). Which leads me to ask after week 1 after watching every qb highlights, where would you rank Watson at his position.
 

ROO

Tweak the offense already!
Love Watson for sure. I think O'Brien throttles his talents though - another instance of bob trying to make a player fit the system instead of using the player's strengths. With Watson's athleticism, the offense could be much more creative. Seems he would be superb on roll-outs and boot-legs and moving the pocket around to avoid the rush, but bob seems to want a pure pocket passer. I understand that taking advantage of Watson's athleticism would be exposing him to greater risk of injury though.

I don't place him in the top 5 yet, mainly because of his accuracy with his passes. The Texans receivers have to make a lot of adjustments as the ball approaches. Sure he made some excellent throws, but compare him to Brady. Brady's passes are often exactly on target, hitting receivers in stride. Case in point was the long pass to Fuller in the first quarter. Fuller was a yard or two behind the defender, but he had to slow down because the pass was too short, allowing the defender to contest the catch. Hoping that the accuracy will come.

Don't get me wrong, Watson has potential and is fun to watch. I am excited to have him on the Texans. Considering the strengths and weaknesses in personnel on the offense, I wish we had an OC/scheme that would maximize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses. I mean, what would be wrong with Watson doing some of those Matt Schaub bootlegs?
 

badboy

Hall of Fame
I want Watson to be a early career Fran Tarkenton. As of now he reminds me of Vince Young. The excitement is there but how does he progress?
 
  • Like
Reactions: ROO

badboy

Hall of Fame
Yeah he has that magical ability to sense when he's fixing to get hit and avoids it and creates excitement if not always yards. I wanted the ball to be in Vince Young's hands as I do with Watson. With Young I thought there was always a chance to win. Not saying they have the same skillset or play the same way it's just who Watson reminds me of. Clarify that I'm talkin about the college Vince Young
 

Mollywhopper

Facilitator
Staff member
Yeah he has that magical ability to sense when he's fixing to get hit and avoids it and creates excitement if not always yards. I wanted the ball to be in Vince Young's hands as I do with Watson. With Young I thought there was always a chance to win. Not saying they have the same skillset or play the same way it's just who Watson reminds me of. Clarify that I'm talkin about the college Vince Young
Ok I suppose.
 

maverick512000

Hall of Fame
What do you mean? Top 5 of all time or in the NFL today?

Of all time? No, I’m sorry but no and I doubt he will be.

In the NFL today? Yeah I’d say he is. If he had a better team around him, and yeah maybe a better coach, then I think he and Mahomes would be neck and neck and the shoot outs between him and Mahomes would be legendary.
 

Speedy

Former Yeller Dweller
I think he could be something really special, and maybe Dabo is right that he's got that MJ gene in him, but I feel we'll likely never get to see his full potential as long as the current regime is in place.

He took a beating against the Saints. He can't keep doing that and keep his love of football going, never mind surviving.
 

santo

Hall of Fame
Contributor's Club
I think he could be something really special, and maybe Dabo is right that he's got that MJ gene in him, but I feel we'll likely never get to see his full potential as long as the current regime is in place.

He took a beating against the Saints. He can't keep doing that and keep his love of football going, never mind surviving.
We need a Phil Jackson.
 

austins23

Hall of Fame
mainly because of his accuracy with his passes.
Watson is more than accurate. 66, almost 67% completion percentage is pretty damn good. And he averages about 8 and a half yards per attempt.

Brady's passes are often exactly on target, hitting receivers in stride.
Brady is on target because lots of his throws are within 6 to 10 yards of the LOS. That's just the offense he plays in. Watson is stuck with OB's deep passing game and still has a very good completion percentage. Brady's comp % is 64 for his career.

To the thread, Watson is not top 5 yet. But well on his way.
 

DanielTx

Veteran
I believe this offensive line clicks right around week 4-5. Give them time to build there chemistry being that this is a new unit. I wasnt expecting them to play well the first game and ob playcalling didn’t do them any justice. What I don’t understand is why ob isn’t calling plays to get the ball out of #4 hands quicker. First possession new offensive line, why are we calling plays that require our qb to hold the ball knowing the o line isn’t the best. Bellichec & Sean Payton are the exact opposite of ob. There logical. There calling plays to get the ball out there qb hands quickly.
 

DanielTx

Veteran
To everyone that said no. If Watson beats Brady, brees, Wilson and Foles I think he’s in everyones top 5. In fact as far as I’m concerned, Watson already beat those guys. The Texans defense keeps losing. A couple qbs who had a clutch winning drive only to be let down by there defense. These qbs have played in over 300 career games

Brady (5)
P. manning (5)
Brees (4)
Watson (5) out of 25 games.

Realistically top 5 -
Brady
Mahomes
Brees
Wilson
Deshaun

Aaron is a talented superbowl qb. I just don’t think he’s top 5 with the weapons around him. Erasing accomplishments from 7 years ago. Deshaun has been more productive than Rodger since he came into the league. You have to put him top 5
 

Mr teX

Hall of Fame
To everyone that said no. If Watson beats Brady, brees, Wilson and Foles I think he’s in everyones top 5.
Still no #1, b/c he already lost to Brees..not his fault, but still. #2, b/c all those guys have led teams to championships. Foles shouldn't even be in any convo for a top 5 anything..

Brady
Brees
Rodgers
Mahomes
Wilson / Rivers / Rothlisberger

The absolute only argument that can be made to insert DW4 ahead any of the 3 i listed in the 5th spot is for him to either lead us to a SB, or for him to have an MVP year like Mahomes did last year accompanied by a deep playoff run. Beyond that he's not top 5.
 

Lucky

Ride, Captain, Ride!
Staff member
What does it matter if Watson is top 5 or not? He's good, young, and only getting better. The Texans and their fans are fortunate to have him on their team. A lot of the guys mentioned in the top 5 (deservedly so) are only getting older and regressing. Except Brady. He made some deal with the devil and will be great until the helmet doesn't fit over the demon horns.
 

DanielTx

Veteran
Still no #1, b/c he already lost to Brees..not his fault, but still. #2, b/c all those guys have led teams to championships. Foles shouldn't even be in any convo for a top 5 anything..

Brady
Brees
Rodgers
Mahomes
Wilson / Rivers / Rothlisberger

The absolute only argument that can be made to insert DW4 ahead any of the 3 i listed in the 5th spot is for him to either lead us to a SB, or for him to have an MVP year like Mahomes did last year accompanied by a deep playoff run. Beyond that he's not top 5.
First of all you’re wrong, here’s why. This is a week 1 qb ranking. Not of all time and if you think Rodgers, Big Ben or Rivers played better than Deshaun. Hook me up with your dealer. I do agree winning a Super Bowl would boost his ranking in this era but you also have to take into account what he’s doing against top tier teams. Just because he looses by a td vs a great qb doesn’t mean he isn’t better than that qb. If the nfl did a fantasy draft. Mahomes, Wilson and Deshaun would go in that order. The fact people put baker ahead of him and had him ranked outside the top 10 is disrespectful.
 

Lucky

Ride, Captain, Ride!
Staff member
First of all you’re wrong, here’s why. This is a week 1 qb ranking. Not of all time and if you think Rodgers, Big Ben or Rivers played better than Deshaun. Hook me up with your dealer. I do agree winning a Super Bowl would boost his ranking in this era but you also have to take into account what he’s doing against top tier teams. Just because he looses by a td vs a great qb doesn’t mean he isn’t better than that qb. If the nfl did a fantasy draft. Mahomes, Wilson and Deshaun would go in that order. The fact people put baker ahead of him and had him ranked outside the top 10 is disrespectful.
I'm confused. Is this a ranking for who played best in week 1 (where's Lamar Jackson?), who's top 5 fantasy, or who is top 5, period?
 

Mr teX

Hall of Fame
First of all you’re wrong, here’s why. This is a week 1 qb ranking. Not of all time and if you think Rodgers, Big Ben or Rivers played better than Deshaun. Hook me up with your dealer. I do agree winning a Super Bowl would boost his ranking in this era but you also have to take into account what he’s doing against top tier teams. Just because he looses by a td vs a great qb doesn’t mean he isn’t better than that qb. If the nfl did a fantasy draft. Mahomes, Wilson and Deshaun would go in that order. The fact people put baker ahead of him and had him ranked outside the top 10 is disrespectful.
Lol, no. There were at least 2 other qbs who played at least as well if not better as Watson after week 1....

Brady
Brees
Mahomes
Dak
Lamar Jackson
Wentz 313 - 3 TDs ....... Watson 268 3 TDs 1 rushing TD & dare i say Case frickin Keenum who had 380 3 TDs.

This isn't counting Dalton who dropped 400 & 2 sticks on Seattle.

In any event, Only 2 of those 7 guys outside of Dalton lost & only 2 threw ints...Watson was in both those categories.

I love my guy, but he wasn't in the top 5 for performances week 1 & he's not in the top 5 of qb yet......period.
 

eriadoc

Texan-American
Brady
Brees
Mahomes
Rodgers
Wentz
Wilson

He's right there, but just thhaaaatt little bit short.

By the end of the season? May be a different story.
No way I put Wentz ahead of him and I'm not convinced Mahomes is any better. Put Mahomes with O'Brien and Watson with Reid and I think the outcome is about the same, but flipped.

My top 5:

Brady
Brees
Rodgers
Wilson
Tier 2

Tier 2 is some amalgam of QBs that have at least been to a Championship game while at the same time demonstrating elite ability. Guys like Matt Ryan, Jared Goff, Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger come to mind. Watson is in the "just as talented hasn't accomplished anything yet" category.
 

austins23

Hall of Fame
Lol, no. There were at least 2 other qbs who played at least as well if not better as Watson after week 1....

Brady
Brees
Mahomes
Dak
Lamar Jackson
Wentz 313 - 3 TDs ....... Watson 268 3 TDs 1 rushing TD & dare i say Case frickin Keenum who had 380 3 TDs.

This isn't counting Dalton who dropped 400 & 2 sticks on Seattle.

In any event, Only 2 of those 7 guys outside of Dalton lost & only 2 threw ints...Watson was in both those categories.

I love my guy, but he wasn't in the top 5 for performances week 1 & he's not in the top 5 of qb yet......period.
Not being argumentative, but for what Watson did Monday night, I'd put him in top 5 for Week 1. Not fantasy wise, performance wise. The others you mention had great days to be sure but Brady, Mahomes, Jackson and Dak all won in blowouts. Watson was in a battle and accounted for 4 TD's (only 1 INT) he was nails. Toe to toe with Brees and should have won. That's another argument though.

But for Week 1 and the purpose of this thread (sorry @DanielTx I read it wrong the first time) I would put Watson top 5.
 

Mr teX

Hall of Fame
Not being argumentative, but for what Watson did Monday night, I'd put him in top 5 for Week 1. Not fantasy wise, performance wise. The others you mention had great days to be sure but Brady, Mahomes, Jackson and Dak all won in blowouts. Watson was in a battle and accounted for 4 TD's (only 1 INT) he was nails. Toe to toe with Brees and should have won. That's another argument though.

But for Week 1 and the purpose of this thread (sorry @DanielTx I read it wrong the first time) I would put Watson top 5.
It was a great performance for sure but i think its being slightly overrated b/c of the stage it was played on & how good of a game it turned out to be...& that's not to say that that doesn't factor in, but it does give it that extra little bit of umph if you will. I mean think about it. If Lamar Jackson does what he does to the dolphins on Monday night instead of Sunday at 12, his performance is hyped up not only by the monday night post-game crew, But also all of these new morning sports talk shows (First Take, Good Morning Football, Undisputed,etc.) are spending significant time talking about it as well. & That's the advantage all of these teams have when they play on Thursday, Sunday or Monday night games...

You could most certainly put him in the top 5 for week 1, but you could put a couple of other guys in that category to if that had that same platform.
 

austins23

Hall of Fame
It was a great performance for sure but i think its being slightly overrated b/c of the stage it was played on & how good of a game it turned out to be...& that's not to say that that doesn't factor in, but it does give it that extra little bit of umph if you will. I mean think about it. If Lamar Jackson does what he does to the dolphins on Monday night instead of Sunday at 12, his performance is hyped up not only by the monday night post-game crew, But also all of these new morning sports talk shows (First Take, Good Morning Football, Undisputed,etc.) are spending significant time talking about it as well. & That's the advantage all of these teams have when they play on Thursday, Sunday or Monday night games...

You could most certainly put him in the top 5 for week 1, but you could put a couple of other guys in that category to if that had that same platform.
Fair enough...
Except maybe not Jackson......duuuude, the Dolphins BLOW!! The TT members could drop 2 TD's on them.
 

Thorn

Dirty Old Man
We haven't had a QB in Houston of Watson's caliber since Warren Moon. We should highly prize him and give him what he needs. Tunsil is a good start. A very expensive start, but a good one. There is always hope for Houston as long as Watson is still standing.
 

Bugman7star

All Pro
Without ranking him, I am confident in saying he is a QB that could win us a championship. He has room for improvement as it relates to holding the ball too long at times, but he can be a great QB for us for years to come if he stays healthy. We just need the coaching and other pieces to gel better.
 

DanielTx

Veteran
It was a great performance for sure but i think its being slightly overrated b/c of the stage it was played on & how good of a game it turned out to be...& that's not to say that that doesn't factor in, but it does give it that extra little bit of umph if you will. I mean think about it. If Lamar Jackson does what he does to the dolphins on Monday night instead of Sunday at 12, his performance is hyped up not only by the monday night post-game crew, But also all of these new morning sports talk shows (First Take, Good Morning Football, Undisputed,etc.) are spending significant time talking about it as well. & That's the advantage all of these teams have when they play on Thursday, Sunday or Monday night games...

You could most certainly put him in the top 5 for week 1, but you could put a couple of other guys in that category to if that had that same platform.
While I can agree with you to a degree. I don’t think people overrate him. If that was the case he would be on espn more than baker mayfield. The fact of the matter is since his rookie season he’s been putting up great #s against hof tier qbs on prime time. Hell, if anything he’s underrated. You take into account he was sacked 62 times last season and 6 sacks the past game. With all the odds against him except for our wrs. How can you not put him top 5? He has one of the stupidest coaches in the league, a line that might become average, a weak defense who gives up the game in 38 seconds. He keeps taking Ls against hof qbs he should be 5-0 against instead he’s 0-5. Knowing how bad this guy wants to win. All it’s doing is motivating him to play even better. Soon, he’s going to start blowing teams out. I feel bad for Jacksonville next week
 

Mr teX

Hall of Fame
While I can agree with you to a degree. I don’t think people overrate him. If that was the case he would be on espn more than baker mayfield. The fact of the matter is since his rookie season he’s been putting up great #s against hof tier qbs on prime time. Hell, if anything he’s underrated. You take into account he was sacked 62 times last season and 6 sacks the past game. With all the odds against him except for our wrs. How can you not put him top 5? He has one of the stupidest coaches in the league, a line that might become average, a weak defense who gives up the game in 38 seconds. He keeps taking Ls against hof qbs he should be 5-0 against instead he’s 0-5. Knowing how bad this guy wants to win. All it’s doing is motivating him to play even better. Soon, he’s going to start blowing teams out. I feel bad for Jacksonville next week
He's just not there yet. He's a top 5 talent at the qb position both all-time and currently in the NFL. But as far as his game, Look it was an exciting game & he put on a great performance, but until those performances start translating into W's, he's not going to ascend into the top 5 for most. Whether its right or wrong qbs are judged by that. I happen to hate it but it is what it is.
 

ROO

Tweak the offense already!
Watson is more than accurate. 66, almost 67% completion percentage is pretty damn good. And he averages about 8 and a half yards per attempt.

Brady is on target because lots of his throws are within 6 to 10 yards of the LOS. That's just the offense he plays in. Watson is stuck with OB's deep passing game and still has a very good completion percentage. Brady's comp % is 64 for his career.

To the thread, Watson is not top 5 yet. But well on his way.
I tried to find the "every pass" videos from week 1 for Watson and Brady but couldn't find them, so my thoughts are merely anecdotal at this point. Even though the completion rate is similar, it just seems that Brady's passes are more often "on the money" than Watson's. One of the reasons that Hopkins often makes such crazy spectacular catches is because he has to adjust to less-than-accurate passes. If Brady completes a perfect pass exactly where it should have been thrown, and Watson completes a pass that made the receiver break stride and adjust, they both count the same in "completion percentage." I don't think that accuracy and completion percentage are an exact correlation.

I watched both games, and I have no doubt that Brady's placement of passes is better than Watson's. Texans receivers are often adjusting to where the pass is going, while Patriots receivers are often catching the ball in stride. Watch both games next week, keep an eye on the passes, and see which quarterback's passes are more consistently "on the money." On the other hand, perhaps my perception is completely off base.

Again, don't take me wrong, I am more than happy that Watson plays for the Texans. He is an exciting player and fun to watch, no doubt, and has Superbowl potential.
 

eriadoc

Texan-American
I don't think that accuracy and completion percentage are an exact correlation.
No, they aren't. Troy Aikman was the poster child for that proof. Dude could hit a gnat's ass at 40 yards. Amazig accuracy. Completion percentage is what it is, and while accuracy is a precursor to a good completion percentage, the reverse is not necessarily true.

All that said, I seriously doubt you'd see Brady dropping dimes like that if he were in the same situation as Watson. Crappy OL and a coach that has never really built the team around him that he should, all in a "system" that's suspect. I like Watson's accuracy just fine.
 

Corrosion

Idealist
Staff member
I tried to find the "every pass" videos from week 1 for Watson and Brady but couldn't find them, so my thoughts are merely anecdotal at this point. Even though the completion rate is similar, it just seems that Brady's passes are more often "on the money" than Watson's. One of the reasons that Hopkins often makes such crazy spectacular catches is because he has to adjust to less-than-accurate passes. If Brady completes a perfect pass exactly where it should have been thrown, and Watson completes a pass that made the receiver break stride and adjust, they both count the same in "completion percentage." I don't think that accuracy and completion percentage are an exact correlation.

I watched both games, and I have no doubt that Brady's placement of passes is better than Watson's. Texans receivers are often adjusting to where the pass is going, while Patriots receivers are often catching the ball in stride. Watch both games next week, keep an eye on the passes, and see which quarterback's passes are more consistently "on the money." On the other hand, perhaps my perception is completely off base.

Again, don't take me wrong, I am more than happy that Watson plays for the Texans. He is an exciting player and fun to watch, no doubt, and has Superbowl potential.

If you go back and look at my pre-draft comments on Watson in the draft section - accuracy was my main concern.

He's been better than I expected in that aspect …. but your perception is pretty much spot on , they are in the neighborhood of the receiver , not necessarily on target.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ROO

ROO

Tweak the offense already!
All that said, I seriously doubt you'd see Brady dropping dimes like that if he were in the same situation as Watson. Crappy OL and a coach that has never really built the team around him that he should, all in a "system" that's suspect. I like Watson's accuracy just fine.
I can't argue with that. Hard to compare quarterbacks to each other without also considering the system, players, and coaching they are surrounded with. Heck, Brady running the Texans' offense just might get him killed. At least Watson has a chance of escaping the pass rush!
 

austins23

Hall of Fame
I have no doubt that Brady's placement of passes is better than Watson's
I get what your saying and agree. What I'm getting at is Brady kills you with a thousand small razor cuts instead of one swipe of the sword. Meaning that offense and most of his throws are within 5 to 10 yards of the LOS. Easy for him to put it between the numbers when they run those plays in their sleep. He's great at it. Watson on the other hand has to wait for (or waits because he wants to wait) the receiver to run his deep route. Those throws are harder to put on a dime. Just my opinion and what it feels like to me. I think we agree but just seeing it differently.

I seriously doubt you'd see Brady dropping dimes like that if he were in the same situation as Watson.
No way.....Brady would be in traction after one game trying to run OB's offense.
 
Top