| Advertisement |
HOUSTON -- The emergence of Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney as a dangerous pass rusher and stout run-stopper hasn't gone unnoticed in league circles. Clowney has two sacks and is now starting at left defensive end, the position vacated by injured three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt.
Advertisement
The third-year player out of South Carolina is coming off a career-best game against the Minnesota Vikings, when he had eight tackles and four tackles for losses. Clowney leads the NFL with eight tackles for losses, tying a career high.
"He's a different guy," said Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano, whose team visits the Texans on Sunday (8:30 p.m. ET, NBC). "The guy is playing as good as anybody in the league right now up front. He's playing with a ton of confidence, a ton of physicality.
"We know the athleticism. We know the God-given dominant traits that he has as a football player, but his motor is running and it's running hot. It never stops.
"You turn on the special teams tape, and I'm watching him rush punters. He's picking up guards and tackles and trying to dump them on top of the punter and things like that."
Clowney doesn't confine his rough treatment of opponents to simply targeting quarterbacks and running backs. Punters are on his radar.
"Oh, yeah, I try to get them, too," Clowney said. "If I'm out there, why not? Whoever lines up in front of me, I'm going to try to run them over. Just a heads up for whoever, tackle or guard, wherever they line up, I'm coming."
Although the former top overall pick is somewhat undersized at 6-foot-5, 270 pounds as a traditional defensive end, the converted outside linebacker is more than holding his own against bigger blockers.
"He's a big guy," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said. "You can define size in a lot of different ways. Does he play big? He plays with a lot of explosiveness. He's a very tough player.
"He's got a nose for the ball. We play him in a lot of different places. We've got him off the edge. We've got him inside. We've got him over the center. We've got him at linebacker spots. He's moving around a lot. He doesn't just play from tackle to tackle."
--In the wake of presidential candidate Donald Trump's attempt at damage control after making lewd comments about women and characterizing it as "locker room talk," professional athletes are taking exception to his remarks and making it clear that os not how they conduct themselves.
Trump infamously referred to grabbing women by their genitalia.
"That doesn't go on up in here," Texans offensive tackle Duane Brown said. "We keep it very clean."
Clowney smiled when asked about Trump's comments.
"I heard about that," Clowney said. "We don't say that stuff, though, what he said. We keep it clean. He did that. I got to check him on that. We don't use that tone in here."
--A trio of Texans players remained under the NFL's mandatory concussion protocol Wednesday.
Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph, tight end Ryan Griffin, offensive guard Jeff Allen didn't practice as they are still awaiting medical clearance. Under NFL rules governing concussions, they have to pass a baseline neurological exam before they can be allowed to practice. All three players worked on the side Wednesday.
"They're still in the protocol," O'Brien said. "Again, I'm not an M.D."
Griffin was feeling significantly better by Monday after sustaining a scary blow against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Tight end Stephen Anderson also didn't practice days after saying he was on target to return this week from a hamstring injury.
"Griff is day-to-day, I think Anderson is day-to-day," O'Brien said. "I don't know yet who's going to be active for the game. I don't know if I'll know that until the end of the week. I feel pretty good about it, though."
The Texans are extremely banged up following a physical loss to the Vikings.
Houston filed its longest injury report of the season as eight players didn't practice Wednesday.
That includes strong safety Quintin Demps (calf), running back Jonathan Grimes (cracked fibula), offensive tackle Derek Newton (knee) and inside linebacker Brian Peters (quadriceps).
Grimes will miss this week's game, but none of the other players were ruled out.
--Veteran nose tackle Vince Wilfork made it a special point to upgrade his conditioning during the offseason following a quiet first season with the Texans.
The massive five-time Pro Bowl selection has displayed better energy and mobility this season. The 34-year-old is off to a fast start with 15 tackles, one for a loss and one quarterback hit through five games. Wilfork had just 22 tackles in the entire 2015 season.
"I think he's played well," O'Brien said. "He's in there to stop the run, to help us stop the run. I think he's rushed the passer and helped us rush the passer a little bit.
"I mean (Colts veteran) Frank Gore, 12 years at running back. Vince, you know, 12 years as a nose tackle. Those are ageless wonders, those guys."
--Unlike a year ago when star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins emerged as a Pro Bowl wide receiver and the focal point of the Texans' one-dimensional offense, Hopkins is struggling to get involved lately.
He has 22 catches for 283 yards and three touchdowns through five games on 42 targets. Last season, he caught a career-high 111 passes for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Over the past three games, Hopkins has 10 catches for 116 yards and one score. He didn't catch a pass until the third quarter of the 31-13 loss to the Vikings, finishing with five catches for 56 yards and a late score.
"In every phase of the game, you want to get your best players involved and get them involved throughout the game," Texans offensive coordinator George Godsey said. "Give credit to Minnesota, give credit to New England. They did a good job of that. It's up to us from a schematic standpoint to make sure we do some things to help DeAndre and help our unit out with him getting the ball."
