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A32    sports
               Diabierna 12 november 2021

                     Texans sink among league’s worst teams amid quarterback woes


                                                                                                   things  that  they  can  control  NFL assistant, has remained
                                                                                                   as well,” Caserio said. “Quite  upbeat  as  the  losses  have
                                                                                                   frankly, it’s probably more of  mounted.  He  lauded  the
                                                                                                   a distraction away from here.  players for continuing to play
                                                                                                   It  doesn’t  really  affect  any-  hard in such a disappointing
                                                                                                   thing we are doing on a day-  season, but he knows things
                                                                                                   to-day basis.”               must improve after the break
                                                                                                                                and  took  responsibility  for
                                                                                                   Tyrod Taylor opened the sea-  Houston’s struggles.
                                                                                                   son filling in for Watson and
                                                                                                   led Houston to a win over the  “I’m frustrated that this team
                                                                                                   Jaguars in the opener. But he  doesn’t  play  as  consistent
                                                                                                   was injured in the first half of  as  we  need  them  to  play  to
                                                                                                   Week 2 against Cleveland and  have  success  and  win  foot-
                                                                                                   rookie Davis Mills took over.  ball games,” he said. “That’s
                                                                                                   The third-round pick looked  on us as coaches. We haven’t
                                                                                                   overmatched  from  the  start  done as good a job as we need
                                                                                                   and  the  Texans  lost  to  the  to do to do that.”
                                                                                                   Browns before dropping the
                                                                                                   next six games with Mills as  Despite  Taylor’s  bad  perfor-
                                                                                                   a starter.                   mance against the Dolphins,
                                                                                                                                Culley said he’s sticking with
                                                                                                   The  Texans  hoped  Taylor’s  the  veteran  when  the  team
            (AP)  —  When  the  Hous-    in  the  league  after  winning  rio was a longtime executive  return from a hamstring in-  resumes play. He believes last
            ton  Texans  drafted  De-    just  one  of  their  first  nine  with the Patriots who is in his  jury  last  week  would  help  week’s game was an anomaly
            shaun  Watson  in  the  first  games  —  with  five  of  their  first year in Houston. He has  them end their skid, but in-  for the 11-year pro and said
            round  in  2017,  it  seemed  eight  losses  coming  by  15  talked often about building a  stead a three-interception de-  he  gives  Houston  its  best
            they  finally  found  their  points or more.              winning culture through ac-  bacle led to a loss to Miami.  chance  to  win  moving  for-
            franchise  quarterback  af-                               countability  and  character.                             ward.
            ter  years  of  woes  at  the  It  seems  unlikely  Watson  But the question is how the  Houston’s  eight-game  los-
            position.                    will  play  another  down  for  Texans can achieve that goal  ing  streak  is  the  team’s  lon-  While  it  appears  Taylor  will
                                         the Texans, but the sides re-  with  the  uncertainty  over  gest since dropping the final  be  Houston’s  quarterback
            Fast  forward  to  2021  with  main in limbo after he wasn’t  Watson’s future taking the fo-  14 games of the 2013 season.  for  the  rest  of  this  season,
            Watson  sitting  out  amid  a  traded  before  last  week’s  cus away from anything else  The  Texans  have  had  some  he  isn’t  likely  to  be  part  of
            trade request and 22 lawsuits  deadline.  Now  the  soonest  going on with this team?  bad teams in their short his-  the  team’s  future  after  join-
            alleging  sexual  harassment  he  could  be  dealt  is  March                          tory,  but  this  might  be  the  ing the Texans on a one-year
            or assault and the Texans are  16, leaving the issue hanging  “I  don’t  want  to  speak  for  worst, often not even looking  contract this offseason. Mills
            back to square one.          over the team for at least the  anybody  else,  but  it  really  competitive as the losses have  also doesn’t seem to be a via-
                                         next few months.             hasn’t  been  a  distraction  for  piled.                 ble option to lead the team in
            As they enter their bye, they                             me,  and  our  team  has  done                            years to come after his failure
            have the second-worst record  General manager Nick Case-  a great job of focusing on the  The Texans won four games  this season.
                                                                                                   as an expansion team in 2002
                                                                                                   and their worst record came  Perhaps the only good news
                                                                                                   when they went 2-14 in both  for  the  Texans  is  that  they
                                                                                                   2005 and 2013. They’ll have  seem  destined  to  get  one
                                                                                                   an extra chance to pick up an-  of the top five picks in next
                                                                                                   other  win  with  the  addition  year’s draft, where they could
                                                                                                   of  a  17th  game  this  season,  find a quarterback to replace
                                                                                                   but  if  they  don’t  play  much  Watson. It will be a big selec-
                                                                                                   better  than  they  have,  they  tion  for  Houston  after  the
                                                                                                   might  not  be  able  to  outdo  team hasn’t had a first-round
                                                                                                   those ’05 and ’13 teams.     pick since 2019 after trading
                                                                                                                                away  their  selections  in  the
                                                                                                   Coach David Culley, who is  opening round in the last two
                                                                                                   in  his  first  season  as  a  head  years.
                                                                                                   coach  after  decades  as  an
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