http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/201...-10-weeks/


Possibly out until well 10

---

“It is the job of thinking people not to be on the side of the executioners.”
― Albert Camus

10 weeks, not week 10. At this point in time he'd be back around week 4ish.

 

I think he should just retire :thumbsup:

---

IT WAS ALWAYS THE JAGS

Even though the prognosis is that he will be out up to ten weeks, I'm unconvinced this injury will not have longer term implications for Watt, the Texans, and the division as a whole.

 

Michael Cheever was a second round draft choice for the Jaguars in 1996.  I think he had the ability to be the best C in Jaguars history.  To me, his insertion into the lineup during the Jaguars' playoff run of 1996 was critical to the success Natrone Means had during that run.  During the following offseason, he injured his back lifting weights, like Watt, and he never recovered.

 

There have been other instances of players who suffered back injuries who continued to play, but was never quite the same player.  One that most readily leaps to mind is Charles Haley.  He played all of 1995 with back issues and was not the same player he had been before.

 

Putting aside the absolute destruction he habitually inflicts on our offense, as someone who still values and appreciates defensive football, if indeed this injury does have a prolonged, adverse affect on his effectiveness and career, the Texans and the league will be worse off for it. 

 

I do think if anyone can bounce back from this, Watt can.

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

My mistake on 10 weeks, thanks for pointing that out.

---

“It is the job of thinking people not to be on the side of the executioners.”
― Albert Camus

Remember Eben Britton? He looked great as a rookie then injured his back lifting weights and was never the same.

---

Remember Eben Britton? He looked great as a rookie then injured his back lifting weights and was never the same.

Yep

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

David Garrard

 

Tony Romo

---

IT WAS ALWAYS THE JAGS

Back injuries are never really fixed.   Look at Tiger Woods.   Watt may come back this season, but he's getting up there in age, and he might be retired all of a sudden.  You just never know. 

---

That sucks for watt, I enjoy watching play.... except against the jags.


Question is, if he's out any significant time, does this end the Texans season. He's a mvp level player.

---

Some guys do recover from back surgery, but I wouldn't mind seeing Watt stick around the league a few more years as a dramatically overpaid shell of his former self.

---

Probably hurt it patting himself on the back so much.

---

When Watt was talking about playing with a herniated disc and all that earlier in the year I was surprised because, having experienced that myself, it isn't just something you  can shrug off and say eff it; if you don't give it rest it will continue to linger. The surgery confirms this for me. I never had surgery on my back and it still flares up every now and then. Surgery doesn't always work; will be interesting to see if this has long term implications on Watt's career.

---

"A man with no sauce is lost.

<p style="text-align:center;">But that same man can get lost in the sauce."

That sucks for watt, I enjoy watching play.... except against the jags.


Question is, if he's out any significant time, does this end the Texans season. He's a mvp level player.

 

 

They might be ok if Clowney becomes the guy they drafted him to be.

---

'02

They might be ok if Clowney becomes the guy they drafted him to be.

 

If Watt isn't the guy he's been over the past few years then the texans won't have a shot at winning the afcs, that much is for sure. Clowney would need to be another generational level defensive talent for him to pick up where Watt would be leaving off, and I think at this point its safe to say that even if Clowney turns out good he won't be as good as Watt.

 

Here's the scary part for texans fans, if Watt becomes just a middle of the pack guy after this they could be in for a run like the Jaguars from 2008-2014. They have a QB they just paid a bundle to that isn't good enough, they have a lot of good players on defense, and some talent on offense, but not enough to make it out of that 6-8 win draft purgatory where they're never in position to draft the easily identifiable blue chip QB prospect. They'll just be running out the clock on what quality their team currently has so they can finally be bad enough to be picking in the top 3 for a few years in a row.

 

The saddest part for texans fans is they had their shot at a true franchise QB two years ago, and they passed him up so an intradivision rival could take him instead. Right now they're still in denial, telling themselves that Bortles isn't as great as his second season implies he is, and that they can make it work with a guy like Osweiler. If Watt can't dominate anymore then they're going to be in trouble for years to come.

---

And so it begins. We will eventually look back another year or two from now and talk about how they truly missed their window. They passed on Bortles, Carr and to a lesser extent Bridgewater which would have set them up for and even stronger run going forward. The fight to stay good enough just to miss out on a great qb continues for the tin horns...

---

His back is worn out from carrying that garbage team around for too long. I think he'll go onto be the next Reggie White. JJ will probably play about two to three more years there with the tinhorns and he'll abandon ship in the market for a team that's probably already on the cusp of winning a Championship. 

---

"What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie? I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing; Rush in and die, dogs - I was a man before I was a king."

His back is worn out from carrying that garbage team around for too long. I think he'll go onto be the next Reggie White. JJ will probably play about two to three more years there with the tinhorns and he'll abandon ship in the market for a team that's probably already on the cusp of winning a Championship. 

 

So you think they'll cut him if he's playing like the next Reggie White? His contract goes through the 2021 season.

---

So you think they'll cut him if he's playing like the next Reggie White? His contract goes through the 2021 season.

 

They'll cut him because they'll realize they can't build a Championship team around his contract. And he'll get burned out being stuck there and not winning anything. 

---

"What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie? I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing; Rush in and die, dogs - I was a man before I was a king."

The cap goes up every year. If the guy plays like Reggie White when he comes back, it's not gonna matter what they're paying him, they're gonna happily pay it. I don't think that's likely though, I've seen a few guys injure their back doing some kind of workout (Eben Britton) and never come back the same. Back surgery is never gonna be good no matter what it is, but it's especially bad news for 250+ pound monster athletes competing against each other.


I hope he makes a full recovery, even though he might kill Bortles if he does. He's a good player and a decent guy.

---

They'll cut him because they'll realize they can't build a Championship team around his contract. And he'll get burned out being stuck there and not winning anything. 

 

I doubt that happens. Teams seem really rather vindictive at times in their desire to keep great players on their own team from having the opportunity to go elsewhere. If nothing else I'd guess that the people running the team keep him around if only to keep him from going to somewhere like Jax that can use him to pound the crap out of them for a few years.

---