Deshaun Watson. Michael Jordan. The two play different sports in different cities in different eras.
One is the Houston Texans quarterback, the other is arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time. Yet, they are synonymous with each other, thanks to Clemson coach Dabo Swinney.
In 2017, Swinney famously compared Watson to Jordan, saying passing on him at No. 1 was like “passing on Michael Jordan.” He recently shed light on the situation, and made a Chicago connection.
“The whole Jordan thing came about because the Bulls had the third pick when they took Jordan and the Bears had the third pick,” said Swinney via 7News. “That’s the only reason that came up. It just kind of took on a life of its own.”
Ultimately, the Bears did not emulate the Bulls. Rather than giving Chicago football’s version of Jordan, they gave the city Mitchell Trubisky — who may be more like the football version of Lancaster Gordon.
Swinney did not compare Watson to Jordan in a literal sense. That doesn’t mean he backs off from the comparison.
“I just meant he’s a winner and a killer like Michael Jordan. I didn’t mean he’s Michael Jordan. I mean, he’s got a will to win that is rare,” Swinney explained. “And you only see that every now and then. And when I think of that, I think of Jordan, who would claw your eyeballs out to win. He’s just a winner and that’s what Deshaun is.”
Michael Jordan or not, Deshaun Watson has given Houston a winner when they need it most. He isn’t chasing the ghost in Chicago; rather, he is trying to solidify the 7-1-3 as Clutch City, and their football scene could use it. Houston’s NFL teams have not seen the AFC Championship Game since 1979. It could only take an MJ-like figure to help Houston past that hump, much like how Jordan led Chicago to the conference finals for the first time since 1975.
