After a close loss to the Carolina Panthers, Deshaun Watson was asked a question about the Panthers defensive coverage and how it limited the Texans big play ability. He gave an absolutely perfect answer. It’s an explanation reporters and fans dream about getting from their star players.
So why are we even talking about this? Because some people on social media seem to think Watson owned this reporter. He schooled him so hard.
Let’s think about this the other way. The reporter got the exact answer he was looking for. Watson quickly confirmed if he understood the coverage and then went over the coverage in case he didn’t. Watson wasn’t schooling or embarrassing anyone. He was teaching. He was either helping the reporter learn or — if the reporter did know what Watson was talking about — he was helping to make things easier for fans to understand.
This is the type of answer fans should want from their players. It’s not a competition. Fans have become increasingly savvy and knowledgeable about football thanks to the internet, more in-depth scheme coverage on digital and traditional media, All-22 films and NFL Game Pass, and writers who work to help educate fans.
In fact, this is a perfect example for other players. Hopefully, they see this and go more in-depth next time they get a question about strategy. Often times they simply brush off the reporter. They think they’re being criticized by people who haven’t played the game and therefore don’t know a thing about football.
This is the type of stuff fans crave. We want to know exactly what happened and why decisions were made during the game. Maybe Watson’s answer can start a trend.
