Perhaps in a different reality, cornerback Vernon Hargreaves would play against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
A starter in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary earlier this season, Hargreaves flipped teams when the Bucs released him on Nov. 12. If not for the release, he may very well have played Watson on Saturday instead of his former teammate, Jameis Winston.
Hargreaves is happy that he does not have to face Watson — outside of practice — even though the two-time Pro Bowl field general had a bad game on Saturday.
“He’s special,” Hargreaves told reporters postgame. “God blessed him in a very particular way to play the quarterback position. He takes advantage of it and he uses his skills and it’s tough. I would hate to play against him.”
On Saturday, Watson went 19 of 32 passing for no touchdowns, an interception and a 62.5 passer rating. It was a poor performance. Nonetheless, he still sits second in the NFL in total touchdowns (34).
A dual-threat with abilities to make the improbable probable, Watson is one of the NFL’s most-feared at his position. The NFL named him to the Pro Bowl the second-time out of three years in the league on Tuesday.
Largely thanks to Watson’s play, the Texans are 10-5 and clinched the playoffs with Saturday’s win.
While Watson did not enjoy his usual outstanding outing on Saturday, Hargreaves’ former quarterback, Winston, was worse. In the Bucs’ loss, he threw four interceptions. Nonetheless, the now-Texans cornerback continues to carry respect for him.
“He’s tough, he’s tough because he never stops,” Hargreaves said. “He doesn’t stop no matter what — it doesn’t matter. He still going to come at you with everything he has and that’s what I admire about him. No matter what you say about him, no matter what you do to him, he’s still going to come back and he’s going to play hard.”
While Hargreaves respects Winston, he can’t thank the Tampa Bay quarterback for his first taste of the postseason. He can thank No. 4, who resides in Houston.
