This year's No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney has played in all of four games for the Houston Texans this season. He has seven total tackles and zero sacks. Many NFL observers have begun to question Clowney's commitment and toughness. They just haven't been stupid enough to question it around Texans head coach Bill O'Brien.
"This guy has worked extremely hard to recover from injuries," O'Brien said. "And I want to be real clear about this with him, as it relates to us here to the Houston Texans. We think very highly of him. We know he's going to be a really good player. He's been unlucky. I don't really care what anybody thinks about what I say in that realm of being unlucky or lucky. He's had a sports hernia, he's had a concussion and now he's dealing with a knee injury. Those things are not easy in your rookie year."
Clowney was sidelined for Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans after suffering a setback in his surgically-repaired right knee. The highly hyped linebacker underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in September after tearing his meniscus in the team's season opener against the Washington Redskins. The knee began to swell leading up to Sunday's matchup.
Clowney has unfortunately dealt with an assortment of injuries since leaving the University of South Carolina and becoming the league's top pick. He had a sports hernia back in June that kept him out of early practices. Clowney then suffered a concussion during a joint practice with the Denver Broncos during the preseason.
Clowney played a season high 49 snaps against the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks ago, but has yet to see consistent playing time at any other point during the season.
"He's in here every day working extremely hard to get better," O'Brien said. "He's definitely day to day, we'll have to see how he feels and take him out there and run and see if he can cut and do some of the things that really make him the player that he is. He'll be honest with us. He's a good kid. He's a good teammate. He's working hard to get back out on the field."
The Texans will play the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday.
