Savage gains confidence each week as Texans QB

Aug 22, 2017 - 2:46 AM HOUSTON -- Operating out of the shotgun formation, Houston Texans starting quarterback Tom Savage made a fast decision Saturday night when he saw wide receiver Jaelen Strong break across the middle against the New England Patriots secondary.

Savage lobbed a perfect spiral in the back of the end zone to connect with Strong, a fellow Philadelphia native, for a leaping 2-yard touchdown catch against the reigning Super Bowl champions. Strong beat Patriots Pro-Bowl cornerback Malcolm Butler for the score.

It was an extremely sharp performance by Savage, the Texans' new starter, as he continues to hold off the challenge of gifted first-round draft pick Deshaun Watson.

Savage completed 8 of 9 passes for 98 yards, one score and no interceptions for a pristine 149.1 passer rating in nearly one quarter of action before being replaced by Watson.

"Yeah, I'm really, really comfortable with this offense," Savage said. "We have a lot of talent out there and a lot of the guys are making some big plays for me and it's been awesome."

At this stage of the preseason, Savage has done nothing to relinquish his grip on the starting job. He has yet to commit a turnover.

"From a personal standpoint, just protecting the ball that's been good," Savage said. "It's tough to get a good gauge of it. This is a good foundation we're building, but we got to keep improving.

"Obviously, it's preseason. So, you got to do this in the regular season and go out there and consistently score points and then move the ball like we did. It's a good foundation that we're in."

Savage was sacked once as he continues to deal with some recurring pass-protection issues from his offensive line.

The former fourth-round draft pick from Pitt was hit hard by Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy in an earlier drive, with Van Noy flagged for roughing the passer.

Savage shook it off, got up and completed a 37-yard sideline throw to a leaping Bruce Ellington. Savage rolled out to his right and put some serious air under the football to give Ellington a shot in a jump-ball situation on a fly route.

"The hit felt good," Savage said. "It felt good to get out there and take a shot. I think all the guys made some big plays for me, and it really helped me out."

Midway through the preseason, Savage has completed 17 of 20 passes for 167 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions for a 120.95 passer rating.

"He threw the ball accurately," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said. "He's got good command of what we're doing. He's able to get us into the right play at the line of scrimmage, which is important for our offense."

Savage got off to a rocky start to the preseason the week before when he went three-and-out on his initial two drives against the Carolina Panthers primarily due to a lack of pass protection with three-time Pro-Bowl left tackle Duane Brown's self-imposed absence due to a contract dispute.

Against the Patriots, Savage got into a rhythm much sooner despite some breakdowns in the pocket. He showed some ability to improvise along with his toughness as he got up quickly after absorbing a big hit from Van Noy.

Savage displayed good chemistry with Ellington, a former San Francisco 49ers fourth-round draft pick who recently joined the team. He completed three passes to him for 60 yards.

"I thought it was good," Savage said. "Offensively, we want to get out there that first drive and score a touchdown, but we got the ball back down there and we punched it in and that's all we can ask for."

--When the Texans signed wide receiver Bruce Ellington, his arrival marked his third NFL employer over the past year.

It also involved engaging in a crash course in the Texans' intricate playbook. There was some overlap from similar plays Ellington had run in the past with the San Francisco 49ers, but there was plenty of new terminology.

Ellington is capitalizing on his opportunity so far, catching four passes for 93 yards on five targets during a preseason win Saturday night over the New England Patriots.

"Give Bruce a lot of credit," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said. "Bruce just showed up here and he's picked it up pretty well. I think we do a lot of things that are similar to what he did in San Francisco, but maybe they called it something different. He made the most of his opportunity. He did a nice job. It's good to have him around."

Ellington's ability to run after the catch and leaping ability were both on display against the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots.

The former fourth-round draft pick from South Carolina made an acrobatic sideline catch for a 37-yard pass from starting quarterback Tom Savage.

"Go get it," Ellington said of his mindset. "It's my ball as much as it is his."

That mentality is serving Ellington well as he makes a bid for a roster spot. With DeAndre Hopkins, Braxton Miller and Will Fuller sidelined, Ellington got an extended look with the first-team offense.

"Very big, you have to make plays to make the team," Ellington said. "So, it's huge. It's just been a blessing to come out here and be a part of this team.

--The occasion called for celebration. Finding the end zone even in a preseason game is a big deal.

So, Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson and running back D'Onta Foreman both broke out touchdown dances Saturday night against the New England Patriots.

Following his run up the middle for a score, Watson did the Milly Rock. The first-round draft pick from Clemson said he borrowed the dance from running back Lamar Miller.

"It's just a dance everyone (does), just joking around when you're hanging out," Watson said. "(Teammates) thought it was pretty swaggy and pretty fun to do, just having fun on the sideline. That's what football is about."

A native of Texas City and a third-round pick from Texas, Foreman did the Southside dance following his touchdown run.

"Spur of the moment," Foreman sad. "Just stuff I grew up on, listening to when I was a kid. I had to do it, I'm in Houston."

Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt was impressed with Watson's dancing skills.

"He's a lot better dancer," Watt said. "I was talking with a couple of guys on the sidelines and said, 'You may have to teach me some moves, because I'm like the least rhythmic guy in the entire world.' Maybe I'll pull out that dance someday."