Texans QB Savage knows he has to play better

Nov 16, 2017 - 5:44 PM HOUSTON -- Tom Savage endures plenty of harsh external criticism, absorbing a torrent of brutal truth contained within the many observations about his substandard performance.

Yes, there's plenty of doubt surrounding the Houston Texans starting quarterback. Much of that stems from the stark contrast between Savage's traditional and methodical pocket-passer style and the dynamic way rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson had transformed the offense into the highest scoring unit in the league prior to his season-ending knee injury.

Savage doesn't shy away from placing himself under a microscope. He has been blunt about his failures, especially on the heels of a four-turnover meltdown during a 33-7 road loss Sunday to the Los Angeles Rams.

It was like a bad movie for Savage as he lost two fumbles and was intercepted twice while completing just 44 percent of his throws.

Savage didn't buy into a suggestion that his play is trending in the right direction. He is far from happy with how he has performed and is unwilling to accept any outward notion that this is the best he can do.

"It's just kind of like low standards to say," Savage said Wednesday. "At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what I say right now or how I view this upcoming week. The only thing that really matters is just winning, and that's it.

"I can sit here and tell you all day that I want to throw 75 percent or I feel like I'm getting better -- that doesn't matter. No one cares about any of that stuff. What matters is winning, and that's what we're going to try to do this weekend."

Savage remains the starter ahead of backup T.J. Yates heading into a Sunday home game against the Arizona Cardinals. The Texans have fallen to 3-6 and may be out of contention in the AFC South division they won the previous two seasons. They've lost both of Savage's starts since Watson was placed on injured reserve.

Despite Savage's shortcomings -- which are primarily not getting the football out of his hands quickly enough, not being fast enough to elude pass rushers, not being decisive enough or accurate enough with his throws and a lack of ball security -- Texans quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan is convinced that he'll play better Sunday.

"I do," Ryan said.

Why? What makes Ryan believe that Savage will improve?

The strong-armed former fourth-round draft pick from Pitt has lost all three of his starts this season, including a season-opening loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars before being benched at halftime and replaced by Watson.

"I just think the guy works," Ryan said. "He works very hard, it means a lot to him. At the end of the day, he's got the arm talent like we've talked about in the past and the smarts to get it done. And I just feel like that combination gives him a good chance to really fix things and to play better."

Savage has to upgrade his ball security significantly to do so. Savage has fumbled six times, losing five of them.

Savage has a tendency to throw too late. On Sunday, wide receiver Bruce Ellington, whom Savage later connected with in Los Angeles for the Texans' only touchdown, got hit hard because Savage hung the football in the air too long.

"I think sometimes we need to do a better job from the quarterback spot -- and I need to do a better job of preaching it and working it in drills -- of anticipating it," Ryan said. "So, the ball is out in a little bit quicker time, and I think that that's part of it."

As hard on himself as Savage has been, though, he realizes that dwelling on the situation can ultimately be counterproductive.

"The old quote, 'It's never as bad as it seems and it's never as good as it seems,' after a good game," Savage said. "I think I watched the film and kind of took a deep breath and I was like, 'You know what? We'll just move on from this.' I'm not going to sit here and beat myself up the whole week and think about that game.

"I think I did some good things, I think I made some good throws. Obviously, you're never going to win a game with four turnovers, so whatever I have to do to fix that, whether it's tuck the ball away if I'm getting hit or know when the play's over."

--The cracked ribs that Texans wide receiver Will Fuller V is still nursing will sideline him Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Texans feel good about his replacement: wide receiver Bruce Ellington.

Ellington caught a touchdown pass against the Los Angeles Rams, finishing with four receptions for 41 yards.

"Other guys are going to have to step up," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said. "Bruce is running good routes. Bruce needs to get the ball more. Bruce Ellington, he's doing some really good things out there."

Fuller didn't practice Wednesday after absorbing a big hit Sunday from Los Angeles Rams safety Lamarcus Joyner.

"I'm not sure if he cracked it or not, but I would say he would miss the game," O'Brien said.

Fuller has caught 17 passes for 326 yards and seven touchdowns in six games since returning from a broken collarbone suffered during training camp. Now, the former first-round draft pick from Notre Dame, is hurt again.

A former fourth-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers, Ellington joined the Texans in August after being cut by the New York Jets with a failed physical due to a hamstring injury.

Healthy finally, Ellington has a career-high 19 catches for 231 yards and two touchdowns.

"I think Bruce brings certainly his athleticism in the way of his change of direction allows him to run certain routes that are pretty clean in terms of a good, quick read of separation from defenders because he's able to stick his foot in the ground and separate," Texans quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan said. "That makes him pretty quarterback friendly. He's got the ability like you saw the other day to run after the catch. That's a quarterback's good friend right there."

--Texans quarterback Tom Savage became the latest addition to the injury report, but he's on track to start Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

Savage was a full participant in practice Wednesday despite an injury to his right throwing shoulder. He was sacked three times and hit eight times Sunday as he had a four-turnover meltdown.

If Savage is sidelined, T.J. Yates would replace him.

Offensive tackle Julien Davenport (shoulder) and inside linebacker Dylan Cole (hamstring) didn't practice.

--Texans Pro-Bowl pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney has picked up the slack created since J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus were lost for the season.

Clowney leads the Texans with six sacks and 12 tackles for losses. He has two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries and one touchdown.

"He's having an All-Pro season," Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said. "Maybe an MVP season. They're doing such a good job of not knowing where he is, so you can't really game-plan for him. Each guy on the offensive line may end up having to block him, and that's a heck of a chore."

--Texans starting defensive end Joel Heath returned to practice Wednesday, marking the first time he'd been back since injuring his knee and quadriceps.

Heath missed the past three games.

"It feels good," Heath said. "I'm excited to get back on the field and get ready to go. It was a quad. It's a combination of both. It's really more the quad. No sprain of the knee; it was more the leg muscle."

For the season, Heath has recorded nine tackles and one sack in six games and five starts.

"Looked like he did some good things," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said. "It's just been unfortunate for him. He's dealing with a hamstring earlier in the year and just hasn't really been able to get over the hump. Hopefully this is the week he gets over the hump."

--Following an encouraging start to the season, Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn is hoping to rebound after missing field goals in consecutive weeks.

As the replacement for veteran Nick Novak, Fairbairn made his first 11 field goals of the season. However, the past two games, he misfired from 34 yards 37 yards.

"Just a straight mis-hit," Fairbairn said. "I didn't hit the ball well. I was glad to come back right after that and have a PAT straight down the line. I really focused on my technique on that one and was straight down the middle."

A former Lou Groza Award winner at UCLA, Fairbairn has connected on 11 of 13 field goals this season. He's missed two extra points.

"I'm just going to treat this as an opportunity to bounce back," Fairbairn said. "I'm going to come focused this week during practice and come game time and focus on my technique."

SERIES HISTORY: 4th regular-season meeting. Cardinals lead series, 2-1. The Texans lost 27-24 to the Cardinals in 2013.

NOTES: ILB Dylan Cole is out this week with a Grade 2 strained hamstring. ... WR Will Fuller V is out with cracked ribs. ... T Julien Davenport is questionable with a shoulder injury. ... DE Joel Heath (knee) returned to practice after missing the three previous games.