–Scooting away from pursuit, New York Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley displays rare speed and acceleration.
The explosive former Penn State consensus All-American is justifying the Giants’ investment in him as the second overall pick of the draft.
Now, the winless Texans will try to contain Barkley on Sunday at NRG Stadium.
“He’s built in such a way and he has such a way of playing that he’s a very challenging player,” Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said. “He’s hard to tackle, obviously, in the running game, but he’s also used very well in the passing game. He’s an excellent player.
“We played Michigan when I was at Penn State and he came to the game and I was fortunate enough to meet him there, but after that I don’t really know him, but I sure do have a lot of respect for him.”
Barkley has already rushed for 134 yards on 29 carries and caught 16 passes for 102 yards.
In his first NFL game, Barkley dashed into the end zone for a 68-yard touchdown run and finished with 18 carries for 106 yards.
“He’s a very good player,” Texans defensive end J.J. Watt said. “Obviously, he had an incredible college career and some of things he’s been able to do. He can break it at any time.
“He’s very tough to bring down on the first tackle. I think you’ll notice that rarely does he get taken down by the first guy to hit him, which is impressive. So, we know he has big-play capabilities, just like Odell (Beckham Jr.) does on the outside. They have weapons.”
Barkley rushed for 3,843 yards and 43 touchdowns for the Nittany Lions with 1,195 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches.
“He’s an outstanding player and he’s done a lot for us to this point,” Giants coach Pat Shurmur said. “I think we just have to keep trying to get him the ball. He’s got a way of making people miss, but we’ve got to get a little bit more space, but he’s done what we expected him to do to this point.”
–Former Texans punter Shane Lechler broke his silence, expressing hard feelings about being released by the AFC South franchise.
Speaking on the podcast of former NFL punter Pat McAfee, Lechler sounded off about being replaced by undrafted rookie punter Trevor Daniel.
“I never thought I would be beat out by a rookie,” Lechler said.
Lechler also complained about the punting schedule the Texans had him and Daniel conduct during their competition.
“The kicking schedule we had, man, that was absolutely brutal,” Lechler said. “I really felt like a rookie again. I know what you’re trying to do: kick me out of the game.”
When McAfee asked Lechler if he felt disrespected, the seven-time Pro Bowl punter replied: “Oh, yeah.”
The Texans are 0-2 and have lost 14 of their past 18 games, and Lechler was critical of head coach Bill O’Brien’s reaction to the mounting losses.
“Driving in every morning and I’m like, ‘(Crap), what is he going to say today,'” Lechler said. “I’m tired of hearing we are so close. No, we aren’t, we’re 2-10.”
O’Brien responded that he was surprised by Lechler’s comments.
“I just talked to Shane two nights ago, so I don’t know what to tell you,” O’Brien said. “I have great respect for Shane. It’s hard. It’s a very hard decision that you have to make.
“Shane’s one of the best punters to ever punt. I’ve said that time and time again. I consider Shane a friend, so I don’t know what to say other than that.”
–Just because the Texans had Kareem Jackson play cornerback against the Tennessee Titans doesn’t mean the veteran defensive back won’t be back at safety Sunday against the New York Giants.
Jackson initially replaced Andre Hal, who is battling lymphoma at safety. Then, he shifted back to cornerback last Sunday when Kevin Johnson was placed on injured reserve with a concussion.
Against the Titans, Jackson started at cornerback with rookie Justin Reid stepping into the starting lineup at safety.
“I think we have to think about that every week,” Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said. “Kareem has a lot of experience. He’s one of our more versatile players on defense and he’s a smart player, so it’s easy to take him and say, ‘Hey, you’re a corner, you’re a nickel, you’re a safety.’
“A very versatile player, but I think that will be a week-to-week decision that we make, but he has the skillset to be able to do both.”
When Jackson started at cornerback, it meant that cornerback Aaron Colvin got his playing time as a substitute, not a starter.
“I think Aaron has played solid for us, and I could see scenarios where he would be out on the field more, sure,” O’Brien said.
–Texans Pro Bowl Jadeveon Clowney was limited in practice Wednesday and he is regarded as a question mark for Sunday’s game.
Clowney was sidelined for the Texans’ loss Sunday but was penalized for taunting on the bench after an altercation with tight end Luke Stocker.
Clowney previously had an elbow injury, but that is no longer listed as bothering him on the official injury report.
“I don’t have too much of an update,” Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said. “It’s too early in the week.”
The following players were also limited: wide receiver Will Fuller (hamstring), wide receiver Keke Coutee (hamstring) and wide receiver Sammie Coates (hamstring), tight end Ryan Griffin (hip), cornerback Kayvon Webster (Achilles) and wide receiver
DeAndre Hopkins (thumb and ankle).
Webster is not expected back this week.
–The Texans worked out former Green Bay Packers cornerback Herb Waters, according to a league source not authorized to speak publicly.
They also worked out former Oakland Raiders wide receiver Isaac Whitney, who was signed to the practice squad.
The Texans’ other tryouts included running back Matthew Dayes and Jeremy McNichols, defensive end Anthony Lanier and cornerback D.J. White.
BY THE NUMBERS: 21 — Times that Deshaun Watson has been hit this season.
