Bob McNair: Brock Osweiler ‘still basically a rookie’

Detroit Lions v Houston Texans

It’s been a bumpy ride for Brock Osweiler after signing his four-year, $72 million contract.

Osweiler has been good enough to lead the Texans to a 5-3 record, but he’s thrown nine touchdown passes and nine interceptions and has completed 59.3 percent of his passes. His passer rating has been a lackluster 73.1.

“He’s still basically a rookie,” Texans owner Bob McNair told the Houston Chronicle after Osweiler threw a touchdown and an interception in a 20-13 home win over the Lions.

McNair is right in a way. Sunday’s start was the 15th of Osweiler’s career. He’s 10-5 in those starts with 19 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions.

However, McNair’s assessment is much tamer than his reaction in Week 1, when Osweiler completed 22 of 35 passes for 231 yards and threw two touchdown passes and an interception in a 23-14 home win over the Bears.

“He’s everything we thought he would be,” McNair said after that game.

If McNair and the Texans thought Osweiler would be an inconsistent quarterback who couldn’t win on the road, then what McNair said in Week 1 would still stand.

But owners can overreact in Week 1 just like fans, and it looks like at the midpoint of the season McNair understands he’s going to have to wait for a significant return on his investment.

[Pro Football Talk]
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