Bill O'Brien has been vocal about his disappointment in Jadeveon Clowney not being on the field this season, but that doesn't mean the Houston Texans coach doesn't have his rookie's back.
"I do want to say that this guy has worked extremely hard to recover from injuries," O'Brien said Monday, per the Houston Chronicle. "And I want to be real clear with this (about) him, as it relates to us here, to the Houston Texans: We think very highly of him. We know that he's going to be a really good player. And he's been unlucky.
"I don't really care about what anybody thinks about what I say in that realm of being unlucky or lucky. I'm just telling you he's had a sports hernia, he's had a concussion and now he's dealing with a knee injury and those things are not easy in your rookie year. And he's in there every day working extremely hard to get better."
O'Brien added that the No. 1 overall pick is day to day and could miss this Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with the lingering knee injury.
Clowney has played four games with just seven tackles and zero sacks. One year -- regardless of how little he's seen the field -- should not be a referendum on the young players career, but it has to sting Texans fans just a little bit at the moment watching Khalil Mack dominate in Oakland.
UPDATE:John McClain of the Chronicle reported Tuesday that Clowney will get a second opinion on his injured knee from Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps every Sunday game from Week 13 and debates whether Johnny Manziel deserves the starting job. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
