T.J. Yates remains Houston Texans’ unsung hero – NFL Feature
Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates was the most celebrated player in Houston in year 2011. He led the Texans to the playoffs for the first time in their franchise history, despite being a young pro and debutant offence leader.
Also, it was for the first time in their franchise history that the Texans won the American Football Conference (AFC) South division title. A most important factor of their victory was that Yates provided the Texans a transition platform from being one of
the worst teams of the league to be one amongst the best in 2011 and 2012.
Since then the Texans have changed their ways, and are on winning ways consistently.
It was in 2011 when Yates was a celebrated hero. Not anymore though. Since return of main offence leader quarterback Matt Schaub, who missed most part of the last season with a foot injury, Yates has been placed on backburner, not just backup position.
There is hardly any news item in which the player is mentioned. It is probably the bad of the media that they celebrate the winning players as heroes, well who are in the limelight of the team’s strategies and placing. Otherwise, Yates is no less than a
talented player, as is Schaub or any other quarterback in the league.
If there was no contractual bindings, he might have had sought his exit to join an offence leader the team that needed him the most, the Jacksonville Jaguars or Cleveland Browns, for example. Then he could possibly have got the due praise and publicity.
His absence in the team’s performance analysis and media commentaries is so much that it appears if he has gone under hiding, or he has left playing football at all. He is even not mentioned in comparative performances analysis of the team, in their performance
of 2012 in comparison with 2011. His contemporaries like Jags quarterback Blaine Gabbert gets more publicity than many other offence leaders in spite of his consistent failings.
Indianapolis Colts’ rookie quarterback Andrew Luck is an exception here, because he has shown to be more talented than many veterans. He has gone on to break many records, which even his predecessor Peyton Manning did not achieve as a rookie more than a
decade ago.
So, Yates, now in his second year, deserves a better chance in the media, and most importantly by his media relation people, if not the entire team.
It is not that the player himself has complained of being ignored, unlike Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco who would not spare even his immediate boss for ignoring him in credit-giving of the team’s wins.
Still, Yates would like to read his name in the media sections online and in print after a while or may listen to his voice on radio or see his picture on television. He by all means deserves a better treatment from the Texans. After all, he was their most
celebrated hero last season.
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