Deshaun Watson says he's 'playing the best football of my career'

CLEMSON, S.C. — If you want to make a Clemson player or coach laugh — or grit their teeth in annoyance — simply ask: What’s wrong with Deshaun Watson?

The short answer, this same group will tell you, is nothing.

“He set the standard of quarterback play here at Clemson,” said senior center Jay Guillermo. “He’s done things that not a lot of people have accomplished. He does uncommon things. It’s just mind-blowing.”

It’s a case where perception might not match up with reality. The perception, based on a cursory examination of Watson’s junior season, is that the two-time Heisman Trophy contender has struggled.

He’s averaging roughly a half-yard fewer per pass attempt, a seemingly negligible amount that does add up over the course of Watson’s nearly 500 throws during the regular season. That slight decline contributes to the much-publicized criticism of Clemson’s downfield passing game, which has battled inconsistency one season after being a primary factor behind the Tigers’ offensive success.

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He’s thrown two more interceptions than in 2015, a year that saw Watson — and Clemson as a whole — transform potential into All-America production. Watson’s 15 interceptions are the sixth-most of any quarterback in the Football Bowl Subdivision; in comparison, the other three teams in this year’s College Football Playoff — Alabama, Ohio State and Washington — have combined to throw 21 interceptions.

“He’s thrown picks, but we still keep winning,” said cornerback Cordrea Tankersley. “That’s all that matters. For whatever reason, he throws more touchdowns than picks.”

In reality, however, Watson still managed to finish the regular season ranked ninth nationally in completion percentage, seventh in passing yards and tied for fifth in touchdowns, while the Tigers entered the postseason in a familiar position: in the Playoff, just like in 2015, thanks in large part to their junior quarterback.

“The good stuff, it’s not going to create the headlines,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “If you talk about the five touchdowns that Deshaun threw, ‘Well, that’s Deshaun Watson. That’s what he’s supposed to be. But boy, he threw two picks!’ That’s the big news.”

So what’s wrong with Watson? Two more interceptions, that’s what, and that’s nothing. As his teammates and coaches will strongly attest, he’s as good now as he’s ever been — and so is Clemson.

“The people that know Deshaun and that have been around him every day for the last three years, we laugh at that,” said co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott. “He’s the best I’ve ever been around. He’s unbelievable.”

Maybe a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist doesn’t need teammates and coaches leaping to his defense, even if the complaints about Watson’s perceived decline largely ring hollow. Yes, he experienced a slight increase in turnovers along with a slight decrease in per-attempt production, but everything is relative.

“I’m playing the best football of my career,” said Watson, who is widely expected to give up his final season of eligibility and enter the NFL draft, where he would be among the first quarterbacks selected. “That’s how it should be, as you get older and more proven. I should be playing better football.”

And there’s something symbolic about the negativity: Watson has been a stand-in for the critiques of Clemson as a whole. One year after their national breakthrough, the Tigers — and their quarterback — are finding it difficult to meet a nearly unreachable standard for success.

“I think there’s unrealistic expectations all over sports,” said co-offensive offensive coordinator Tony Elliott. “I also think there’s a heavy tendency toward, ‘What’s new? What’s next?’ And if there’s a new hot thing coming out, then everybody’s going to jump on it. Everybody’s always looking for that story that leads. ‘Things aren’t as good as they seem,’ you know?”

At the same time, there’s no disputing the idea that Clemson cannot afford to make mistakes in its Fiesta Bowl matchup with Ohio State, a team that may lack offensive explosiveness but has perhaps the nation’s most aggressive defensive backfield — the Buckeyes rank fifth in the Football Bowl Subdivision in interceptions and first in interceptions returned for touchdowns.

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Admittedly, Watson’s most turnover-happy performances came against perhaps the three toughest teams on the Tigers’ schedule. He tossed three interceptions against Louisville and two against Florida State, even if Clemson won both games. Watson had another three turnovers against Pittsburgh, in the Tigers’ only defeat.

But not all interceptions fall on the shoulders of the quarterback. Watson should take responsibility for less than one-third of his interceptions, Elliott estimated, citing instances of poor reads, overthrows or underthrows. In other cases, however, these turnovers can be attributed to mitigating factors: mistaken routes run by teammates or balls tipped at the line of scrimmage, for example.

“I think Deshaun is so good he made people numb to it,” Swinney said. “Do we really understand what happened in those 15 interceptions? No, and nobody cares. Nobody wants to break that down. I know exactly what happened.”

What Swinney cares about is the response: Watson tossed a first-half interception in the Tigers’ 56-7 win against rival South Carolina on Nov. 26 and then proceeded to commence a streak of 19 completions in a row, a new school record. He’s among the hottest quarterbacks in the country entering the postseason, with 10 touchdowns and just two turnovers in Clemson’s last three games.

In other words, Watson is as good as ever, and just at the right time. So before you ask: There’s nothing wrong with Clemson’s junior quarterback.

“It definitely pisses you off, just because us being here at practice and us seeing him working out and seeing how hard he works,” said tight end Jordan Leggett. “But after these next couple games we have, if he plays the way I think he will, honestly, they’re not going to be say nothing. The only way you can shut them up is by performing.”

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