NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 03: Tom Savage #3 of the Houston Texans throws a pass against the Tennessee Titans during the first half at Nissan Stadium on December 3, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Tom Savage is having a tough go at quarterback for the Houston Texans in the 2017 season. He has led the Texans to a 1-4 record since losing then Rookie of the Year leader DeShaun Watson for the rest of the season, but the former Rutgers quarterback is making progress as a passer.
From what we’ve seen on the field so far, Watson looks like the real deal and the future of the franchise. However, Savage is making a case to be the back for next season and beyond. He had one of his better days against the Tennessee Titans, throwing for 365 yards, a touchdown and finished with a 84.1 QB Rating.
It was the first 300-yard game of his career. Don’t tell Savage that. He would rather get the win than have good numbers.
“It’s just numbers,” Savage said. “We’ve got to find a way to win. I’d rather be 1-of-50, and with a win, than whatever yards I had.”
He was impressive on the day and earned some praise from his head coach.
“I thought he played well,” Bill O’Brien said. “Tom can sling it. We had a lot of injuries today. A lot of things we had to piece together on offense.”
But that wasn’t the whole story on Sunday. As part of the My Cause, My Cleats initiative by the NFL, Savage wore some special cleats in honor of his cousin, Sydney, who is battling leukemia.
From the Houston Chronicle (where you can also see a picture of the cleats):
Texans quarterback Tom Savage is honoring his 13-year-old cousin, Sydney Nihill, through the NFL’s “My Cause, My Cleats” platform.
Savage has bright orange cleats because Sydney is battling leukemia for the second time. Her sister, Hannah, a Drexel basketball player, was her donor for a bone marrow transplant.
“It’s got little surfboards on it, that’s kind of her logo, and it says, ‘No one fights alone,'” Savage said. “She’s just my biggest idol in this world. She really puts everything in perspective. She’s a really tough girl and I couldn’t even imagine going through what she’s going through at that age.
“It’s such an inspiration to me and it really gets me through a lot of things. I text her all the time and FaceTime and Snapchat. She really is just the most positive person in the world. She’ll be in the hospital until Christmas and then when she beats it she’ll be out of it. The whole family’s just tremendous people and she’s such an inspiration to me.”
Savage has four games remaining in the season to show the Texans what he can do. If he wants to be part of this franchise moving forward, he’ll have to accept the backup role. However, there is a good chance this is an audition of sorts for Savage. There are plenty of teams around the league looking for quarterbacks. If he believes he can start for a franchise, he’ll have to look elsewhere to take on that challenge.
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