AP

Defensive end J.J. Watt closed last season with a flourish and now his defensive coordinator with the Texans is making bold statements about where Watt’s career can take him.

Wade Phillips sounded a bit like another son of a former NFL head coach when talking about Watt at Texans training camp. Rex Ryan would certainly appreciate Phillips putting Watt in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after just one year on the job.

“He’s going to be a bust — not a first-round bust but a bust in the Hall of Fame,” Phillips said, via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. “The only players I’ve seen that can do what he can do with his intensity can be found in Canton.”

Phillips isn’t the only member of the organization to speak of Watt in laudatory terms. As mentioned in Sunday’s one-liners, defensive end Antonio Smith thinks Watt will be a “megastar.” It should go without saying that Watt has much more to do to wind up in the Hall of Fame, but it’s not hard to see why the Texans are getting so worked up about him.

Watt started every game as a rookie and showed a versatility not always found in 3-4 defensive ends. He can hold up against the run as well as rush the passer from end or when slipping inside on passing downs. He had 3.5 sacks in the team’s two playoff games after picking up 5.5 sacks during the regular season, a jump in performance that obviously made an impact on Phillips.