Kyle Shanahan won’t face Texans’ J.J. Watt but is wary of Jadeveon Clowney

The Houston Texans may be without All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt, but San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan still has to deal with linebacker Jadeveon Clowney when the two teams meet up on Sunday at NRG Stadium. Clowney, who was the first-overall pick in the 2014 draft, stands out to Shanahan when he watches film of the Texans defense, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

"He's an issue," Shanahan said via McClain. "He plays violent. He's an athlete. They move him all over. I hadn't seen him on tape for a while, and watching him Monday, to be honest, it wasn't very fun to watch him.

"You get excited hearing that J.J.'s (Watt) not in there, which, thank goodness, he's not, but Clowney is. I think he's really come through, and he's lived up to the expectations that everybody's wanted him to."

Clowney leads the Texans with nine sacks, 18 tackles for loss, and 13 quarterback hits.

Shanahan, who coached the Texans' receivers and quarterbacks from 2006 through 2007 before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2008, spoke on Wednesday of his time in Houston.

"I loved my time in Houston," Shanahan said. "I went to school in Austin, so I've always loved the state of Texas. Going down to Houston, lots of good people. Very down to earth people. Great food out there. I miss the Tex-Mex the most and the queso ... That was my first time as a position coach, got to be a receiver coach there and then a quarterback coach, and my first two years as a coordinator. Back then I didn't have as many scars. Everything went pretty good.

"In my two years as a coordinator, it went real well. Had a lot of good memories from there. I've left and gone to a bunch of different places. Had to do different things. Houston's a good city, a good football town. It's a good organization."