J.J. Watt: HoustonTexans not the same team that I remember

• NFL

Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman J.J. Watt says the Houston Texans are not the same team that he remembers ahead of his return to Houston. After 10 seasons in Houston, Watt left the Texans this offseason. The Texans have completely overhauled their roster and there are barely players with which Watt competed alongside in the playoffs.

"There's obviously something more to it," Watt said on Thursday. "I don't think that it's what people may think it is because, I mean, you look at the roster and you look at the guys that are there, I mean it's been so massively turned over that there's only a handful of guys that are even there from last year that I played with.

"So, it's not like, I'm like, 'Oh, I want to go and beat my old team' or 'Oh, I can't wait to face this guy,' because it's not the same team. It's not the same organization that I remember and that I was a part of."

Watt doesn't know a lot of current Texans players

"There's so many guys I don't know," Watt said.

After winning their season opener, the Texans have lost five straight games. "That's why it hurts me to see where it is now, because I believe those fans deserve to be living those high times and to be experiencing those great moments and it hurts to know that they're not, and to know that they're struggling," Watt said.

"So, I hope that they get back there at some point and I hope that they get to do that because I know firsthand it's an unbelievable place to play when you're rolling." Watt admitted that Houston will never be a regular place for him.

"I mean there's 10 years of my life and there's 10 years of relationships," Watt said, "so it's not like I just chucked all my Houston stuff." Watt admits it's a big strange feeling to play against the Texans but added that his job is to get out there and help his team win.

"When I turn on the film this week and I watch the games and you're looking at NRG Stadium, for 10 years, I've looked at that film and I've been watching the team in blue and white," Watt said. "And now I'm watching it from the other perspective and I'm studying those guys, so it is, it's definitely different. "But I don't think I'm going to forget which guy I'm supposed to tackle, if that's what you're asking."