Houston Texans rookie quarterback Davis Mills compiled and 0-6 record as a starter as Tyrod Taylor recovered from his strained hamstring. The third-rounder from Stanford had plenty to learn from.
After Taylor proved to be inadequate as a starter, Mills regained the reins. In the four starts since, the Texans have gone 2-2 with a 1-1 record on the road.
Guard Lane Taylor has played seven games, starting in four of them, and has been an eyewitness to the development of Mills.
“I think it’s been impressive the way he’s developed throughout the year,” said Taylor. “He was clearly a rookie this training camp, doing a lot of rookie things. But over the course of the year, you can tell he’s just grown and grown and grown, and really taken over the huddle and done great things. I look for him to keep improving over the years.”
One area where Taylor attests to the growth of Mills is his confidence.
Said Taylor: “I think as an offensive lineman you can really feed off your quarterback. If he’s confident then you’re going to be confident, but if he’s in there, he’s stumbling with the play call or he clearly gets something wrong, you’re not as confident going out there. So, his confidence really reflects on everyone else.”
The Texans have one more game to go as they host the Tennessee Titans Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at NRG Stadium. The game will still be of consequence as the Titans haven’t fully clinched the No. 1 seed. If the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos on Saturday, it will place a great deal of emphasis on Houston’s tilt with the Titans, as a loss could ensure the Chiefs get a first-round bye for the fourth straight postseason.
