Houston Texans QB Davis Mills told @johnhcrumpler that OC Pep Hamilton “wants the best” out of the team’s signal callers in 2022.
NORCROSS, Ga. — Davis Mills has had a favorable offseason.
The Houston Texans showed him a great deal of faith during the offseason without bringing in another quarterback that could viably compete for the starting job in either free agency or the draft. The team extended star receiver Brandin Cooks and selected John Metchie in Round 2 of the 2022 NFL draft.
While the belief from new coach Lovie Smith in Mills is beneficial, what may elevate the former third-rounder from Stanford is the promotion of Pep Hamilton to offensive coordinator.
“I mean, he’s just a great coach all together,” Mills exclusively told the Texans Wire at the Davis Mills Quarterback Challenge at Greater Atlanta Christian School Saturday. “He’s been in the position and done it at a high level for a long time and been around some great quarterbacks and helped them become great quarterbacks. He played quarterback himself and will still come out and sling the ball around at practice to show us what needs to be done.”
According to Mills, Hamilton has a “warm guy” demeanor, but nevertheless insists on his players making progress. The challenging goes both ways.
Said Mills: “He wants the best out of us and we push him as well to give us his best everyday. We’re all pretty tight in the QB room and we’re excited to see what’s next this year.”
The last time Pep Hamilton was linked this closely with a Stanford quarterback, he helped Andrew Luck make strides in 2014 as the Indianapolis Colts reached the AFC Championship. The former 2012 No. 1 overall pick threw a career-high 40 touchdowns as the Colts collected an AFC South title.
As long as the challenging between Mills, Hamilton, and the rest of the offense is fruitful, Houston fans are hopeful history repeats itself in the AFC South.
Houston Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton is thankful to call plays as it provides a chance to “atone for some of the things” in 2021.
David Culley’s favorite word throughout 2021 was consistency. Whether or not the Houston Texans achieved consistency was another story, but the first-year coach knew that his club needed more of it to avoid a 4-13 finish.
Although Culley is gone and Lovie Smith has taken the reins as coach, the theme still remains, especially for Pep Hamilton. The former quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator was promoted to offensive coordinator with the promotion of Smith from defensive coordinator and associate head coach to the big role.
Hamilton relishes the opportunity to show how consistent the Texans offense can truly be.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to atone for some of the things that happen over the course of last season,” Hamilton told reporters on Wednesday after mandatory minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center. “To be able to go out and show that we can play at a high level of football more consistently. We had times where we played good football offensively, but there were times also where we tended to make mistakes and crate issues for ourselves.”
The Texans were dismal in the red zone with a 51.4% conversion rate, the sixth-lowest in the NFL. Houston fared a little better in the turnover department with just 22 given away over the 17-game season, tied for the 13th-fewest in the league. However, the run game was atrocious with a 3.4 yards per carry and 83.6 yards per game, both the worst in the NFL.
Hamilton knows that the Texans are 0-0 and have a chance to show the personnel is capable of playing formidably on offense with second-year quarterback Davis Mills leading the way.
Said Hamilton: “Myself and the rest of our off staff have been charged with this duty of making sure we put players in the best position to be successful.”
The last time Hamilton was an offensive coordinator in the NFL was with the Indianapolis Colts from 2013-15. The last time Hamilton worked with Smith was with the Chicago Bears from 2007-09 as the quarterbacks coach.
The Houston Texans offense sputtered in the season-opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Where do they go from here?
After months of speculation, the NFL season kicked off on Thursday night with the Kansas City Chiefs raising a banner, or maybe a billboard, and then taking on the Houston Texans. Starved for football, NFL fans took to the public square that is Twitter and were quick to over-react to every single play.
Football was indeed back.
Early on, a take that many had was that Bill O’Brien fooled us all when he traded away DeAndre Hopkins and got running back David Johnson in return. Johnson was jump-cutting into the endzone, the Texans were on the board, and O’Brien was in the running for NFL Executive of the Year.
Then, the Texans ran out of their scripted plays, and the wheels came off. By the end of the night, social media had moved from praising O’Brien, to wondering how in the world he can fix this offense.
As with many situations, it begins with the guys up front. During his time in the league, protecting Deshaun Watson has been a struggle for the Houston offense. Pro Football Focus charted the quarterback with 227 pressured dropbacks last year – seventh in the league – and he was sacked 44 times, sixth-most in the NFL. Believe it or not, that was actually an improvement from his 2018 season, when he was pressured 281 times – most in the NFL – and sacked 61 times, again a league-high.
Watson was pressured often on Thursday night, getting sacked four times and hit seven. Even when he managed to get throws off, he seemed to be under duress more often than not. Now, pressure is often a function of the quarterback himself, either in terms of being slow with reads or failing to get the ball out on time, but then you see moments like this from right tackle Tytus Howard:
It also showed up when Watson was intercepted early in the fourth quarter, when Tyrann Mathieu was able to beat tight end Darren Fells and get to the quarterback, impacting the throw:
So protecting their quarterback is an issue, still. But another loomed large as the game wore on.
They miss Hopkins.
Sure, in time a receiver might emerge that can win in contested situations, and that Watson trusts enough to challenge coverage with downfield, but on Thursday night, that element of Houston’s offense was sorely missing.
That also meant that the Chiefs and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo were able to drop into some two-high coverage schemes, avoid having to bracket or even double a receiver, and force Watson to challenge windows of their choosing. Take this 3rd down play from late in the first half, with the Texans on the move. The Chiefs show pressure at the snap, even dropping Mathieu down in the box, but then drop him into a Cover 2 look. Watson tries to feather in the vertical route along the right sideline, but both the corner and Mathieu are able to constrict the window, and the pass falls incomplete:
Spagnuolo had Frank Clark cover the flat to the field from the opposite B gap on that last 3rd. Mad man. pic.twitter.com/a9R9tpSwdr
Let’s revisit that earlier pressure on Watson from Clark. This comes on a 3rd and 7 in the second half. Again, you’ll see how the Chiefs are able to play this with two high safeties, without the need to bracket or double any of the receivers:
Here is another example of this, from the first half. On this 3rd and 10 play, the Chiefs again can play with two deep safeties. Watson is pressured – a common occurrence on Thursday night – but even if he had time there was nowhere to go with the football. Routes were covered along with dedicated safety help to both sides of the field.
When they had Hopkins in the fold, there would be situations like this where the defense would be forced to put a second defender either in a bracket or a cone on Hopkins, or to outright double-team him. Now, without a threat like that, the Texans are going to face these types of coverages. Dedicated safety help on both sides of the field, with narrow throwing windows as a result.
When you combine that with the pressure the Chiefs were able to generate on Watson, that is a recipe for disaster.
Now, there are two fixes for this. First, they need to protect their quarterback. Last year, one way the Texans were able to do this was by going with empty formations, spreading out the defense, and giving Watson some quick reads and throws to get the ball out of his hand. Take this play against the Los Angeles Chargers from last season:
Los Angeles brings pressure here, sending five after Watson and using a mirrored tackle-end stunt. But the Texans still have five in to block, so the QB has time to get the ball out. He looks to the right, where a rub concept frees up Fells on a quick slant.
Here is a similar design against the Carolina Panthers. Houston goes empty again and puts Keke Coutee in a stack slot to the right behind Hopkins. Hopkins releases vertically, while Coutee runs a simple curl route. The vertical release – plus the attention paid to Hopkins – creates space for his teammate on the curl route:
See, however, how Hopkins draws the attention from three defenders initially, freeing up Coutee on the quick curl route. Without that element – a receiver that scares a defense – this might be tough to replicate.
This might not have made a huge difference on Thursday night, however:
Don't know what this number ended up at, but the crazy thing is, Watson wasn't even holding the ball long. 2.6-second average time to throw per NextGenStats. Would have ranked third fastest in 2019. https://t.co/rRPVsIR7d5
So even quick game concepts might have been an issue given how the offensive line played against the Chiefs. So there need to be other elements incorporated.
The other thing they might need to do is to go condensed and heavy. In years past the Houston offense has relied on the Yankee concept, a maximum-protection, two receiver design that pairs a deep post route with a crosser working just underneath it, usually off of play-action. That gives you extra blockers to protect your QB, and a chance to hit on some throws downfield:
While they might not have Hopkins to run this with, you can be effective on this design – while protecting your QB – with the receivers they have in the fold.
So sure, tonight was a rough night for the Houston offense. But Johnson made people believe in the trade for at least a drive or two early, and Watson is still an elite talent. With some tweaks to their offense, and perhaps relying on some of what they’ve run in the past, they can shore up protection and get rolling again.
However, I am contractually obligated to include one more image:
Houston Texans tight end Jordan Akins is questionable but a game-time decision to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
The Houston Texans offense was able to get by with playing one tight end, Darren Fells, for most of their wild card win over the Buffalo Bills. However, one would be hard-pressed to assume they would want to enter the divisional round bout with the Kansas City Chiefs with limited tight end depth.
Unfortunately, that could be the case. Tight end Jordan Akins is questionable for the matchup with the Chiefs with a hamstring injury. He did not play against the Bills and was a limited participant in practice.
However, Akins could play. Texans coach Bill O’Brien tabbed the tight end as similar to wide receiver Will Fuller, in that he’s a game-time decision who is “trending” upwards.
“Jordan Akins, I would put in the same category as Will (Fuller V),” O’Brien said on Friday. “I think that’s a daily process, especially at this time of the year where we’ve played a lot of games. I think that would be something that would be really around game time where we would make that make that decision.”
In addition to Akins being questionable, Fells is also questionable for the tilt in Kansas City with a hip injury. Fells was a limited participant in Friday’s practice.
If Akins is available to play on Sunday, the Texans offense will benefit greatly. The second-year tight end hailing from Central Florida acts as modern “move” tight end, in that he can play anywhere on the field. It helps that he has a history of playing wide receiver and is a much-improved blocker.
In 2019, Akins reeled-in 36 receptions for 418 yards and two touchdowns. As a rookie in 2018, he tallied 17 receptions for 225 yards and no scores.
If Akins is truly a game-time decision, word on if he plays or not will be known 90 minutes before kickoff on Sunday.
Deshaun Watson’s 34-yard pass to Taiwan Jones was amazing. However, Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien says it wasn’t even his best play in 2019.
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is not one to fold under pressure. He has six game-winning drives in 2019 alone, the most in the NFL (including playoffs). Sometimes, those game-winning drives come via an improbable play.
On Saturday, in a 22-19 wild card round win over the Buffalo Bills, Watson drilled a pass that will surely end-up on an end-of-the-season highlight reel. On second-and-6, in overtime, with the season on the line, Watson evaded two sacks to find running back Taiwan Jones for a 34-yard gain that would set up the game-winning field goal.
The play, for most, is a career-defining one. For Watson, it’s just another addition to his highlight reel. His coach Bill O’Brien doesn’t even see it as his best play made during the 2019 season.
“I’ve seen some incredible plays,” O’Brien said on Monday. “I’m very lucky, I’ve seen some incredible plays, and that was an incredible play. But I think that when you get kicked in the eye and you still are able to complete a touchdown pass, I’m not sure that you can surpass that. I just think that that play that he made on (Saturday) was an incredible play and he’s an incredible player, but when he got kicked in the eye against Oakland and he grabbed his eye and he really didn’t know what was going on with his eye and he kept the play alive to complete a pass, that was a pretty cool play.”
The play O’Brien refers to took place against the Oakland Raiders in Week 8. Like against the Bills, he led a comeback, with the improbable play sealing the deal for the win. On first-and-goal, Watson dropped back, got out of a tackle, was kicked in his eye and threw a touchdown to tight end Darren Fells.
The Houston Texans got some points on the board against the Buffalo Bills via a Deshaun Watson 20-yard touchdown run when he carried some defenders.
Deshaun Watson will do it himself. Down 16, in the final moments of the third quarter of the Houston Texans’ playoff bout with the Buffalo Bills, he desperately needed to get his team some points. He did just that with a 20-yard scamper.
Watson followed a block by rookie fullback Cullen Gillaspia out of a two running back set. Running behind the former Texas A&M 12th man, he found himself at the six-yard line with the Bills coming in for a tackle. That didn’t stop him. He carried his defenders into the end zone, dove and got the Texans’ first points of the day.
Watch below.
There goes that man.@DeshaunWatson carries defenders into the end zone on this 20-yard TD run! #WeAreTexans
Then down by 10, the Texans opted to go for two. Again, Watson did it himself. He ran towards the edge of the end zone, put out his hand and converted.
Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien says Duke Johnson has fit in with his team well since trading for him from the Cleveland Browns.
The Houston Texans freed Duke Johnson of the Cleveland Browns. After much desire to get out of Cleveland, Bill O’Brien took up Johnson on his request, sending a conditional fourth-round pick that would convey into a third-round pick for the University of Miami product.
In his first season as a Texans, Johnson played a complementary role to Carlos Hyde in Houston’s backfield. He tallied 127 touches for 820 scrimmage yards and five total touchdowns on the season, ranking second in the NFL among running backs in yards per touch (6.5).
From Houston’s end, they have no regret trading for the 26-year-old dual-threat back.
“Duke has fit in well,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said on Friday. “Duke is a very smart player, he’s a very team-oriented guy, he understands his role, he’s really good in protection, he’s good at route running, he’s been good in the running game for the times that we’ve asked him to do that. He’s given us a little spark there in a lot of games. Duke has come in here – I think the fact that Duke is a good teammate and cares about the team and then is a really smart guy, I think that’s a good combination.”
On Saturday, Johnson will get his first taste of NFL postseason action, as the Texans host the Buffalo Bills, with the winner going into the next round. Expect Houston to utilize the 5-9, 210-pound back.
Johnson’s abilities as a receiver open up the Texans’ offense. His 410 receiving yards and 44 receptions in 2019 ranked 13th and 16th in the NFL at his position, respectively.
The Bills’ defense won’t be able to stack the box when facing the Texans. Johnson’s ability as a receiver forces defenses to spread out and play lighter. However, he can also exploit that, which the Texans do. Per Player Profiler, Houston runs Johnson against a light front 65.1% of the time, fourth in the NFL.
Johnson should be an X-factor for the Texans in the most meaningful game of his career.
The Houston Texans offense is one of the NFL’s best. However, they suffer from self-inflicted wounds on the first drive of games.
The Houston Texans are the NFL’s 11th-ranked scoring offense, putting up 24.3 points per game. Despite so, they are the NFL’s 30th-ranked first-quarter team, scoring 2.7 points per first-quarter.
Houston’s first quarter woes start from the beginning. They struggle to start in the first drive of games, not recording a touchdown once on the opening drive in 15 attempts, making them the NFL’s worst first drive team.
The Texans struggle early despite possessing an offense littered with starts. They have a Pro Bowl quarterback in Deshaun Watson, an All-Pro receiver in DeAndre Hopkins and a 1,000-yard rusher in Carlos Hyde. So why do they struggle?
Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly blames execution.
“I think each game is independent, let alone each year,” Kelly said on Thursday. “I think it is, it’s all execution, and that’s the frustrating part with it is because a lot of times it’s mostly a self-inflicted wound that ends up stalling the drive. Again, that’s something we’re going to focus on this week and hopefully we can come out and get some better results.”
Generally, the Texans start games as if they are hungover. Whether it’s a bad throw from Watson, a penalty on the offensive line or an errant turnover, Houston finds themselves in a hole they dug too often.
“Just, you look at it on tape and there’s a lot of things we could do better relative to our first drive of a game,” coach Bill O’Brien said on Thursday. “Sometimes it’s penalties, sometimes it’s missed assignments, sometimes it’s a TFL, a sack, maybe it’s bad play call. Whatever it is, we’re all in it together and we need to fix that.”
The Texans can’t go into the postseason with an inability to score in the first drive or first quarter. Though they have gotten by doing so, sitting at 10-5, that won’t cut it in the playoffs where every possession matters.
If Houston can’t fix their woes, they may see another quick postseason exit.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said his team tried to restrict Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson playing on the right-side.
Though they lost, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did well restricting Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson, in a Texans postseason-clinching victory, went 19 of 32 passing for 184 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, good for a 62.5 passer rating. He also tallied 37 yards on seven rush attempts. The Bucs sacked him five times.
Tampa Bay’s strong defensive line and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’ game-plan got the best of Watson, even if he did get the victory. What was part of the success game-plan? Taking away the right side.
“We let him out a couple times, especially to his right,” Bucs coach Bruce Arians told Tampa media postgame. “That was the plan, not to let him out to his right. But, we tried to get some sacks and he beat us.”
As Arians explained, the Bucs tried to avoid letting Watson play on the right-side and for a good reason; he tears up defenses on his dominant-hand side. According to Next Gen Stats, he went 5 of 7 passing for 59 yards on the right while also tallying a rush for nine yards.
The Bucs did a good job keeping away Watson from the right. His success on the side was limited. Passing over the middle, he passed 6 of 13 for 55 yards and an interception. He also had a 19-yard rush.
To the left, Watson found a bit more success, going 8 of 12 for 70 yards. Rushing, however, did not flourish. The 24-year-old took four attempts for 10 yards while scrambling to the left.
Tampa Bay’s plan to limit Watson’s usage on the right-side is nothing that should come as a surprise. According to Sharp Football Stats, heading into the game, his highest passer-rating passing into any individual zone (118) is 0-14-yard right-side.
Ultimately, Tampa Bay succeeded in their game plan. However, the Texans, and subsequently their quarterback, played better on Sunday. They forced five turnovers, including four interceptions.
Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson went to the medical tent in the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. DeAndre Hopkins knew he’d come back.
Early in the third quarter of the Houston Texans’ 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, quarterback Deshaun Watson visited the blue medical tent.
The Texans 24-year-old quarterback did so after he sustained an unknown right foot injury on the first drive of the second half, which resulted in a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal. Despite showing obvious discomfort, Watson ran for a 19-yard first down after sustaining the injury.
Watson’s visit to the blue medical tent didn’t last long. While backup A.J. McCarron warmed up, No. 4 was being looked at by the Texans’ training staff. His teammate, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, didn’t think he would be catching passes from anybody else.
“He’s a fighter,” Hopkins told reporters postgame. “I knew he was going to come back out no matter what, especially with the game being close like that.”
Watson did not miss a snap. Though the injury limited his mobility as he ran in a gimpy fashion, he led the Texans in rushing in the ugly bout, tallying 37 yards on seven attempts.
The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback said he is in good health after the victory — coming from a player that played on a torn ACL as a college freshman, it’s fair to wonder what he believes is good health, however.
“I’m doing good,” Watson said. “I’m fine,” he later noted. “I was able to finish the game.”
Watson struggled throughout the contest. He finished the game going 19 of 32 passing for 184 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, good for a 62.5 passer rating. Nonetheless, the Texans got a victory when they needed it most.
The Texans needed Watson to win the game that would ultimately give Houston another AFC South crown. Though he was injured, he delivered, as Hopkins thought he would.
Houston doesn’t have a passer playing professional quarterback for them. They have a fighter.
