Tag: Tim Kelly

Tim Kelly says the Ravens present ‘unique challenges’ for Texans’ pass protection

The Baltimore Ravens present a problem for the Houston Texans with the way they attack the quarterback. Tim Kelly is ready for Baltimore’s challenges.

The Houston Texans allowed quarterback Deshaun Watson to take four sacks in the Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, 34-20.

The pass rush won’t get any easier as the Texans face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 in the NRG Stadium opener. The AFC North club dialed up the second-most blitzes of Week 1 with 23. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers had more.

Baltimore defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale’s philosophy is to get to the quarterback by any means necessary. His pressure did get to Watson in the Week 11 game last year with the Ravens sacking the two-time Pro Bowler six times in the 41-7 loss.

Second-year offensive coordinator Tim Kelly is well aware of how formidable the Ravens can be to the Texans’ pass protection.

“The Ravens are big,” Kelly said. “They’re physical. You look at [defensive end] Calais Campbell. You look at [defensive tackle] (Derek) Wolfe. You look at [outside linebacker] (Matthew) Judon. You look at [outside linebacker] (Jaylon) Ferguson, [defensive end] (Jihad) Ward. There’s a number of — [nose tackle] Brandon Williams on the inside. There’s a number of players — the rookie from LSU [Patrick Queen] is a really good blitzer. There’s a lot of different players that offer different skill sets and that will present their own unique challenges.”

With the threat the Ravens pose, the Texans had to quickly get over their disappointment in dropping the opener to the Chiefs.

“Our guys have been, like I said, as soon as we got back Friday morning, they were able to kind of put that Kansas City game to bed and be able to learn from it, clearly, but then really start to focus on their next opponent, which is the Ravens,” said Kelly. “We’re excited, like I said, to be able to go out there and see how much better we can go out and play.”

If the Texans can improve their pass protection against the Ravens’ blitz, then it should help their third-down conversions, which were 2-of-10 last year against Baltimore. The longer Houston can sustain drives, the more it keeps Lamar Jackson off the field.

Like Rockets, Texans’ ‘alternative’ offense exposed against superior competition

The Houston Texans debuted an alternative offense against the Kansas City Chiefs. Like the Houston Rockets versus the LA Lakers, it had its problems.

The Houston Texans opened an early lead on Thursday night, carrying a 7-0 advantage over the reigning Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs into the second quarter.

Compliments regarding a seemingly rejuvenated David Johnson and schematics by new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver flooded the Twitterverse. Needless to say, for any fans who watched the whole game rather than glancing at the final box score of 34-20, nothing else went their way during the season opener. The Texans were outclassed.

Coach Bill O’Brien preached this offseason the team was introducing a spread out, faster, and diverse offense. This was headlined by new play-calling privileges for offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, the arrival of Brandin Cooks and David Johnson, and most importantly the departure of alpha receiver Deandre Hopkins. The team was widely criticized for ignoring the importance of a star wide out in an evolving passing league.  Regardless, the coaching staff maintained that their new scheme would not only force Watson to spread the ball but also create a less predictable, more dangerous offense,

Across town — well, “bubble,” the Houston Rockets were similarly outclassed on Thursday by LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, falling to a 3-1 deficit in their best of seven series. The Rockets have gathered headlines this year for bucking centuries of basketball wisdom and completely abandoning the seven-footer. By employing an exclusively “small” lineup, the team hoped to spread the basketball and shoot statistically-favored 3-pointers and open up lanes to the basket.  For all the success the Rockets found in the regular season and in short stretches, their gimmick was ultimately blown-up when faced with the class of the NBA in the Lakers.

Facing the class of the NFL, Houston once again saw their team’s “diverse” and “progressive” lineup absolutely obliterated. The Texans showed no signs of any downfield passing game, no aggression, and ultimately tip-toed towards a 360-yard total. New signing Randall Cobb accrued a total of 3 targets, all once the team trailed by three touchdowns. Brandin Cooks consistently struggled with rookie cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. Tytus Howard, after an impressive rookie showing, was thoroughly dominated. Any bright offensive moments came when the game was all but over. Garbage time.

Deshaun Watson, fresh off his four-year, $160 million contract extension, finished with 253 passing yards, one passing touchdown and one with his legs. The franchise quarterback looked frustrated all game with the Texans’ complete inability to build momentum.

Like the Rockets, the Texans will have to wary of what they’ve committed themselves to by ignoring conventional wisdom. Otherwise they too face the potential of being outclassed when faced with greatness. Trading Deandre Hopkins means other players, like Will Fuller, will have to step up and win matchups as Watson transitions to life without a default first option. Moving forward, this may mean the death of series that start with two runs. Hopkins isn’t there anymore to win third down situations. The team will need to challenge defenses vertically, involve newcomers like Cobb, and ultimately be more creative to compete in 2020.

This is not to say the season, or even the game, was entirely damning for the new scheme in Houston. Johnson played as well as he possible could have given the circumstances, taking 11 carries for 77 yards including a very impressive 19-yard touchdown.

Additionally, Fuller looked like the offense’s clear No. 1 target, consistently getting open on his way to eight receptions for 112 yards off 10 total targets. There are signs for potential improvement following a shortened off-season that had no preseason games. It would be unfair to abandon the vision following a poor performance on a rainy opening night.

Anthony Davis and James exposed that the Rockets could not win without fully committing to their gimmick. Unlike Harden, however, Watson has never been one to shy away from the biggest games and the best competition. The Texans’ new, “dynamic” offense could still win big with more practice and a further commitment to who they are.

However, they’ll have to if they want a chance against teams like Kansas City and Baltimore. There’s no room to mail in their plan in 2020. Otherwise Texans fans may see an airball this season.

Texans excited to keep C-G Greg Mancz around

The Houston Texans found a way to keep Greg Mancz with the team while not having him count on the active roster.

The Houston Texans released center-guard Greg Mancz during their roster cuts to finalize their 53-man roster Saturday.

Though the club wouldn’t have their reliable interior offensive lineman on the active roster, the new practice squad rules allowed the Texans to stash Mancz.

“Being able to get Greg back is really good,” offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said. “I look forward to continue to work with Greg. I enjoy working with him and I’m excited that he’s back here with us.”

What the club appreciates about the former 2015 undrafted free agent from Toledo is his ability to play all three of the interior offensive line positions. In 2016, Mancz was the club’s starting center for all 16 games until 2016 second-rounder Nick Martin took the job the following year. Since then, Mancz has been active for 35 games with the Texans and started in 12 of them.

Mancz fits in with a body of depth that includes Senio Kelemete and starters Zach Fulton and Max Scharping.

“I’m sure you guys have heard it, but really one of the phrases, especially in that room is ‘the more you can do,'” Kelly said. “The more versatility you provide, the more value you have. Having guys that can play center, guard, tackle really allows you flexibility on the gameday roster. Again, having vets, having guys that have played that are able to step in there in a moment’s notice is something that we’re excited to have here as far as our depth in the offensive line room.”

The Texans are also enthused to keep Mancz in the building. If the Texans need the 6-4, 302-pound guard’s presence to fill in along the interior, they don’t have to go very far.

[vertical-gallery id=53516]

Will Texans fans see Bill O’Brien take a new step as a coach?

The Houston Texans’ coordinators say coach Bill O’Brien undergoes positive transformation each season. Will fans see it, and will it manifest in wins?

Anthony Weaver has been along for the ride since 2016 when the Houston Texans hired him as their defensive line coach.

In his fifth season with the team, Weaver has taken on the added responsibility of being the defensive coordinator. Reaching this pinnacle of his coaching career indebts him to coach Bill O’Brien.

According to Weaver, O’Brien isn’t a one-dimensional figure in a ballcap standing on the sidelines, occasionally shouting at officials. Behind the scenes, the 51-year-old is a multi-faceted leader who endeavors to improve, just as he asks his players and assistants to do.

“Every single year I’ve been here, he’s undergone some kind of transformation for the better,” Weaver said. “It’s not every person — a lot of people don’t do that. You’ve got to be able to set yourself aside and be able to look at the big picture and realize where you need to grow as a human being.

“I tell people all the time, you’re either growing or you’re dying, whether you’re a player or a coach in this league. He understands that.”

For Texans fans, the team is in limbo. In four of O’Brien’s six seasons as coach, Houston has won the AFC South with two of those seasons yielding wild-card wins. No matter how great or how frustrating the season is going, save for 2017, Texans fans can count on their team to win the division, not secure a bye, and be out of the playoffs by mid-January.

Texans fans have to wonder: if O’Brien is undergoing positive transformation each offseason, why hasn’t it manifested in deeper treks into the playoffs?

“The thing that people don’t realize about Coach is that you only see the one dimension that you always see on TV and on the sidelines, but there’s so many more layers and depths to him,” Weaver said. “He’s a tremendous person and he continues to get better and look at himself in the mirror to try to get better each and every day.”

One party that does get to see O’Brien behind the scenes daily is ownership, and chairman and CEO Cal McNair decided to go all-in on O’Brien, giving him the full responsibility of general manager. Though it took trading away their two future first-round picks and a 2021 second-rounder, O’Brien fixed Houston’s problems at left tackle by acquiring Laremy Tunsil from the Miami Dolphins. Tunsil earned his first career Pro Bowl with the Texans last year.

What is positive about O’Brien’s constant growth behind the scenes is it has helped the Texans stay in the hunt. Rather than being a flash in the pan, Houston has been a somewhat fixture in the AFC bracket since O’Brien’s 2014 arrival.

“I don’t have enough good things to say about him,” said offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, who also worked with O’Brien from 2012-13 at Penn State. “I don’t necessarily think I’d ever say soft, but he’s not a thousand miles an hour, super competitive, ultra-intense all the time. But again, it’s been a real honor working with him the past nine years and looking forward to continuing that.”

Houston pro football fans may not believe the reports from behind the scenes, and they won’t until the results manifest in a conference championship game appearance at a minimum. Nonetheless, O’Brien fights the battle for growth and transformation to keep the Texans competitive in a league of parity.

[vertical-gallery id=53034]

Texans asst. QB coach T.J. Yates provides Deshaun Watson with fine details to be successful

Houston Texans assistant QB coach T.J. Yates has been providing quarterback Deshaun Watson with the details necessary to elevate his game.

The only comparison T.J. Yates and Deshaun Watson share is they were or are still quarterback for the Houston Texans. In terms of talent and ability — forget about it.

“I’ll point out the obvious here and I don’t think T.J. will get upset at this, but obviously there is a different skill level when you talk about Deshaun and T.J.,” offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said.

Kelly, who is the new play-caller as coach Bill O’Brien doubles up as general manager, is also adding the role of quarterbacks coach to his responsibilities. Helping Kelly in the quarterback room is Yates, a former Texans quarterback who went 5-7, including the postseason, in his three different stints with the club from 2011-17.

Houston drafted Yates in the fifth round in 2011; they took Watson in Round 1 of the 2017 NFL Draft.

“When that happens, if you’re not necessarily as talented or as skilled as another player you have to make sure that you really are paying attention to the details in order to have the level of success that T.J. had in this league,” Kelly said. “Because he really had to focus and train and really milk every ounce of ability that he had to reach that level, T.J. has been able to come in there and really dissect that position in terms of the amount of detail that he would go into a game plan with in terms of his preparation, comparing the different styles in the ways that they prepare. It’s been really great to have him in there.”

Kelly has a background as a defensive lineman, having played defensive tackle for Eastern Illinois while in college. All of the 34-year-old’s professional coaching experience has been on offense; Kelly never played the game from the offensive perspective. As such, he has to lean on Yates to check that his advice for Watson is practical and realistic.

Said Kelly: “It’s been great to hear from T.J., like, ‘Hey, can you really see this? I know I can see this when I’m watching tape, when I’m watching film, but when you’re out there and there’s however many people screaming, can you really see that this guys is aligned six inches further inside than he is when he’s doing something else?’

“Having him in there has been really good and I’m looking forward to the room continuing to grow as we go on here.”

Yates helped the Texans to their first ever playoff win at the end of the 2011 season. If Yates, as a coach, can help Houston win their first Super Bowl by cultivating more of Watson’s talent, that is a perspective Texans fans will enjoy.

[vertical-gallery id=52636]

Texans seek to take advantage of QB Deshaun Watson’s running abilities

The Houston Texans have a new play-caller in Tim Kelly, but he still hopes to take advantage of quarterback Deshaun Watson’s skillset as a runner.

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is dynamic as a thrower and gets more done with his arm than his legs. However, the two-time Pro Bowler is still a threat as a runner.

According to offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, who takes over play-calling for coach Bill O’Brien, the Texans intend to keep taking advantage of Watson’s skillset as a runner.

“With Deshaun, obviously his unique skillset, as a play caller and trying to figure out what plays to run, it kind of puts us in a great situation because he excels in so many areas,” Kelly said. “Not only is he a threat to throw the ball but he’s a threat with the ball in his hand. So, yeah, we’re going to continue to try to find different ways to put the defense in conflict and put him in a position to make plays.”

Watson conflicted opposing defenses to the tune of 82 carries for 413 yards and seven touchdowns. The yards were the third-most by a quarterback last year, and the touchdowns tied Lamar Jackson for the second-most in the NFL behind Josh Allen’s nine.

Unlike Madden, one cannot turn off injuries in reality football; there comes a risk every time Watson is made the focal point of the Texans’ rushing attack, and Kelly is aware of it.

“We want to make sure that comes first and foremost,” said Kelly. “We never want to put him in a position where he’s taking excessive shots. We’re always concerned about protecting him and making sure we keep him as clean as possible, even in situations where he may have the ball in his hand.”

The Texans’ offense may focus more on Watson the passer in 2020, but the brain trust is still cognizant of the fact their former 2017 first-round pick is quite the weapon on the ground.

[vertical-gallery id=53278]

Hurricane Laura 2020: Texans scrimmage to be held at NRG Stadium

The Houston Texans will move forward with their planned training camp scrimmage at NRG Stadium Thursday evening.

The Houston Texans are sticking to their original plan and will have scrimmage at NRG Stadium Thursday night.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans will have their scrimmage at their home venue after taking precautions due to the effects of Hurricane Laura, which swept through southeast Texas and upward into northwest Louisiana Thursday morning.

The scrimmage was up in the air on Wednesday as the club sent their staff and personnel home to work virtually with NRG Stadium shutdown at 2:30 p.m. that day.

Having the scrimmage on Thursday is important, according to coach and general manager Bill O’Brien, in getting the team ready for the regular season.

“I think it’s just that, I think you have to, without preseason games, in my opinion just for our football team, what’s best for our team is to have two of these scrimmages,” O’Brien told reporters on Aug. 25. “At least one of these in full pads where we warm up like a game, we treat it as much like a game as we possibly can. Coaches in the press box and kind of go through all that. Basically, the logistics of a game.”

Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly will be calling plays in to quarterback Deshaun Watson, and first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver will be relaying plays to inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney. All of these components are key to getting Houston ready for their Sept. 10 opener at the Kansas City Chiefs.

[vertical-gallery id=53212]

The big reason Texans OC Tim Kelly and Deshaun Watson are in sync

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly are in sync together, and it is because of their time watching film.

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson feels the jump in his game from year three to the advent of his fourth year in the NFL.

One of the reasons Watson cited was his time he spent with offensive coordinator Tim Kelly last season and getting a feel for his mentality.

“Having that comfortability and having that confidence on exactly what we’ve been learning over the past three years now getting into my year four and being with Tim and spending a whole year last year on his mindset and what he’s thinking and now he’s the play-caller,” Watson told reporters on Aug. 21. “Now having that, we’re being on the same page and I already know before each situation what he’s thinking, so we’re on the same page.”

What exactly put Watson and Kelly on the same page? Try watching copious amounts of film together.

“Not to steal his answer, but when you’re in the meeting room with him every single day and you’re spending countless hours watching tape and going through situations, a lot of times you’re just kind of talking about how each other are seeing the game,” Kelly said. “Hey, what were you looking at here? What decision would you make in this situation? What play do you like here? Who do you like running these routes? We’re having all these discussions leading up to practice or leading up to the game and then when we get on the field, we’re able to take advantage of that and make sure that we’re both on the same page and really allow us to execute seamlessly.”

The philosophy of the Texans’ offense in 2020 is put defenses into conflict. In other, Houston’s opponents will have to pick their poison as Watson has a variety of targets to whom he can distribute the ball. Getting on the same page with his offensive coordinator is the first step to making this approach effective.

[vertical-gallery id=52636]

Texans QB Deshaun Watson says his confidence has grown heading into Year 4

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson says the one big trait that has improved heading into his fourth season is his confidence.

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson has an insatiable appetite for improvement, and he didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic get in the way of this offseason endeavor.

As the former 2017 first-round pick enters his fourth year in the league, Watson can pinpoint where he has seen himself improve the most.

“Just my confidence continuing to grow,” Watson said. “The leadership, the knowledge of the offense, what we want to do as a whole, has been simplified for me just because it’s Year Four for me.”

Though Watson is entering 2020 with a new play-caller in offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, who is in his second year as a coordinator, the system has been relatively the same since the former Clemson Tiger landed in Houston.

“Having that comfortability and having that confidence on exactly what we’ve been learning over the past three years now getting into my year four and being with Tim and spending a whole year last year on his mindset and what he’s thinking and now he’s the play-caller,” said Watson. “Now having that, we’re being on the same page and I already know before each situation what he’s thinking, so we’re on the same page. I think that’s the next step that I’ve been taking with him and it’s been good.”

The 19th season in Texans’ history has an element of uncertainty with the club trading three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals. However, Watson, who was the biggest beneficiary of Hopkins’ elite play, continues to grow in his confidence. Part of the confidence growth has come from the actions of the front office, which sought to surround their franchise quarterback with a variety of weapons and predicate their offense on his decision-making. The Texans are going all-in on Watson, and that belief is sure to raise one’s own confidence.

[vertical-gallery id=52636]

WR Chad Hansen is building trust with Texans QB Deshaun Watson

Houston Texans receiver Chad Hansen is building trust with starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, which will help him find a place on the roster.

When the Houston Texans picked up Chad Hansen last training camp, the former New York Jets 2017 fourth-round pick was a project; someone to fill out the 90-man roster.

Hansen was cut at the end of preseason, signed back to the practice squad in late September, and then signed a reserve/future contract with the Texans in January.

In his second full camp with the Texans, Hansen is starting to grab the coaches’ attention.

“Chad’s just a guy who comes in every day and he works, he runs,” offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said. “He’s out there every single day and again, I’ve mentioned it two or three times already, but really building trust with the quarterback is such a huge thing at that position. He’s done a great job of doing that with all the quarterbacks because he’s out there every day. He’s willing to work. Chad’s having a really good camp so far.”

Hansen spent part of his offseason in California working with quarterback Deshaun Watson. It has been since 2017 that Hansen has played in any meaningful action, and he seeks to add to his career totals of nine catches for 94 yards.

[vertical-gallery id=52429]