Tag: Tim Kelly

Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly to be play-caller in 2020

Houston Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly will be the play-caller in the 2020 season.

Houston Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly will take over the play-calling duties from coach Bill O’Brien in the 2020 season.

O’Brien met with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and said the second-year offensive coordinator will call the plays.

Kelly, who has worked previously with the tight ends since he joined the Texans’ staff in 2014, will also work with the quarterbacks, even though Carl Smith is still the quarterbacks coach.

“Very hardworking guy, guy that really cares, the players really respect him,” O’Brien said. “He does a great job in the meeting room and on the practice field, does a great job on game day. He’s just an excellent coach. We have a great relationship. He’s a great person, and we’re excited for him to take the next step in his career here.”

Kelly was grafted onto the O’Brien coaching tree in 2012 as a graduate assistant. The Eastern Illinois alumnus spent two seasons with the Nittany Lions before joining O’Brien in Houston to take over a Texans squad that finished 2-14 in 2013. From there, Kelly was an offensive quality control coach his first two seasons and an assistant offensive line coach in 2016. In 2017-18, Kelly worked with the tight ends before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019.

“He’ll call the plays,” said O’Brien. “He’ll do an excellent job.”

With Kelly as play-caller, it is the second time since O’Brien took over that he has relinquished such duties. The first instance was in 2015 when he handed over play-calling to offensive coordinator George Godsey, who was an offensive assistant for the New England Patriots in 2011 when O’Brien was the offensive coordinator.

Godsey was a part of the Belichick coaching tree, like O’Brien, not a fully groomed product like Kelly, who has spent his entire NFL career under O’Brien.

The Texans finished 2019 14th with 23.6 points per game and tied with the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams as the 11th-best in total offense.

Tim Kelly knows why the Texans are lackluster on their opening drives

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.

Texans OC Tim Kelly thinks Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins perform on every stage

Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson and WR DeAndre Hopkins are always performing at a high level, regardless of how many eyeballs are watching.

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and receiver DeAndre Hopkins have been stellar in all four of the team’s nationally televised games this season, posting a 3-1 record.

Watson has collected passer ratings of 114.3, 120.4, 104.6, and 140.7 in bouts with the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 on Monday Night Football, the Jacksonville Jaguars in London in Week 9, the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12 on Thursday Night Football, and the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football in Week 13.

Week 16’s Saturday encounter with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is part of a nationally televised triple-header on NFL Network, which can only mean the tandem is set to have another explosive game. However, offensive coordinator Tim Kelly believes the two Pro Bowler perform at a high level regardless of the television audience.

“I think they’re good together in every game they play,” Kelly told reporters Wednesday. “They’re two great players that work hard to be on the same page and are able to go out there and make plays consistently.”

Hopkins caught eight passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, eight passes for 48 yards and a score in Week 9, six catches for 94 yards and two scores in Week 12, and five catches for 64 yards in Week 13, including a 6-yard touchdown pass to Watson.

Still, Kelly thinks every game matters to Hopkins and Watson; they don’t mean any more or any less.

Said Kelly: “I think every game they come out there and it’s the most important thing in the world for them to go out there and play well and win. I think those two guys are two of the more competitive players that I’ve ever been around and they come out and they fight to the very end.”

Watson, Hopkins, and the rest of the Texans will be fighting to the last whistle against the Buccaneers. A win over the 7-7 NFC South club will deliver Houston their sixth AFC South title in franchise history, and the second-most in the history of the division behind the Indianapolis Colts’ seven. More importantly, it will get the Texans in the tournament where anything can happen.

Texans’ Laremy Tunsil is everything you look for in a left tackle

Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil is everything you want in an offensive tackle, says offensive coordinator Tim Kelly.

In his fourth year in the NFL and his first with the Houston Texans, left tackle Laremy Tunsil made the Pro Bowl.

For offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, that should come as no surprise. Tunsil, who stands at 6-5, 315-pounds with 34-1/4-inch arms, is a prototype.

“He’s really athletic,” Kelly said on Wednesday. “He’s got great feet. He’s a physical player, and he’s got good length. He’s just really everything you’re looking for in a left tackle.”

To the rest of the NFL, Tunsil’s recognition as a Pro Bowler also doesn’t come as a surprise. Entering the NFL out of Ole Miss in 2016, he earned praise as the best overall prospect in his draft class.

A monumental blunder caused Tunsil to drop to the Miami Dolphins at No. 13, where he was considered a steal and instant franchise left tackle. For three years, he was just that, until the Texans came calling with a bundle that included two first-round picks.

The Dolphins struck a deal to send Tunsil to Houston and the rest is history. The 25-year-old is playing the part of one of the best in the NFL, carrying an outstanding 89.9 Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade while also paving lanes for the NFL’s seventh-ranked rush offense.

Texans versus Titans will have a family feel with the Kelly brothers

The Kelly family will have two members going against each other when the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans square off in Week 15.

There are a bevy of reasons the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans playing each other is emotional, but none more so than for the Kelly brothers when the two sides meet Sunday at noon CT at Nissan Stadium.

While it is the seventh time the Texans and Titans have met since Tennessee signed tackle Dennis Kelly as a free agent in 2016, it is the first time Tim Kelly will be the Texans’ offensive coordinator after spending the previous five seasons as an assistant on coach Bill O’Brien’s staff.

Tim acknowledged on Thursday that he will talk to his brother later in the week, but currently he is focused on beating his brother’s team, just as Dennis is focused on beating the Texans.

“During the week, we’re both pretty focused on taking care of business,” Kelly said. “I’ll make sure I go and say hello to him before the game.”

According to their mother, approximately 60 people are expected to be in attendance for the showdown between two 8-5 clubs grappling for first place in the AFC South.

“He’s obviously paying for those tickets,” Kelly joked.

Tim intends to meet up with Dennis before the game. Once it is kickoff, Tim will be locked in on getting a big road win in Tennessee.

Nonetheless, the situation is a momentous one for the Kelly family to have two members part of a big division race in the AFC.

“It’s a pretty cool situation to be able to watch your brother play in the NFL, let alone have to prepare against him and get ready to play him,” said Kelly. “So, very proud of everything he’s accomplished and it’s definitely a pretty cool moment to be able to see him on the other sideline, that’s for sure.”

Since Dennis arrived in the AFC South, the series has been evenly split 3-3. Originally, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Dennis with a fifth-round pick from Purdue in 2013. The combined ledger favors Dennis’ teams 4-3.

Deshaun Watson, Texans borrow trick play from Bears

The Texans borrowed a page out of the Bears’ playbook with a trick play in their win over the Patriots on Sunday night.

Chicago Bears fans watching the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans game on Sunday Night Football may have seen something that looked familiar when the Texans scored their final touchdown of the night.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, with the Texans leading the Patriots 21-9, quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Houston offense entered the redzone. On first-and-goal from the 6-yard line, Watson handed the ball to running back Duke Johnson, who then gave it to receiver DeAndre Hopkins on an end around, then pitched the ball back to Watson as he dove over the pylon for the touchdown.

The score put Houston up 28-9 and essentially sealed the game while fans were going nuts over the fake play they just saw. But Bears fans have seen this done before.

Back in 2017 during quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s first NFL start against the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears ran a nearly identical fake play as a 2-point conversion following Trubisky’s first career touchdown pass. Trubisky handed the ball to running back Jordan Howard, who gave it to tight end Zach Miller, then pitched it back to Trubisky for two points.

Flashing back to the present, Watson wasn’t shy about revealing where he learned the play from following their 28-22 win.

“We were watching a game, and actually, I think it was Chicago that did it,” Watson revealed. “We brought it up, me and A.J. McCarron were looking at it, was watching film one day and was like ‘actually, we probably can run that.’ So we kind of through it out there to (offensive coordinator) Tim Kelly and OB (head coach Bill O’Brien) and Hop (Hopkins) saw it and Hop of course said ‘yeah, let’s do it, let’s do it.’ He was excited so we kept working on it, kept working on it, and we knew it was the perfect time once we got inside the 5 (yard line), it was going to come. It was good.”

This isn’t the first time a team took a specific play from the Bears. The Philadelphia Eagles’ famous “Philly Special” play from Super Bowl 52 that saw tight end Trey Burton throw a touchdown pass to quarterback Nick Foles against the Patriots was originally run by the Bears in 2016. Both plays were orchestrated by former offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.

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In their own words: 4 keys for the Texans to beat the Patriots

The Houston Texans enter Sunday’s bout with the New England Patriots as underdogs. Find out how they can pull off the upset at NRG Stadium.

The 10-1 New England Patriots are in town to face the 7-4 Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football. A highly anticipated matchup between two of the league’s most intriguing teams, the matchup should be one of thrills and eyes glued to screens.

The Patriots come in as the favorites. If the Texans want to update, they must play a clean game of football while getting their stars going against a terrifying defense. However, don’t let a writer tell you that. Instead, let the players do so.

qb Deshaun Watson: Don’t look at the past

texans-patriots-vary-greatly-2018-matchup
Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots, since the beginning of the Bill Belichick-era, have the best of most teams, including the Texans. In their 11 matchups, the Patriots are 10-1 against the Texans. New England has won the last eight against Houston, solidifying their dominance over them in the last decade.

Watson, who will face the Patriots for the third time, calls for the Texans to forget the past.

“Every year is different, every game is different. It’s a new week, a new opportunity, we’re both 0-0 and we’re both trying to be 1-0 Sunday night. That’s how we have to look at it. We can’t look in the past, we can’t look in the future,” said Watson on Wednesday. “We’ve got to focus on this moment now, and what we’re focused on is we’re focused on Wednesday practice. We’re going to focus on these meetings after practice and take it brick by brick and step by step. If we can do that, we’ll be just fine.”

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Texans have to play to the echo of the whistle against the Patriots

The Houston Texans can’t let up even one bit during a play against the New England Patriots, who boast an opportunistic defense.

The Houston Texans face off against the New England Patriots Sunday night at 7:20 p.m. CT at NRG Stadium in what is considered a litmus test for where the first place AFC South club ranks against the best of the conference.

Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly knows what makes the Patriots a tough team to face, especially their defense, which is the second-best defense in the NFL and also the most proficient at creating takeaways with 29 on the season.

“They’re very disciplined, they’re very well coached,” Kelly told reporters on Wednesday. “They play hard to the echo of the whistle, all 11 of them, and they’re very opportunistic. They take advantage of your mistakes. They’re lighting the world on fire when it comes to creating turnovers right now, and they’re doing a good job of capitalizing, like I said, when people make mistakes. That’s really the reason why they’re playing really well right now.”

Houston is tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 13th-fewest turnovers in the NFL with 14. In the Texans’ past three games, they have committed at least one turnover. For the Patriots defense, they have created at least one takeaway in every game this season, including six against the New York Jets in Week 7.

If the Texans can’t avoid the Patriots defense procuring extra possession, then the Houston defense will have to limit New England’s point production off those turnovers or create a few themselves. In 2019, the Texans are 5-3 when they are even or minus in turnover differential compared to 2-1 when they win it outright.

New England’s lone loss of the season, a 37-20 affair against the Baltimore Ravens, saw the first place AFC East club finish even with the Ravens in the turnover battle with each side collecting two takeaways. Houston similarly will have to stay even or better in the turnover department to give themselves a chance for victory.

Texans OC Tim Kelly says Bill O’Brien taught him everything he knows about evaluating talent

Houston Texans first-year offensive coordinator Tim Kelly says that coach Bill O’Brien schooled him on every aspect of talent evaluation.

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien has his team atop the AFC South (6-3) and is one of the best teams in the conference.

Part of the secret sauce has come from the crucial and unexpected trades O’Brien influenced from Aug. 8 onward. While he’s taking criticism for some of his roster decisions — trading Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle for Jacob Martin, Barkevious Mingo, and a thrid-round pick — his roster additions have worked in Houston’s favor.

Trades for running backs Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde along with left tackle Laremy Tunsil have the Texans as the fifth-ranked rushing offense.

Receiver Kenny Stills has been tremendous in his role with the offense, and the midseason move for cornerback Gareon Conley along with the waiver claim for former first-round cornerback Vernon Hargreaves show that the Texans are committed to boosting the talent at positions that needed it.

Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly has taken notes.

“All I know is that as far as with him and personnel, he’s taught me everything I know about evaluating talent,” Kelly told reporters Thursday.

What O’Brien has taught everyone through the first 11 weeks of the season is that the club doesn’t believe they’re out of it, and they will constantly churn their roster.

Being a coach in the NFL comes with the criticism, whether justifiable or not, and a coach is only as good as the next win or bad as the next loss. O’Brien has been a hot seat nominee, but his personnel moves have made the Texans a hot ticket.

OC Tim Kelly likes the way the Texans offense has finished drives

Houston Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly likes the way his unit has taken advantages of drives to score against the opposition.

The Houston Texans offense is 10th in the league in points for (238) and sixth in the NFL in total yards (3,570), which are part of the club’s 6-3 record and first place in the AFC South.

There is plenty with the unit to be pleased with, but first-year offensive coordinator Tim Kelly really likes the way the offense has concluded their drives with quarterback Deshaun Watson at the helm.

“We’ve shown the ability to sustain and finish drives,” Kelly told reporters Thursday. “Deshaun’s doing a good job of really going out there and getting us into good plays, and our guys are going out there and making the plays that are coming their way and they’re able to do it and, like I said, sustain the drives.”

The Texans are averaging 2:59 time of possession per drive, fifth-best in the NFL, and 2.47 points per drive, the fourth-best in the league. The biggest stat that shows the offense is finishing drives is their 65.7% red zone conversion rate, tied with the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday’s opponent, for the fifth-best in the NFL.

Not bad for a unit that last season finished in the bottom-10 in red zone conversion at 50%, the only other playoff team other than the Dallas Cowboys to finish that low in red zone conversions.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a chunk play in order for us to score,” Kelly said. “So, that’s something that we’re continuing to try and get better at, but have shown improvement at.”

The Texans will need to sustain long drives, and finish them off, when they take on the Ravens Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore is the highest-scoring offense in the NFL with 300 points tallied thus far. In order for the Texans to keep the Ravens at bay, Houston will need to out-play them on the scoreboard both proactively and in an indirect manner via time of possession.