Running the football is a collaborative effort.
Going back to Houston Texans offensive line coach George Warhop’s first meeting with the Houston media on Feb. 22, the emphasis for the run game isn’t just on how well the offensive line is doing.
“To be a successful run team, I know everybody puts it on the line,” Warhop said. “If it’s just on the line, we’re going to be a 3.8 to 4-yard average team. And everybody is involved in it and we have a real back and we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, then you’re going to be 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 carry. The way that I look at the run game is it’s about yards per carry because we can’t dictate how many carries a back is going to get in a game. It’s all based on how the game is going to go.”
Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton feels the same way about the run game after the first week of the season. Houston had a paltry 77 yards on 28 carries in the 20-20 tie with the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium.
“I felt like not just the running backs, just collectively, it’s a process for us,” Hamilton told reporters Sept. 15. “We’re going to learn how to finish games the way we prefer to finish them, and that’s running the football well. There were moments where we felt like we would have a chance to be more efficient running the football and so we’re going to clean that up.”
Hamilton isn’t just placing the onus on the players to execute, as he admits he has to devise ways to help running backs Dameon Pierce, Rex Burkhead, and Dare Ogunbowale have success.
“I’ve got to do a better job of coming up with ways for us to feature the talents of our backs and give our guys up front the best chance to create double teams and do their job as well,” Hamilton said.
The Texans will get another chance to ignite the run game when they take on the Denver Broncos Sunday at 3:25 p.m. Central Time at Empower Field at Mile High. The Broncos gave up 76 yards on the ground on 19 carries in their 17-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1.