Something is brewing with Brock Osweiler and Bill O’Brien in Houston, and it’s not a problem
Updated at 11:47 a.m. ET
HOUSTON — Their quarterback/head coach relationship remains so fresh that Brock Osweiler and Bill O’Brien are still having get-to-know-you sessions five months after the former was famously swiped away from the Denver Broncos.
A long-standing bond, though, isn’t needed to recognize what has become obvious at Houston Texans training camp: O’Brien finally has a franchise-caliber quarterback to work with in his third season at the helm.
I say “caliber” because there simply isn’t enough evidence for me to confidently proclaim that Osweiler has a legitimate shot at earning his second Super Bowl ring as a starter rather than backup like in Denver. The 25-year-old comes to the Texans with only seven career starts in four NFL seasons, all of which came last year when Peyton Manning was sidelined with a foot injury.
Although he showed plenty of promise, it spoke volumes about what Denver thought of Osweiler for both the short- and long-term when he was benched in Week 17 once a noodle-armed Manning was ready to return.
Osweiler’s bitterness about the situation and a better contract offer from the Texans led to his offseason signing in Houston. The only thing he’s sweating now is buckets of perspiration when the Texans practice outdoors like earlier this week. Osweiler was cool in the pocket moving the offense in drills against a Texans defense that
is still formidable even without sidelined superstar J.J. Watt (back).
“Brock looks good so far,” Texans linebacker Brian Cushing said after last Tuesday’s session as a smile crossed his face. “When you say his name I get excited. He’s made some incredible throws.
“It seems like every practice he’s getting better, which is frustrating right now because it’s coming against us. But once the season comes along it’s going to be awesome to see what he brings to this team.”
Cushing said one thing Osweiler already has brought to the Texans is leadership. Osweiler wasn’t just learning Xs and Os from Manning during his four-year Broncos apprenticeship. Osweiler saw how his mentor treated his teammates, handled the media and worked diligently at his craft outside of practice — all of which played a part in Manning forging a Hall of Fame career.
“That’s why I get out of bed in the morning: I’m chasing trying to be great,” Osweiler told co-host Gil Brandt and me on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “That’s what we’re doing here in Houston.”
Greatness was lacking at quarterback in O’Brien’s first two seasons as Texans head coach. Houston used six different starters because of injuries and performance-based decisions. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett failed to impress enough to keep the job. Play at the position bottomed out in last season’s 30-0 home playoff loss to Kansas City as Hoyer threw four interceptions.
The fact Houston even reached the postseason and registered 9-7 records in O’Brien’s first two years makes you wonder what the Texans can accomplish with a difference-maker under center, especially when Osweiler truly masters a new offensive system.
“The thing about coach O’Brien is that every single day I’m learning,” Osweiler said. “I’m getting better by him. He makes it a lot of fun to come to work.”
O’Brien, who was New England’s offensive coordinator in 2011 before a two-year stint as Penn State’s head coach,
never had the chance to meet with Osweiler before free agency to see first-hand whether this would be a good marriage. That didn’t deter the desperate Texans from
going the mail-order route and inking Osweiler to a four-year, $72 million contract that included $37 million guaranteed.
As much background research as Houston’s front office did on Osweiler — and there was plenty — it still didn’t guarantee O’Brien would hit it off with his new QB. Yet that is exactly what has happened even though the two are still feeling each other out deep into the doldrums of training camp.
“The other night we spent about an hour-and-a-half together talking a little football but getting to continue to know each other talking about family and all those different things,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien may not be privy yet to such intimate details as “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran being the song Osweiler and his wife Erin danced to at their 2014 wedding. However, O’Brien has quickly discovered Osweiler has the physical tools and football IQ needed to make this pairing prosper.
“One thing that really impresses me is that he has been able to get our operation down — the play call, how to motion and shift with different personnel groupings and cadences,” O’Brien said. “I think he’s gotten better every single day.”
And as each day passes, the further Osweiler moves away from the Broncos toward forming his own NFL legacy with O’Brien and the Texans.
