Dump O'Brien. The offense is on him.

[TheKDog]

As I remember O'Brien stating, I coach what I am given or something along those terms. A statement such as this might be alluding to the fact that he's not given a whole lot of input on putting this team together and RS wants this title.

One glaring problem for me has been the OL since it has been a let-down for the past 3 seasons. Knowing that this OL had a big need to fill on the right side...how could RS completely ignore this situation throughout the off-season and draft? With the offensive skill positions set for a potentially big season why didn't RS set his sights on a veteran FA?

Obie: Hey Rick, I'd sure like the team to address the right side of this OL...

RS: Hey!....Hey, you'd shut your mouth if you knew what was good for you!

Obie: Ok...ok, damn...I'll just coach the players you get me....

Come on, that's just more excuses for O'Brien.

He has plenty of input in the roster, more than RS imo.

RS just gets the players the coach wants. That's how he did it under Kubiak, why would he change? He has a great job where he isn't responsible for anything.

 

[ObsiWan]

Come on, that's just more excuses for O'Brien.

He has plenty of input in the roster, more than RS imo.

RS just gets the players the coach wants. That's how he did it under Kubiak, why would he change? He has a great job where he isn't responsible for anything.

I've always maintained that's what Smith's job is: find out what kind of players the coaches need and find them/draft them/sign them. Smith has never been a "you play what players I choose for you type of GM".
Personally, I don't think there's any such thing in reality. I think no GM gets players without input from the coaching staff. None.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

I've always maintained that's what Smith's job is: find out what kind of players the coaches need and find them/draft them/sign them. Smith has never been a "you play what players I choose for you type of GM".
Personally, I don't think there's any such thing in reality. I think no GM gets players without input from the coaching staff. None.

Won't argue with that. But if the GM is not very good at identifying the characteristics preferred by the coaches, he's bound to bring home some unsavory products.

 

[Texecutioner]

Won't argue with that. But if the GM is not very good at identifying the characteristics preferred by the coaches, he's bound to bring home some unsavory products.

Smith's problem is that he is always a day late and a dollar short to bring in the guys we need or to get aggressive to fix a problem. He always waits until something looks like a total disaster to act instead of thinking several steps ahead. It amazes me that he's still an NFL GM.

 

[Double Barrel]

It's almost like we need to separate O'Brien the head coach from O'Brien the offensive coordinator.

As a HC, he's done a respectable job with three winning seasons and two playoff years. Especially considering the utter garbage at QB each season. It's tough to argue with firing a head coach that consistently posts winning seasons and by all accounts, his players never quit on him.

Then there is O'Brien the offensive coordinator. He sucks. His resume reveals very little experience as an OC. Georgia Tech in 2001-2002. Duke 2005-2006. Patriots in 2011. And that's it (unless you count his HC years with Penn and the Texans, but he's not a true OC in these situations). But, no matter how you analyze it, he's an inexperienced OC as it pertains to actual years on the job, and it shows with his schemes and play calling. He's only had one year as an OC with a pro team, and that's tough to give much credit when he joins a team with an established HoF QB (maybe GOAT).

 

[Texansballer74]

Won't argue with that. But if the GM is not very good at identifying the characteristics preferred by the coaches, he's bound to bring home some unsavory products.

This is not completely true because Smith has acquired plenty of good talent for this team. Has he dropped the ball here and there, YES. But guess what every gm hit and miss on players all the time. Its the nature of the business.

 

[OptimisticTexan]

They all were banking on Newton to take the next step forward. Unfortunately he destroyed both of his knees at the same freaking time. Talk about bad luck. Now its up to Lamm and a few others to man that position. Hopefully we see some growth and solid play.

Newton's entire career with the Texans looked like he was playing with those destroyed knees from the get-go. I never had any hope for Newton after his first season unless he was auditioning for a turnstile operator.

 

[Texansballer74]

Newton's entire career with the Texans looked like he was playing with those destroyed knees from the get-go. I never had any hope for Newton after his first season unless he was auditioning for a turnstile operator.

True but he was better than what we had last season. And O'Brien was raving about how much he has improved and etc.

Newton was terrible in pass protection but in the running game he was solid. Last season the right side of the line was one of the worse in the NFL (running game).

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

This is not completely true because Smith has acquired plenty of good talent for this team. Has he dropped the ball here and there, YES. But guess what every gm hit and miss on players all the time. Its the nature of the business.

You might want to tell me how many players on the offense side of the ball have been placed on the roster and have become proven starter quality and have been retained since 2008 when Smith took over picking the groceries?

 

[Texansballer74]

You might want to tell me how many players on the offense side of the ball have been placed on the roster and have become proven starter quality and have been retained since 2008 when Smith took over picking the groceries?

There's been plenty. But hey bash on Doc.

 

[Brandon420tx]

It's all about who can drive the offense into FG range the best. Not changing my avatar till I'm proven wrong.

 

[Texecutioner]

I don't know, Osweiler was so underwhelming under center last year that even marginally better play from Savage, if all other things hold even, should equate to at least 1 or 2 more regular season wins. I don't expect the offense to become world-beaters, but I do expect slightly better play just because of the change at QB.

Sounds logical. I just hope he can stay healthy and we can protect him since he is really slow. His arm is really nice though.

You never know about Watson. I'm not high on him, but a lot of those really athletic black scrambling QB's have had really quick instant success where teams have a hard time finding a way to stop them early on and then wither down the next year or two once film is on them. I wonder if Watson could be a guy that could have that kind of effect.

Do you see him being as good or worse than Marriotta? What are your thoughts there?

 

[thunderkyss]

It's almost like we need to separate O'Brien the head coach from O'Brien the offensive coordinator.

As a HC, he's done a respectable job with three winning seasons and two playoff years. Especially considering the utter garbage at QB each season. It's tough to argue with firing a head coach that consistently posts winning seasons and by all accounts, his players never quit on him.

Then there is O'Brien the offensive coordinator. He sucks. His resume reveals very little experience as an OC. Georgia Tech in 2001-2002. Duke 2005-2006. Patriots in 2011. And that's it (unless you count his HC years with Penn and the Texans, but he's not a true OC in these situations). But, no matter how you analyze it, he's an inexperienced OC as it pertains to actual years on the job, and it shows with his schemes and play calling. He's only had one year as an OC with a pro team, and that's tough to give much credit when he joins a team with an established HoF QB (maybe GOAT).

Which is why it would have made sooooo much sense to bring in his friend, Chip Kelly, whom I presume would like to coach in the NFL again.

 

[OptimisticTexan]

You might want to tell me how many players on the offense side of the ball have been placed on the roster and have become proven starter quality and have been retained since 2008 when Smith took over picking the groceries?

I'd like to take a crack at this...Brown and Hopkins! Brown is returning to form after enduring a nasty injury in 2015. Hopkins had a down year and both reasons point squarely to RS!!! RS decided to play QB savant and signed Osweiler to a ridiculous contract and the blowback was even nastier. Osweiler played so poorly it directly affected Hopkins performance. RS failed to lock up his only bonafide star on offense and we all know that Hopkins contract situation pissed him off a little bit last season. Toss this issue and Osweiler throwing the ball and you sort of understand the problem.

This season could be RS's saving grace if the next tier of potential offensive weapons deliver. I would count Su'a-Filo (nice finish last season...did the light finally go on?), Martin, Mancz (nice break-out season...would love to see him kept at center so he can build off last season), Allen (hope the injury explains last season!!!), Savage (4th season, hope he backs up O'Brien's faith), Miller (hope Foreman can take the load off and allow him to be the back he truly is...not the one he was forced to morph into last season), Foreman, Strong (I'm looking for a big bounce back season and think he can deliver), Fuller (hope he got his eyes and hands in harmony for 2017, his feet appear to be just fine), Miller (burner who should be ready this season), Williams (my favorite sleeper), Fiedorowicz, Griffin and Anderson (can the TE's get in on the action in 2017 and cut down on their inopportune holding penalties?) This depends on the OL and if they can handle defenses without the full benefit of the 6th blocker) on this list.

This is what RS should be wishing for.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

I'd like to take a crack at this...Brown and Hopkins! Brown is returning to form after enduring a nasty injury in 2015. Hopkins had a down year and both reasons point squarely to RS!!! RS decided to play QB savant and signed Osweiler to a ridiculous contract and the blowback was even nastier. Osweiler played so poorly it directly affected Hopkins performance. RS failed to lock up his only bonafide star on offense and we all know that Hopkins contract situation pissed him off a little bit last season. Toss this issue and Osweiler throwing the ball and you sort of understand the problem.

This season could be RS's saving grace if the next tier of potential offensive weapons deliver. I would count Su'a-Filo (nice finish last season...did the light finally go on?), Martin, Mancz (nice break-out season...would love to see him kept at center so he can build off last season), Allen (hope the injury explains last season!!!), Savage (4th season, hope he backs up O'Brien's faith), Miller (hope Foreman can take the load off and allow him to be the back he truly is...not the one he was forced to morph into last season), Foreman, Strong (I'm looking for a big bounce back season and think he can deliver), Fuller (hope he got his eyes and hands in harmony for 2017, his feet appear to be just fine), Miller (burner who should be ready this season), Williams (my favorite sleeper), Fiedorowicz, Griffin and Anderson (can the TE's get in on the action in 2017 and cut down on their inopportune holding penalties?) This depends on the OL and if they can handle defenses without the full benefit of the 6th blocker) on this list.

This is what RS should be wishing for.

Good summary. You have picked mostly players that were chosen in the last 2 seasons (out of 12). And most on the list are still trying to break through even the "legitimate" barrier, trying to find out who they really are, and if they can even become a consistently reliable decent producer.

 

[steelbtexan]

There's been plenty. But hey bash on Doc.

Answer the mans question.

 

[steelbtexan]

Good summary. You have picked mostly players that were chosen in the last 2 seasons (out of 12). And most on the list are still trying to break through even the "legitimate" barrier, trying to find out who they really are, and if they can even become a consistently reliable decent producer.

If healthy I would bring in Eric Decker as a compliment to Hopkins. Ricky certainly has the cap space to make this move.

 

[steelbtexan]

Newton's entire career with the Texans looked like he was playing with those destroyed knees from the get-go. I never had any hope for Newton after his first season unless he was auditioning for a turnstile operator.

True

His only good season was (Predictably) his contract yr.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

If healthy I would bring in Eric Decker as a compliment to Hopkins. Ricky certainly has the cap space to make this move.

Just in case you missed my Sunday post:

You mean the Eric Decker who last Oct. 18 underwent major surgery on his hip to repair a torn labrum..........and was also in need of major shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff............but couldn't have it until Nov. 15 because he had to wait a month until he no longer needed crutches (that needed to be supported by his shoulder) in order to walk............THAT Eric Decker???

 

[Texansballer74]

Answer the mans question.

For what, we've been down this road too many times.

 

[steelbtexan]

For what, we've been down this road too many times.

No we haven't

You just dont like the answer.

You just dont like the info he provided.

 

[thunderkyss]

You might want to tell me how many players on the offense side of the ball have been placed on the roster and have become proven starter quality and have been retained since 2008 when Smith took over picking the groceries?

If Kubiak were still here, I'd bet Myers, Brooks, & Ben Jones would still be here.

Matt Schaub may not have been a champion, but it wasn't for lack of talent that he isn't here.

Arian Foster... again, it was an injury thing, not a lack of talent.

Duane Brown.... still here.

I think we all agree on Hopkins, even though "everybody" else wanted Patterson

As far as Fullbacks go, I think Prosh will make it to a second contract.

I like XSF, I think he made very good progress last season & expect it to continue.

I'll say it again. Rick Smith has been able to supply the talent to field a top five offense or defense when he's got a coach that knows what he's doing. & that's not to dog Bill O'Brien the HC.

Bill O'Brien the OC, that's a different story. That dude still has a lot to prove.... actually I couldn't care less how good an OC he can be. He should have brought in a quality OC like Mike McCoy. I'd have been satisfied with his buddy Chip Kelly.

 

[thunderkyss]

True

His only good season was (Predictably) his contract yr.

I disagree with that. His only above average year was his contract year. Other than that, he's been average & we've been paying him less than average.

 

[banned1976]

You might want to tell me how many players on the offense side of the ball have been placed on the roster and have become proven starter quality and have been retained since 2008 when Smith took over picking the groceries?

Yep. There's still a load of questions at the WR positions. How long has that been a question mark? Who's the slot now? Who's the reliable wide out opposite of Hopkins (was once AJ)? I don't think the Texans can say with all certainty they have 3 NFL quality receivers at this point. They've got one so far. There were some to be had in FA (mainly Macklin) but no moves were made. I can't think of one team more inactive in FA this year than the Texans. And that with many needs on the o-line and WR. And next offseason probably won't be any better.

As far as I'm concerned, both O'B's and Smith's jobs are squarely depended on Watson's performance. If the Texans do indeed go another direction with HC I hope they choose one with a defensive mind set. I believe a young successful executive in the player evaluation field can come in and do as good, hopefully better job than Smith. Let's not pretend that Smith is invaluable, can't be replaced, there's nobody out there that could possibly do the job. If the guy just up and quit we'd all be offering our opinions on who should come in.

All that said, I'm still cautiously optimistic that some of the young receivers will step up. They really need to.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Aaron Wilson‏Verified account@AaronWilson_NFL 2h2 hours ago

Bill O'Brien 'one of the changes we needed to make this year was for me to be more hands-on'

 

[xtruroyaltyx]

Aaron Wilson‏Verified account@AaronWilson_NFL 2h2 hours ago

Bill O'Brien 'one of the changes we needed to make this year was for me to be more hands-on'

I sincerely hope that OB simply had the wrong people in the wrong place and he himself has the Midas touch. He sure threw His pal Godsey under the bus.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

After nine weeks of the offseason program, Hopkins says he has noticed a difference in the O'Brien-led offense.

"[It's got a] very good feel," Hopkins said. "I've been in this offense for going on four years now. Having [new assistant coach] Wes Welker out here that's a recently removed wide receiver, it helps out a lot to have a guy that knows this offense better than anybody. To be here every day working with us, it makes a big difference."

link

 

[steelbtexan]

I sincerely hope that OB simply had the wrong people in the wrong place and he himself has the Midas touch. He sure threw His pal Godsey under the bus.

Somebody had to be thrown under the bus for the terrible offense/Os signing/lack of resources spent on the OT position.

Ricky aint going anywhere/McNair didn't want to let BOB leave or pay him to leave so somebody had to be the scapegoat. Unfortunately for Godsey he was the victim of the orgs dysfunction.

 

[76Texan]

I sincerely hope that OB simply had the wrong people in the wrong place and he himself has the Midas touch. He sure threw His pal Godsey under the bus.

It's possible that O'Brien only "declared" that he took over play calling duty last year to take the heat off Godsey.
It's possible that he only took over play calling for just that one game.
It's possible that he did try a hand-off approach.
The problem is that no matter the approach he chose, the offense was still a turd.
The biggest hope, for me at least, is Welker. Hopefully, he can teach the guys how to better prepared, how to study the opponents, and how to get open. Wide open receivers can help the QB a fair bit... until such QB throw the ball in the dirt or 10 feet above the receiver's head of course.

 

[thunderkyss]

It's possible that O'Brien only "declared" that he took over play calling duty last year to take the heat off Godsey.
It's possible that he only took over play calling for just that one game.
It's possible that he did try a hand-off approach.
The problem is that no matter the approach he chose, the offense was still a turd.
The biggest hope, for me at least, is Welker. Hopefully, he can teach the guys how to better prepared, how to study the opponents, and how to get open. Wide open receivers can help the QB a fair bit... until such QB throw the ball in the dirt or 10 feet above the receiver's head of course.

& Sean Ryan... though I am concerned after two years of being the Giants QB coach he was moved back to WRs. I don't know if that was because of need, or because he wasn't cutting it as QB coach... but in NYG, what do you really need a QB coach for?

 

[bah007]

& Sean Ryan... though I am concerned after two years of being the Giants QB coach he was moved back to WRs. I don't know if that was because of need, or because he wasn't cutting it as QB coach... but in NYG, what do you really need a QB coach for?

Need.

When ol Kevin Gilbride retired they replaced him at OC with Ben McAdoo, who had been coaching QBs with the Packers.

McAdoo wanted control of the QBs as OC so Ryan went back to WR.

 

[ObsiWan]

Won't argue with that. But if the GM is not very good at identifying the characteristics preferred by the coaches, he's bound to bring home some unsavory products.

My question would be are the coaches communicating the characteristics needed to make their side of the ball work. RAC seems to. Wade did. Kubiak did.
Now are you saying that O'Brien is good at communicating which guys would make his offense work well? He said he needed speed guys. We got some. But he runs them between the tackles instead of getting those speedy RBs isolated on slow LBs in space. What's up with that??

 

[Texas Jake]

My question would be are the coaches communicating the characteristics needed to make their side of the ball work. RAC seems to. Wade did. Kubiak did.
Now are you saying that O'Brien is good at communicating which guys would make his offense work well? He said he needed speed guys. We got some. But he runs them between the tackles instead of getting those speedy RBs isolated on slow LBs in space. What's up with that??

I wonder how much of that was do to what he had to work with at QB last year.

 

[JB]

My question would be are the coaches communicating the characteristics needed to make their side of the ball work. RAC seems to. Wade did. Kubiak did.
Now are you saying that O'Brien is good at communicating which guys would make his offense work well? He said he needed speed guys. We got some. But he runs them between the tackles instead of getting those speedy RBs isolated on slow LBs in space. What's up with that??

The atrocious qb play negated all that speed, our RG and RT were especially inept. Hard to cover for qb suck

 

[Texecutioner]

My question would be are the coaches communicating the characteristics needed to make their side of the ball work. RAC seems to. Wade did. Kubiak did.
Now are you saying that O'Brien is good at communicating which guys would make his offense work well? He said he needed speed guys. We got some. But he runs them between the tackles instead of getting those speedy RBs isolated on slow LBs in space. What's up with that??

You're reaching completely.

Oz was a total disaster. You can put some of that on offensive coaching if you want. I'm fine with that, as coaches always need to carry some level of blame when players under perform to the level that Oz did. When Oz played well and executed the plays early on and in certain games the offense looked just fine. The first two games of the year a lot of people got excited about OZ as he played played okay and had some TO's, but made a lot of really nice big throws and that was with a really poor Oline. Oz went completely down hill after the first two games and the offense never had much of a chance with his passing inefficiences. When Fuller was healthy, he got open on a ton of routes that could have been huge plays and when Oz got the ball there he dropped so many huge momentum plays throughout the season that hurt the offense and the ability for Oz to get a ryhthem going with a big TD pass. Fuller even dropped a major pass from Oz in the playoffs against the Pats that was a beautiful pass that could have turned the momentum around in that game and changed it a lot. Fuller's athleticism and speed showed all season that a player with his skills could get open in this offense and do really well, but between his drops and Oz playing terribly you didn't get to see the potential near as much. Fuller and OZ were both picks from Rick Smith either way. I feel like OB did more than enough to get Fuller in position to have a huge year. Fuller's terrible hands diminished what could have been a huge rookie season for him.

 

[TripleTap]

Fuller's terrible hands diminished what could have been a huge rookie season for him.

How in the world can you have "terrible hands" at this level? Tell the guy to woodshed until he knows his instrument(s). Jeez.

 

[Texecutioner]

How in the world can you have "terrible hands" at this level? Tell the guy to woodshed until he knows his instrument(s). Jeez.

Maybe you should translate that, because I don't see a point anywhere in any of that.

 

[ObsiWan]

Please, don't get it twisted. I am not absolving Osweiler of blame. Hell naw.

My question is simple: How come RAC and Vrabel made their side of the ball work with the guys Smith and the scouts brought them but the Godsey/O'Brien did not? Are you guys telling me the offensive ineptness was all on Osweiler and not O'Brien/Godsey's coaching?

 

[Texecutioner]

Please, don't get it twisted. I am not absolving Osweiler of blame. Hell naw.

My question is simple: How come RAC and Vrabel made their side of the ball work with the guys Smith and the scouts brought them but the Godsey/O'Brien did not? Are you guys telling me the offensive ineptness was all on Osweiler and not O'Brien/Godsey's coaching?

Apparently you didn't read my post at all.

 

[76Texan]

Please, don't get it twisted. I am not absolving Osweiler of blame. Hell naw.

My question is simple: How come RAC and Vrabel made their side of the ball work with the guys Smith and the scouts brought them but the Godsey/O'Brien did not? Are you guys telling me the offensive ineptness was all on Osweiler and not O'Brien/Godsey's coaching?

Well, OB did get the best out of many QBs, didn't you hear?
Osweiler was forced on him.

 

[Texansballer74]

My question would be are the coaches communicating the characteristics needed to make their side of the ball work. RAC seems to. Wade did. Kubiak did.
Now are you saying that O'Brien is good at communicating which guys would make his offense work well? He said he needed speed guys. We got some. But he runs them between the tackles instead of getting those speedy RBs isolated on slow LBs in space. What's up with that??

Another killer was throwing behind the line routes to Braxton Miller. Or 2 yard routes in which got that man beat up.

 

[Texansballer74]

Well, OB did get the best out of many QBs, didn't you hear?
Osweiler was forced on him.

Sarcasm alert

 

[ObsiWan]

Apparently you didn't read my post at all.

I did.
But you didn't address anything I said in the post you responded to.
I pointed out that we had speed at running back but O'Brien misused it by running speed guys up the gut.
You were going on about how many deep passes Fuller dropped and how many off-target passes Osweiler threw.

Thing is, we're both right. Osweiler was far from the most accurate passer in the league.
Fuller definitely did have the dropsies.
RBs with speed like Akeem Hunt got one or two touches a game and Tyler Ervin was pretty much only used in the return game - never from scrimmage.

Those are game plan choices and O'Brien was/is responsible for the offensive game plan.
Those 'fails' are on him.

 

[Texecutioner]

I did.
But you didn't address anything I said in the post you responded to.
I pointed out that we had speed at running back but O'Brien misused it by running speed guys up the gut.
You were going on about how many deep passes Fuller dropped and how many off-target passes Osweiler threw.

Thing is, we're both right. Osweiler was far from the most accurate passer in the league.
Fuller definitely did have the dropsies.
RBs with speed like Akeem Hunt got one or two touches a game and Tyler Ervin was pretty much only used in the return game - never from scrimmage.

Those are game plan choices and O'Brien was/is responsible for the offensive game plan.
Those 'fails' are on him.

Don't sit here and act like Hunt or Ervin were some kind of game changers that OB just was blind towards. Lol! They had a crap Oline. Their running game was expected to have problems especially when they entered the season with injuries at at two key positions there without a whole lot of top quality left. They had a new RB, and a bunch of young new receivers. Maybe you were one of these guys that expected the greatest show on turf right away, but I knew that Oline was going to cause bad problems. Several others did too. They could have still done much better with strong QB play. When Oz played well, the offense was a lot more productive. The only difference was he made the throws and his play makers made the big catches. When Oz was able to do that the offense didn't look that bad other than the shakiness of the Oline.

 

[steelbtexan]

I did.
But you didn't address anything I said in the post you responded to.
I pointed out that we had speed at running back but O'Brien misused it by running speed guys up the gut.
You were going on about how many deep passes Fuller dropped and how many off-target passes Osweiler threw.

Thing is, we're both right. Osweiler was far from the most accurate passer in the league.
Fuller definitely did have the dropsies.
RBs with speed like Akeem Hunt got one or two touches a game and Tyler Ervin was pretty much only used in the return game - never from scrimmage.

Those are game plan choices and O'Brien was/is responsible for the offensive game plan.
Those 'fails' are on him.

Yep, running to the outside is a smart thing to do when the right side of the OL cant hold their blocks for a significant amount of time.

BOB did the smart thing when you've got a QB/OL that stinks, Run the ball to try to set up 3rd and shorts for your sucky QB and let your defense win the game. Also take a few deep shots in addition to the dump off passes. Never let a QB as inaccurate as Os throw intermediate passes over the middle, that's a turnover waiting to happen.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Bill O'Brien Knows the Offense Needs to be Corrected in a Hurry
Patrick Starr
8:09 AM


Bill O'Brien knows he has to correct the Houston Texans Offense.

When it comes to the Houston Texans, most do not have to look very far to see where the issues have grown over the recent years under head coach Bill O’Brien. The offense has seen a steady decline since O’Brien’s arrival to Houston, going from 14th in scoring in 2014, to 21st in 2015, and 28th last season. To make matters worse, the Texans offense ranked 29th overall in yards per game in 2016.

“One of the things about offensively here is we’ve been way too inconsistent,” Bill O’Brien said of his offense. “Last year we weren’t very good. You know, I look in the mirror on that, I definitely look in the mirror on that and think of ways to improve and so what I’ve come up with over the last six months is we have to do a couple things.”

The Texans first decided to part ways with former offensive coordinator George Godsey and O’Brien took it upon himself not only to be the offensive coordinator, but to get back into coaching the entire unit to build them back up. In the previous three seasons, O’Brien gave Godsey the keys to run the offense and allowed his coaches to coach their respective units.

O’Brien has worked to find ways to allow the offense to play with a better pace and has formulated a plan for positive gains, especially on 1st downs. He aims to find a rhythm to get the team back to moving the ball and scoring points.

“We have to simplify for our players. I’m not talking about anybody but myself, we’ve got to be able to say to our players, one word means this, do to it,” O’Brien stated. “This it what we’re going to do and we’re going to execute it and I think our players have bought into that this spring.”

O’Brien was hands on during the spring and it appeared to have paid off, especially with the quarterback play. The group looked more decisive, especially with Tom Savage and the steady progression of Deshaun Watson since his arrival during rookie mini-camp.

Appreciating the work put in during the spring, O’Brien is trying to find the balance for the offense and more importantly, get them to the pace of play he has been searching for since his arrival.

“We have a lot of players on both sides of the ball, we had a lot of fun and were able to pick up our pace of play,” O’Brien explained. “I don’t mean that we’re going to be going at this warp speed, but I think there will be a better rhythm.”

With the shift to O’Brien now running the offense, the Texans will continue to search for the perfect plan to get points on the scoreboard for the Houston Texans.

 

[TheKDog]

"In the previous three seasons, O’Brien gave Godsey the keys to run the offense and allowed his coaches to coach their respective units."

I just find this strange.

He's the qb guru and offensive genius. When Kubiak was here, he wasn't OC, but you knew he was running the offense.

 

[ObsiWan]

Don't sit here and act like Hunt or Ervin were some kind of game changers that OB just was blind towards. Lol! They had a crap Oline. Their running game was expected to have problems especially when they entered the season with injuries at at two key positions there without a whole lot of top quality left. They had a new RB, and a bunch of young new receivers. Maybe you were one of these guys that expected the greatest show on turf right away, but I knew that Oline was going to cause bad problems. Several others did too. They could have still done much better with strong QB play. When Oz played well, the offense was a lot more productive. The only difference was he made the throws and his play makers made the big catches. When Oz was able to do that the offense didn't look that bad other than the shakiness of the Oline.

So if you know you have a "crap O-line" do you insist on convoluted pass patterns or making that O-line hold the rush while a deep pattern develops?
Or do you do quick passes to the flat to your quick RBs to give them a chance to shake a LB?
To O'Brien's credit, he did mix in some WR screens to Fuller. And some of those did work. I wanted to see more of that and too the aforementioned fast RBs.

 

[Texecutioner]

So if you know you have a "crap O-line" do you insist on convoluted pass patterns or making that O-line hold the rush while a deep pattern develops?
Or do you do quick passes to the flat to your quick RBs to give them a chance to shake a LB?
To O'Brien's credit, he did mix in some WR screens to Fuller. And some of those did work. I wanted to see more of that and too the aforementioned fast RBs.

He did plenty of that, and yes you throw those deep balls even with poor Oline problems. Thats what the **** you drafted Fuller for. THat's all they talked about and what they wanted to do with the offense. Geez, we had no big play threats before last season. Everyone bitches about that. They go and get the fastest guy, and they start running those plays and they start working, but you're still bitching about us throwing deep after we used a #1 draft pick on a guy who could run deep routes?

You just hate OB, because this is beyond nit picking. They never had a strong running game to begin with, and with a QB who is one of the worst passers in the league teams didn't exactly have hard time stopping plays that actually worked when the QB struggles so badly just to execute the play. When you have a poor Online that can't run block, and a QB with terrible accuracy that reads defenses poorly, you tend to have difficulties calling perfect plays especially with rookie receivers. The biggest problem in all of that is Oz.

 

[banned1976]

Please, don't get it twisted. I am not absolving Osweiler of blame. Hell naw.

My question is simple: How come RAC and Vrabel made their side of the ball work with the guys Smith and the scouts brought them but the Godsey/O'Brien did not? Are you guys telling me the offensive ineptness was all on Osweiler and not O'Brien/Godsey's coaching?

Just look at the past 10 drafts. Especially the offensive line. Can't do much of anything if your line sucks. Now look at the last 5 or 6 Cowboys drafts. A stark difference.

It's been clear to anyone observing the offseason for a number of years the Texans specifically targeted the defense. They wanted a great defense and they got it. With all the talent in the world on defense any number of DC's could make this defense powerful.