Watching the condensed game this morning. Pleasantly surprised with the performances on both sides of the ball. I liked how Pep Hamilton, who is the real OC of this team despite Tim Kelly’s title, had a game plan playing into the strengths and Davis Mills’ experience. Mills had several crappy passes put had a few decent ones to keep drives alive. Lots of slants, quick hitches and other quickly developing pass plays unlike buttchin’s idiocy. Jeff Driskel wasting a roster spot at QB with this team is infuriating. Get someone who was some upside instead of guy who has a hard time hitting open receivers on one on one drills. Lovie’s defense was everything RAC’s defense wasn’t last season - competent, stopping the run, creating turnovers and attacking the ball carrier. Special team coverage and returns were both good as opposed to the usual Texans standard of awful. I don’t like Culley at all as a HC. He sounds like a moron with not much upstairs and I’m still pissed we ended up with him when we could have had elite brainpower like Joe Brady and Public Bieniemy. Looks like the staff at least is competent.
Pretty much agree with most of this, except I like Culley as a leader of men. Davis struggled on the short throws but had some nice drive throws, quite a few drops from receivers (Coutee) and the one forced throw. Defense might end up giving some big plays up because they’re too aggressive. I’m ok with that
Texans D were making tackles, It was what you want to see from a veteran group of D players. Keke "Hands of Stone" Coutee should be the first roster cut. It took Kubiak 5 years to find a DC. It took OBie "5" years to find a Special Teams coach. It looks like Culley is starting out with league average or better OC, DC and Special Teams coach.
I didn't watch the game but I saw all of Mills' throws in a video someone posted on twitter. Thought during the draft that so long as the Texans don't try to fit a round peg into a triangular slot like they did with Deshaun in 2018 and 2019, then the next QB would be much better for it. Kelly wasn't have any of that Obrien morphing uggs offense. They liked what they saw from mills in shotgun as a Cardinal so that's what they ran for him. Only 1 snap under center for Mills and Mills "look Ok". He knew where to go with the football and he got the ball there. Those 3rd down completions were flaming cheetos fiaaah. Adjusted stats for Mills : 169 yards 1 td, 14/22, 61% completion. The 3 little swing passes to the RB that were rushed cost him a touchdown, 2 incompletions and a chunk of yardage. I'm not crediting him with the INT due to who the hell goes 4 wide in the red zone with a rookie qb. You need a season's worth of chemistry with receivers like a Brandin to get that timing spot on. Fun fact: The Player in his 3rd preseason game in 2017 had around the same stat line. 11/21, 116 yards and 1 int. Rookie Qb flashed as much as the other rookie quarterbacks that played this weekend.
What we learned about Davis Mills and the plan at RB in the Texans’ preseason win over the Packers https://theathletic.com/2770819/202...n-at-rb-in-texans-preseason-win-over-packers/ Final scores don’t matter much this time of year, but David Culley won the first preseason game of his head coaching career Saturday night when the Texans beat the Packers 26-7 in Green Bay, thanks largely to a Houston defense that forced three turnovers in its first game under coordinator Lovie Smith. Here are the key takeaways from the game: Which players got the night off? As expected, quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is under NFL investigation for allegations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault, did not make the trip. Watson wants the Texans to trade him, and he’s still yet to participate in team drills. On the Texans’ unofficial depth chart, published earlier this week, Watson was listed as the No. 4 quarterback. Offensive linemen Laremy Tunsil, Tytus Howard and Roderick Johnson also did not play after landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday, though Tunsil, one of the team’s top players, probably would not have played anyway. Johnson, however, is on the roster bubble, and his absence left the Texans particularly thin at tackle. Veteran right tackle Marcus Cannon, whom Houston traded for earlier this offseason, has yet to practice. Other notable offensive players who received the night off included receiver Brandin Cooks, running back Mark Ingram and tight ends Pharaoh Brown and Jordan Akins. Brown, a member of last season’s practice squad who showed promise when elevated to the 53-man roster, has been the team’s best tight end in camp, and Akins has missed the past few practices with an injury. On defense, the Texans were without linemen Charles Omenihu, Whitney Mercilus and Brandon Dunn, safety Justin Reid and cornerback Bradley Roby, who tested positive for COVID-19 this week. The team also didn’t play its top linebackers, Zach Cunningham, Christian Kirksey and Kevin Pierre-Louis, the last of whom is in concussion protocol. In their place, linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill was one of the stars of the first half. He recorded two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit. Evaluating Davis Mills After Tyrod Taylor started the game and completed all four of his throws on the Texans’ first possession, rookie Davis Mills took over at quarterback. As he did during camp practices all week, Mills made a few impressive throws, missed a few easy ones and turned the ball over. He completed 11-of-22 passes for 112 yards and an interception, which came in the red zone a play after Texans defensive end Jon Greenard stripped quarterback Jordan Love. Houston scored on two of six drives with Mills under center. On a possession that ended in a field goal, Mills tossed completions to move the chains when facing third-and-7, third-and-10 and third-and-13, with each completion going to a different receiver. But on shorter, easier throws — a screen to slot receiver Keke Coutee, a first-and-goal pass to running back Scottie Phillips and a slant to Coutee — Mills was inaccurate, though the ball to Phillips was catchable. Mills’ interception came on a tight-window throw to tight end Kahale Warring, on first-and-10 from the Green Bay 17 with 46 seconds remaining in the first half. The situation called for more caution. As he has throughout camp, Culley praised Mills for bouncing back when he made poor plays or the offense got off schedule. Jeff Driskel played quarterback for all but one drive of the second half and finished 1-for-6 for 2 yards. He hasn’t played much better in camp practices. The Texans are more invested long term in Mills, the first player Nick Caserio picked as general manager, and Driskel isn’t doing anything to convince the Texans he’s better than Mills right now and deserves a spot on the 53-man roster. How the Texans split up carries among their many veteran RBs The top of the Texans’ running back depth chart is heavy on veterans. Free-agent acquisitions Rex Burkhead and Mark Ingram are over 30, and David Johnson will be by season’s end, so managing their workloads takes on heightened importance. Ingram and Burkhead appeared in uniform but did not play Saturday night. Though it’s not a given, that tends to indicate players don’t have to prove themselves in the preseason to make the team. Phillip Lindsay and Johnson, the two backs who might receive the bulk of the carries, appeared only on the Texans’ first drive. On that possession, Lindsay ran five times for 14 yards. Johnson, who is a more accomplished pass catcher than Lindsay, checked in for two third downs. If this is an indication of how the Texans plan to use the backs in the regular season, Johnson won’t be as prominent a part of the offense as he was a season ago, when he was one of the least efficient high-volume backs in the NFL. What the J.J. Watt-less defensive line looked like The Texans defensive line lacks a star pass rusher, so Smith will frequently rotate his linemen to keep them fresh, a strategy he’s long employed. With Omenihu and Mercilus unavailable, here were some of the defensive lines the Texans utilized in the first half: • Defensive end Jordan Jenkins, defensive tackle Ross Blacklock, defensive tackle Vincent Taylor and defensive end Jacob Martin • Defensive end Shaq Lawson, defensive tackle DeMarcus Walker, defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson and Martin • Lawson, rookie defensive tackle Roy Lopez, Jaleel Johnson and Jenkins Defensive end Jon Greenard, a 2020 third-round pick, saw some action in the first half as well and recorded a strip-sack against Love. But shortly after that, Greenard exited the game with a sprained ankle, according to Culley. Jaleel Johnson recovered that fumble forced by Greenard and another Packers fumble in the third quarter. Lopez, who’s had a strong camp, delivered the unit’s other highlight of the night when he sacked backup QB Kurt Benkert on third down. Surprisingly, Lawson, whom the team acquired in a trade that sent linebacker Benardrick McKinney to Miami, played well into the second half. Anthony Miller goes down After catching a screen pass on third down, Anthony Miller got up with apparent pain in his right arm. He was later carted off the field, according to reporters in Green Bay. Culley said afterward that Miller suffered a “slight” shoulder dislocation. While with the Bears to start his career, Miller twice had surgery on his left shoulder. The Texans acquired Miller, a second-round pick in the final year of his rookie deal, for a swap of late-round picks with Chicago. He’s been competing with Keke Coutee and Alex Erickson for snaps in the slot. All three have practiced as punt returners, too. Culley takes the points, even in the preseason Twice in the first half, the Texans faced fourth-down situations that some coaches might’ve opted to keep their team on the field for in the preseason, but Culley kicked field goals both times. One came on the Texans’ first drive, when Culley took three points instead of having Taylor go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Green Bay 19. Later, with Mills under center, Houston kicked a field goal from the Green Bay 7.
At first AT&T said blackout, but the game came on at my house in Houston on channel 13. Watched the whole game. I am a little excited about our special teams. Looks like we might have a better kick-off return game than the past few years. Might be more hope on our running backs too. I know it's only preseason, so I'll just have to wait and see. Our defense looked pretty good. Taylor looked good and Mills shows some promise, but has a long way to go. He's got plenty of time to learn. As for that 3rd string QB, well that's another story. Man that was ugly. I hope he gets less time next game. Give Taylor and Mills more of his minutes.
Tyrod Taylor play action game is great. Fluid throws and moved really well IMO. I’m not in love with Davis Mills’ throwing motion. He holds his left arm stiff as he delivers and it’s crazy how he’s accurate with it. Not sure if that will be a problem and if it’s just an aesthetic thing with me. Watching the MLB flash and then drop deep into coverage was a little surreal. The D played pretty well and I wonder if the “Texan 2” is going to fool anyone once the regular season starts. Culley did a decent enough job and the he got the win. Can’t be mad with that.
I agree with you on the throwing motion, there’s arm talent there. Looks a bit mechanical. Hopefully Pep can unlock his natural ability, he has the physical tools to be good.
oh yea I didn’t mean like it was not effective. Dude has a gun. I think if he can incorporate his off hand into his mechanics he could be even stronger and accurate. Just stood out I’ve never seen a throwing motion like that - unless he’s nursing sore ribs and covering up? His college tape doesn’t seem to be as peculiar.
It did seem weird. I didn’t take what you said as a negative, the kid is a project. I hope he can be coached up to maximize his potential. My favorite throw was his first or second of the game, nice roll out and throw on the run into end zone about 35 yds. On the money but not caught
I thought they looked shockingly good. I know it’s preseason, but they actually looked well coached. I still expect them to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, but going into that game I was extremely confident that they would be the absolute worst team in the league. Now I think they might actually win week one (if nothing else). All in all, it was a very pleasant surprise.
Apparently Brady, among others, wanted nothing to do with the Texans because of the Watson situation.
Have you seen Ted Lasso? I get the sense he's doing THAT. And that's not a criticism. Honestly, that might be a perfect fit for what the team needs right now. He also comes off like a really good guy...easy to root for.
You think you can "hang around" for 30 years in the NFL and not know what you're doing? C'mon, give the man credit. He's an NFL mind and has the tenure to prove it. Dude has been playing or coaching football since the early 70s and has worked with the likes of Cowher, Reid, Harbaugh, among others.
Sorry if it read that way, but it's not what I intended to communicate. I didn't mean to suggest he doesn't know what he's doing. I just think his "highest and best use" may be as a leader and a people person who gets the best out of the people who work with him.
Looked like Kahale Warring fell down on that interception fwiw. And Anthony Miller had his shoulder pad held for a half second, otherwise that could have been a really magnificent play. He seemed to be reading the defense quickly, making the right decision, and delivering a strong accurate throw to his receiver. He had some nice 3rd down conversions making big boy NFL throws. Remember he only played 6 games last year. Have to be encouraged by that preseason game. A lot to build on.
