The Texans are off Friday as they head to Dallas for their second preseason game on Saturday.
While the storylines surrounding QB Deshaun Watson certainly remain prevalent, there are other offensive players to watch.
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Here’s what head coach David Culley and the guys on the offensive side of the ball said this week in practice ahead of this in-state match-up.
Who will play in this preseason game? How about potential starters?
Head coach David Culley: “We haven’t yet really determined who’s a starter for us and who’s not a starter for us right now. But I do know that last week, those guys who played and didn’t get played much will play a little more.
How much? We’re not really sure yet. We’ll determine after practice today, and availability of our players to play in the game. Because there’s a bunch of guys who didn’t play – I think 10 to 12 guys who didn’t play last week who are going to get reps this week.”
How did Tyrod Taylor and Davis Mills do in the first game?
Offensive Coordinator Tim Kelly: “I thought Tyrod came out and did what we asked him to do, made some good throws. He was able to move the ball. Obviously, we want to get a touchdown in that situation, not a field goal, but he came out and played well and we were crisp with our operation.
Davis came in and saw his first, “Oh my gosh, this is the NFL” moment on that three-step, then ran through, he got hit, came off the field. I’m like, ‘Did that hurt? You okay?’ And he was like, ‘No.’ So he was fine after he took his first hit. He did good.
The whole thing with him is just going to be to accumulate as many reps as possible. He’s only had however many, 257 throws or whatever since high school. Just for him to continue to grow and develop, and the more he sees defenses, the more he gets comfortable with our route running, the more improvement we’re going to see each and every day.”
What do you want to see out of Mills and Taylor in Dallas?
Kelly: “Just continue to grow and get better. Obviously, we’re talking Tyrod going out there and lead an efficient offense, go down there and take what’s given to you and see if we can convert in the red zone. With Davis, just continue to cut back on mistakes and don’t have my missed throws. I think going back and watching the tape, there was probably one or two throws in particular that come to mind right now that immediately he would want back. He’s going to make those throws nine-out-of-10 times. It just so happened that on that one screen, the ball slipped out of his hands. To eliminate that, let’s get rid of those throws, let’s make those plays, and then again, continue to grow in his patience in the pocket.”
How has the offensive line improved?
OL Charlie Heck: “This O-line can be great. I mean it just feels like we are getting better every day and it takes time on the O-line to build that chemistry and I think we are able to do that right now and we are slowly getting better throughout camp.”
There was no preseason last year. What’s it like to have one this year?
Heck: “It’s huge. It’s live reps going against a different team and that’s how you get better is getting experience and getting those live reps.”
What have you seen from RB Phillip Lindsay now that he’s finally in?
Kelly: “He’s quick, man. He’s a strong runner. He’s fast. He doesn’t hesitate. When he sees the hole, he sticks his foot in the ground and gets north. So, all those backs, they’re all doing a great job and they all have different running styles, which is really good. So again, just trying to figure out what’s going to be best for their skill set and what’s going to help us move the football.”
WR Chris Moore worked with David Culley in Baltimore. What did he think of Culley in his head coaching debut?
Moore: “You can always hear him. No matter where he is at on the field, you hear him screaming, giving coaching pointers always. So I already knew, when he was out there, he was going to bring that same energy, and that’s what he did during the game.