How Laremy Tunsil, Texans plan to ‘iron out details’ of penalty issue: ‘As long as us and the refs are on the same page’

HOUSTON – Laremy Tunsil shook his head last Sunday, almost in disbelief.

The reality of six penalties being called on him, three false starts and three illegal formation infractions, along with five more flags on his teammates was sinking in, and the frustrating was growing rapidly.

Proud of his blocking skills and determined to help his team win, the Texans’ Pro Bowl left tackle is always seeking an edge and is traditionally adept at timing up the snap before engulfing defenders at the line of scrimmage.

That wasn’t the case, though, last Sunday as Tunsil became a focal point of attention for referee Shawn Hochuli and his officiating crew. Yes, it was the same group of officials that called three illegal formation penalties on the Baltimore Ravens on their first offensive series in the NFL’s season-opening kickoff game against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

“It’s something we’ve been honing since Week 1, since we always get pre-snap penalties,” Tunsil said Friday inside the Texans’ locker room. “Illegal formations, especially since the Ravens and Chiefs game, when they was throwing illegal formations, we always try to be on the same page with the refs, what they are looking for, what do they want us to break. Clear-cut communication with the refs will be the best thing for us.”

The Texans’ $75 million man is working hard to fix the penalty bug that has infected him and the Texans’ offensive line. During a 34-7 blowout road loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Texans were flagged 11 times for 88 yards in a contributing factor to the setback as the penalties created a lot of third-and-long situations and halted promising drives.

Tunsil also leads the NFL with 10 penalties called against him with nine accepted. Illegal formation calls have become a point of emphasis for the NFL and that has been passed on to every team, including the Texans. Tunsil was flagged for lining up too far in the backfield. The requirement is that tackles’ helmets be even with the center’s midsection.

“The biggest thing as an offense is that we need to just be on the details, just fix the little mistakes that we have and just keep rolling,” Tunsil said. “It’s the small details. We’ve got to be on the details. We’ve got to iron things out. We’ve all got to be on the same page. Once we’re on the same page, everything will be smooth.

“As long as us and the refs are on the same page, that’s the best thing for us. We can come up to the refs before the game, in the middle of the game and ask them, ‘Yo, what are you looking for?’ We can make sure we’re on the same page as you before you have to throw the flag.”

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Tunsil has an 82.2 pass blocking grade this season, according to Pro Football Focus. He had a 91.4 pass blocking grade against the Vikings, allowing zero sacks, pressures, hurries or hits. He hasn’t allowed a pressure since the season-opening win over the Indianapolis Colts when he was blamed for two sacks by the analytics site. He had an 85.4 pass blocking grade last season and a career-high 91.7 mark two years ago.

He’s been heavily criticized this week on social media and on sports talk radio for his multitude of penalties. There’s even been suggestions he should be benched, which obviously isn’t going to happen and isn’t in the best interest of the team from a competitive standpoint.

“That’s what comes with the game,” Tunsil said. “You’ve got the outside people who really doesn’t know as much about the game, but it’s okay. We’ve got to keep working, fix the details, be on our assignments. Next-play mentality, no matter what happens. Pre-snap penalties, illegal formations, next-play mentality, no matter what happens.

Tunsil told KPRC 2 on Sunday after the Vikings game that the officiating is inconsistent.

Tunsil said there’s a disconnect in how the games are being officiated with a lot of inconsistency.

“They’re trying to make an example out of us,” Tunsil said. “The first two weeks, we lined up the same way with no problems and the refs told us we were we good. We get here and lined up the same way and now it’s a problem. When it becomes a problem, they try to make an example out of us.

“When they told me to move up, I moved up. I feel like they are making an example out of us because somebody told them to make an example out of us. Look at their offensive linemen, they were lined up in the backfield, too. They’ve got to call it the same both sides.”

Asked Friday about the officiating, Tunsil didn’t back off of his stance.

“Inconsistency with the calls, yes,” he said. “But as long as the refs and us are on the same page, that’s the best thing for us.”

Tunsil reset the tackle market when he signed a three-year, $75 million contract extension that includes $50 million fully guaranteed, $60 million total guaranteed and a $30 million signing bonus.

At a lean 6-foot-5, 313 pounds, Tunsil possesses a rare combination of athleticism, strength, power, explosiveness, technique and discipline. Unlike some hefty 300-pound blockers, Tunsil has a build more in line with a sleek defensive end. There’s an aesthetic aspect to his game. He plays with a distinct style and flow.

“Laremy is one of the best tackles in the league,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said during training camp. “Having him back out here working with us, he’s done a phenomenal job. He’s been a top tackle throughout his entire career, so anytime you get a guy like that of his caliber back, it helps our entire team.”

The film never lies, displaying exactly what happened during a football game. What it reveals about the Texans’ most lopsided defeat during the Ryans era is a team that needs to make a ton of corrections.

“You definitely have to be on your assignments, be where you are supposed to be and you can not hurt yourself,” Ryans said Monday after reviewing the game. When you are going against a tough opponent, really good team, tough crowd, you have to not hurt yourself but find ways, continue to help yourself and everybody playing together.”

Chief among those issues that need addressing: eliminating the penalties that are halting the flow of the offense and preventing them from sustaining drives and scoring points.

The most glaring sequence was four consecutive penalties while trailing by two touchdowns in the second quarter of what ultimately became a 34-7 defeat at U.S. Bank Stadium. After three consecutive false starts, there was an illegal formation penalty on Tunsil that was declined during the Texans’ third consecutive drive that ended with a punt.

Three games into the season, the Texans have been flagged for 28 accepted penalties for 233 yards to rank third in the NFL behind the Baltimore Ravens’ 31 penalties and the Cleveland Browns’ 29 penalties, And Tunsil has six false starts and three illegal formation infractions.

Bottom line: It’s far too many mistakes, and it should be correctable.

The Texans also allowed quarterback C.J. Stroud to be sacked five times against the Vikings, including three sacks from former Houston third-round draft pick Jonathan Greenard. He was intercepted twice, including one tipped pass, breaking a streak of 266 consecutive throws without a pick that dated back to Nov. 19, 2023 when he was in the middle of an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year season.

“We go to the drawing board, and we fix it,” Ryans said. “We have to line up right up, which I know we can do. We have to line up right and we have to protect as best we can up front. There is five guys just working together, or if it’s six guys, if it is six we all have to work well together, and we have to play relentless. We have to swarm up front, and we have to get the guys blocked.”

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Ryans, though, emphasized that the Texans simply have to follow the NFL rulebook and need to be accountable.

“No, with the penalties of lining we have to be better,” Ryans said. “We have to align right. It is clear with the rules of how we should line up, so we have to line up correctly and that starts with us.”

Referee Shawn Hochuli and his crew made it a point of emphasis to call illegal formation penalties during the season-opening win for the Kansas City Chiefs over the Ravens. The Ravens were hit with three illegal formations on their opening drive, much to the chagrin of coach John Harbaugh.

Yes, there are analytics for all officiating crews that show their tendencies to call certain penalties with a greater frequency than others.

Like the rest of the NFL, the Texans have access to that information.

No, the Texans aren’t focused on the analytics.

It’s all about making corrections.

“The analytics with the referees really doesn’t matter to me,” Ryans said. “We teach playing the game the right way and that’s all that matters. When you step out on the field, you play the game the right way. However they call it, they call it. It really doesn’t matter. I don’t want players worry about how the refs call it. You have to go play your technique the right way and that is the only thing that matters.”

What about Tunsil?

“He knows where to align, and we just have to do a better job of getting it done,” Ryans said.

Right tackle Tytus Howard emphasized the inconsistency of the calls and the lack of clear communication with the officials. The Texans were not flagged for illegal formation the first two weeks. Now, they’re being penalized. During Sunday’s defeat, the Texans had four illegal formation penalties.

The Texans kept getting flagged for not lining up close enough to the line of scrimmage. With the speed of modern edge rushers, it is very tempting for offensive tackles to move a few inches further back to give themselves a more favorable angle against the defenders when the ball is snapped.

“The penalties are a killer,” Howard told KPRC 2. “Being honest, I feel like the refs got to work with us a little bit. It’s become a certain thing where the linemen that’s new for everyone. They’ve got to work with us on that. Communication. It’s too inconsistent. Sometimes, you’re up far enough. Sometimes, you’re not. We just go to, as a team, as tackles, we’ve got to hone in on it and line up where they want us to line up. It’s very fixable. I’m not discouraged. We got to fix the little things and we’ll be straight.”

And Stroud has now been sacked 11 times through three games, and the Texans have given up a dozen sacks overall as backup Davis Mills was sacked once against the Vikings when Stroud was taken out late in the fourth quarter with the outcome already decided.

The Texans have been vulnerable to stunts and twists and the occasional power rush, including Greenard on rookie tight end Cade Stover on Sunday.

“The communication and everything with the stunts, it starts up front,” Ryans said. “It starts with the coaches, we have to make sure guys understand it and make the proper calls, so all the guys work together to see it the exact same way, all guys are communicating, not relying on person, but everybody communicating, working well together, again we know the issues. We have to get it fixed. We can’t allow the same things to continue to happen. Starting with coaches, players, we have to take ownership as well and we have to get it fixed.”

The Texans have invested heavily in the offensive line.

That includes a three-year, $75 million deal for Tunsil, Howard at three years, $56 million, three years, $36 million for right guard Shaq Mason, four years, $15.953 million for former first-round draft pick Kenyon Green, the starting left guard, and a rookie deal for starting center and former second-round pick Juice Scruggs.

“For sure, our offensive line they will get it going,” Ryans said. “They will do exactly what we need them to do. They had some really good reps in the game. Everybody likes to talk about the negative reps, we had a lot of good protection in that game where we completed a lot of deep passes in the middle of the field.

“We had a lot of explosive plays that were made, and we had really good protection. I don’t let a few bad plays dictate who we are, I know who we are and I know how our guys will respond so I am excited about our o-line and what is in front of them.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.