HOUSTON – Inside the New England Patriots’ meeting rooms and practice fields, Nick Caley and Cole Popovich interacted for years while gaining knowledge from legendary coach Bill Belichick and one of the top offensive line coaches in NFL history: Dante Scarneccia.
At the time, Caley was the Patriots’ tight ends coach working with All-Pro Rob Gronkowski. And Popovich was a rising coach who helped replace Scarneccia when he retired after more than three decades in New England.
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Now, the two longtime friends are collaborating on an important task for the defending AFC South champion Texans.
Caley, 42, was hired as the Texans’ new offensive coordinator after his time with the Los Angeles Rams and coach Sean McVay as a tight ends coach and passing game coordinator as the replacement for Bobby Slowik.
Popovich, 40, was promoted to run game coordinator and head offensive line coach from assistant offensive line coach as the Texans moved on from offensive line coach Chris Strausser.
Popovich’s contract was expiring this offseason and now he’s back with the Texans after they hired Caley. Zach Yenser is back as assistant offensive line coach, per sources.
The Texans want to dramatically improve the pass protection problems that held back the offense last season as quarterback C.J. Stroud was sacked the second-most of any NFL passer, 52 times overall, up from 38 sacks when he was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year two seasons ago.
How Caley and Popovich instrument a sounder plan to keep Stroud healthy and standing will go a long way toward upgrading an offense that dipped to 22nd in total offense and 19th in scoring last season for a Texans squad headlined by its aggressive defense led by coach DeMeco Ryans.
“Cole as our offensive line coach to lead that room, just having one voice to lead it, I feel really strong about that,” Ryans said. “Cole helped a lot of our young players when it came to developing. He had a really great relationship with a lot of guys, and I think very highly of Cole and what he’s able to do. I think him having a prior relationship with Nick as well, and them being able to work together and them to hit the ground running instantly, I think that also lead to my decision, and I know we’ll be better for it.”
Texans promote Cole Popovich to run game coordinator/offensive line coach
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The Texans surrendered 54 sacks as a team last season. They allowed eight sacks and 14 quarterback hits in a 23-14 AFC divisional round loss to the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs. It was a rough deal all-around for Stroud as he was under heavy duress for the majority of the season as his interceptions increased from five picks to a dozen and his yardage and accuracy decreased.
With the exception of five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, there were continuity, performance and health issues throughout various parts of the season with the offensive line as well as tight end Dalton Schultz allowing three sacks to the Chiefs in the playoff defeat.
“I think it all starts up front obviously and it’s really all 11,” Caley said. “We all have to be in sync and I think protections starts with communication, trust and cohesiveness up front and really having clear rules in the protection system. We’re going to be going through that process.
“Obviously, I have a history with Cole dating back to my time in New England when he was our offensive line coach and I coached the tight ends. So, I have a really good working relationship and level of trust with Cole. He is a very good football coach and I’m excited to go through this process with him.”
Popovich is heading into his third season with the Texans. A former Fresno State starting offensive lineman, Popovich broke into the NFL as a coaching assistant in 2016 before being promoted to assistant running backs coach working with Sony Michel then being named co-offensive line coach when Scarneccia retired.
Popovich left the Patriots in the offseason for personal family reasons related to mandatory NFL Covid-19 vaccine regulations and coached high school football in Franklin, Massachusetts. He was then hired at Troy University as their head offensive line coach before joining the Texans and winning two consecutive AFC South division titles as part of Ryans’ first two seasons in Houston.
Both Popovich and Caley are big believers in Scarneccia, who was known for his hard-nosed, fix-it, get-it-right approach protecting star quarterback Tom Brady.
“Sure, Dante Scarnecchia. I was with Dave DeGuglielmo in 2015, very good coach,” Popovich said. “Dante Scarnecchia, longtime New England coach, influenced a lot of what I’ve obviously learned up front in the protection systems. Then been a part of other ways of doing it too. But yeah, in terms of my, informative stages, it would be my early years in New England, obviously with those two.”
The running game should be a strength for the Texans with the return of Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon, who rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns during his first season in Houston after a trade from the Cincinnati Bengals last year and was signed to a three-year, $27 million contract extension.
Popovich drew praise from Texans’ offensive linemen in his first season in Houston when the Texans improved to 12th in total offense after ranking 31st in 2022.
Tunsil was named to the Pro Bowl again. And the Texans are expected to address the offensive line in terms of protection and run blocking schemes as well as personnel this offseason.
“Great coach, great man,” a league source said of Popovich when he was hired by the Texans.
During Popovich’s season assisting with the running backs in New England, Michel rushed for 912 yards as the Patriots finished with a 12-4 record and won the AFC East. He helped coach the Patriots to a top-10 offense in four of his first five NFL seasons.
He coached at Minot State as an offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator and previously at Utah State, Fresno City College and Los Angeles Valley College.
The Texans have regular starters Tunsil, Tytus Howard, Juice Scruggs, Jarrett Patterson, Shaq Mason, Blake Fisher under contract, but some level of change is likely afoot with the line. Whether that means moving on from Mason or Howard or adjusting their contracts or adding competition in free agency or the draft, perhaps Alabama standout Tyler Booker with the 25th overall selection, the Texans won’t stand pat. They want to get this right to provide help to Stroud and maximize his output.
One of the reasons why the Texans had so many issues was a lack of clear communication and scheme plans for blitzes and stunts. That was particularly glaring in a road loss to the Green Bay Packers. Against the Tennessee Titans, the line was overwhelmed by the powerful charge of interior defensive linemen Jeffery Simmons and T’Vondre Sweat during a regular-season upset loss at NRG Stadium. The Baltimore Ravens’ speed off the edge and stunts gave the Texans a lot of issues during an embarrassing 31-2 loss on Christmas.
Cohesiveness was in short supply for the Texans. And Caley is determined to change that, immediately.
“With the offensive line, the quarterback, obviously the halfback, you got to be able to see the game through the same set of eyes,” Caley said. “You got to be going in the same direction, and you got to be tied together. That’s starts with communication.
“It starts with protecting inside out and establishing a pocket, the depth of the pocket, the width of the pocket, and that extends, obviously, in the tight ends, receivers, when you’re chipping and stuff like that. But, it does, it really starts inside out, and it starts seeing it through the same lens. We all have to be coordinated in that.””
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
