With a day off on the Training Camp schedule, I will throw out a few of my random observations so far. I promise not to go too overboard with thoughts of grandeur or ‘the ship is sinking’ proclamations. If there’s one thing we know, Lestar Jeans fool us every year.
Tom Savage Looks the Part
Yes, Tom Savage is still looking great as long as we’re just practicing. The ball jumps out of his hand. His form is perfect. He looks to have all the physical tools.
On the other hand, you look for the intangibles so what do you have? When he walks into a room, he doesn’t have the ‘It’ factor. Being around him in interviews during OTA’s & Mini-Camp, I just don’t see that thing Brady or Manning or Rogers or Brees has. It may sound ridiculous to some but even Brees has stated that the physical tools are only a small part of the NFL QB equation. Leadership, presence & charisma end up being part of the DNA of greatness. Maybe that comes with time & can be earned. However, we all knew it wasn’t there with Schaub & we were right.
Keenum Confidence
Coming out of college, I thought Keenum had more of those intangibles than I can see in Savage. He showed some of that last year in Pre-Season & then in those first couple of starts. Now I see a QB who looks & sounds more lost. I don’t see the carefree attitude & the fun he brought last year. Kubiak sucked out his joy last year with that quick hook.
The Texans organization immediately dismissed him as soon as the season was over. They could’ve made the moves they did by bringing in other QBs while still indicating they thought Keenum had room for growth. By the look on Keenum’s face these days, he sees O’Brien & this organization has no belief in him. He can feel the writing is on the wall. Perhaps too much pop psychoanalysis but that’s what I get from the body language.
Coaching ‘Em Up
This staff is hands-on. They are no-nonsense. There is no wasted motion. They’re young, energetic & it is all business. You can’t argue with the appearances so far. This all works & everybody is happy if this leads to wins. The question, as always, what happens if the results don’t happen quickly? Does this staff wear on the players? You can make that argument with most new coaching staffs. Maybe not the Rex Ryans or Mack Browns of the world, but most new staffs.
Maybe the difference is the programming of the players on what to say & how to act. They’ve been given buzz words & phrases. You can tell for most players that they’re scared to death to say the wrong thing. As much as I respect Bill Belichick as a coaching mind, I don’t believe for a second that his hard line on the media has won any games. Tom Brady wins games.
Think Quicker
No question what my favorite O’Brien attribute is so far- Pace, Pace & more Pace!
After watching the slow methodical Kubiak coaching style for years, you feel like a weight has been lifted off your TexanFan shoulders. This team practices pace. They work on thinking quickly. From OTAs to Mini-Camp to Training Camp, the practices move quickly & the offense is in constant motion.
The obvious result will be on offense. This isn’t just making it more fun. This is keeping defenses off-balance & changing momentum in a game. It is also about the ability of a coaching staff to think fast. How many good 2 minute drills did the Kubiak Texans ever have? How many wasted timeouts? How many bad substitutions? How many defensive timeouts or penalties forced? This impacts games & I love FINALLY seeing it.
The less obvious result will be on defense. How many times did the Texans defense look lost or confused in a 2 minute drive? Or exhausted? Or how many wasted timeouts did they have? Not only will our offense be more prepared but so will the defense. Huge change!
Physical Play is Secondary
Every new regime talks about being more physical. It’s the most trite, over-used football bromide. Wade Phillips’ front 7 was definitely physical. But his secondary, like just about every Texans secondary in their history, was soft at the line of scrimmage. Receivers got into routes easily & without interference. Hard to argue this has been a Texan staple. Not sure if talent wasn’t part of the problem but this has always been a big beef for me.
So far, I see a difference in the way this version of the Texans play in the secondary. Guys are using their hands more & battling at the line of scrimmage. This may be waaaaay too early to make the overall judgement, but keep an eye on this part of the defensive equation. That extra half second you gain from re-routing a WR & bumping off his route is all JJ may need. It may be the difference in a few more sacks & a few more interceptions. Causing turnovers was a big issue over the last 2 seasons. A physical secondary can make that kind of a difference.
