In the past two seasons, the Houston Texans have seen average NFL starting quarterbacks lead their team to winning seasons.
For the upcoming season, the Texans have a potential franchise QB in free agent acquisition Brock Osweiler. Osweiler recorded a nice 2015 season in his first 7 starts. The four year veteran threw for 1,967 yards, 10 TD’s and 6 INT’s leading the Broncos to a 5-2 record during that span, a promising sign for Texans fans.
Head coach Bill O’Brien has become a quarterback whisperer & improved every QB he has mentored. In 2014, The Texans started Ryan Fitzpatrick for the majority of their games & he put up a solid season. O’Brien helped set career bests in multiple categories for Fitzpatrick. He completed a career best 63.1% of his passes with a 17-to-8 TD-to-INT ratio, along with a 95.3 quarterback rating.
Fitzpatrick had an average career before his arrival in Houston. He barely threw more touchdowns than interceptions carrying a 108-to-93 career TD-to-INT ratio and had a rough career record at 27-49-1. But after his tenure under O’Brien, he improved his career prospects including another starting gig with the New York Jets last year.
Brian Hoyer’s past season with the Texans is no different, although we all remember his last appearance in a Texans’ uniform. Hoyer isn’t as bad as Texans fans think. He had just 4,505 yards, 19 TD’s, 19 INT’s & an under 60% completion percentage in his journeyman career. His one year in Houston completely changed his career numbers. Under O’Brien, Hoyer threw for 2,606 yards, 19 TD’s and just 7 INT’s. He took care of the football and got the ball into the hands of his playmakers.
If these numbers don’t sell you on O’Brien’s brilliance, then the team stats will. In his 2 years in Houston the Texans have started 7 quarterbacks who’ve combined for 7,539 yards, 52 TD’s and 25 INT’s. An unbelievable feat for a team stuck in quarterback purgatory. It takes real coaching skill to make a guy like Brandon Weeden become an efficient starter.
Bill O’Brien’s coaching has the ability to take the Texans back to the playoffs. If he can improve mediocre quarterbacks, imagine what he can do with a talent like Osweiler. Enjoy it Texans fans, you may have a franchise quarterback, but more importantly you have one of the best offensive minds in the NFL.
-HST Correspondent Collin Weider
(Stats Courtesy of Pro Football Reference)
(Video Courtesy of NFL)