By Shaun Ranft
Let’s assume for the moment that one of the four teams that make up the AFC South actually wants to win the division.
You have the decade-long punching bag, Jacksonville (1-1); the typically underwhelming Tennessee (1-1); the favorites, Indianapolis (0-2); and finally, the J.J. Watt-led Texans (0-2).
To Houston’s credit, they’ve lost their first two games by just one possession apiece. They were without Arian Foster for both, so it’s not all bad, right? It might not be on the surface, but if you watch the games, the playcalling has been questionable to say the least.
With Foster likely sidelined for another week, they’ll have to make adjustments for Tampa Bay—who have allowed 228 yards rushing on only 3.9 YPC—without their best back. After Foster, pickings are slim, but that doesn’t excuse the coaching staff for how they’ve managed their quarterbacks.
Head Coach Bill O’Brien and Offensive Coordinator George Godsey—along with current Texans’ quarterback Brian Hoyer—were familiar with one another before Houston. Albeit, briefly.
O’Brien was working in New England as the Offensive Coordinator (2011, his last of five years with the organization), while Godsey was an Offensive Assistant. The No. 2 QB behind the then-34-year-old Tom Brady was, you guessed it, Hoyer.
Interestingly enough, the Patriots drafted Ryan Mallett (Houston’s starter this past weekend) in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Perhaps that connection is what led to both Hoyer and Mallett making their way to Houston—Hoyer as a free agent, and Mallett via trade. They like them both so much that they’ve alternated quarterbacks through the first two games of the season.
All jokes aside, the choice between who to start at the beginning of the year wasn’t an easy one. Unfortunately, this wasn’t because both impressed in preseason. On paper I’d say Mallett, 27, offers more upside than the 29-year-old Hoyer. But either choice isn’t ideal.
However, the job of any coach is to get the best out of their players, or at the very least putting them in a position to succeed. Though the offense as an overall unit in Houston is clearly lacking, through two weeks of the NFL season, it’s clear they haven’t played to their quarterback’s strengths.
In week one, Hoyer threw 34 passes, completing just 18 of them (52.9 percent) for 236 yards (6.9 yards per attempt). Not to be outdone, in two games (one start), Mallett attempted 71 passes—completing 35 of them (49.3 percent) for 342 yards (4.8 YPA). I’m sure you’ve heard the oft-quoted definition of insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This would seem to apply with the Texans’ current game plan.
Try as they might, Hoyer and Mallett have never flashed the ability to be prolific passers. That’s okay; that’s why running backs exist—yes, even the likes of Alfred Blue (3.1 YPC in 183 career attempts) and Chris Polk (4.3 YPC in 76 career attempts).
I’m not suggesting they carry the ball 25-30 times per game, but there’s no rational reason having either QB chucking 50+ passes in a game. Some perspective: Ryan Fitzpatrick attempted 312 passes in 12 games for the Texans last season; Mallett has already attempted roughly 23 percent of that (71) in two games!
Blue and Polk have carried the ball a combined 33 times. They’ve also been targeted 12 times in the passing game, accumulating just five catches. Third-string back Jonathan Grimes seems to be the pass-catching runner out of the backfield, with seven grabs on nine targets through two weeks.
Foster might be back soon, but he’ll need to be monitored closely. Injuries haven’t been kind to him in recent years. Getting the backs involved, no matter how dire the depth chart might look, is of the utmost importance—particularly when star wideout DeAndre Hopkins is banged up (concussion)—and Cecil Shorts, along with Nate Washington, would be WR3s at best in most offenses.
From 2007-2011 in New England, Tom Brady was the quarterback (excluding injury in 2008). Nobody had to worry.
Such luck hasn’t graced the Texans. They went through five years of David Carr, 6.5 of Matt Schaub, one of Fitzpatrick; now they have Hoyer and Mallett. And if O’Brien and Godsey continue to manage those two like they’re high-volume passers, we’re going to start seeing worse results in the coming weeks. An ailing Foster and J.J. Watt-led defense won’t be able to save them.
Statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference
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