Texans Focused on Running the Ball - What's Gone Right with the Offense? - video Dailymotion

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Seth and Sean discuss the Texans' focus on the run game and assess what's gone right and wrong with the offense this season.

Transcript

00:00Running the football will be a big key to this game.

00:03Nick Caley asked yesterday, Texans offensive coordinator,

00:06how much of a focus is scheming up the run game?

00:09I mean, we're always trying, you know, we want to establish the run.

00:12I mean, that's what we always try to do.

00:13That's what I believe in.

00:14That's what we believe in.

00:15So, I mean, it's nothing more, nothing less.

00:17That's what we try to attack every single week.

00:19Some weeks are better than others.

00:21But, you know, we've got to play a balanced game.

00:23We've got to obviously control the line of scrimmage.

00:24I think that's consistent.

00:26There's really good fronts and defenses in this league

00:28that we play every single week.

00:29So, it doesn't really change the approach, you know,

00:31from one week to the other.

00:32We know what we've got to do.

00:33And we've got to do, you know, consistently a better job,

00:36you know, throughout the course of the game in that regard.

00:38Yeah, look, when you watch the runs from last week,

00:40you don't have to be a football expert to watch and say,

00:45oh, they're not moving to Vondre Sweat at all.

00:48The defensive tackle for the Titans was the quintessential brick wall there

00:53on the Lions defensive run.

00:55Jeffrey Simmons is a huge, huge problem.

00:57They couldn't physically control those guys.

01:00I think the Texans, when they've gone up against lesser run defenses,

01:03have done a pretty good job of controlling those guys.

01:06The one thing that did work was at the end of the game

01:09when the Titans were in pass rush mode and Vondre Sweat wasn't on the field.

01:13All of a sudden they started getting movement

01:16and they started having some success in the run game.

01:18That's where I think tweaking your personnel packages,

01:21trying to run when you're in three wide receiver pass,

01:24spreading it out to run the ball basically for, to put it in short hand.

01:28I think there might be some, something to that.

01:31And just tweaking things a little bit and figuring out what style of run game they need to be focused.

01:39How does that act to play, Collin?

01:40That was underrated, man.

01:41The ability to run the football at the end of the game made that a much more attainable field goal.

01:48It ground the clock down.

01:49Yes.

01:49It put Mike McCoy in a situation where he, I think, mismanaged his timeouts.

01:53Had the game managed and didn't do a good job.

01:54He didn't realize that he should be using his timeouts already.

01:57Yep.

01:57Yeah.

01:57So that was, that was big.

01:59Here's D'Amico Ryans yesterday on the importance of running the football.

02:02Yeah.

02:02Running the ball, for me, it's always a key.

02:05No matter who you're playing, who's your opponent, you got to run it well.

02:08That's just, you know, when you can dictate and control the line of scrimmage,

02:11it just opens up your playbook a lot more.

02:13So the run game is vital.

02:15Of course, it's going to take all 11.

02:17Guys blocking really well, being detailed in what we're doing, and our backs just finishing.

02:21The, the other part about the run game, and this is where it pops up is how much it matters

02:27down in the red zone.

02:28And the, for anybody that ever wants to talk about how the run game doesn't matter as much

02:33as it used to, et cetera, et cetera.

02:34There's, there's obviously some validity to that, but when it comes down to the red zone,

02:38if you can't run the ball effectively, it really hamstrings you and it allows defenses

02:42to just load up on the areas of concern as we've seen, right, right.

02:48You know, it just, it makes it really hard to be good in the red zone.

02:51And that's one thing that the Texans offense has struggled with.

02:54The Texans defense is they're 31st in the league in red zone defense.

02:57So that's a whole nother topic.

02:58But as far as the Texans offense and how it goes, they have, they will run the ball effectively

03:03versus the bills because everybody runs the ball effectively versus the bills.

03:07Even when teams don't have over a hundred yards rushing versus the bills, it's like when

03:11they choose not to like the chiefs, they did the chiefs could have kept like, I don't

03:15know what the stats were in that game.

03:16Um, but it's one thing, Andy, it's still pops up now with Andy Reed, where he just seems

03:23to hate the run game for whatever reason, even when it's like very obviously the thing

03:27he should be doing.

03:27Yeah.

03:28I don't know why I'm getting frustrated about it.

03:29Cause it could hopefully benefit.

03:31Yeah.

03:31I'm losing that game to the bills right now is benefiting the Texans greatly.

03:35So I'm glad he did it on that, on that particular day.

03:38Um, yeah.

03:39And I think the other thing too, the run game, we know what the Texans are going to want

03:43to do.

03:43They're going to want, they're going to want to run 11, 12, 13 play drives to grind

03:48clock and keep Josh Allen on the sidelines.

03:51It serves a dual purpose.

03:53It, well, really not even dual, like a multi-purpose.

03:56It, it, it allows you to move the football.

03:58It allows you to wear their defense down.

04:00I mean, I'm guessing it's much more grading on a defense to have to defend a 12 play drive,

04:05especially when seven of them are runs up the middle than, you know, an aerial circus.

04:10And then it keeps Josh Allen off the field.

04:12Yeah.

04:12That's, um, in the time of possession, like you, I always say it ironically when I'll say,

04:18oh, look, the Texans are dominating the box score.

04:21Yeah.

04:21Um, because sometimes in, especially with this Texans offense, they are dominating the box

04:26score when it comes to time of possession, rushing yards, all of those things.

04:29It's just that, that mere little detail of getting the ball into the end zone.

04:33The thing that matters the most is they they'll drive the length of the field and then they'll

04:37sputter out on the one yard line.

04:38That's been the frustrating thing.

04:39As far as the bills rushing defense, this is just going back the last five weeks, they gave

04:46up 210 yards rushing to Atlanta, 114 to Carolina.

04:50And then that chiefs game, the chiefs only rushed for 79 yards.

04:54Yep.

04:55Dolphins rushed for 197 yards.

04:58It's for two or two.

05:00Jeez.

05:01They've just been a sieve the last two weeks, man.

05:04The Texans, uh, would you say, what'd you sign up for right now?

05:07If I saw, if I told you 140 yards rushing for the Texans, they'd probably win that game,

05:12right?

05:12I'd be disappointed because the that's below average for what teams are doing against, uh,

05:17yeah.

05:17Well, I mean, uh, the, the number of times they gave up a hundred and 189 yards rushing to

05:23new, uh, new Orleans.

05:25Wow.

05:25Well, they have Kamara, but that was also when the, the bills had a huge lead in that.

05:30Yep.

05:31Um, so the, uh, ESPN.com did a mid-season offensive coordinator report on all 32 teams.

05:37I don't know if you looked at this, Seth, and if you haven't, I'm happy because I want

05:41to see what your answer would be for these questions.

05:43DJ BNMA answered these for ESPN.

05:46Um, and it's not a grade, it's not a report card.

05:48It's just what's gone right.

05:49What's gone wrong.

05:50I looked at it, but I don't remember it.

05:52So whatever, my subconscious will fuel my response.

05:55Pretend I'm a Buffalo person and I'm interviewing you on Buffalo radio.

05:58And I'm like, Seth, we play, uh, the bills play the Texans tomorrow.

06:02I know the Texans have had their struggles offensively under Nick Caley in his first year,

06:06but through 10 games, what's gone right for the Texans.

06:08What's gone right for the Texans.

06:10Uh, this isn't the most glaring example of what's gone right, but it was something that

06:14we looked at in the preseason.

06:16And I said, if the Texans can get to the point where they're playing like an average offensive

06:21line, that will be a huge improvement.

06:24And if the skill position players really excel, that could be enough.

06:29And I think that's where the Texans have been over the past four or five games.

06:32They've played like an average offensive line to the point where after the game, you almost

06:36have to grudging.

06:39No, you know what?

06:40The pass protection actually wasn't bad.

06:42There were a few sacks, but it really wasn't that on the sum total of it all could have been

06:46a lot better.

06:47It wasn't horrific.

06:48They're average and run blocking.

06:50It is the, it's where it's dicier because again, versus genuine studs, they've struggled

06:57versus lesser defensive lineman.

06:59They've really cleaned up.

07:01Um, but that's, that's what average teams do.

07:03So, uh, that's where they're an average offensive line right now.

07:07And that's with, without all their starters playing.

07:09Sure.

07:10Yeah.

07:10They've been shuffling around a lot.

07:11Uh, DJ said their pass blocking has improved.

07:15They've allowed 21 sacks, which is 18th compared to last season when they allowed CJ to be

07:20sacked 52 times was the second, 52 times second most.

07:24It's not perfect, but it's more competent.

07:26There's a, I've been kind of saying the same thing a little bit more withholding with the

07:29past protection compliments because a big part of that is that CJ is also getting rid

07:34of the ball a lot faster than it was last year.

07:36So the, the pressure rate being reduced, it's, it's partly because yes, there, there haven't

07:43been as many egregious errors in past protection.

07:46They've done a better job of picking up the D line games and everything.

07:49Um, but they've also been getting rid of the ball really quickly.

07:52So that's been, it's the entire operation.

07:55What has gone wrong with the offense?

07:57Uh, with the offense, the red zone, uh, for a hundred percent.

08:01And really a lot of it right now is they're not, they're not down in the way bottom.

08:04Like they had been, but part of that's just from a couple of weeks ago when they were four

08:07for five in the red zone, but I got to, they did it.

08:10They didn't credit for doing it.

08:11They got better.

08:12Um, the, the run deep, the, the rushing offense when they need it.

08:19For one.

08:20And I, cause he, I, I would say red zone offense, I think has improved a little bit, but it's

08:25still a big problem.

08:26Go back to last week, but especially just their goal line offense, their ability to score from

08:31the one yard line.

08:32Yeah.

08:32That's that, that's, I'm sitting here talking about.

08:34But I genuinely, I have a football team that when they get to the one yard line and it's

08:38first and goal, I don't know if I, I'm pessimistic about them getting in.

08:42That's the runaway right answer for me.

08:43DJ says they've been inconsistent.

08:45Some weeks they've looked good.

08:46They put a 44 against the Ravens.

08:48Yeah.

08:48Uh, they, they've scored 30 on Jacksonville and then other weeks like the Broncos game,

08:53all they do is kick five field goals in that game.

08:55I think it's more, I'll, I'll take it a step further from inconsistent.

08:59Like they just, they've, they, they've largely lit up or lit up, uh, bad defenses.

09:08Yeah.

09:08You know, they've, they've piled on, although the Titans game, that's a bad defense that they

09:13weren't able to pile on, but they've been, they've been kind of lamb killers is what I

09:16would say.

09:17You know, I haven't, we haven't seen them have a truly good to great game against a really

09:23good defense.

09:23You know, there's still really just laggards is in third down conversions.

09:28They're, they're 26 and third down conversion.

09:30That's wild.

09:31They were 10 of 15 in that Jags game.

09:33Yeah.

09:34They had to be.

09:35Come here down by 19.

09:36That might've been one of the craziest numbers from a game full of crazy numbers.

09:40The Texans team that's been bad on third down all year went 10 of 15.

09:43Yeah.

09:44I think the, the real, the big marquee battle in this game really is going to be the best

09:50defense in the league versus one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

09:54I don't know what the bills, the bills is a fifth scoring off fence right now.

09:59If it's been so inconsistent and they racked up just like the Texans have done, but the,

10:04to a greater degree, the bills have racked up a bunch of points versus a bunch of bad

10:07teams.

10:08Yeah.

10:08But then they also put up a bunch of points against the, the bucks last week, 44 points.

10:13They had a quality win versus the chiefs three weeks ago, but, but they've been very inconsistent.

10:18They got destroyed by the dolphins.

10:20So, but it's that it's Josh Allen versus the Texans defense.

Texans Focused on Running the Ball - What's Gone Right with the Offense?

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