O-Line... So Hot Right Now

It really is. Some of it is Watson holding on to the ball too long to make something happen, but this will potentially ruin him.

 

Derek Newton - T - Free Agent
Free agent OT Derek Newton worked out for the Jets on Tuesday.

Newton is a player everyone should be pulling for as he tries to become the first NFL player to return to action after tearing both patellar tendons on the same play. One source said Newton "looked good" at his tryout on Tuesday, but the two parties haven't signed a deal. If Newton is able to come back -- he might have a better shot at a return playing guard if he's less mobile -- in any capacity, it will be one of the biggest comeback stories of the season.
Related: Jets

Source: Mike Jones on Twitter

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/25049381/fixing-flaws-nfl-best-teams-anchors-2018-contenders#hou

Houston Texans
The anchor: The offensive line

Nobody would have expected the Patriots to need a running back in October. The idea that the Texans would struggle to field a competitive offensive line would have been far less surprising. The best-case scenario would have been that Houston's line stayed healthy, but Seantrel Henderson is already on injured reserve, while Zach Fulton missed Sunday's win over the Jaguars with an ankle injury. The bright side is that the Texans delivered what was arguably their best run-blocking performance of the season, as Lamar Miller ran the ball 22 times for an even 100 yards against the league's sixth-best run defense by DVOA.

The bad news was the story that broke before the game: The Texans are already so concerned about Deshaun Watson's chest and ribs that they elected to have Watson take a bus 12 hours from Houston to Jacksonville as opposed to flying with the team. While I'm sure Watson was traveling in a Madden Cruiser level of comfort, the damage already has been done.

Watson is being pressured on 42.2 percent of his dropbacks, the highest percentage in the league by nearly five points. Sunday was the first game in which he wasn't knocked down at least 10 times as a passer, let alone whatever hits he takes as a runner. He's clearly playing through pain and far less than 100 percent already, and while the Texans still have a bye to come in Week 10, that game comes after a tilt in Denver with Von Miller.


What's showing up here is the hidden cost of trading picks to move up to grab a quarterback. The Texans didn't have their first- and second-round picks in this year's draft as a result of the Watson and Brock Osweiler trades, preventing them from using those assets to find offensive linemen to block for Watson. When the Giants outbid everyone for Nate Solder, the Texans were stuck with one of the two or three worst lines in football for their star quarterback.

 

We also have a QB who holds on to the ball too long at the moment. He's what 10 games into his career now? He;ll improve with diagnosing and anticipating throws but more importantly they've not given him much of a running game either. All of that matters just as much as the pass protection which I agree is not good.

Point is the Texans could be average in QB pressures/hits with an improved running game and improved qb play alone. Any improved OL play would be a bonus at this point. But they're not gonna get better so might as well try to improve running game and play calling/execution.

 

A young QB who tries to do too much and a terrible OL is a really bad combination.

He has to learn to give up on plays or he is going to get killed.... because the OL won't be fixed anytime soon.

 

Legit question because I haven't closely followed the Texans for their 17 seasons of existence:

Have they ever had even an average or serviceable offensive line?

All I've ever heard about seemingly forever was about every single one of our QBs getting murdered. Has it ever NOT been that way?

 

Most of the Kubiak years it was a good OL.

 

Ok, good to know. Too bad they didn't have a QB worth protecting most of the time back then. Still can't understand why this continues to be an issue, though. It's been a problem for a long time. And I thought I heard the new GM was putting extra effort into the offensive line. *shrugs*

 

The best years were 2011 and 2012 when we had an efficient Matt Schaub, a solid to great offensive line opening holes for Arian Foster, and a great defense under Wade Phillips.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Houston_Texans_season
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Houston_Texans_season

 

I don't think OBrien is good at evaluating OL talent or coaching it up

 

Yet still got dismantled any time we played Brady.

 

Disagree.
It takes time for Olines to gel.
I would however heartily endorse a bona fide L and RT to come into the ranks.

 

When the OL is bad, the play calls/routes have to be quick (2-3 seconds tops) and/or you keep additional folks in to block TE or RB. We don't seem to do enough of either and that's a big part of those 70 hits.

 

Pro bowler Kendall Lamm?

 

The OL has really come together the last two games. Great job men!