I remember a young Jim Plunkett/Troy Aikman/Matthew Stafford getting the crap beaten out of then and they didn't become gunshy. Excuses are many, I do realize Caley is running a vanilla offense, ask yourself why would he willingly choose to run a vanilla offense.
The problem is more than Caley, just as it was more than Slowik, just as it will be more than the next OC that's hired after Caley.
Problem is offensive line. Can't run or pass block. Then you will most likely have a bad offense. If you can run block, then you have extra guys in the box. Which means more space for skill positions. Other aspect is that outside Nico, the Texans don't even have the guys to expose the open field. Hence, more guys in the box to dominate in the trenches or blitz with no worry of giving up big plays. I suspect we might see better offense with Kirk today though. Means bad offense no matter how you look at it. Only way to stop it, is quick rhythm passing and screens.
Greg Cosell, nfl films, went on a rant. " I honestly don't know what the Texans are doing. They've been talking toughness all offseason but when it got down there inside the five, they line up in shotgun. Nick Chubb has to run 4 yards just to get to the line of scrimmage. Teams usage of shotgun in the red is another topic, but what a missed chance. Last year they had issues picking up stunts. This year they can't pick up a blitz. I worry for CJ. " I wish it was inside the 5. It was more like inside the 2. ugh.
I saw improvement last week. We are still a bad offensive line and given that it is basically an all new unit with a new coach it isn’t surprising. Many suspected it would be a struggle early. It is natural for the fan base to be upset after so much hoopla, but giving up on the organization and Stroud is way immature in my opinion. Even if we don’t make the playoffs, I think the team is positioned to be a factor for years to come. It would be foolish to change coordinators again. On another note, how many rookies regularly become stars in their first year. It seems to me that the expectation that Higgins and Noel were going to step in and light the world on fire was pretty far-fetched. Part of the protection problem is the lack of open receivers, even though Stroud is struggling to make the right decisions at times.
I agree they should have tried to run it in or at least lineup under center each time. Why not try a tush push behind Ertsey (the only lineman that seems to get any push off the line).
