Houston’s offense is in turmoil. Do they need to hit the big red button?
There’s been enough time to think rationally about the demoralizing loss to the putrid New York Jets. Whether relevant or not now that Kenyon Green is gone and Nico Collins is back, that game illustrated the floor at which the Texans offense can operate.
When I proposed this question to the Masthead I was enraged post-game. Sure, I want something to burn. This offense has failed to impress and with the Stefon Diggs injury will never live up to its potential. We’ll have to live in a reality where the offensive line isn’t fantastic and are putting C.J. Stroud’s career at risk.
That was the most incompetent game in the last year and a half. Are we considering firing Bobby Slowik for not improving this offensive line that we’ve dumped so much capital into?
Vballretired:
Firing might be a bit strong, but he’s definitely getting the side eye. There have been some whacky play calls at the wrong moments and they always seem to be in the red zone. I think the most frustrating thing on offense is that we do not adjust well during the game to what the defense is doing. That is 1000 percent on Slowik. When you get to the line specifically it becomes more muddy. It could be the OL coach. It could be the players themselves. Some of it probably is him. What I don’t want to see are any stories like I’ve seen in “Houston Football” and other outlets saying “we’ve fixed the issues” on a Wednesday. That’s a bunch of nonsense. There needs to either be changes in what they are doing, who’s doing it, or your overall offense has to reflect what they can’t do.
L4blitzer:
Will concur with Vballretired here that firing might be a bit strong. Coming into this season, many figured it would be Slowik’s last in Houston, as he likely would parlay two straight successful seasons as OC into a Head Coaching job. However, after the 1st half of this season, he might still leave Houston after 2 years, but maybe not as successfully as he or we figured.
The offensive execution has definitely not lived up to the standards we expected coming into the year. Much of the blame rests (deservedly so) with the offensive line and their inability to offer a modicum of pass protection. As a result, Stroud hasn’t been able to make the plays that so defined his rookie season. Injuries haven’t helped as well. Even the strong running game driving this team is not working as well as it should, as the Red Zone execution in the last few games leaves a lot to be desired. It does not seem that Houston is adjusting to what other teams do to counter their moves. That being said, if things do not dramatically improve, the Oline coaching staff might need to update their LinkedIn Profiles post-haste. Especially in road games, as the offense as a whole way underperforms. Perhaps Slowik will be right behind them in those actions.
Patrick.H:
Have we considered the possibility that Slowik is just really getting sick of all the phone calls and decided to throw in a clunker season just to get other teams to leave him alone?
To actually answer the question, I don’t think they consider firing Slowik for one bad season following one surprisingly good season. I do, however, think this will be the end of the offensive line coach’s tenure with the Houston Texans, as he has proven unable to put together a coherent offensive line that acts like an offensive line.
That all being said, the fact that we had an entire offseason to deal with whatever problems the offensive line had and stood pat other than to say “this time we promise Kenyon Green is gonna put it all together, we super promise” is at best naivety and at worst outright offensive malpractice.
In truth, nobody is innocent for the Texans’ offensive woes this season, save for C.J. Stroud, who, if the Texans do not address the line tout de suite, will become another David Carr and the single biggest wasted opportunity this franchise will ever have. And I, personally, will never forgive them for it if it, Durga forbid, happens.
Kenneth L.:
The Texans offensive dysfunction has evolved. Initially penalties ravaged the offense and destroyed drives. Now? It’s quality of play. The entire offensive line is a mess. We’ve invested two first round picks into Tunsil (via trade), another first round pick into Kenyon, another for Tytus Howard, and a second round pick on Juice Scruggs. This should be an elite offensive line. Instead the they can’t hold water before the snap and are arguably worse after.
As for Slowik, it’s difficult to pinpoint if these are his issues. Clearly there’s a disconnect between the calls on the field and performance. The may have solved for the run game, but that may be more on Joe Mixon than the actual play calling. The offensive pass game is inefficient and disjointed. Stroud does’ look on page with anyone who wasn’t a first string WR to start the season. John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson do not appear integrated into the offense from a timing perspective, which I place blame on Slowik. That’s about practice.
What I’m most frustrated about is the lack of proper pass rush busting plays. RB Screens, slant routes, and TE option routes over the middle all devastate teams who choose to blitz. Slowik appears to have a script and when the defense doesn’t follow his predetermined script he doesn’t know how to improv.