The NFL is officially back!
After an offseason that saw the Houston Texans elevate from a fun, new playoff team to what many consider a Super Bowl contender, the squad is ready to debut both their new talent and uniforms on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
Back in January, Houston defeated Indianapolis on its way to both the AFC South title and the playoff win. During the offseason, the Colts remained quiet on the free agency front while the Texans went for the splash moves.
Rather than commit exorbitant resources to bring in talent, general manager Chris Ballard is betting heavily that the natural development of young players and similar coaching efforts to a year prior can propel the team forward.
It’s not a sexy approach, but that doesn’t mean that second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson and offensive mastermind Shane Steichen won’t be a chess match of problems to prep against.
Richardson, the most athletic quarterback to ever test at the NFL Combine, torched Houston in a Week 2 victory last season, scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter before exiting with injury. Despite the loss of that talent, Steichen was able to assemble a patchwork offense around journeyman Gardner Minshew that kept the Colts in the playoff hunt through Week 18.
One of the league’s most unique physical talents at quarterback with undoubtedly one of the league’s best play designers and play callers – now in their sophomore season. That presents a unique challenge that DeMeco Ryans and his defense will face to kickstart the 2024 season.
What does the path to success look like? The film tells a compelling story.
First, Houston must find ways to stay disciplined against a unique ground game. The Texans ranked sixth in rushing yards per game in 2023 with 96.6 yards allowed, but that number soared against Steichen’s schemed run game with 176.5 yards allowed on average between two contests.
New defensive tackles Foley Fatukasi and Mario Edwards Jr., plus linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, should help fortify the interior against Indianapolis interior trenches. Still, even if able to match physicality, the question becomes more about run discipline.
https://twitter.com/JohnHCrumpler/status/1831409820647432335
Steichen isn’t afraid to balance the line between modern and historic concepts to generate a run game. Take this play below, for example, against the Los Angeles Rams: There’s little window dressing, yet the defense is accustomed to seeing the…
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