ESPN has some tea about what went wrong with our offense last season
ESPN sources told some them interesting things. Caution is always warranted with these leaks, but here we go:
In Year 2, the pass-blocking issues started in Week 1. Even though the offense was sharp in the 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Stroud was sacked four times.
"We've got to put on film that we can handle [pressure]," Ryans said after the opener. "There's too many times where someone touched the quarterback. … It just can't happen."
Stroud wasn't allowed to change protections at the line of scrimmage often in Slowik's offense. It was the center's responsibility. A lot of the calls were considered "basic," according to a team source, as simple as having three offensive linemen zone blocking to one side while the backside blockers were one-on-one with the backside rushers.
But the lack of communication within those blocking plans versus stunts led to free rushers, which is why Stroud faced 52 unblocked pressures, which was second most in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats.
Trusting Strausser's approach wasn't easy for some players either, according to a team source, as he struggled to connect with the offensive line. But the woes weren't all on Slowik or Strausser. Sometimes, players failed to execute.
"We really just got to take what we're applying at practice and take it to the field. We are not doing that right now," left guard Tytus Howard told ESPN after the Texans' Week 9 loss to the Jets. "The quarterback's getting hit too much."
The loss to the Jets was a boiling point.
Stroud was sacked a career-high eight times. In the locker room, players were frustrated because they viewed losing to a struggling team as unacceptable for a contender — leading to a players-only meeting the following week.
"We can't lose to teams like the Titans and the Jets," team captain and defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said after the season
Postgame, Stroud said it wasn't "easy" to operate under constant pressure and added that their problems are "bigger" than the absence of Collins and Diggs.
"There's things that, even if they were out there, it wouldn't even help," Stroud said.
MAKING ADJUSTMENTS WAS an issue for the offense throughout the season.
A prime example was against the Lions in Week 10. The Texans scored a season-high 23 for a half and entered the locker room leading 23-7.
Slowik discussed the potential tweaks with the players but stuck with what they had been doing, according to a team source. But the Lions adjusted. Cornerback Carlton Davis III hauled in an interception by jumping in front of a quick pass by Stroud to start the half. They limited the Texans' rushing attack to 3.4 yards per carry and allowed one rushing first down. And on third downs, they went man coverage and had a spy over the middle to muddy in-breaking routes, a Houston staple.
"If the defense doesn't play that way, we don't have a chance to come back and win it," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "… We made a couple of adjustments at halftime, but we also knew we were playing good ball."
A somber Stroud stood at the podium, giving short answers as he took accountability, saying, "This game is on me."
Simply put, the opponent adjusted. The Texans did not.
"When teams would take away what we wanted to do, we didn't have answers for it," one player told ESPN.
There were differing opinions on why Stroud's play tailed off, but none of the sources ESPN spoke to believe it's a talent issue. Multiple team sources believe Slowik was trying to make Stroud a system quarterback versus getting him to play more naturally, which is being a playmaker and pushing the ball down the field.
One team source said Slowik overcomplicated reads, which didn't allow Stroud to play fast.
"There's times where I sit back there, and I'm thinking too much," Stroud said after the loss to the Jets.
"I just feel like [the offensive coaches] were just putting a lot of pressure on him," a team source told ESPN.
"We simply weren't good enough offensively," a team source told ESPN. "We had all season to make adjustments and improvements, and it never happened."
As the struggles mounted, some players lost faith in Slowik, a team source said. Before Ryans fired Slowik, Ryans asked players for their opinions and didn't get many ringing endorsements, multiple team sources confirmed.
"I don't think we had a true identity of what the f— we wanted to do," one player told ESPN.
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