Speedy selections offer a quick fix
The Texans picked up so much speed in the draft and free agency they may have to borrow the Astros’ radar gun to see how fast they are.
Going into the offseason, coach Bill O’Brien pursued a need for speed after watching too many of his players move as if they were running in wet cement.
The metamorphosis began in free agency when general manager Rick Smith signed Miami running back Lamar Miller.
A big part of Miller’s appeal was his 4.40 speed in the 40. It allowed him to score touchdowns on runs of 97 and 85 yards the past two seasons. When he steps on the playing field for the first time, Miller will be the fastest starting running back the Texans have employed.
Smith accumulated even more speed for the offense in three of the first four rounds of the draft, selecting Notre Dame receiver Will Fuller (4.32), Ohio State receiver Braxton Miller (4.41) and San Jose State running back Tyler Ervin (4.41). Speed kills, right? It better considering how much time, effort and money the Texans will have invested in improving their offense.
“After the season, Rick and I sat down and evaluated our team,” O’Brien said Saturday at the team’s post-draft news conference. “How could we become a little faster, a little more athletic in certain areas?” A little faster? Fuller, the Millers and Ervin leave behind scorched earth.
“That wasn’t our only goal,” O’Brien said.
Of course not. The Texans wanted an infusion of talent on both sides of the ball, and they got it.
“We were fortunate to be in multiple positions where we had guys we liked at corresponding values,” Smith said. “We were able to take those guys we were looking for with respect to getting faster.”
New weapons
New quarterback Brock Osweiler should be more excited than anyone at NRG Stadium, with the possible exceptions of O’Brien and offensive coordinator George Godsey.
Fuller, Braxton Miller and Ervin have the kind of blinding speed that can traumatize defensive backs. Nobody wants to get beat deep, so the cushion will keep growing if they can put it all together.
Imagine how much more fun O’Brien and Godsey are going to have with so many new weapons.
Not only does Fuller have dazzling speed to toast defensive backs on deep routes, but Ervin is being compared to the dangerous Darren Sproles as a multipurpose scatback who can perform so many different duties.
The most intriguing of all may be Miller, who was twice voted Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year when he played quarterback.
Do you think O’Brien and Godsey are thinking about using Miller in the Wildcat? He had 52 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions. Playing quarterback, he ran for 32 TDs.
Miller volunteered to move to receiver last season. He took 88 percent of his snaps in the slot. He had 26 catches for 341 yards and ran 42 times for 260 yards. He excels with the ball in his hands.
“The versatile player really helps you a lot,” O’Brien said. “Versatility is really important to us.”
By adding so much speed, the complexion of the offense will change. The Texans should be able to run inside or outside. They should have longer runs.
O’Brien and Godsey can call for longer pass routes assuming Osweiler gets solid protection. They should have more varied routes that produce more plays down the field.
More plays down the field by running or passing reduces the number of plays and lessens the chances of turnovers.
Not to mention how improved the offense should be in the red zone.
The possibilities are almost endless now that the draft is over and the new players are headed to town.
Remember, though, that Fuller, Miller and Ervin are just draft choices. They won’t be learning the offense as fast as they run. They’ll be on the field for the first time at the three-day rookie minicamp that begins Friday.
“First of all, these guys need to come in and do it,” O’Brien said about his draft choices and undrafted free agents. “We’ve taken some guys we really think can help us in space, help us do a lot of different things.”
Problem solved?
Before the draft, Smith and O’Brien had a plan to improve the speed. Obviously, they didn’t get everybody they wanted, but they did come away with an impressive haul that should solve a huge problem. No longer will the offense perform as if it’s stuck in molasses.
“We’ve got a lot of plans we’ve already discussed, and now we’re able to focus on the ones we’re going to use on the players we drafted,” O’Brien said. “We have a lot of things we have to work on to get ready for the rookie minicamp.
“We have a number of guys we’ve added that make our offense a lot different. But there are certain parts of our offense that’ll be the same.”
Like O’Brien’s philosophy to be consistently productive in the running game.
There’s nothing a runner loves more than to see the numbers on the backs of defensive players who are turning and sprinting down the field trying to keep up with receivers who have blown by them.