Osweiler undergoes trial by fire
Fifth-year quarterback struggles while playing in equivalent of 2nd half of his NFL rookie season
The gold standard for the launch of an NFL quarterback’s career was established 12 years ago when unusually poised Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Ben Roethlisberger capitalized on a serious elbow injury that knocked out starter Tommy Maddox.
Fresh out of Miami, Ohio, the strongarmed Roethlisberger didn’t blink when given the opportunity. He won his first 10 starts, passing for 1,764 yards, 12 touchdowns with just four interceptions and a 105.4 passer rating.
The career arc for Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler has been different from what Roethlisberger achieved. It has taken Osweiler four seasons plus three games of a fifth to reach his 10th NFL start.
Including his 5-2 run last season with the Broncos, Osweiler has won seven of 10 starts and has passed for 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions for an 83.1 passer rating. Not lacking for confidence
Osweiler (6-8, 235) is a classic 25-yearold pocket passer dealing with the growing pains of being the equivalent of a firstyear starter in the second half of his rookie season in terms of experience.
After signing Osweiler to a four-year, $72 million contract that included $37 million guaranteed, the Texans have had disappointing early returns in their hefty investment in a revamped offense that includes newly acquired running back Lamar Miller and rookie wide receiver Will Fuller working in tandem with Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Osweiler has the fourth-lowest passer rating (72.2) in the league and has only three touchdowns and four interceptions in the first three games.
“I don’t use my lack of starts as an excuse for anything,” Osweiler said. “I expect myself to play at an extremely high level. I have great confidence in my abilities and what I can do, and I have great confidence in the teammates around me to help me do my job.”
The Texans average 14 points per game, tying them for 31st in the NFL, and have scored three touchdowns on offense. The red-zone offense is ranked last in the NFL. Texans coach Bill O’Brien has taken over the play-calling duties from offensive coordinator George Godsey for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium. Teammates have defended Osweiler. “Everybody is growing as a player, not just Brock,” Hopkins said. “I’ve played four years and I’m still growing.” Scouts recognize potential
Despite the rough start for Osweiler, which has coincided with a meteoric ascent for first-year starters like Dallas’ Dak Prescott, Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz and Denver’s Trevor Siemian, NFL scouts see a lot of potential in him to become a productive QB.
“I still see a lot of upside with Osweiler even though obviously he’s not playing very well right now,” said an NFL personnel director speaking on condition of anonymity. “The guy has a big arm, is nice and tall and has a classic throwing delivery. I think he needs to work on being less aggressive at trying to fit the football into tight areas and sometimes throw it away or just check down and take what the defense gives him, but he can learn that and have that coached up with him with time.
“What I’m really curious to see is if he can take the next step of audibling and checking out of bad plays more often and looking off DBs with his eyes. Right now, he’s just too easy to read and that has to change. I definitely don’t think it’s a hopeless situation. If anything, I think he’s going to figure it out, but time will tell.”
One NFL scout reiterated the oft-repeated point about Osweiler that, if he is a franchise quarterback, why didn’t Broncos general manager John Elway pay whatever it took to win a bidding war with the Texans?
“I think the jury is still out on that guy until he has more games under his belt,” the scout said. “But I’m a little bit skeptical right now.”
Osweiler bristled last week at criticism of how he reads defenses and his tendency to stare down his primary read. Don’t knock it until you try it
“I think that’s hilarious, to be honest with you,” Osweiler said. “The critique comes from a whole lot of people that don’t know my read on that play. They’ve probably never actually sat in an offensive meeting in their life, let alone a quarterback meeting in the National Football League. That’s why I don’t look at Twitter. That’s why, no offense to anybody, I don’t watch anything. I don’t read anything.
“I feel like I’ve done a great job of progressing in this offense. I feel like I get bet- ter every week. I’m very comfortable with my reads. Certainly, I know I need to clean up my ball security issues of having four interceptions through three games, and that’s something I will clean up.”
Godsey said Osweiler does occasionally need to exercise caution and accept that sometimes a play isn’t there to be made.
“I think when we start the game, it’s taking a profit if it’s there and if it’s not there, throwing it away,” Godsey said. “We got another down. Certainly, we want to be aggressive with the ball in our hands, but obviously ball security is the No. 1 priority.”
Osweiler will square off Sunday against former second overall pick Marcus Mariota, a former Oregon star who has gone 3-7 from his rookie season through three games this season. He has passed for 2,512 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions for a 95.1 passer rating.
“You know, the young quarterbacks, it’s a learning phase they have to go through, and sometimes in that learning phase they are not all-world like everyone wants them to be,” Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said. “But Mariota, he has a good, strong arm, he has great running ability and he can throw it in. If you give him clear passing lanes, he sticks it in whether the guy is covered or not.”
The growth of pass-first, spread offenses in the college and high school game and the amount of passing camps, sevenon-seven leagues and private quarterback coaches have contributed to the rise of young quarterbacks in the NFL.
“I’m a firm believer that there’s nothing that replaces game reps,” Osweiler said. “So, it seems like a lot of quarterbacks are getting a lot of game reps and that could certainly be part of why guys are playing so well.”
Interesting case study in AFC South
In the AFC South, Osweiler is the least-experienced quarterback in terms of total starts despite being in his fifth NFL season. He has had less time under center than Mariota, Blake Bortles, who has struggled this season for winless Jacksonville with six interceptions, and Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck.
Sunday’s matchup between Osweiler and Mariota should provide an interesting case study of where each young quarterback stands in their development while competing against two stout defenses that feature tough pass rushers.
“I just think it is tough for younger guys, especially with the defenses of today,” Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. “Look at the two defenses that are facing each other this week … very complex, especially when it gets to third down. There’s a lot of different things that the quarterbacks have to recognize, making sure really everybody is where they’re supposed to be.
“Experience is certainly a factor in that. There’s no better experience than facing it. The more you can, the more you get comfortable and confident in what you’re doing. I think that’s the case for both of these guys, both quarterbacks.”