Cobb’s critique of team’s ‘bad ball’ correct call
In loss to defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, offense hapless, defense helpless
The Texans’ offense was a huge disappointment in the opening loss at Kansas City and must show substantial improvement against Baltimore to avoid an 0-2 start.
Because the defense couldn’t stop the Chiefs’ running game, allowing 166 yards rushing, the Texans had the ball for 25 minutes, 13 seconds compared to Kansas City’s 34:47. Now the Texans play the Ravens, who set an NFL record last season for yards rushing. Baltimore ran for 256 yards in its 41-7 victory over the Texans.
“We can’t go out and play like we did on Thursday night,” receiver Randall Cobb said Thursday. “That’s bad ball. That was bad ball across the board, and we can’t put that on film because that’s the film we’re putting out for the rest of the league to see.”
Cobb is a 10-year veteran in his first season with the Texans, and he speaks from experience — eight years with Green Bay and one with Dallas. He knows the Texans looked in mid-preseason form at Arrowhead Stadium, and the defending Super Bowl champions looked in midseason form.
“Every game, especially right now, is important as far as us getting on track,” said Cobb, who had two catches for 23 yards in the fourth quarter. “Having a win, obviously, builds a lot more morale around the team. We’ve got to be better as a group and individually. I hope to get involved a little earlier and do everything I can to help put us in a better position.”
Against Kansas City, the offense looked discombobulated, and the defense was close to helpless against the running game. The Texans were underdogs at Arrowhead Stadium, but trailing 31-7 in the fourth quarter was an embarrassment, especially for an offense that’s supposed to be more productive.
“It just goes to show that we have more work to do,” Cobb said. “It’s about coming to work and being a professional in what you need to do every day. Putting that hard hat back on when we go on the practice field and finding ways to get better.
“One thing, personally, I looked at whenever I watched film was it looked like I was playing a preseason game.”
Cobb, receiver Brandin Cooks and running back David Johnson are veterans who are still adjusting to playing with quarterback Deshaun Watson and in offensive coordinator Tim Kelly’s system.
“We’re one of the few teams that had a lot of changes in the offseason, offensively,” Cobb said. “Bringing in guys like Cooks and myself (and) David Johnson. In the passing game, it takes a lot to build that chemistry and that trust.
“I think the urgency, offensively, (is) us understanding the importance of every single drive.
I think we only had eight drives in the game.”
The Texans had early penalties and couldn’t consistently convert on third down.
“Understanding that when we put ourselves in those positions early in the game, it makes it hard on yourself when the other team is scoring points,” Cobb said. “We’ve got to make sure we stay on the field and have longer drives and continue to move the chains.”
When the Texans failed to score at the end of the first half after getting a first down at the Kansas City 33, they were behind 17-7 at halftime. The Chiefs scored on their first possession of the second half to make it 24-7.
Kelly called plays for the first time. Like the players, he has to do a better job.
“I thought they (players) approached practice with the right mindset coming in and trying to improve on the areas we need to improve on,” Kelly said. “They continue to really hold each other accountable in terms of being detailed.”
Kelly was asked what he thought about Cobb’s comments that it was bad ball all around.
“We’re going to continue to coach the heck out of the details and continue to make sure that we’re getting everyone on the same page so we can eliminate the bad ball,” he said.
The Texans got their plays off slower in the second half than the first half despite being behind, according to Football Outsiders. When asked about the offensive tempo and if they should play faster, Kelly said, “There’s a lot of things that go into that – who the opponent is, what was the result of the last play, things along those lines.
“Obviously, if you’re moving the ball, that puts you in a position to be able to play with tempo. If we were able to do that, that’s something we would like to do, but I think it’s a lot more complex question then just, ‘Do you want to go and play with tempo?’ There are a lot of factors that are involved in that decision.”
No matter what kind of tempo the offense plays with, it has to become more efficient.
“We want to continue to run the ball and do what we do as far as getting our guys in position to make plays,” Watson said. “That’s the biggest thing. I feel like in every game plan, you’ve got to have that mentality.”
The Texans ran the ball well against the Chiefs, but they weren’t able to run it enough because Kansas City controlled the clock and built a 31-7 lead. The Texans ran 22 times for 118 yards (5.4-yard average) and touchdowns by Watson and David Johnson.
“Every offense around the league wants to run the ball, so we’ve got to make sure we’re staying focused on that,” Watson said.
And the sooner the running game and passing game get in sync, the more prolific the offense should be.
“It’ll come,” Cobb said. “It’s just a matter of when. We’ve got to have that urgency.”