SO FAR, SO GOOD
if there is such a thing as an offseason MVP, Brock Osweiler might win it.
No player will have a more pivotal role in the Texans’ success or failure than quarterback Brock Osweiler. • His development is crucial to what coach Bill O’Brien wants to achieve in his third season. • Osweiler has made a strong impression on his coaches and teammates — on and off the practice field — but he’s a long way from taking his first snap in a regular-season game.
“Right now, it’s all about coming together as a team and (growing) together,” Osweiler said last week.
Osweiler is playing for the Texans because he’s the quarterback O’Brien targeted in late January after watching tape of prospective free agents. He was at the top of O’Brien’s wish list.
Once general manager Rick Smith came onboard and owner Bob McNair gave the green light for Smith to spend what he thought was necessary, they pursued the Denver Broncos’ four-year veteran.
They haven’t been disappointed in the early returns.
Since Osweiler, 25, signed his four-year, $72 million contract that included $37 million guaranteed, he has made a sincere effort to win over his new coaches and teammates.
This is the team’s second week in which players can work with their coaches. On May 23, they are on the field for the first of 10 organized team activities. The mandatory minicamp is June 14-16.
The coaches want to see how much of what Osweiler has learned translates smoothly to the field. Once he’s on the field, they want to see progress and consistency.
Osweiler (6-8, 240) would have been ahead of the curve if he had remained in Denver. He was familiar with his coaches and teammates and would have been entering his second season in coach Gary Kubiak’s system.
It’s interesting to see what Denver general manager John Elway said about Osweiler at the combine in late February, when just about everyone in the NFL thought he would re-sign with the Broncos.
“You never know what a quarterback can do until he gets in there, gets underneath the gun,” Elway said. “I think he proved a lot to us. He’s a guy that is a tough guy. He’s a guy that will stand in there. He can make all the throws.
“Obviously, you always like to have a little bit more consistency, but that’s what young guys continue to get better and better (at).
“I was really excited with the way Brock played. We wouldn’t have been world champs without Brock.”
Regular season awaits
Nobody will know what kind of quarterback Osweiler will be until the regular season begins against Chicago on Sept. 11, but there are characteristics O’Brien and offensive coordinator George Godsey want from the position.
They want their quarterback to have a strong work ethic. Osweiler reports for 8 a.m. meetings at 6 a.m. Not only does he arrive early, but he stays late.
And it’s obvious to everyone who works with him he puts in a lot of time studying his playbook away from NRG Stadium.
O’Brien and Godsey want their quarterback to have strong leadership tendencies. Osweiler invited backup quarterback Tom Savage and the team’s receivers to Scottsdale, Ariz., for private workouts. He took charge of those workouts. The more the offensive players get to know Osweiler, the more they gravitate to him.
When he’s meeting with his coaches, Osweiler usually asks the right questions and has the correct answers.
“It’s been fun to learn a new system,” Osweiler said. “It’s hard to judge that progress because we haven’t hit the practice field and gone against a defense. It’s like you speak Spanish your whole life, then all of a sudden one day they tell you to learn French and do it in front of 70,000 people.”
O’Brien and Godsey have a complicated system that puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback at the line of scrimmage.
Measured instruction
Godsey is careful not to cram too much down Osweiler’s throat. Godsey won’t give him more than he can handle.
“Coach Godsey is a brilliant mind (and) a great teacher, and it’s been a lot of fun learning from him so far,” Osweiler said. “The one thing I’m realizing is there’s a lot of really good things that go with this system as long as you’re willing to put in the time to study, ask good questions and learn.”
Repetition helps Osweiler adjust to the system.
“One of the things as far as being a pro is building a routine and sticking to that routine,” he said. “There’s a lot of meetings right now, a lot of football talk going on. We’ll talk about a protection or a run scheme, and it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, I’ve done that before. We just call it something different now.’ It’s not like I’m a rookie with no base to work from, but, obviously, there’s a lot of new things to pick up and learn.”