Tunsil aside, O-line’s struggles continue
Run game is second-worst in the league; Watson sacked 22 times despite veteran unit
Texans center Nick Martin got shoved into the backfield a week ago as he was thoroughly manhandled by Green Bay Packers nose tackle Kenny Clark.
The unplanned retreat by Martin disrupted a running play on third-and-1 in the first quarter of a 35-20 loss as he was knocked into the path of pulling left guard Zach Fulton. Running back Duke Johnson got stuffed and the Texans went three-and-out on their opening drive.
The play was emblematic of the problems and inconsistencies of an offensive line that has regressed despite returning all five starters from a team that won the AFC South.
With the exception of left tackle Laremy Tunsil, the highest-paid and highest-graded pass protector in the NFL, the line generally has struggled for a 1-6 squad. Quarterback Deshaun Watson has been sacked 22 times with the running game ranked second-worst in the league.
“Kenny Clark is a good football player, and the Packers pay him a lot of money, but he literally knocked Nick 3 yards into the backfield,” said Brian Baldinger, a retired NFL offensive lineman who’s an NFL Network analyst. “It’s a tough block for Nick, but when the guard is pulling and he can’t get around you, then the linebackers and the safety are flying in there and the play has no chance. He got overpowered, and the play got blown up. That just can’t happen.”
It’s been a recurring theme for the Texans’ offensive line and a one-dimensional offense that has remained successful throwing the football but is averaging just 84.9 yards on the ground per game.
David Johnson, acquired from the Cardinals in the DeAndre Hopkins trade, has 392 rushing yards
and is averaging just 3.9 yards per carry.
“I don’t care who’s calling the plays, when you’re getting 3 yards on first down, unless you’re super committed to the run, you’re not running it again,” Baldinger said. “The commitment to the run isn’t there because it’s notworking. David Johnson has holes and softness at times that he can use to make something happen, but he doesn’t see it, doesn’t hit it and the play gets about 3 yards. It looks like there’s a lot of meat on the bone there that he’s not getting.
“There was another play against Green Bay with Tunsil and the tight end, Darren Fells, and Tunsil is expecting him to be there with him on an angle block and Tunsil gets hung out to try. You can seethe mis communication on the film between Tunsil and the tight end like, ‘Where were you? You were supposed to be with me on this play.’ ”
Signed to a three-year, $66 million contract extension in April, Tunsil has allowed no sacks and no quarterback hits with five hurries.
“I personally have never coached anybody like Laremy,” Texans offensive line coach Mike Devlin said. “He’s almost an artist to what he does as far as pass protection and the way he works at it and studies himself and the opponent. I’ve learned a ton relative to the tackle play. I always ask this question: How do we get that type of skill set or that technique and all that to younger guys that maybe don’t have his ability?”
Tunsil has only been penalized twice after leading the NFL with18 penalties a year ago. He was flagged for holding against Green Bay. A false start earlier this season incorrectly was attributed to Tunsil when it should have been assessed to right tackle Tytus Howard.
“Laremy’s a football player who cares about the game,” Baldinger said. “He’s on a bad team right now, but he’s doing his job. He’s a good football player, his athleticism, his technique, his sets, that’s exactly what you would want any player to model their behavior after.”
Playing under a three-year, $33 million contract, Martin is the Texans’ second highest-paid blocker. He has allowed one sack and four hurries.
“I think Nick is a solid player,” Baldinger said. “He’s not going to get to the second level the way a lot of guys do, but they’re not a big running team.”
The Texans benched left guard Max Scharping after two games and replaced him with Senio Kelemete. He started 14 games as a rookie after being drafted in the second round out of Northern Illinois but has had a rough season this year. He is on the COVID-19 reserve list after testing positive last week.
“As we look at this crazy year, one of the things that occurred, I think with a lot of second-year players and first-year players, because you know how important it is from your first to your second year and that development, I think that time missed in the spring and training camp and everything else thatwe did, basically when he came back, I did not see the jump or the leap that you would expect from a guy that played 14 games,” Devlin said.
The Texans restructured Fulton’s contract before the season, and he has started every game, but he has allowed four sacks and 14 hurries and lost a lot of one-onone battles, much more than in previous years.
“Zach has been the same guy, I think, since he’s gotten here,” Devlin said. “He’s a guy that is going to fight you. He knows the things he needs to work on and the things to get better, but he’s a steady guy that will always try to improve.”
It’s also possible that Fulton’s play is a byproduct ofwhat’s going on around him as well.
“He’s just a solid guard,” Baldinger said. “If he was playing with Kansas City still, he would be a starter and you could cover for him because Patrick Mahomes is so good and their main running back (rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire) is so much better than what Houston has.”
An all-rookie selection last year after being drafted in the first round out of Alabama State, Howard got off to a rough start this season. He underwent knee surgery as a rookie to repair a torn meniscus. He had offseason wrist surgery, and it’s taken him a while to get back up to speed.
Howard has also had his moments, body-slamming Pittsburgh Steelers standout outside linebacker T. J. Watt a few times while allowing one sack. He has finished off blocks, driving defenders all the way to the sideline and depositing them on the ground.
“I do believe right now you’re seeing more like the Tytus of last year,” Devlin said. “I do think it took him that four games with coming off of the injury and getting all the mechanics back, the technique, the footwork.”
Howard has allowed one sack and 17 hurries and been penalized five times.
“Watching him at Alabama State, he had great sets andwas so much better than anyone else,” Baldinger said. “He had really good sets as a rookie, and then he missed a bunch of time. It takes a lot away. I feel like he was making incredible progress last year. You miss that time, and you miss a lot of opportunities to learn.
“You’re a passing team, and you’re playing in a two-point stance, and you’re playing from behind a lot. You’re going against T. J. Watt, and he’s as good as anyone in the business. You face a tough blitzing team like Baltimore, and it’s a challenge if you don’t have an array of different sets to throw at these guys.”
Some of Watson’s sacks are because he’s trying to buy time. Other times, he’s under relentless pressure.
“I think the loss of Nuk (Hopkins) really hurts, especiallywhen Deshaun feels pressure,” Baldinger said. “Some of it is just him scrambling, and he also takes a lot of sacks unnecessarily. When he felt pressure in the past, the ball was going to Hopkins. He doesn’t have a guy like that right now. I think some of the sacks are happening because he doesn’t know where to go with the ball when he’s in trouble and he’s still trying to adapt.”