Here is everything Houston Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley said ahead of the Texans’ season opener against the Buffalo Bills, including his thoughts on new receiver Kayshon Boutte, his hopes for the tight end room and the role second-year receiver Jaylin Noel will play in the offense this season.
Question: On the growth of the offensive line throughout Training Camp
Nick Caley: “I've been really impressed with just the toughness, the attention to detail and they've all gotten better. We've had really good competition dating back to the spring and then through training camp. They love football and they're all improving and they all embrace each other. They’re all trying to help each other out. The communication has been good too. I've been really pleased
across the board with those guys.”
Q: On the improvement of identifying the MIKE linebacker pre-snap
Caley: “I think there has been a focal point on it. I wouldn't say that was a fatal flaw last year by any stretch. I think we could have done a better job across the board of being more vocal, over-communicating those things so we're all on the same page and everybody is tied together on those things. That was a focal point in spring, carried over to training camp. They've done a much better job of, ‘There are no secrets. Let's be vocal. Let's enhance our communication in walk-through settings to make it as game-like as we can so that we're all on the same page.’ Things move, we might move a target based on front structures and stuff like that. It’s been a focal point for us, but for all the right reasons. They’ve been better at that. There definitely has been improvement on that this year so far.”
Q: On his excitement level to begin the season
Caley: “I like to think I love football and I like being out there with the guys on the grass. I'm probably a little high energy by nature. I just enjoy being out there. I love what we do. I love the opportunity to get an opportunity to work here and work with these guys. Every day is an opportunity to go out and try to get better and that's all we're trying to do. I have fun doing that and I put a smile on my face and have some volume every once in a while.”
Q: On whether he is excited because it’s his second season in Houston
Caley: “I'll be honest, I've tried to stay consistent with those things. You learn from year one to year two. You grow like in anything else. But in terms of just going out there with enthusiasm and trying to be detailed and try to hold people to the standard, serving myself and everybody else, I don't think that standard has ever really tried to change. You just continue to try to learn from your experiences, move forward, tell the truth and work your ass off to be the best you can be.”
Q: On the key to QB C.J. Stroud carrying his offseason success to the regular season
Caley: “Just stick to the process. He's had a good process. Be consistent, never too high, never too low. Be totally present where you are and take it one step at a time and just be consistent with the process.”
Q: On the balance of communicating pre-snap and not over communicating pre-snap
Caley: “There are different targets for different runs. It's not like every time we're pointing to a certain guy that's necessarily where we're going to. It transcends really all scheme in all situations. We'll move the point at times depending on certain things, whether it's pass protection, whether it's run game related. The biggest thing is being able to be loud, being confident, being vocal to make sure we're all on the same page. For different plays it affects different things. It's not always verbal communication too. Whether we're trying to signal something, trying to adjust for a player on the perimeter, et cetera. I think just overall better communication never hurts you. You're on the same page and we're tied together.”
Q: On how he evaluates good communication
Caley: “It's not like we're up there having 12 sentences at the line of scrimmage. You're sitting there being assertive, getting up there, having your feet on the ground, making calls for communication. Let's start in the huddle, getting in and out of the huddle, me getting the call in, quarterback getting it to the skill guys, us breaking on where we're supposed to be and them going up there and whatever each play entails, being able to set the deck and go and be on the same page. Being honest, I don't think there was ever a glaring, major issue, but from an operational urgency situation in general, that's in that bucket. We need to be better at those things and we continued to stress that all offseason.”
Q: On the Buffalo Bills defense
Caley: “We saw them, obviously in the preseason structurally. We have experience playing against some of the guys. They have good players. They have good guys. You start with the front. You look at [Greg] Rousseau, years back when I was in the division with them, was a young player coming out. You look at [Bradley] Chubb, stout, tough, physical guy. Obviously highly decorated coming out. He's had a good career. You have Michael Hoecht on the edge, I was with him in L.A. Very smart, very heady. Ed Oliver inside. They have good players on the front. You look at [Bills LB Terrel] Bernard and just go to the second and go to the third level on the perimeter. They have good players. They've always been just a really disciplined team. Jim Leonhard has always been known for that. He's a really good coach. They have a good, tough, physical defense and I believe that they're going to be ready to go just like we are.”
Q: On relaying plays in the huddle
Caley: “He has the headset, so he gets it to the skill guys, but it's up to everybody to be up there ready to go and have urgency to go. We're all in it together.”
Q: On the learning curve for young offensive linemen
Caley: “I think every player's a little different. Every situation is a little different. [C/G] Keylan's [Rutledge] done a really good job. Aireontae [Ersery] has done a good job. He’s gotten better through the year. Those guys have been working hard. I don't see any glaring issues in terms of, if there's a fundamental thing like all players have at times, shoot, we got to get better here or there. But those guys have worked hard. It's time on task, continue to get reps, putting those guys into situations and there's growth in that.”
Q: On WR Kayshon Boutte
Caley: “He's done a good job. He did great work right when he got here. He's going out there, no limitations in terms of moving him around. He's done a good job since he's been here, worked really hard, studied and credit to him. No, he's done well.”
Q: On the improvement of TE Marlin Klein
Caley: “I think just learning a different language, learning a different offense. At Michigan, I would say he had a lot on his plate relative to some of the things, especially in the run game what he would do. I just think the details of things overall and being able to process those. He’s got a really good room of veterans. James [Ferentz] does a really good job with those guys, to look at and model the way for those guys. Just acclimating himself to our system in the spring and then being able to build off that and getting exposure as we progress through training camp. He's gotten better every step of the way.”
Q: On the mental aspect of wanting to improve in his second season as offensive coordinator
Caley: “I think just trying to be at my best and being prepared and being able be to give my best like I've always tried to do. Moving forward, you learn, you grow and you have application to those things. That hasn't really changed. That's been my mindset every step of the way. I'm always trying to get better. That's what we ask of our guys and that's what I ask of myself every single day.”
Q: On the balance in calling plays and game planning for teams
Caley: “You try to set the table the best that you can relative to the structures you're going to see, the personnel you're going to face from each opponent and you put forward the best plan that you can to be able to go up and compete against those guys. Putting our guys in position to be at their best for what we're trying to see. You're trying to find the best overall structures for us. In the game there are different flows. There are ebbs and flows of games. You have to be willing to move on. You have to be able to adjust and do certain things, sometimes sooner rather than later. Every game has different situations that pop up. Not every game is the same. You have to be able to adjust and do different things. You lose a player, you're out of a grouping, et cetera, you get into something else. I would say each week is a little different. I would say that you start with the framework and know you have to adjust off of that or have to alter it depending on what you see in that game or situation.”
Q: On his confidence in the center play improving this season
Caley: “I am. They've done a good job. They're smart. They're tough. They work hard. I think it's great to have Jake [Andrews] here in year two. It's another year in the system for us. He's a real steady guy, tough guy, sharp guy. Evan [Brown] is the same. They're both wired the same way. That position really touches everybody and you value the communication from that position obviously, at the focal point of everything. They've done a really good job. You think even Keylan [Rutledge], like the guy's played guard, played center, has flex, there's some carryover that pushes on out and extends out that way too, which is also positive, but I think it's good for everybody. I've been pleased with the progress they make. I really have.”
Q: On his hope for the tight ends this season
Caley: “They all do something a little different. It gives us opportunities to be more diverse from a personnel standpoint. Some weeks maybe more than others; some weeks not. Last year we lost Cade [Stover] early on and Dalton [Schultz] had a great year, fought his ass off for us. We have guys that can give us different groupings potentially. I like the group. I do. They're fun to work with and it's been fun to see their growth along the way, all of them.”
Q: On the uniqueness of calling plays for RB David Montgomery and RB Woody Marks
Caley: “I really enjoy having both of them because both of them are really good players. ‘D-Mo’ has been a great addition to our teams. They can play on all three downs. You look at Woody last year, his growth during the season and then continuing, he turned into a really good pass protector. He really did great. That's hard to do for a rookie. There's a handful of them that play in the league as a rookie on third down a lot and they're playing a lot. So he grew a lot and you get David who's done it all for a considerable amount of time. The one thing I really like about these guys is they complement each other extremely well but you can roll. They both can go in there. ‘D-Mo’ is out and he needs a blow, Woody is in there and we can roll. You don't have to change a lot because they're both really, really good in terms of their feel in the run game. Woody's made a ton of improvement from year one to year two. David has been so steady since he got here. Then in pass protection, it's a trust deal. It's an understanding where your eyes need to be. Then the physicality to be able to technically go up and fit the windows and actually put a hat on, whether it's internal, external blitzers and both of those guys can do that. Danny Barrett has done a really good job with them. I have a lot of confidence in both of them and that's what excited me the most. We can roll and they enjoy playing. We don't have to really change wholeheartedly; now we have to be heavy this year, because they're both trained to be able to do it all and they've done a good job of it.”
Q: On WR Jaylin Noel’s role in the offense
Caley: “Obviously he plays a lot more inside, but we have the ability to move him outside the formation. He has great speed, but really he's done a good job of working throughout the spring of just being able to also have some feel for the first and second levels too. I think he's grown a lot from that standpoint. I just think another year, having an offseason to come in here and be able to grow in that world and be put into different positions has helped, not just him, a lot of guys, but him for certain, since you're asking about him. That's the biggest thing, just staying consistent and continuing to improve.”
Q: On what ways he has seen pre-snap communication improve
Caley: “I think the urgency. On the practice field, we're getting in the huddle much faster. We're getting back from plays faster. There's a mindfulness and an urgency and I would say it's important. It's been a focal point for us to get in the huddle, get in a tight huddle, listen to the quarterback, break, get our feet set and really allow us to have more time at the line of scrimmage. So that's been there. We’re obviously not in the season, but try to eliminate a lot of the pre-snap crap that we had to go through. We don't need that. That starts with getting out of the huddle faster, getting our feet set and being able to operate and not feeling like you're fighting the clock. That's the biggest thing. I've seen a good amount of growth there. Playing cleaner. Just a deeper dive on the intent of what we're doing, being able to go out and execute at a cleaner rate. It's been steady progress. I've been proud of those guys.”
Q: On growth he has seen from WR Xavier Hutchinson and WR Jared Wayne
Caley: “They've both grown a lot. ‘Hutch’ is a hard hat guy. He goes to work and so has ‘J-Wayne.’ ‘J-Wayne's’ had a really, really good offseason in general and you saw it in the preseason come to life. He's been consistent and been out there, which has been big for him. Been really proud of him. You talk about a guy who he's had to work really hard to get to the point where he is right now and I'm happy for him. Same with ‘Hutch.’ Talk about a self-made guy that just continues to work and takes coaching and loves football and he's an unselfish teammate. If you take coaching and you work hard and you love the game and both those guys do, I think you have a chance to continue to improve and that's a testament to those guys.”
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Everything Texans OC Nick Caley said ahead of Houston’s Week 1 opener vs Bills
