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Aaron Wilson
August 11, 2022
HOUSTON
— Pep Hamilton is holding an in-depth conversation while
meeting virtually with a group of coaches in Los Angeles from his office at NRG
Stadium.
The topics flow quickly
during the fifth annual NFL Quarterback Coaching Summit as the Houston Texans’
offensive coordinator breaks down his offensive philosophy, teaching what he
believes in about how to attack defenses and exploit their weaknesses.
Among the nuances
Hamilton emphasized during a teaching session that included Indianapolis Colts
offensive coordinator Marcus Brady, Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie
Frazier, and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans: Explosive
plays and what’s their common denominator, best offensive and worst offensive
games, the reason behind those performances, to identifying and dissecting
defensive schemes.
Pep Hamilton breaks down the game
within the game
“Do they always match
personnel?” Hamilton shares with the group. “Carry or spot drop? Cut crossers.
Cover Zero. Pressure issues, base down and distance. Biggest strengths and
weaknesses. Tip: What things can you clue in on to give you a good idea of what
you’re getting? Corners’ strengths and weaknesses.
“Third down. Blitz
issues? Red zone: Where does it change from the open field? What does their Zero
look like and when to expect it? Red-zone identity. Touchdown common
denominators. Fourth down, two-point play, backed up passes, best route to run
on each guy, double move, game plan.”
It’s a window into how
Hamilton sees the game and instructive to how he’s putting his imprint on the
Texans’ offense after being promoted from passing game coordinator and
quarterbacks coach by head coach Lovie Smith.
A former head coach and general manager of the DC
Defenders in the XFL, Hamilton, 47, coached retired Colts quarterback Andrew
Luck as an offensive coordinator, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin
Herbert as his position coach, was the Cleveland Browns’ associate head coach, and a quarterbacks
coach for the New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and 49ers. At the college level,
Hamilton has worked at Stanford as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks
coach and at the University of Michigan as an assistant head coach and passing
game coordinator.
For Hamilton, it’s all about using all of the information
and resources he can supply to teach and inform his players to formulate an
effective game plan and strategy to score points and create a balanced,
unpredictable variety of play-calling while protecting the football.
“It’s important that we
have information that we can present to our players,” Hamilton said during the
summit. “We’re looking at some of the games where they really had their way
against their opponent defensively. You’re always assessing the strengths and
weaknesses of not just their scheme, but also their players. Why are they
better against certain schemes and certain teams as opposed to others? The
first cutup we typically watch is an explosive-plays cutup. What you’ll find
out during the course of a season is that if there’s a similar pattern of the
types of plays that give them problems there may be something in their scheme
or in their rules we can attack.
“Getting a sense of a
team, the personality of the team, where they are with the current state of
their team is a big part of our process. The defensive coordinator, it’s very
important we understand their temperament. It’s also important we understand
and know historically the schemes and systems he’s been a part of so we can try
to anticipate as much as we possibly can what their tendencies are going to be.
We’ll do a thorough investigation of the defensive coordinator we’re facing and
hone in on what we feel like he’s known for. The defensive identity, the raw
data, and the film, it should all correlate to put into compartments based on
the tendencies and what you’ve learned by studying them.”
The NFL selected Hamilton as presenter for a reason.
Credit: Bears Wire – USA Today
Hamilton’s
background with Andrew Luck and Justin Herbert should reflect on Davis Mills
It’s because of his knowledge and acumen and a background
working with successful quarterbacks, including Luck and Herbert, a Pro Bowl
passer.
Now, it’s Hamilton’s
job to kick-start a Texans offense from a 4-13 squad a year ago that was one of
the least productive in the NFL. Houston finished 30th in scoring, last in
total offense and rushing offense, and 28th in passing offense.
The few bright spots
were the consistent threat of star wide receiver Brandin Cooks and the
late-season potential flashed by second-year starting quarterback Davis
Mills. Many NFL general managers have indicated that Mills would have been a
lock to go in the first round this year had he not declared early for the 2021
NFL draft.
Hamilton is tasked as
the architect of an offense that needs to significantly upgrade the running
game with new backs Marlon Mack and Dameon Pierce, establish imposing wide
receiver Nico Collins as a strong complementary presence to Cooks,
and improve the pass protection for Mills. Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil
is back from thumb surgery that sidelined him last season, and Tytus Howard is
back to his natural right tackle spot.
With a low-key, introspective personality and a
studious approach, Hamilton
has built a strong rapport with Mills and the other offensive players.
“Pep is the same person every day,” said Mills, who
statistically was the second-best rookie quarterback last season behind Mac
Jones. “He’s very unique, and I think the control of the offensive unit he has
right now is amazing. I’m really excited to see what he can do in year two
calling the plays.”
Hamilton isn’t inclined
toward making predictions, or bold statements about players’ potential. He
stays immersed in his work: finding ways to get the offense on track and
develop Mills.
“Well, it’s our
offense, and, as we’ve said from the beginning, it’s about our ability to put
our playmakers in a position to make plays,” Hamilton said. “It has nothing to
do with anything else. It’s our job to score at least one more point than the
opponent, but ultimately you score points by getting the ball to the right
guys, and we have the right guys.
“I feel like it’s
really important that our players embrace what it is that we’re doing.
Ultimately, the players, the playmakers, are going to facilitate whatever
scheme we come up with as coaches. And they’ll do a great job of working to be
the best version of themselves
How Hamilton is developing Mills
Mills’ development is
Hamilton’s big-picture project.
At 6-foot-4, 235
pounds, Mills is a big, strong traditional pocket passer with enough mobility
to throw on the run. He went 2-9 as a starter in 11 starts and 13 games
played overall as a rookie, completing 66.8% of his throws for 2,664
yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions for an 88.8 passer rating.
Mills — with the exception
of a few practices — has had an encouraging training camp. He has
displayed chemistry and timing, especially with Cooks, Collins, and tight end
Pharaoh Brown. The way Mills gets the football out of his hand and reads the
defense appears sharper and more certain. He’s had greater command of the
offense and organized several informal workouts this offseason, including
one at his high school in Atlanta where he was a blue-chip recruit and another
in Portland, Oregon, where Cooks lives in the offseason.
In the final four games
of the season, Mills completed 68.9% of his throws to go 2-2 in the final month
of his rookie year. During that span, he passed for 927 yards, eight
touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 106.1 passer rating.
He had 12 touchdowns
with one interception in eight home games at NRG Stadium overall and four games
with 100+ passer ratings, including a 141.7 mark in a loss to Jones and the
Patriots.
“We feel like he’s
playing faster, and that’s really just processing information as you drop back
as opposed to just saying, ‘Okay, what happened pre-snap is the determining
factor in where we start,’” Hamilton said. “You’ve got to be able to make
post-snap reads, and we’ll continue working on that, but that’s something that
I feel like he’s improving that.”
Texans hope to build a better running game
The Texans were tied
for last in the NFL in rushing touchdowns last season with just eight scores on
the ground. They averaged a league-low 3.4 yards per carry and gained just
1,422 rushing yards overall. Rex Burkhead, who was re-signed, led the Texans with
just 427 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
The Texans have hope
that Mack — a former 1,000-yard rusher with the Colts — who tore his Achilles
two seasons ago, can regain his old form, and that Pierce, an aggressive,
downhill-style player from Florida, can energize the running game in a way that
didn’t happen last year.
“Dameon Pierce has a
chance to be an explosive playmaker for us,” Hamilton said. “But first and
foremost, good running backs in this league have to be able to play without the
ball. So that transition from college football to the NFL, I think the largest
curve is just understanding NFL protections, and he’ll continue to work on that
throughout training camp.”
A year ago, the Texans
didn’t have an offense that regularly challenged defenses. That’s not something
that Hamilton shies away from. It is his job to anticipate problems, fix them,
and create an offense that’s capable of moving the football and finding the end
zone.
“I think it’s a great
opportunity for us to atone for some of the things that happen over the course
of last season. To be able to go out and show that we can play at a high level
of football more consistently,” Hamilton said. “We had times where we played
good football offensively, but there were times also where we tended to make
mistakes and create issues for ourselves. Myself and the rest of our of staff
have been charged with this duty of making sure we put players in the best
position to be successful.”
Hamilton draws praise from players
As the replacement for
former offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, Hamilton is being discussed by players for his creativity
and confidence. There’s a lot of energy at camp, and the offense has had
its moments where it’s clicking and in sync.
“You know, it’s been great, got a lot of respect for
Pep,” said Cooks, who signed a two-year, $39.6 million extension this
offseason after catching a team-high 90 passes for 1,037 yards and six
touchdowns on 134 targets last season.
“Pep’s seen a lot of ball, with a lot of great players.
To be able to feed off him and learn from him and the offenses he’s been in
before was helpful for me and to be able to have that feedback for one another
has been great.”
During practice
sessions, Hamilton is orchestrating his philosophy and finding ways to get the
football to the Texans’ skill players. He’s in constant conversation with
Mills, huddling with him after plays to discuss the defense and his decisions.
“Pep is a smart guy,” Brown said. “He puts us in a lot of
good situations and it’s just building on top of that. In the red zone, I
caught the fade just one-on-one with a small corner. Today, we came back and
hit him with a slant. So now that road is growing, being able to flex out and
take advantage of little, small defensive backs.”
The tight ends have
been a large part of every offense Hamilton has been a part of previously, and
there’s expected to be an uptick in targets for them this season.
“I love it, I’m
excited,” Brevin Jordan said. “Everywhere Pep has been, it shows that the tight
ends are very valuable in his offense. So, just tune in.”
Trying to put his stamp on an offense in transition
The Texans averaged
just 16.5 points per game last season. Working with an offensive staff that
includes receivers coach and passing game coordinator Ben McDaniels, running
backs coach Danny Barrett, offensive line coach George Warhop and tight ends
coach Tim Berbenich (his former colleague with the Colts), Hamilton is
optimistic about the Texans’ offense this season.
“We have a depth of experience,
but a diverse group of coaches with regards to our backgrounds,” Hamilton said.
“Having the opportunity to go back and coached college football as well as the
time that I spent in the XFL, it gave us a good outlook, a different outlook on
different ways to really stress the opponent. So, we’ll see. We’ll see when it
gets to game day.”
“Pep has full control of how he wants to do this,”
McDaniels said. “He’s done a great job of preparing us as coaches and players
to play effectively within the system. We’re excited to continue to roll
through that process.”
Brings ‘energy and juice’
The Texans need to
build a more effective running game to keep defenses honest and execute
play-action plays. Mills averaged 7.2 air yards to rank 28th overall last season.
Toward creating more
explosive plays, Hamilton believes in a lot of information-sharing and a
collaborative approach by listening to players and coaches’ feedback.
“Really it’s all about
the players and where they are with regards to having a good sense of the
foundation of what it is that we want to do,” Hamilton said. “We have constant
dialogue with our guys. In our meetings, we treat our meetings as dialogue
sessions.
“Open discussions about
not only our system, but we’re open to ideas that the players may have at times
and how we can best feature their talent. It’s all about the players. It’s all
about what they know. We want them to be able to go out and play fast.”
The outlook for the
offense is surrounded by a lot of optimism. The results will tell the story
about how effective Hamilton’s playbook and personnel are performing. The early
signs, though, are encouraging, and players are upbeat.
“I think Pep brings a lot of energy and juice to the
offense,” Texans veteran center Justin Britt said. “Good mixture of run and
pass and aggression. Without giving anything away really, it’s going to be a
fun year. The playbook is exciting, and it all makes sense, and it’s crystal
clear, and it gives us a chance to go out there and execute at the highest
level.”
Aaron Wilson is the NFL Insider for Pro Football Network. Follow
him on Twitter: @AaronWilson_NFL.
