In many ways, last season was a breakout year for Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.
It was his first time calling plays in the NFL and he really took off with fellow rookie C.J. Stroud. Together, they orchestrated one of the more prolific passing offenses in the game.
Then this offseason, Houston upped the ante by trading for two-time All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs to add to the mix of Nico Collins, Tank Dell and tight end Dalton Schultz. They also traded for former Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon, who has a knack for rushing for 1,000 yards or more.
Slowik spoke with reporters after Thursday's practice on a range of topics, including the offense's growth in year two of the system, his experience interviewing to be a head coach and of course Stroud, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Here is what he said:
On how much better coaching should be in Year Two in his system
“I think it is more across the NFL, when you get to Year Two you eliminate a lot of the steps to get to where you want to end up. So, the verbiage is more familiar to the guys, where Year One a lot of the strain early on is verbiage. We are still going through that with the new players right now, just learning our terms that other people use but they call something different and hammering it in how we say it and what we teach, in that regard. It definitely expedites the process without a doubt.”
On how he manages utilizing so many players different talents
“It is really the same as last year, that is what is fun. Last year I would say all the time that we have a group of guys in the receiving room, tight end room, and the running back room that we feel like have good skill sets and they are all elite at something. Our job is taking advantage of what they are elite at, how do we make sure what fits them get shown to the world and showcased? We got a chance to use that in the pass game and run game. We have a quarterback that really give us no limitations, in that regard, we can do all kinds of stuff to make sure that whatever we are calling and however we use guys we are making sure they are doing their strengths. That is what it really comes down to.”
On what his vision is for this offense with all the different skilled players
“It is really that, it takes all limits off whatever you need to do to win a game. If we feel like we need to throw the ball deep to win a game, we can do that. If we have to throw it short to win a game, we can do that. If we have to run the ball 40 times to win a game, we feel like we can do that. It just enables and empowers us to do whatever is necessary that given week to beat the opponent in front of us and everybody on our offense, and really on our team right now, is all in on that and that is what is making this really fun.”
On his interview process for head coaching positions and what it means to him that the Texans wanted to keep him
“I am extremely grateful to the McNair’s, to Nick (Caserio). I know I have said it in the past but I can’t say it enough about DeMeco (Ryans) as a coach and as a person, what all they have meant to me and how great they have been through everything. I have been blessed that the players we have are just a really enjoyable group, as players and as people. I have had a lot of fun and I am fired up to do it again this year. I was blessed last year to have the opportunity to have a few head coaching interviews and go through that process and see what that is like, but I can’t even begin to describe my excitement for staying in Houston and getting back at it and going out and really building on what we did last year.”
On how much more input QB C.J. Stroud will have in his system going into this second season
“It is really the same. He had a lot of input last year as well. It is more what he is comfortable suggesting and when we had dialogue, outside of last year, we get to the answer a lot faster. There could be weeks where there is more dialogue because he has more thoughts, there could be weeks where we are already on the same page because of what we went through last year and there is not a lot of dialogue needed. But that really won’t change from last year, I think the biggest thing going into Year Two for C.J. is- Year Two for a quarterback is a really big year. It is a really, really impactful year to me that really sets the trajectory for the rest of his career and I think a lot of that is that you get to hammer the fundamentals. Like last year, there was a lot going on. You have to hit fundamentals, you have to hit verbiage, you have to hit paly calls, you have to hit productions, you have to hit all this stuff. You hit fundamentals to a degree but you can only do so much. Now we really get to dive into the fundamentals of this is what we do and how we play and what makes him great, and really fit that and grow that within our offense. That really to me has been- just through phase two in OTA’s so far he is on board and all in. He is picking up right where he left off.”
On how he is going to manage personal usage together among so many skilled players
“I know it seems like it would be hard, but it actually is pretty easy because a lot of it is dictated on what they do and what is the best way for us to attack that. If it is a heavy 21-12 game, all our receivers are still out there working. You still go 11 and third down, you still go 11 in the redzone a good amount and we really believe in keeping all our guys fresh so that when they step on the field, they have 100 percent on the play. If it is a heavy 11 personnel game, then we have a lot of guys that can go fill that role, it could be a ten personnel game, it really winds up sorting itself out through the course of the season. Like I mentioned, that is what is fun for us is that all of us are all in on whatever we have to do to win this game this week we are equipped to do that.”
On what the feedback process is among DeMeco Ryans and Nick Caserio on how a player can work in an offense
“It is part of what makes Houston great. It is the way DeMeco and Nick work and really the whole organization is very collaborative. They are always asking, ‘What are your thoughts? What do you think of this? How do you feel about this?’ We have a lot of straight forward conversations, and a lot of the conversation aren’t login because we say the same thing. There is really nothing that goes on that none of us aren’t in agreement on and really going full steam ahead in every regard. They are very open and honest on all fronts.”
On why RB Joe Mixon is a good scheme fit and where he sees him fitting in the offense
“Not to sound like I am joking when I say this, but he is just a really good running back, in all regards. It doesn’t matter what run scheme you run, he has run zone schemes, he has run gap schemes, he has been used as a receiver, he has really done everything. Now that he is here and we meet the person, I can see why he has always been successful. He works his tail off, he has a great mindset, he is a professional, he knows that this time of year and all the way through the season is continuously about growth, and he fits right in with the culture we have.”
On what he said when Nick Caserio came to him about WR Stefon Diggs and thoughts on what he has done so far
“He has been great to work with. His big thing right now, kind of like we already talked about with some other guys is verbiage, just picking up verbiage. It is a little bit different than when he was in Buffalo, but there is nothing that he hasn’t seen or done before. Then the football player, the man is just so competitive, and it shows on tape. He is a lot like our quarterback in that he will do absolutely anything necessary to win the game, whether he doesn’t have the ball, he has the ball in his hands, at all times he is in between the white lines and doing everything he can to win. He is a good route runner, he has all the receiver traits you can ask for but what jumps out to me and what fits with us and what we are always engaged with is how competitive guys are, how tough they are, and the style play they have.”
On his influence and self-evaluation going into Year Two
“I am always asking people who helped my career. I know I have said before Kyle Shanahan and the Shanahan family, they have always been a huge impact on me in my career. But even before that and probably the biggest influence on me growing up was my dad, growing up as a long time NFL coach. I will constantly talk to him about how the game has evolved. He watched every one of our games- things that came up through the course of the season that he remembers. DeMeco is huge in that. Then my staff is phenomenal. I have a lot of experience on this staff, mixed in with some youth and a lot of energy in guys that can dive in a lot of different areas, self-scout wise or across the NFL, and pull things. We talked about player, but it is not just players, but Year Two for the staff is big also. Everyone has a really clear picture of what it is we want to do and how it all fits and being able to dissect that and really take things around the league and fit it into what we want to do and what our players are going to excel at. There is growth all the way across the board.”
On how much of his experience with San Francisco and last year help him this year manage skill talent
“It is really all the same. Our job at the end of the day is put every player in the best position possible for them to succeed and that is endlessly our goal as coaches, that goes from the teaching aspect, as far as fundamentals, technique, the individual aspects of it, all the way up to the top-level view of scheme. It is just, how do we make sure our guys are in the best position they can be to do what they do best, and we have a lot of guys that do a lot of things well. How we merry that up and tie it all together is, again, a week-to-week thing but it is no different than what we did last year.”
On what is different for him in year two and how he has grown
“I would say the number one thing that stands out to me is relationships. Relationships with DeMeco as head coach DeMeco, not friend and coworker DeMeco. I would say relationships with the coaching staff, and in particular relationships with the players. Everybody knowing each other. We were always, even last year, we were always open and honest in meetings but now it is even mor evident. We all already have relationships, we care about each other a great deal, whether the guys that were here last year are no longer with us, we still root for them, we still cheer for them, that is what is so cool about this sport. The bonds you make with the people in the building is something that I don’t really know you can get other places with just the amount of unique individuals you get.”
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