(SportsRadio 610) - The anticipation for NFL training camp beginning is always at a fever pitch in the days and weeks leading up, yet much more so this season than last year for the Houston Texans, for many reasons.
One being second-year quarterback Davis Mills.
Mills had a rough go of things last year, losing his first six starts as the team's signal caller after Tyrod Taylor went down with injury.
However, the improvement he showed last season did not go unnoticed among his teammates and coaches. Mills won two of his team's final three games and his confidence grew down the stretch as did his teammates belief in him as a leader.
Veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks, entering his ninth season in the league, said Mills' growth is something everyone has payed attention to.
"When we get out here, he's a lot more vocal in the meeting rooms than he was his rookie year, and that's what you want to see from your quarterback…we love to see that demand that he's taken."
With a quarterback room that consists of Kyle Allen, Kevin Hogan, and Jeff Driskel, the room isn't necessarily chalked with NFL game experience. There's a total of 26 starts combined amongst that group of back ups.
Hogan's presence on the roster shouldn't be overlooked though, as Hogan played at Stanford for David Shaw, whose offense is quite similar to new Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton's system. Hogan also worked with Hamilton in 2016 with the Cleveland Browns as the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach.
Hogan should be able to help Mills grasp and understand some of the the intricacies of Hamilton's offense.
Texans general manager Nick Caserio said Mills is ready for the opportunity to lead the offense.
"He's in good shape, he's improved lower body strength, he's been able to work on some things mechanically, so it's gonna be about accumulating days consecutively over multiple weeks," Caserio said. "The quarterback room is a good room, they've all had a good attitude and they've all worked hard."
While there isn't a ton of experience in the quarterback room for Mill's to draw from, he was thrown to the fire last season for 11 starts, finishing with a record of 2-9 in those starts, and the Texans believe he's a guy that can build on that experience to elevate his game and the offense this season.
Entering his first training camp as a starting quarterback Mills, did look comfortable and confident in team drills Friday.
Mills missed on a couple of deep balls to Cooks and bobbled a couple of snaps, but didn't seem to let that shake him. He looked very good in throwing the shorter to intermediate routes. One of the most important things Mills showed is his ability to quickly go through his reads and get the ball out.
As Caserio likes to say, progress is made when you're able to stack more good days together than bad and after the first day of training camp, Mills and the Texans can start a winning streak Saturday with another good practice.
