(SportsRadio 610) - A lot of Davis Mills' growth last season as a rookie came with experience, which allowed him to react faster to defensive looks.
That, in part, is why the last five weeks of the season looked promising for the Texans' rookie quarterback, enough to make him the presumed starter in 2022.
One key difference this season is changing schemes under Pep Hamilton, who was elevated from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. Hamilton's system is similar to what Mills ran in college at Stanford, where Hamilton once coached Andrew Luck and worked closely with David Shaw.
"I've already seen a couple of the first installs and I'm looking forward to actually getting out and running them on the field because it's familiar to me from what I did out in college," Mills said Tuesday. "So I'm extremely excited and hoping that the growth from the end of last year continues into the next one."
The Texans ran the third-fewest offensive plays of any team in the league last season. From there, they ranked in the middle of the league in rush percentage (41.6%), but had the least efficient run game, according to DVOA.
Having a more balanced attack should open up opportunities downfield.
"The biggest thing is that we're going to mix it up, run and pass," Mills said. "Obviously, run to open up the pass, or pass to open up the run. So mixing it that way, but also taking advantage of big plays and vertical routes down the field.
"A lot of it is just getting the ball to playmakers out in space. So Pep's already thought of a lot of really good ways to do that and I'm excited to kind of start running it and get the reps out there with our team."
Texans players returned to NRG Stadium this week for voluntary organized team activities. The attendance is said to be high, though there is no clear number.
Mills was among four team leaders, which included center Justin Britt and linebackers Christian Kirksey and Kamu Grugier-Hill - all three of whom re-signed as free agents this offseason - to speak with reporters Tuesday.
Britt spoke about adjusting to the different coaching styles, with Hamilton as the coordinator and longtime offensive line coach George Warhop joining the staff.
"It's going to be exciting and interesting to see how Pep kind of takes this and runs with it, because he was on the staff last year," Britt said. "So, he was in it last year and he knows how he wants to do it. I think it's going to be a lot more crystal clear in our assignments and it's just up to us to go out there and execute it."
Brandon Scott is the senior digital content coordinator for SportsRadio610.com. Follow him on Twitter @brandonkscott .
