Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has been imperative to the immediate success of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and the entirety of the passing offense. The Texans aren’t 3-3 without him, and his fingerprints are all over the development of a number of key contributors.
Even so, the run game has lagged behind.
Houston’s ground game, which ranks 28th in expected points added per play and 29th in success rate, isn’t just stagnating the offense—it’s holding it back.
Running back Dameon Pierce spoke to 610 KILT-AM about why that has been the case.
“New offense, so it’s really like another rookie year for me,” Pierce said. “Complete overhaul from top to bottom … completely new identity, whole new philosophy. Just trying to find how I can … make plays within the system.”
Pierce’s struggles aren’t entirely surprising, despite playing well as a rookie last season. Slowik’s offense, centered around wide zone principles, is an offshoot of the scheme that is quickly taking over the league (for good reason). However, it is incredibly detailed, and that aspect of it can lead to younger players struggling to acclimate. It wasn’t long ago that San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk was in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s doghouse. Now, he’s dominating opposing corners.
Pierce elaborated on that level of precision, embracing the challenge.
“We’re a lot more detailed than last year, two different offenses,” Pierce continued. “It comes from the 49ers, those guys got a winning tradition, those guys know how to win, they know how to run the ball. They know exactly what they want, they know how they want it.”
So far this year, Pierce has 97 attempts for 281 yards and a score on the ground. Passing-down back Devin Singletary has begun pushing him for snaps, too. For his own job security, it’s important for the bye week to lead to some improvements.
The offense promises to be productive when everybody is on the same page. Given the start the Texans have gotten off to, it’s hard not to salivate at the idea of Stroud reaping the benefits of a strong run game. Pierce believes these details, even if they haven’t been mastered yet, are emblematic of a shifting culture.
“It’s a big culture change in the right direction,” Pierce said. “Still, it takes time to adjust … We’re welcoming to that change, it’s just all about adapting to it and getting confident with it.”
There is no better spot to grow confident than Charlotte, North Carolina. The Carolina Panthers, Houston’s Week 8 opponent, are not only winless. They also possess an unfathomably bad run defense. If there’s a week to get back on track, it’s this one.
More must-reads: