The Drive's Clint Stoerner and Ron Hughley react to the ESPN article indicating Bobby Slowik was the main issue with the Texans' offense last season before he was fired.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Clint and I was off a little bit and uh doing some doing some reading over the weekend
00:06looking at some stuff and I know you read the same article DJ uh BNME of ESPN put out an article
00:14and uh and it was really kind of a a deeper thought about some of the issues last year
00:21in particular with Bobby Slowick and by the way it's coming out boy I mean the Bobby Slowick
00:26as soon as he he was let go boy we're starting to see stuff kind of trickle out which ain't you
00:33know largely uncommon but Clint it feels like like they like at least what we're hearing in
00:43the stories that are coming out I know John John and Alexander has had similar columns we're
00:48starting to hear different things coming out I don't know about you Clint and there's some
00:52things in this article that really jump up jump out but it feels like they believe Bobby Slowick
01:01was the main absolute biggest problem and maybe the only problem um that allowed this offense to
01:11take the step back warmly it that that's what it comes off to me I mean we talked about it man when
01:19when they first fired Bobby it's like well they're gonna I mean they're gonna show their hand
01:23when when they based on who they fire and who they don't and they clearly from jump have have
01:30have thought that Bobby was the the biggest problem and and really the only problem the
01:35Chris Strouser stuff is is interesting because a lot of the conversations as the Texans offensive
01:41line struggled was was Strouser was gonna retire or be done anyway so it's kind of a one of those
01:49you I wonder like how much of this Chris Strouser was based off of the the actual O-line play was
01:55this always the plan to hand it over right to hand it over to his to his assistant to Cole
02:01Popovich kind of deal um but yeah look there's no question about it I mean they're they're they're
02:06again you got wide receivers running dig routes into each other and the wide receiver coach ain't
02:10taking none of the none of the the bullets I mean you you got guys like there was clear like detailed
02:17issues tied in tied in issues yeah yeah I mean the tight end the least physical player in the NFL
02:22last year um top to bottom and and the tight end coaches I'm sure sitting steady um it's it's it's
02:30wild man so but but yeah that's that's where we're at is it looks like the way they're handling
02:34things is is Bobby Slowick was Bobby Slowick is the most unassuming pirate I think I've ever
02:41I've ever uh right it feels like I've ever covered he is a tyrant a dictator Napoleon
02:48out there I mean apparently apparently he just he in the
02:54offseason coach Canada he just did a 180 and uh and all of a sudden was trying to stuff CJ Stroud
03:00into this into this certain kind of scheme and forcing the offensive line to communicate poorly
03:05and um you know Bobby's the Bobby's the lone the lone problem man that's it's an interesting
03:12approach we'll see right because you're right we have not seen outside of Strouser we have not seen
03:17any other coach now this doesn't mean that they're not going to make changes but up to this point we
03:22have not seen any other coach not that I know of moved upon in fact I think we heard Gerard Johnson
03:27would remain as a quarterback coach um and the only change as you said we've seen is obviously
03:33Nick Kaley in for Bobby Slowick and then Cole Popovich who was the assistant offensive line
03:39coach last year in as the the O-line coach and I and I wanna because it does like I said it feels
03:45like like I don't want to use the word scapegoat or fall guy because that implies that he wasn't
03:53and he may be like it like it or not it implies that he that it what it implies it wasn't his
03:58fault and he is just the one getting the blame it may be his fault it may like everything that
04:03we're hearing is that it may have been all Bobby Slowick and everybody else uh that that may be
04:09the case so I don't want to use those words but it does it does appear that they believe Bobby is
04:16is has been the problem and that this thing will have a completely different feel because he is
04:23gone yeah not yeah that's the point though it's not because Nick Kaley is here and Cole
04:28Popovich are here but because Bobby Slowick is gone right it seems like and and I'll let some
04:36of the people here and I know you knew some of the thought but I want to read some of the quotes
04:40from the article that DJ being being to me put in on ESPN I don't think this is coming from a player
04:47a player and Clint's favorite an anonymous player uh told ESPN I don't think we had a
04:54true identity of what the F we wanted to do those were comments another comment here from uh from
05:02from somebody in the organization Stroud wasn't allowed to change protections at the line of
05:07scrimmage often in Slowick's offense it was the center's responsibility a lot of calls were
05:13considered basic according to a team source as simple as having three offensive linemen zone
05:19blocking to one side while the backside blockers were one-on-one with backside rushers multiple
05:25team sources believe Slowick was trying here's your favorite Clint multiple team sources were
05:31uh were saying that they believe Slowick was trying to make Stroud a system quarterback
05:36versus getting him to play more naturally which is being a playmaker in pushing the ball down the
05:42field I just didn't see that I did I didn't I felt like that was that was the thing that was
05:49getting him in trouble I felt like Bobby was coming and people were getting annoyed every
05:53time Bobby was coming to the podium saying what's the one thing good thing that you do and that's
05:58push the ball down the field I just I distinctly remember that but this is this is coming from team
06:03source also um a team source said Slowick over complicated reads which didn't allow Stroud to
06:10play fast um I uh we're uh we're just putting I just felt like somebody a source told a team
06:18source told ESPN just felt like the offensive coaches were putting a lot of pressure on him
06:24being CJ Stroud so those are some of the comments that come out of this article Clint again when you
06:30read that drives home the and I'll just say this this may be true about Bobby okay they're there
06:37they believe it and obviously the moves they're making is as of such but Clint I just think we
06:42should see a completely different thing than what we saw last year we we should see an offensive
06:50line attack all of this we should see something completely different yeah if the answer is is
06:55clearly you're confident enough in what you're doing that you feel like removing Bobby Slowick
07:00and removing Chris Strouser and replacing them with ultimately one of McVay's assistants and
07:07Chris Strouser's assistant in those two positions then yes that there you clearly you you D'Amico
07:13and Nick Casario are are making the statement of we don't need sweeping changes we need more energy
07:20in the building we need more we need a better vibe in the building we need we need CJ Stroud to
07:25to to have more rapport with his play caller and that's it right I mean we you know that's sure
07:32would you like to establish a little bit more physicality up front and establish the run game
07:36do you need to figure out past protection yeah but this is not a move of holy hell we were bad
07:43we couldn't protect we couldn't run the football consistently um where our routes are all at
07:47different different right we lack physicality like let's get somebody in here that's going
07:51to change the game for us it wasn't that kind of move it was very minimal rocking of the boat
07:58very very minimal change and you expect that to take you from a 10-win team
08:05to ultimately a Super Bowl we'll see what happens it was definitely a move to that that screams
08:10Bobby was the problem get Bobby out of the get Bobby's toxic ass out of the building that's what
08:15it feels and and we will and we will be a much better offense we'll see
08:20we'll see we'll see I mean you know you just look back at you just think you know we were
08:27told it was a collaborative effort a lot of a lot of you know this isn't Bobby's offense
08:31collaborative efforts you got a lot of minds in the game you got you got you know a great
08:35quarterback coach you got Bill Lazor you got a great wide receiver coach and everything's
08:39collaborative but then when it's time for for rubber to meet the road and somebody to somebody
08:43to hit the high road it's Bobby Slowick and and the world's supposed to change we I hope they're
08:48right I hope that they were very minimal changes away from the Super Bowl they know better than we
08:53they were there every day I just and I'm listening to you say it and I think you're describing it
09:01well I don't know I don't know why they let him continue yeah you would think if it was that bad
09:10like week nine when he's talking about identity which it's a fluid situation you'd remove him
09:15and I'm not I'm not I'm not kidding I don't like and maybe they had some serious
09:18conversations I don't know I don't know why they let him continue yeah
09:25and I let Bill Lazor or let's like somebody else take over like I don't know why like as bad as it's
09:32as as it's rolling out yeah since he left you still had a chance yeah I mean you still had
09:40you were six and two and lost to the Jets and that's when that's when a lot of the locker
09:44room rumbling started apparently at six and three all right maybe you want to go a couple more weeks
09:49all right but hell then you got to the to the to the to the Chiefs game was that Detroit was it
09:55with a six and two the Detroit game week nine that sounds right the Detroit yeah that sounds
10:01that Sunday night game but just even even like it's like you said a tyrant a guy that was rolling
10:08in run of this and someone texted in the way that people are describing it sounds like Bill O'Brien
10:13at the end yeah yeah Bill lasted four ball games yeah but Cal said hell no we got to stop
10:23we got to move forward yeah Bill fighting JJ water practices I just I listen I got I will
10:28and and again Clint and you all we don't know what what happened I will just and I'm reading
10:37all of these things and Clint I know I've heard you talk about I think you agree with some of
10:41these things especially the center being the responsible person to make calls and not the
10:46quarterback you've brought you've brought that up before I think that was made to thought to be
10:52public I know now I know some things you don't agree with I don't think you agree with the
10:56trying to make him a system quarterback versus well every quarterback ultimately is a system
11:01quarterback I mean there's there's there's not a there's not a you know yes you as a as a as an
11:08offensive coordinator you put your your player in position to play to his strengths not his weaknesses
11:12but but you don't draft CJ Stroud and build a CJ Stroud offense I mean it's it's that's silly I
11:21mean CJ Stroud needs to be in an offense that's that's very Brady like very borough like however
11:27you want to couch it which I mean because you look at it you go boy you try to fit him into a system
11:31the system you're talking about has a five different style quarterbacks playing it right
11:36now what the hell are you talking about like what are you what are you talking about like that that
11:40system I just when I just didn't why I didn't watch him last year and think man he is he is
11:46like I there were times I watched I hate to use this but I watched Deshaun and I was like
11:54damn he looks trapped yes agreed like he looks trapped like here in Houston not whatever he
12:00whatever sport he's been playing in Cleveland but he looks trapped like they're not like how
12:06come they're not using everything they're not using his leg I I didn't in two years didn't
12:12watch I felt like I felt like CJ was getting screwed over by protection I feel like CJ was
12:18was was not given a chance at time at times to explore things whatever but I didn't watch it
12:24and think man they got the cuffs on him yeah I felt like he was trying to he was pushing it down
12:30the field yeah it appeared in what in in what they were trying to do was hold have him hold
12:38the football drive it down the field and it and it wasn't working because he was getting hit so
12:42much now you can blame that on Bobby as well and say the protection was bad but what you can't do
12:46is say well they weren't letting him try to drive the football down the field letting him get you
12:49know from the pocket stretch the field no that's they were they told us from jump do which I
12:55personally I think it's a major mistake I think you should have squeezed his ass into into the
13:00system that you that he that he was was a made made the got the rookie of the year award off
13:05of and led the league in all the different stats and won 10 games as a rookie and over exceeded as
13:10an as a quarterback and like like like exceeded expectations I'm sorry as as a team as an offense
13:17as a quarterback like I think you should have squeezed his ass into that instead of talking
13:20about being all all this aggressive this aggressive that so yeah there's just it's it's
13:25always interesting the conversations around around you know adversity and it looks like every bit of
13:33it's being laid at the feet of Bobby Sloan and I hope like hell I hope like hell that they're right
13:40the last thing I'll say on this right now is I just and and maybe you all did I did not watch
13:48the office offensive issues like that little stretch where they couldn't score in the second
13:52half of games and all everything we saw I didn't watch that and think damn man that's one dude
14:01that's screwing all this up yeah I'll agree like I just like it may be if it very well maybe like
14:07in in that and it appears they look at this and see this is going to be the major change
14:12it's just from the outside looking in and maybe from the outside looking in you you all
14:19felt different I didn't watch that and say that what we're seeing that's that's all due to one
14:26person yeah like it like like I did I did that just that that just came to look for me