Maybe it is the fact Lovie Smith is on his third coaching gig. Maybe it is the fact Smith was the defensive coordinator in 2021. Maybe at 63 years old Smith is close to seeing it all.
Whatever the case, the new Houston Texans coach told reporters after organized team activities on Wednesday that there isn’t one aspect of the team that has surprised him to this point in the offseason.
“No, because I knew that our guys would come to work everyday,” Smith said at Houston Methodist Training Center. “I knew they would take coaching. I knew we had good football players, and I knew they were going to be excited about going through the process.”
Smith spent last year as the defensive coordinator under then-coach David Culley, which gave him a better idea of what type of talent was on that side of the ball. Houston also added younger pieces to the defense through the draft in cornerback Derek Stingley, safety Jalen Pitre, linebacker Christian Harris, and defensive lineman Thomas Booker.
The offense is also relatively the same with the club choosing to let second-year quarterback Davis Mills run the offense — at least for 2022. Mills’ weapons include familiar faces such as Brandin Cooks, Chris Conley, Chris Moore, Nico Collins, and Rex Burkhead.
The NFL adding a 17th game in 2021 didn’t help as Houston has been stymied at the four-win mark the past two seasons. Smith knows that it will take attention to detail and hard work in the spring to overcome the challenges that will manifest in the fall.
Said Smith: “There’s no miracle pill. We can’t skip a step or anything like that. So, that’s what we’re going to do.”
The Texans are hopeful Smith’s “seen it all” experience will help them take the next step towards completing the rebuild under general manager Nick Caserio.
