- 5 weeks ago
ITL debates whether Nick Caley has shown enough to earn confidence heading into the regular season or if everyone still needs to see his offense perform when the games count.
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00:00How happy are you with the Texans Association with Nick Caley as right now?
00:03Are you optimistic about him and the job that he is actively doing for the Texans at this point?
00:09713-572-4610 or do you still need to see more?
00:13Yeah, so I'm not straddling the fence at all here because I am actually optimistic.
00:18I thought he improved over the course of toward the end of last season.
00:21The last game notwithstanding, I did not think that the Patriots game was a great game,
00:25but it also just was less than ideal circumstances, didn't have his full complement of weapons out there,
00:32didn't have the proper offensive line out there, still didn't think he called necessarily the greatest of games.
00:36But I've said this a lot last year toward the end of last season that by the time we got
00:41to the end of it,
00:42he wasn't anywhere near toward the top of my list of complaints with the team,
00:47whereas he was toward the beginning of the year.
00:50And then going into now, the preseason, obviously the training camp practices that we've been able to watch,
00:56I feel fairly decent about it.
00:59Like I feel fairly optimistic about it.
01:02It just has not been enough and we have not seen enough to not still have legitimate questions.
01:07Obviously, it is a different team, a new team, right?
01:12A different complement of weapons that we're talking about.
01:14So how is he going to implement those?
01:17We still have our questions about the things like the tight end involvement, the running game overall,
01:24you know, Nico Collins.
01:26I think this is one that comes up, especially with tape watchers and like the football nerds of like,
01:33man, can we use, can we do a little bit more with this guy?
01:36And I think this is something that we talk about here on this show.
01:39I know the afternoon show talks about it.
01:41I've heard Clint say specifically, I'm waiting on Nick Caley.
01:44I'm waiting on the Texans to use Nico Collins the way Sean McVay uses Puka Nakula.
01:49Now, obviously, they're not the exact same type of player, but the concept is the same.
01:54Move this guy around.
01:55Do more with him.
01:56And so these are the things that I want to see more of.
01:59How are you going to take advantage of having a guy like Nico Collins on your team?
02:03What are you going to do to scheme up a run game, especially if your offensive line is improved to
02:08the degree that we think it is improved?
02:10And what does it mean for a former tight ends coach who is now an offensive coordinator to actually have
02:16tight ends on his roster?
02:18And especially this group, which I think is complimentary.
02:21Guys do different things.
02:23Right.
02:23So what is that going to look like with Nick Caley or parts of it that I'm still interested to
02:29see?
02:29But I am optimistic about what I've seen so far.
02:32I don't even think Nico Collins needs to be the same type of receiver as Puka Nakula.
02:37Shout out to Matt Harmon, Reception Perception, and the Yahoo Fantasy show, I believe, who really focuses on wide receivers.
02:44And he said this stat that has been laser etched into my brain that of the same of the same
02:50calibers of wide receiver, Nico Collins has been moved around the least since Julio Jones.
02:56Yo, you remember how Julio Jones was used just like pure X receiver, chuck it up their dog type guy.
03:01That is the type that is the profile with all the charting that has been done by Reception Perception of
03:06what Nico Collins has been used like to this point.
03:08And so, yeah, he needs to be moved around.
03:10And this is where I will actually, oddly enough, with all of the negativity that I've had for Nick Caley
03:16to this point in his tenure as a Texans offensive coordinator,
03:19I will say that I'm optimistic while I am not certain about him.
03:23And I think you understand the distinction that I'm making.
03:25Yeah, yeah, for sure.
03:25I'm optimistic because to that end, we talked to Nico Collins.
03:29This is one of the benefits of having, you know, being able to be out there at training camp and
03:33sitting down and talk to the people that we do.
03:35When we sat down and talk with Nico Collins, he seemed very excited and he spoke to the idea that
03:40he's moving around.
03:41He actually said, you know, he thanked Nick Caley for moving him around more.
03:46So I'm excited for that.
03:47And it seems like that's there.
03:49Jayden Higgins kind of said the same before he ends up being injured and lost for the season.
03:53So the idea of moving guys around is there.
03:56You can clearly see that there's more weapons that are in tow, as you've talked about, to possibly have some
04:02of the things that maybe would have been in the playbook last year that they couldn't get to.
04:06Or things that maybe he even added over the offseason that feel like the trends in the NFL, whether it's
04:11tight ends with multiple personnels or, you know, moving guys around and taking different advantages.
04:16I think that those are opportune here now with the with the tools that you have.
04:20And they have shown that at least they are intrigued by those possibilities.
04:23The thing that I'm still interested in seeing is how quickly are you getting plays in?
04:28Because that was an issue last year that ultimately held back some of the operation.
04:32And then what do those plays look like in the real pressure time?
04:36You can call them right now in the preseason.
04:37You can call them during practice when we can slow this down and we can stop and we can reset,
04:41even though there's not been as much of that this year.
04:44But it's when you get into games, when you get into big games, are you handling that moment with the
04:49with the right kind of timing and with a level of conviction?
04:53Because I think for the play caller, it's not just am I getting the play in?
04:57Is it the right play for the moment?
04:59And like those are things that I don't know that I can say definitively are there until we get to
05:03that point and we see.
05:04Yeah. And this is going to be a big part of this is going to be just being on the
05:08same page with the personnel, specifically the quarterback.
05:11Another thing that I really want to see with Nick Caley mentioned this earlier in the offseason or as we
05:17were approaching training camp, I think after we first heard from CJ Stroud back in whether it was OTA's minicamp,
05:24whenever exactly that was.
05:25And he talked about them doing more of the things that he likes and that he's had success with and
05:31that he's used to doing and implementing that.
05:34And I remember at the time I was like, well, why weren't they doing that already?
05:37But of course, the next question for me was, OK, so what does collaboration look like in this context?
05:43I see what it looked like last year, but what does it look like now when you have CJ Stroud
05:48a year into the offense, more comfortable, not just more comfortable running it, but more comfortable perhaps in his own
05:54voice and expressing those sorts of things,
05:58which is why I really love the idea from the text earlier of allowing him to call plays in the
06:03in his final preseason game, because I first of all, I just think that's a fun concept and idea, but
06:08also could help the collaboration.
06:10Like you just imagine after this game tonight, by tomorrow or Sunday, whenever they meet back again, you know, have
06:17their meetings in their meeting room and everything.
06:19And Stroud's like, are you see this play that I called in this situation?
06:22This is what I really think or how I really like it in this kind of particular situation and see
06:28how that looks.
06:29So, yeah, man, I think that there are some things to be concerned about, but also some things to be
06:35curious and even, dare I say, optimistic about when you look at both.
06:40Them having a certain level of comfort and the added personnel, right?
06:45We talked about the tight ends, Jalen.
06:47I think you might've just mentioned Jalen Noel, but that's another one.
06:50Like, can we figure out a way to get Jalen Noel the ball in space or just figuring out the
06:55best ways to use him?
06:56Because he was, I think most of us would agree, underutilized at times last year for whatever reasons those were
07:03fine.
07:04But can you, can you make enough progress within the offense to figure out a way to utilize this weapon
07:10who I think provides something very specific to the offense in terms of speed?
07:15So there are a lot of things, but I am overall optimistic, even though I need to and want to
07:21see a lot more.
07:21Yeah.
07:22Can I also do this because I have recently been accused of being positive to the point of Homer-ish?
07:27So here comes the negativity.
07:29You ready?
07:30I still have curiosity at the very least and probably concerns as to how quickly this ship's turns, right?
07:38And I say that to mean last year, with the way that this team was going, they did make some
07:43adjustments, but they came hella late and hella slow with how, you know, again, I think it's fair to acknowledge
07:50for Nick Caley and the offensive staff at large, you were looking at a toolbox that was kind of bereft
07:56of some tools that you would want, right?
07:58One of the tools that they ultimately use to try and stem the tide of some things is, hey, Blake
08:02Fisher, can you be the sixth offensive lineman that's pseudo tight end, right?
08:06So that is already not the most optimal tool to use in that period, but it still felt like it
08:11took him a while to figure things out.
08:13And yes, Nick Caley or D'Amico Ryans can talk about Nick Caley, you know, doing so much studying that
08:18he was calling him and blowing up his phone where he's like, hey, man, take some time off.
08:21I think that's all fine and good.
08:23That happens in your off time when it's very easy for you to go and research the league and figure
08:28things out.
08:28How quickly are you adapting what needs to be adjusted?
08:32What's the trends in the league?
08:33What are some things that you can steal and make yours and make your team better?
08:36That I still don't have a good idea about.
08:38And the first iteration or the first opportunity and offering that we had to see how he would handle this,
08:44I think it was a resounding F.
08:46Now, again, I acknowledge he didn't have great tools for that to be an A.
08:49However, I don't know exactly where between A and F that lands in the midst of a season where I
08:54think that if you're making it to the Super Bowl, you're going to need to adjust a couple of times.
08:58Yeah, and it's impossible to have that answer on August 28th going into the final preseason game.
09:03Yes.
09:03Like, we just do not know.
09:05But I think it's a fair point that you raise.
09:07And not just, I know we're talking about Nick Cayley here, but if we're just talking to the Texans community
09:13at large, which we clearly are here at the flagship station, this was an issue with the last guy.
09:18Who I think had, did a good job with play scripts, did a good job with plans, but adjustments were
09:29not necessarily his strong suit.
09:31I used to say this at the time, back when Bobby Slowick was the offensive coordinator, that he would have
09:36made an A in script writing and a D or maybe a C at best in improv.
09:42Yeah, because, and so where does Nick Cayley fall in line with those grades as well, right?
09:49How is his plan and then how is his improv or his adjustment to said plan when the plan either
09:54gets knocked off, kind of gets knocked off of his stand a little bit?
10:00But, and like, how does he pivot?
10:02How does he adjust ultimately is the question.
10:04I think, I don't think we know the answer to that and won't know the answer to that until we
10:07get deeper into the season.
10:09And just to further hammer home this point, it's not even just what if things don't work.
10:12Because I'm sure there's someone listening that goes, well, that's why it's just going to work and you won't have
10:16to adjust.
10:17You're coming into this, and I'm not even saying that to like, you know, poo-poo that person.
10:21Okay, that's a fair thing to say.
10:23But then this Texans team is probably the most heralded Texas team going into a season that we've had in
10:30the 25-year history.
10:31There has not been a team that has come into a season that I think is more heralded at the
10:34start of the season.
10:35Maybe in that early 10s kind of.
10:37Yeah, I think because of the season that they were coming off in 2021, that there was a high expectation
10:43in 2012.
10:45But I don't know if it was quite like this.
10:47And so with that level of attention, I think that there's teams that are watching you all season long,
10:53that you are their Super Bowl on their schedule, and they're going to come with that hotness,
10:57and their advanced scouts are going to be looking at you intently.
11:00So if there's things that's working early on the season, cool.
11:03By the midseason, teams are going to have game plans and ideas of what they're going to do there.
11:07So what is your off speed?
11:09What is your next iteration?
11:11And that's going to be something that is false, squarely on the plate of Nick Caley to have.
11:15Yes, watching out for Nick Caley's secondary pitch.
11:18What is it?
11:19Because we've talked about Cliff Kingsbury.
11:20And how does it play?
11:21If Cliff Kingsbury, if we were just looking for the first thing that you put out here,
11:25Cliff Kingsbury would be one of the dudes that we talk about really well in the NFL.
11:28Yeah.
11:28When you get to the second half of the season, fell off.
11:31Yeah.
11:31Nick Caley, this is a step forward in the offense in general.
11:34Cool.
11:34Can't fall off at the second half either because that's where the expectations are.
11:37Yeah.
11:38Yeah.
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