It had been a long offseason of hype for second-year quarterback Davis Mills.
The sophomore signal caller from Stanford finished the 2021 campaign on a blazing hot finish for the Houston texans and did enough to catch a lot of attention in the process. The Texans were so impressed they decided not to bring in any alternatives at the position. Coach Lovie Smith opted to promote Pep Hamilton from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator and keep continuity for Mills development. The national media, upon further film review, even reflected that Davis Mills had one of the best rookie seasons of any of the 2021 quarterbacks.
With everything that happened since Mills had last played professional football, it was no surprise that fans and media alike were desperate to see him in action again.
Pep Hamilton's offense has preached they want to be run-first and create favorable passing downs for Davis Mills.
That drive is a microcosm for everything that *cannot* happen this season if Houston wants to win games #WeAreTexans
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) August 14, 2022
Unfortunately, nobody who took the time to watch Houston’s 17-13 victory over the Saints saw anything of substance.
Mills finished completing 3-of-3 passes for only 14 yards. Two of his completions were screen passes and both drives ultimately resulted in three-and-outs for the offense. It was an incredibly vanilla and conservative game plan from Hamilton and one that asked Mills to do practically nothing.
Cautionary reminder for everyone that the pre-season is a time to use the most basic plays in your offense and to just get guys acclimated to live football.
Pep Hamilton's offense will look different in 3 weeks against Indianapolis. That's when we'll really learn #WeAreTexans
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) August 14, 2022
This may be wise on Houston’s end having just watched the New York Jets lose their quarterback, Zach Wilson, for potentially months due to a meniscus tear in their preseason game. On the other hand, there’s certainly an argument these were valuable reps for Mills to continue to learn the new offensive system.
The rest of the offense was able to hum under backup quarterback Jeff Driskel and the performance by running back Dameon Pierce will leave many excited about the potential of the first team offense next week.
Fans can watch Houston again during Week 2 of the preseason as they face the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
John Crumpler has written for the Texans Wire since 2019 and is a PFWA member. Follow him on Twitter @JohnHCrumpler and catch him on The Backpedal Podcast.
