If Deshaun Watson continues his prolific performance over the last five games of the season, he could have a profound effect on offensive coordinator Tim Kelly’s coaching career.
As the season has progressed, it’s apparent Kelly has done a terrific job coaching Watson this season in which the Texans are third in the NFL in passing with a 277.3-yard average going into Sunday’s game against Indianapolis at NRG Stadium.
For the rest of the season, Kelly has to call plays that Watson must execute without the team’s best receiver, the suspended Will Fuller. Fuller must vacate the premises with his 53 catches, 879 yards, 16.6 average per catch and eight touchdowns — a severe blow to the team in general and to the offense in particular.
With Fuller and cornerback Bradley Roby getting suspended for six games for violating the NFL’s policy against performance enhancing drugs, Kelly and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver will have to become magicians pulling rabbits out of their hats if they want to upset the Colts.
Coupled with Bill O’Brien’s controversial offseason trade of All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona, this is the second time this year Watson has received a sledgehammer to the helmet.
It says here Watson will continue to play exceptionally well no matter who’s catching the ball or where his receivers are on the field. If that happens, expect Kelly to have a chance to return and Watson to lobby the new head coach to keep him.
If Kelly doesn’t return, Watson’s performance over the last five games could help him get hired as a coordinator with another team.
Since Kelly has escaped O’Brien’s shadow, he’s put his stamp on the offense. Some are subtle but produce results in crucial situations.
For instance, tight end Jordan Akins lining up at fullback, taking the first handoff of his career and rushing for 8 yards and a first down, and tight end Pharaoh Brown lining up at wide receiver or in the slot and making a key catch or block.
Then there’s the flea-flicker that worked for a 34-yard touchdown pass from Watson to Fuller at Detroit.
Kelly has to keep getting results, of course, and without Fuller, it’s an even better opportunity for him. The Texans’ next coach will evaluate the coaching staff and determine how many, if any, he wants to retain.
The new coach will start with interim coach Romeo Crennel, Kelly and Weaver before getting to the position and assistant position coaches. All could be gone, but a couple could be retained.
Crennel could be asked to remain as an assistant head coach. It’s doubtful a new coach will keep Weaver as defensive coordinator but could offer him an opportunity to stay as the defensive line coach, his other responsibility.
As for Kelly, the close relationship he’s developed with Watson and the quarterback’s exceptional performance could lead to him staying as the coordinator, quarterback coach and play-caller.
Every chance he gets, Watson credits Kelly, assistant quarterbacks coach T.J. Yates and backup quarterback AJ McCarron for playing better than any time in his four-year career.
With their help, Watson is on a pace to establish career bests in yards, completion percentage, touchdowns, interceptions, interception percentage, rating, average yards per attempt and sack percentage.
What makes Watson’s performance even more impressive is he’s doing it without an effective running game. The Texans continue to languish near the bottom of the league’s rushing statistics - 31st this week with 83.9 yards a game.
Without the kind of running game he had the last two seasons when the Texans were ninth and eighth in rushing, there’s been even more pressure on Watson to produce, and he’s taking advantage of it.
To paraphrase Crennel two weeks ago, when you’ve got a quarterback playing as well as Watson, who needs a running game?
A lot of credit should go to the offensive coaches, starting with Kelly. He came to the Texans from Penn State with O’Brien and worked his way up the coaching ladder. This is his first season calling plays, and he’s made steady improvement, according to Crennel.
Last week, Crennel pointed out that coordinators are like players — they have to grow into their roles. He said Kelly has done an impressive job of that.
This week, Crennel was asked again about Kelly and his role calling plays.
“As a coordinator, you go in and calling the game itself is what you have to get a feel for,” he said. “Knowing what your players can do, knowing what the plays are and what plays might work the best against the opponent’s defense.”
Everyone is impressed with Kelly’s work ethic. When not forced to work remotely, he’s early to arrive and late to leave. He spends a lot of time watching tape before formulating his game plan.
“Tim studies the opponent’s defense,” Crennel said. “He understands the system he’s working with. He understands the players he works with. During the course of the game, he’s been able to get a feel and a flow for the game and pick the right plays to call.”
As a longtime defensive coordinator with multiple Super Bowl rings, Crennel has expertise when evaluating offensive coordinators.
“I think I’ve seen him grow in that area from the beginning of the year to where we are right now,” he said about Kelly. “I think he has a good feel for calling the game and the plays we need to run against a particular defense.”
This week, the Texans are preparing for what could be a third consecutive victory — a mission made much more difficult by the foolish decisions made by Fuller and Roby.
After defeating New England and Detroit to improve to 4-7, including 4-3 under Crennel, they have every intention of beating the Colts, even without Fuller and Roby.
Whether the Texans win or lose the Indianapolis game will depend heavily on Kelly’s game plan, play calling and Watson’s performance.
“Having the opportunity to see how he breaks down the defense and watch film has really taken my game to a whole other level,” Watson said. “He’s very, very, very intelligent, and he’s making sure I’m prepared for every game.”
Sounds like a strong endorsement.
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