Houston Texans: Five takeaways from first preseason game

Bill O’Brien’s adjustment helped Tom Savage

Bill O’Brien has taken over the play calling on offense this year, and right off the bat he was able to make adjustments that helped Tom Savage. On the first couple drives of the game, the pressure was getting to Savage and he seemed indecisive. Perhaps he also felt the emotional pressure that he had to do well immediately or he’d lose the starting job in the first quarter of the preseason.

On those first two drives, Savage had drop backs where he hung in the pocket a touch too long and it collapsed around him. He didn’t seem comfortable scrambling or improvising.

By the third drive O’Brien switched it up by going to quick passes to the outside to take thinking out of it for Savage. It seemed to help as the third drive was a successful one and Savage was then able to work out of the pocket after that.

It was a great adjustment by O’Brien seeing the pressure the Panthers were getting and that Savage seemed a little taken aback at the beginning of the game. That third drive lasted seven minutes and two seconds for 75 yards on 13 plays. On the drive, Savage was a perfect eight for eight for 69 yards compared to the first two drives where he was one for three with two yards.

While it would have been nice to see him be able to throw some long balls (He didn’t have one completion over 20 yards) he at least recovered from looking pretty poor on those first two drives and proved that he could efficiently run the offense if nothing else.