Davis Mills heads into his first offseason as a professional with a new head coach and a new offensive coordinator, but both Lovie Smith and Pep Hamilton are familiar faces. The latter shared some of what Mills must do over the new few months.
"This offseason, we'll spend just as much time trying to gain a better understanding of what the opponent is trying to defend and do to us, which is going to help him to eliminate confirmation hitches," Hamilton said in a Tuesday interview with John Lopez and Landry Locker on SportsRadio 610 AM.
Both Smith and Hamilton, along with Special Teams Coordinator Frank Ross, met with the media yesterday. Hamilton was promoted from Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach to Offensive Coordinator. In 2021, he worked closely with the rookie Mills, who completed 66.8 percent of his passes, with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 11 starts.
In 2022, Mills will operate in an offense that Hamilton said will "accentuate the strengths of our players." With so many personnel changes coming in the new few months, Hamilton wouldn't tip his hand on exactly the type of offense the Texans will run.
"It's ultimately about us putting our quarterback in a position to be successful and do the things he does well," Hamilton said.
Smith, who was named the Head Coach Monday evening, has seen quite a bit of Mills since May of 2021. Supporting the second-year signal-caller with a better ground game will be an important part of Houston's improvement in 2022.
"It always started with the quarterback," Smith said. "And I know it's a little broad right now, but being able to run the football and Pep has a lot of experience in a lot of different ways. It's not just one thing you're going to do."
Hamilton praised Mills for being "an underrated athlete" and is looking forward to the progress he can make from Year 1 to Year 2.
"We don't give him enough credit for being a guy that can move around and extend plays when he has to," Hamilton said. "For a quarterback to be able to play winning football, he's got to be able to make all the throws. It's all about anticipation and accuracy. Knowing when to pull the trigger."
At the conclusion of the regular season, Mills described his eagerness to throw with his receivers, tight ends and running backs in the spring and summer. He'll get that chance now, with a new offense to learn under Hamilton.
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