The offense will be different in 2022.
Pep Hamilton is the offensive coordinator and Head Coach Lovie Smith explained Tuesday why he's enthused Hamilton will be in charge of that side of the ball.
"First off, he's a football guy," Smith said. "There are certain steps you have to take. Pep has gone through all of those."
Hamilton linked up with Smith and the Bears from 2007 through 2009. The young Hamilton was 32 years old when he began his stint coaching in the Windy City. Since then, Smith's seen growth from a creative mind.
"When I hired him the first time as a quarterbacks coach in Chicago, he's not the same guy (he is) now," Smith said. "But I saw how bright he was, how he dealt with people. He's a detailed guy."
Getting better in the run game is a major point of emphasis for Smith. The Texans mustered an NFL-worst 3.4 yards per attempt in 2021 and that must improve, according to the new head coach. Doing that will mean the Texans must get more rugged on offense.
"When I say he's an offensive coach with a defensive mentality, I'm talking about, yeah, all offensive guys want to pass the ball, but who are you?" Smith said, "For Pep, it's about being a tough football team. To say you're a tough football team, you have to be able to run the football."
Smith explained his first order of business will be rounding out his coaching staff. In addition to Hamilton, a few assistants from 2021 remain, like Running Backs Coach Danny Barrett and Assistant Wide Receivers Coach Ben McDaniels. For Smith, having Hamilton in charge of shoring up that run game and implementing his vision has come together fortuitously.
"I've known Pep Hamilton for a long period of time," Smith said. "It's kind of a perfect storm for him to lead our offense."
Hamilton was the Colts Offensive Coordinator from 2013 through 2015 and served as the Passing Game Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach for the Texans last season.
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