HOUSTON – Hunkered down low to the ground while barking out instructions about he wants his offensive line to operate in the trenches, Cole Popovich was in a teaching mode.
About creating leverage. About technique. About his lowest man wins philosophy. About applying the craft of blocking to stonewall pass rushers to protect quarterback C.J. Stroud and open holes for running back David Montgomery.
Recommended Videos
Heading into his fourth season with the Texans, the offensive line coach and run game coordinator has a clear vision of what he wants to see from a group overhauled again with a significant investment of financial investments and resources this year.
“The two main things are tough and smart, I just want to see tough and physical play,” Popovich said. “When you’re watching the tape, you’re really looking for awareness. Does the guy communicate with other people? That’s kind of like the smart piece of it. How does this guy learn? What does he know? What doesn’t he know?
“Does he have an ability to learn new stuff or not? Those two traits stand out more than anything else. They’ve got to be tough and they’ve got to be smart. I’m happy with all the additions. We don’t even have any pads on right now. So, they’ve got a long way to go. Once we get to camp, we’ll really see what we’ve got.”
Spoken like a true old-school coach, a former Fresno State starting guard and freshman All-American steeped in the fundamentals of how to win at the line of scrimmage.
So much of what Popovich believes in hearkens back to his time with the New England Patriots where he earned two Super Bowl rings working for Bill Belichick that includes an epic comeback overtime victory engineered by Tom Brady to defeat the Atlanta Falcons after falling behind with a 28-3 deficit.
When Popovich was hired by Belichick after paying dues at several colleges, including Los Angeles Valley, Fresno City, Utah State and Minot State, he was mentored by legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarneccia.
As a retired Scarneccia recalled in a recent telephone interview with KPRC 2, Popovich initially kept his mouth shut and listened, took detailed notes and asked questions to gain more knowledge. It was about getting better as a coach, not about trying to wow Scarneccia, 78, who had already seen it all and heard it all in his three decades with the Patriots.
The continued growth of Popovich from a coaching assistant to now in a larger role and his leader of men approach is something that Scarneccia takes immense pride in.
“Cole is a really good coach, he’s a very smart guy, and he’s gonna bust his ass to do it as good as he can,” Scarneccia said. “He’s a very bright guy, really respected by the players. He’s a guy that will ask questions and even certainly make my suggestions on your toes. Someone I enjoyed being around him, a great family guy, You don’t know everything, so learn and listen.
“That’s advice that I’ve always given to Young coaches. Cole had a divide and conquer approach to offensive breakdowns, computer stuff. He’s a bright, hard-working guy, and he sees the game from a bigger picture standpoint. That’s going to serve the Texans, DeMeco Ryans and Nick Caserio very well.”
That formative time with Scarnecci and in New England as a coaching assistant, an assistant running backs coach and co-offensive line coach stays with Popovich every day. He can still hear Scarneccia’s words of wisdom in his head.
“Everything,” Popovich said when asked to identify how much of an impact Scarneccia had on his coaching style. “Literally every day. James Ferentz and I, we always talk about it like that. What that guy meant to us and our careers, I can’t really tell you enough.
“Literally everything I do always goes back to what I learned from Dante. None of this would look like this. I can’t nail down one thing. It’s just everything. It all comes from him.”
Popovich is encouraged overall by the trajectory of a group that made tangible improvements last season.
Stroud was sacked a career-low 23 times last season after being sacked a career-high 52 times during the regular season two years ago and 11 more times during that postseason.
It’s about much more than just keeping Stroud standing and giving him sufficient time to find downfield targets like wide receiver Nico Collins and Dalton Schultz.
It’s about building out a dynamic running game after struggling to run the football last season.
Popovich operates as a right-hand man to offensive coordinator and former Patriots colleague Nick Caley. It’s a constant exchange of ideas between them along with quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski, another former Patriots staffer, running backs coach and assistant head coach Danny Barrett, receivers coach and passing game coordinator Ben McDaniels, the brother of Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and new tight ends coach James Ferentz, a former Patriots and Texans center.
“Cole is a brilliant coach,” Ryans said. “He’s a very smart guy, and he’s not just offensive line driven. He’s very thoughtful and seeing the entire picture of the offensive line, and how it all fits together. He’s very thoughtful in making sure, which guys do I need, what do they do well, and he does a really good job. If you guys ever get the opportunity to see him work with his individuals and how he takes the time to coach the guys up on all the fine, small details, that’s really important for an offensive lineman.
“It’s him being detailed, being thorough as a coach and never stuck on what he’s always done. He’s always trying to help his players, always trying to improve his players. To me that’s the sign of a really good coach. He is an excellent communicator. Does a really great job on gameday as well. We need to make adjustments. Cole is the guy who sees it, can make the adjustments and get us in the right situations. He’s all the things you want in a coach.”
Popovich has a tough-love approach to coaching. Yes, there are some lighthearted moments here and there. For the most part, though, he’s about serious business and development.
Playing for Popovich, second-year left tackle Aireontae Ersery has made significant improvements since the start of his rookie season.
He likes how Popovich operates with a no-nonsense personality and is deeply committed to making the offensive line as good as possible.
“You can tell his mentality, how he wants us to play, how we go about our business,” Ersery said. “We respect him, and it’s a mutual agreement. He means a lot to the whole line.
“He brings a different energy, a different attitude. And our guys, we like him, we love him. We just love his mentality and how he rubs off on everybody in the room.”
Ed Ingram, the Texans’ veteran right guard, decided to forego free agency this spring. He wanted to keep playing for Popovich and signed a three-year, $37.5 million contract that included a $10 million signing bonus.
After being drafted in the second round by the Minnesota Vikings, the former All-Southeastern Conference selection and national champion from LSU ultimately lost his starting job. It was obviously time for a fresh start.
Traded to the Texans in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick, Ingram started 14 games last season for a playoff squad. He resurrected his career as one of the highest graded offensive guards in the league. Ingram attributes that turnaround to taking stock of his career and being coached by Popovich.
“What better place for them to be than Houston?” Ingram said. “I came here, I excelled. Shout out to Cole Popovich. He never let me get complacent, and he always challenged me. Personally, I’ve always thought I’m a great player. All I need is the right person to help me. Coming here was probably the best thing to ever happen to me in my career, coming here and having a coach.
“Pretty much take me under his wing and kind of hone in my skills, because the skills were there. It just needed to be honed in and just controlled a little bit. It has helped me out tremendously.”
The Texans have dramatically rebooted their offensive line.
A key move: signing gritty former Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl guard Wyatt Teller to a two-year, $23 million contract.
Teller is known for his tenacity, nasty streak and finishing blocks.
“Just his play style, just the way he carries himself on the field every day, he’s got a lot of experience,” Popovich said. “There’s a lot of young guys in that room. Another mentor. I think for the young guys to watch him also in that learning process and to see, here’s this guy that’s already established and how he’s studying and the notes that he’s taking and how he listens and the questions he has, it’s really just showing them how to get there on their own. Really happy to have him here.”
They added former Indianapolis Colts right tackle Braden Smith on a two-year, $25 million deal. Smith is making progress after dealing with a neck injury that required surgery. He’s tracking toward a full recovery for training camp after being limited during the spring.
They retained Ingram.
And they drafted Georgia Tech All-American guard Keylan Rutgledge in the first round and he is competing with Jake Andrews for the starting center job.
Rutledge recently signed a four-year, $19.276 million fully guaranteed contract last week that includes a $10.479 million signing bonus, has been as advertised since his arrival in Houston.
“I think it’s the same stuff that we saw in the draft process,” said Popovich, who worked out Rutledge privately in Georgia shortly before the NFL draft. “He’s tough, he’s physical. He’s really smart, picks up on stuff really fast.”
Playing for Popovich has been exactly what Rutledge expected.
“He’s all-ball,” Rutledge said. “He’s kind of what you want in a line coach. You want him to be all-ball. Every little thing you do wrong, he wants you to be on it. You want a guy like that to be on you. It’s going to make you a better player in the long run.”
Massive former Pro Bowl offensive tackle Trent Brown is back as the swing tackle on a one-year, $7 million deal.
Brown played a lot of good football last season and the 6-foot-8, 380-pound former Patriots lineman could step in at right tackle if Smith isn’t ready.
“I’ve had Trent multiple times now, I love having him here,” Popovich said. “He understands our system really well, understands the techniques and what we’re trying to do.
“He pulls guys aside all the time: ‘Hey, this is really what he’s looking for here, what he’s saying, just do this.’ Sometimes, you need to hear it a different way and then it’ll click for you guys.”
The Texans traded for bruising running back David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions and signed him to a two-year, $16.5 million contract.
Montgomery earned the nickname “Knuckles” in Detroit for his hard-nosed running style.
“Really fits what we want to be about, he goes very downhill, he’s very physical,” Popovich said. “This guy is a total pro. Added some great leadership really to our whole offense. Just a really sharp guy.
“Really exactly what you’re looking for. Tough, smart, same thing that we’re looking for really across our whole offense.”
As Ryans has emphasized repeatedly, they want to establish a blue-collar, punishing running game after struggling to run the football last season when Pro Bowl runner Joe Mixon missed the entire season with a mysterious foot injury.
“We’ve got the right guys to do it,” Ersery said. “DeMeco says, ‘We want to run the football.’ We want to be downhill, pound the ball. The identity starts in the run. It takes a lot of pressure off of C.J. You know, we get the run game going. It opens up the passing game. Definitely excited. ..
“I think the sky’s the limit. Last year was last year. We put that to bed already. We are more focused on what this unit can do and what this unit can be. I think our unit can be very, very special, We have young guys flying around, making plays, wanting to hit people in the mouth. It’s been refreshing.”
Once the Texans settled on an offensive line last season after injuries and several line shuffles were scuttled during an 0-3 start, the team ultimately went on a 10-game winning streak and reached the AFC divisional round.
They lost at that stage of the postseason for the third year in a row, though, and are now 0-7 all-time. Because Brown’s ankle didn’t respond well before kickoff, he was deactivated. Tytus Howard, traded this offseason to the Cleveland Browns, was moved to right tackle to replace Brown from left guard.
Stroud was sacked three times and intercepted a career-high four times. Running back Woody Marks was held to 17 rushing yards on 14 carries as the Texans rushed for just 48 yards on 22 carries for a 2.2 average.
It was an extremely rough day for the entire offseason, including the offensive line.
That’s the kind of performance the Texans want to avoid in the future.
And they’re feeling good about the state of the offensive line and the offense as a whole heading into training camp where they’re expected to enter the first day with Ersery at left tackle, Teller at left guard, Andrews at center as he battles Rutledge, Ingram at right guard and Smith or Brown at right tackle.
“Right now, I think we’re trending in the right direction,” Popovich said. “Just kind of evaluate how the group’s looking, you’ve got to see a lot of different guys together. It’s not just like an individual evaluation, but it’s the combinations of different people that you’re trying to figure out: ‘What works best here?’
‘We’ll keep mixing them up. I hope that through camp we can really kind of nail down the top five guys as soon as possible. But, however long it takes, it takes."
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com