Texans QB Davis Mills gives all the right answers

The question is can those answers translate to improved game play?

Houston Texans QB Davis Mills has been under fire by fans and media for inconsistent play in the early going of this season. It stands to reason that if Mills had played more consistently, the team could have at least 3 wins to this point instead of being 0-3-1.

However, the constant scrutiny and calls for his head have not caused him to shy away from the media, nor take an antagonistic stance. Mills stands before the media each week, addresses the questions asked, regardless of what the question is, and answers them the way you want the quarterback to answer them.

While maybe the on-field maturity is still a work in progress, Mills is always composed off the field.

Mills explained how he goes about balancing proving himself as a second year player with solidifying his role:

“Just go out and play my game every week. It comes down to just going out there and being efficient, doing my job on offense, getting the ball around to the playmakers. I don’t need to go out and make every single play or go out and do too much. If I’m efficient with the ball, getting the ball out of my hands before the pass rush gets there, give my receivers catchable balls, everything else should work itself out.”

He discussed how he has improved in reading defenses:

“A lot of it comes from game film and film study. You have to kind of know their disguise percentage, where they’re trying to start to get to what coverage and quickly recognizing it post-snap. I think in the current state of football, a lot of the designer coverages that defense is doing, it’s tough to do that. What we have on offense is pure progression passing game, stuff like that where we can make it easy for the quarterback. We’re not too much trying to figure a full-blown coverage, but we’re trying to find space in the defense. Obviously, still see middle field open, middle field close with the safeties to start. A lot of it is kind of with what the defense and how complicated they’re trying to show, simplifying it for ourselves on offense.”

He does change plays in the middle of the game as the offense adapts to what they see from the defense:

“Definitely. I think we did that this past week. Different times will pop up where the defense, we get a feel for what they’re running early in the game and what’s working for them. Then we’re going to find ways to go out and attack that specific look if they show it again.”

Although they were part of the same draft class, Mills said he doesn’t compare himself to Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence:

“I don’t think so. He’s a good quarterback. I think I’m a good quarterback. We’re going out there and trying to play within our system and play the best game we can possible. Let the winning team win.”

Mills knows he and his teammates must be prepared for the Jaguars blitz:

“We’ve got to communicate it well from a protection standpoint and all of our passing schemes. We have to be able to mix up run and pass so we can keep them guessing, tire them out before we take some big-time shots. Just mix in different looks on offense so we can keep them guessing. Not much more than that.”