Houston Texans head coach Lovie Smith made the switch back to Mills official on Wednesday.
After two subpar outings by QB Kyle Allen, the Houston Texans will hand the reigns back to second-year quarterback Davis Mills this week.
“Our quarterback this week will be Davis Mills,” Smith stated in his opening remarks. “Some of your questions, you’re going to ask reasons why, we don’t give out lifetime jobs. It’s about performance each week. Didn’t feel like the performance last week warranted another start. When Davis was a starter, sometimes you need a relief pitcher to come in, and that’s what it was. Sometimes you bring a relief pitcher in and he’s doing well, you stay that course. But that’s not the case, so Davis will start for us this week. We expect the two weeks of watching from the sideline to help.”
Smith is hopeful that the observations and mental reps that Mills has been taking the past two weeks will help him:
“As far as things you work on, to me, when you’re in that role, you’re going to do a lot of observing. That’s what you’re going to do as much as anything. He’s going through all of those drills like all of our quarterbacks do. It’s just looking at it from a different perspective, situation from the sideline. Normally observing can help instead of you being the guy that’s always under the gun. I know how he handled it. He was a pro about it. He switched roles with Kyle (Allen) and did whatever he could to help as a backup quarterback. I know he’s excited about another opportunity.”
Smith has no concerns about Mills’ confidence:
“No, not really. We were real about why we made the move and the reasons why. Going back to that statement, we don’t give out permanent jobs. It’s about how you play each week, and we put a lot into your last performance. Davis (Mills) moved into a different role. He continued to be our captain and do all the things that he was doing before. I think the second time around, you kind of appreciate the position you’re in a little bit better. I know that’s the case.”
Smith is aware that Mills played much better last season after being benched midway through the year and that it is possible that situation could play out again:
“I think that’s a good point, yes. When you’ve had an opportunity to play, sit back and then come back, we’re hoping that’s the case. When he came back the next time last year, the second time, he played a lot better. If you’re a competitor, when you’re not playing your best ball, I keep going back to the baseball comparison, sometimes you don’t have it, and you need to just take a step back. I know most of the time when guys come back, we’re going to get their best. That’s what we need right now. It’s just not about the quarterback position, but there’s something, starting off with ball security. We’re losing too many games just based on giving them the ball. It starts with that position.”