Houston Texans coach David Culley has one aspect of his career he can share with the 2021 NFL draft class and undrafted free agents: he is a rookie, too.
The 65-year-old coach takes over as the man on the sidelines for the first time in his career. In his last stop with the Baltimore Ravens, where he was the receivers coach and passing game coordinator from 2019-20, Culley got to see the effects of what not having a preseason did to the development of the rookies.
In 2021, the NFL will provide a preseason schedule of three games. Culley joined Texans Radio play-by-play Marc Vandermeer and sideline reporter John Harris to talk about how preseason games are critical to the development of the rookies.
“As a rookie, I found out last year, no preseason games, the rookies that I thought was ready weren’t quite as ready simply because the speed of the game just hit them like that,” said Culley. “I saw some rookies that were a little more hesitant than you expected because of not having those preseason games, and that’s why right now having the three preseason games, that is invaluable for new players, especially rookies, to get out on the field.”
Here are three areas where the preseason games will help the rookies, according to Culley.
Playing time
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
“There’s no replacement for actually playing,” Culley said. “There’s no replacement for putting in your system and putting it in against an opponent and executing what you do. You have to do that. “And, me, last year, I felt like when I was where I was at before, the one thing that I felt like not having any preseason games was I felt like we didn’t really start the season as well as you would have been as sharp as you normally would be because of not having those preseason games.
Timing in the passing game
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Said Culley: “I didn’t feel like having as in the passing game is more so critical than the run game in timing, not being able to get that just through training camp. And having the preseason games now, you actually get to go out and execute those kinds of things and get a sense of timing and what not.”
Camaraderie
(AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
“I think now it will help our rookies and obviously our new guys that are on this team right now with the camaraderie, learning each other, playing off of each other, and you only get that playing the game,” said Culley. “And those three preseason games are important.”
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