Turf Show Times
To open the 2025 NFL season, the Los Angeles Rams are facing what has become a common theme, an ex-coach who used his time in L.A. to climb the coaching ladder and looks to turn the tables on his former bosses. Week 1 brings the Houston Texans and their new offensive coordinator, Nick Caley, to SoFi Stadium.
Caley spent the last two seasons (2023-24) with the Rams as tight ends coach and added the title pass game coordinator for Year 2. He came to L.A. after eight seasons as an offensive coach for the New England Patriots, seven of those schooling tight ends. Caley took Rams senior offensive assistant Jerry Schuplinski along to Houston. Their ties run deep, both are John Carrol alumni and were together in New England.
The Texans hiring of Caley has a sense of deja vu around it. One of the major tasks facing him in Houston is improving a porous offensive line. After giving up 38 sacks in 2023, that number rose to 52 last year and although the run game fared a little better, they were a mid-pack offense. If you recall, after a disastrous 2022 offensive line performance, L.A. brought in Caley and another former Patriot, Ryan Wendell, to upgrade the offensive line play.
Conventional thinking would be that the Texans offense will be very similar to what Caley has been a part of in the past. To his credit, he’s went to lengths saying that his offensive scheme won’t be a Los Angeles Rams nor New England Patriot clone, it will be built on Houston’s individual talent.
That said, preseason games show schemes quite similar to what L.A. runs. In general, trying to be multiple from formations that all look similar. Caley was likely holding his cards close to his chest, but did show a lot of three wide receiver sets, condensed formations, and receiver stacks. The only thing really noticeably missing was pre-snap and at-snap motion. Houston employed very little and it was usually outside receiver down into or out of a condensed look. Some, but not a lot of two tight end looks were used, very akin to what the Rams do.
The run game was also very similar, a downhill attack. Duo, inside zone, straight ahead 1on1 drive. Just enough wide zone to run the counter bootleg pass. Deja vu comes into play here as well, Caley has paired with promoted offensive line coach Cole Popovich. Like the Rams Wendell, he’s an ex-Patriots coach from the school of legendary tough guy Dante Scarnecchia. The Texans do have a fullback on the roster and used one on a handful of preseason game reps, but he’s not a huge human and works primarily on special teams duty.
In theory, it could a hybrid of of the Rams motion and simplicity subterfuge, the Patriots downhill run game and options-based pass routes, and/or what’s left of the 49ers rhythm and precision scheme the Texans have...
