Houston Texans Media Conference

Sunday, October 31, 2021

Houston, Texas, USA

Davis Mills

Postgame Press Conference


Rams - 38, Texans - 22

Q. With the pressure you saw today. What did you see that the Rams did so effectively to get you?

DAVIS MILLS: They have a really good front seven that we were fighting really hard to protect against. But they've got good players on that side of the ball. I mean, they got after me a couple times.

But I thought overall our line played extremely well, protection, handled what they were bringing. No crazy pressures or anything. And I thought we handled it well overall.

Q. How do you feel you were handling that pressure versus how you were when you got thrown in there?

DAVIS MILLS: A lot better. I think I'm seeing it a lot better than I initially did, going out there making sure -- I see what I need to and don't really need to see much more than that. I've definitely been improved from my first game.

Q. And you've done well. Talked to the staff about maybe doing it more. What is it that works with you about pushing the tempo?

DAVIS MILLS: I've just always been comfortable pushing the tempo out there. I think it's a little easier as a quarterback to just find a rhythm when you're just making quick decisions, spreading the ball across the field to your different playmakers on the edge. And I think we do it well as a team because we're built well for stuff like that.

Q. The score as it was, do you take anything from the fourth quarter, just being able to do anything, and obviously there's no moral victories in football, but what do you take away from the end of the game?

DAVIS MILLS: It's tough. The results of the game is still the result. It wasn't a win today. But I think the guys were starting to rally around the energy we felt from the success in the fourth quarter and I think that's something that we can carry into this week's practice and moving forward into next week.

Q. How do you internalize going 12 quarters without a touchdown or however long it was that you guys went without touching a touchdown, only scoring five points how does that affect you on the offense?

DAVIS MILLS: It's tough. It's frustrating at times. But the guys in the locker room still rally together. We know that we're capable of a lot and we just have to go out there and make plays. I think we showed that later in the game today.

Q. What did you see on the interception?

DAVIS MILLS: It was just a bad decision by me. I thought Danny was going to be able to get right around the guy I ended up forcing it there when I could either have tucked it and ran or throw it away.

Q. In the second half sacked four times in that span. Were you looking for Don in those times, what was the adjustment there and how did you track that and learn from it?

DAVIS MILLS: I think it's tough. I think those first drives in the second half, we were starting, playing from behind the 6, especially those third and longs. It's tough to play offense when the defense knows what you need to do and we were in passing situations.

So we've just got to try to avoid those situations. And then I've got to be better with protection and make sure I'm getting the ball out of my hands before those guys get to me.

Q. Coach praised you a couple times after holding on the ball after tough hits how are you doing work on that and did you have to take tough hits?

DAVIS MILLS: The biggest thing I emphasized was protecting the football. I know if the pocket ever collapses, I'm about to get hit, I need to hold onto that thing because a fumble is the worst thing that can happen in a situation like. Can't make a bad play worse than. I have to emphasize that, protect the football.

Q. On those last few drives in the fourth quarter, can you take and apply to the first games, where do you see the differences between why one thing works and why another doesn't?

DAVIS MILLS: I don't know how to answer that entirely. That's a lot for the coaches to assess and see how we're going to game plan moving forward. But I think we function well as an offense when we're pushing the tempo, spreading the ball around, run and pass, mixing it up.

Q. The game, starting the game as a quarterback, how do you self-evaluate this?

DAVIS MILLS: I think continual progression from the first game I was in. I think I played better each and every week. That's the thing I've been challenging myself to do. Just get better each week, protect the football. And if I do make a mistake out there, make sure I don't make the same mistake twice.

Q. How much input do you have in a game plan week-to-week? I know you're a rookie, but how much input do you have? Are you collaborating yourself like what you just told us, you feel better being up tempo getting the ball out?

DAVIS MILLS: We'll talk back and forth with the coaches. Obviously they're the ones sculpting the game plan. If there's stuff I really like or dislike in that, I have the feedback I can give them to make sure we're talking about it.

But the coaches have come out with great game plans each and every week. We've just got to go out and execute it better.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
114273-1-1045 2021-10-31 21:11:00 GMT

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