Q. (Regarding putting his stamp on the offense.)
NICK CALEY: Yeah, I think everything. To answer your question, really it's not my stamp specifically. It's what suits the strengths of the guys we got. I think we're in the discovery process through phase two when we get to work with them on the field. Get an opportunity to see the different skill sets, different routes, different schemes we can potentially deploy this year.
So it's really an evolving process, and this is the time to really kind of put the rubber on road and see what we can do and evolve from there.
Q. (No microphone.)
NICK CALEY: I do. I do. We're tracking and growing every day. We are learning. There are mistakes and trials and errors and we are growing and improving and eliminating repeated mistakes. The guys have a great attitude. They are working their tails off.
Yeah, I've been very pleased with everybody.
Q. (Regarding CJ Stroud/quarterbacks).
NICK CALEY: Yeah, they love the position. They take a lot of pride in what they do. Yeah. They love football.
Q. What does Nick Caley offense look like?
NICK CALEY: Depends on the players we got. That's not a cop out; that's the reality of it. So it can evolve, be willing to change and do whatever we need to do that's necessary based on who we have and who we're playing.
Whether that's again, you want to get big in terms of multiple personnel or not. Gap schemes, zone schemes, committing to more play-action, that's going to be dependant on what your personnel dictates and who you have available.
That's the great thing about this year. We get to do a lot of different things and put a lot of guys in different positions to run certain routes.
Some of these guys have never done anything, or certain routes we have, and they might be exclusively outside receivers that we are working outside and vice versa.
So it's a good opportunity to see what these guys can do.
Q. CJ said that he's going to have a little bit more on his plate at the quarterback position than maybe the first two years. What goes into that, and what sort of things might be on his plate previously he hadn't had?
NICK CALEY: It's like anything else, the more you can do the better off you're going to end up being. He wants to have the ability to be able to have control. When you're at that position there is a lot of great value in being able to fix problems that come up or unscouted looks that come up.
It doesn't happen overnight. That's for sure. It's repetition. It's comfort with the offense. He's working hard. He's done a good job. We'll just keep growing that.
Q. How long do you think being a first-time playcaller, how much can you use that to your advantage... (No microphone.)
NICK CALEY: Yeah, you know, I think that, again, it's like anything else. We're going to continue to build our scheme as we get into the season. The season is a long ways from now. Honestly, all we're focused on is trying to get better every single day, deploy the different schemes that we want to experiment with, see what fits us, and we'll see.
I know this: We have good staff. We have good players here. We have good guys that love football. We are trying to grow every day. I'm not worried about what's going to happen in September. I'm just trying to get better every single day here.
Q. DeMeco said it will take time for the offense to gel together. In the short amount of time you have been together, how have you...
NICK CALEY: Yeah, I feel really good about it. I do. We've got great character in this locker room in general on both sides of the ball. Kicking game. We got good guys. They love football. You guys been around them a lot. They got a smile on their faces. They love to compete.
That's what you want to be around, competitive guys that find joy in what they do. We have a staff full of guys like that, starting with our head coach, okay, trickling down. That's makes it fun to come to work.
We have a great group of guys and we are getting a lot of stuff done.
Q. (No microphone.)
NICK CALEY: Yeah, he's working. You know, it's like anything else, there is an adaptation. He's working and he's got a great attitude and great way about him. Just really trying to get with Cole, Zach, the offensive line, the vets, and trying to refine his skills and learn the technics that might have been foreign to him coming from Minnesota to here. Like anything else, he's doing a good job. He's working hard.
Q. ...use OTAs or mini camp to watch what the offensive line can do and how you all are mixing and matching right now, but how much are you going to be able to use to solidify going into training camp?
NICK CALEY: I think it's like anything else. I don't think anything is going to be solved here in the next two weeks. It's a progression. There are things this time of year not having pads on, we can't hit gap double teams. We are not going to come off the ball and capture zone combinations as much.
When you get into training camp a lot of those things come to life, which carries over into the play-action game, you play passes on early downs, and then passing off picks and stuff like that.
So it's a little more of a controlled environment, but we're certainly going to build off everything we do and continue to build up until the time we report back here.
Q. Obviously CJ is watching during the throwing part of the practice today. Where he is physically?
NICK CALEY: Yeah, he's locked in every step of the way. No concerns whatsoever. I know DeMeco has hit on this already. Everybody has a specific routine relative to their own routine, whether it's football, athletic training, et cetera, and he's doing a great job and he's out here and he's working.
Q. What stands out about Christian Harris?
NICK CALEY: He's a pro. A, he's a pro. He is highly competitive, and he's versatile. He really is. You talk about a guy that's steady every single day. I've really enjoyed having the opportunity to be around him.
Q. What is CJ able to take away when he's not under center during the throwing portions, and what he's missing out on?
NICK CALEY: Well, it starts in the film room, starts in the meeting and the preparation going into it and trying to prepare and learning the details and nuances of everything we are doing. You get mental reps out here. Being out here, he's involved in all the communication, he's tapped in, he's into it.
I've been very pleased when he's out here.
Q. (No microphone.)
NICK CALEY: The fun part for me, to be honest with you, is establishing the foundation, which we talked about in phase one. Just terminology, nomenclature, the language, getting past that barrier. There is also some same-as, some of the verbiage.
Then the second thing is establishing the fundamentals. How we want to hit blocks, run routes, what the routes are called.
I would say the third element to that to piggyback off that is really teaching the details of specifically how you want to run routes. What are the concepts, details of the concepts, et cetera. What's the intent of the play.
That's an important part. We don't just call plays to call plays. There is an intentionality of why we're calling every single play for specific reasons. This is a great opportunity to really establish that foundation and move forward with that.
Q. (No microphone.)
NICK CALEY: Yes. Yes. It's an -- everybody will block. We're going to be committed to that in the run game. That's part of who we are. That's toughness, physicality. That's nonnegotiable period.
Q. DeMeco consistency talked about finding offensive lineman who had the right mindset. What's that mindset look like to you?
NICK CALEY: Yeah, consistency, dependability, toughness, the ability to grow and take coaching. Those are the most important things. If you have guys that care, if you have guys that have capacity, which we do, okay, and you have guys that work hard and take coaching, you're going to move the needle and improve.
Q. (No microphone.)
NICK CALEY: Yeah.
Q. (Regarding sweet spot.)
NICK CALEY: That's the job of us as coaches, too, to assess where we are, and, again, building it. There is not a rush to throw everything at it. There is a progression to how we teach, everything that we do from start to finish, and we assess that as a staff and move forward.
Q. (No microphone.)
NICK CALEY: They're competitive. They're versatile. They stay grounded through the catch. They compete into the game. They're taking notes. They're great people and they love football. It's been fun or all of us for all the different positions to go out there and see what all these guys can do.
Q. I know you like tight ends, but what are you seeing from what are you seeing from...
NICK CALEY: It's tough. You turn on the tape, you guys have all seen it. He plays with his hair on fire. There is no substitute for that. I appreciate the way he plays the game.
I've had a lot of respect for him dating back to his days at Ohio State.
Q. (No microphone.)
NICK CALEY: Yeah, just clarity and communication, building a foundation, encouraging them to ask why. You know, there is no questions that should be left at the table. If you got a question you need to know, ask. They have done a great job of that. Really good coaching staff and teachers and people. I think understanding that we are in this together. This isn't coaches -- we're in this -- we're Texans. This is what we're going to do and just keep moving the needle day by day and stack days, to be honest with you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports