Nick Caley had been picky in the past about joining a new team as an offensive coordinator. Before joining the Houston Texans, he had interviewed elsewhere and elected to turn down the job.
So, what stood out about the Texans to make him the next play-caller?
“The people,” Caley said Thursday at his introductory press conference. “Start with Coach [DeMeco Ryans], ownership, the people in this building, the coaching staff, [general manager] Nick Caserio. There’s a lot of really, really good people, and they’re aligned. That’s what is really intriguing to me. Was really intriguing, and I’m excited to get to work with everybody here.”
Caley, who spent the past two seasons working under Sean McVay in Los Angeles, will replace Bobby Slowik as the new man in command of the offense. His background might come from the McVay coaching tree, but he previously spent seven seasons honing his craft under Bill Belichick as a member of the New England Patriots.
Will the offense scheme be more derived from the teachings from New England? Will he lean more into the up-tempo of Los Angeles’ approach?
“It is going to be Houston’s,” Caley said of the design. “It is going to be our scheme based on what we do. I don’t say that to throw any curveballs. It really is.”
Caley and Ryans spent roughly 30 minutes with the media on Thursday afternoon. Here are some of the top quotes from the new Texans offensive mastermind.