O'Brien Interview

Bill O’Brien says many elements of the offense weren’t used last year

Bill O’Brien says many elements of the offense weren’t used last year
The Texans announced that training camp will begin on Thursday, July 26. Houston Texans/Facebook

This article originally appeared on espn975.com.

Texans head coach Bill O’Brien joins John Granato and Lance Zierlein on The Bench and talks about the approach and preparation he sees from QB Deshaun Watson, and how much other teams will adjust to Watson’s tendencies. O’Brien doesn’t believe they were able to use all the elements of the offense last year, and they will have plenty of new concepts to keep other teams guessing.

O’Brien also addresses all the non-football issues he has dealt with such as Bob McNair’s comments, serious health issues for Andre Hal and David Quessenberry, and former GM Rick Smith leaving his position.

The Texans head coach also talks about rookie safety Justin Reid and how impressed he is with him so far, though he mentions the players haven’t put the pads on yet, so they still have a long way to go. Finally, John and Lance talk to Bill about his relationship with the media, and how he really enjoys interacting with them.

Make sure you check out the full fantastic interview here. You can catch The Bench with John Granato and Lance Zierlein weekdays from 7-9am on ESPN 97.5 radio. You can listen live or on demand with the ESPN 97.5 radio app.

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The Astros are looking to avoid being swept at home. Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros are looking to avoid an unexpected sweep Wednesday night as they wrap up their three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians at Daikin Park.

Winners of six of their last ten despite back-to-back losses, the Astros (55-37) turn to left-hander Brandon Walter (1-1, 4.15 ERA) to steady the ship and salvage the finale. Walter has been reliable in his recent outings, and he’ll face a Guardians lineup that has struggled to string together hits, batting just .204 over their last 10 games.

Cleveland (42-48) entered the series on a 10-game losing streak, but now has a chance to sweep the AL West leaders and take the season series. Slade Cecconi (3-4, 3.56 ERA) gets the start for the Guardians. The 26-year-old righty has kept his ERA under 4.00 this year and will look to neutralize a Houston offense that leads the American League in batting average at .260 and is hitting .295 over the last 10 games.

All eyes remain on Jose Altuve, who has driven in 16 runs and slugged four homers over his last 10 games. He’s been the heartbeat of the Houston offense, while Isaac Paredes continues to deliver steady power at the top of the lineup. The Astros have scored five or more runs in eight of their last ten games, but the bullpen faltered late in both of the first two games of this series.

Cleveland counters with the steady presence of Carlos Santana and the always-dangerous Jose Ramirez. Though Ramirez is just 6-for-38 in his last 10 games, he’s delivered key home runs in the series and remains the Guardians’ biggest threat.

With the season series now 3-2 in favor of Cleveland, Wednesday’s matchup carries added weight for the Astros as they look to regroup and avoid letting momentum slip further. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -144, Guardians +121; over/under is 8 runs

Astros lineup for the finale

What stands out? First off, Jake Meyers returns to the lineup after missing a couple of games with a calf issue. With Meyers back in the two-spot, Cam Smith returns to hitting cleanup. Caratini is playing first base again and hitting fifth, followed by Yainer Diaz (C), Cooper Hummel (DH), Taylor Trammell (LF), and Mauricio Dubon (SS).

 

  Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.

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