The head coach addressed the potential future of the headset

O'Brien not yet sure who is calling plays

O'Brien not yet sure who is calling plays
Cody Stoots/SportsMap

The head coach of the Houston Texans isn't ready to declare which voice Deshaun Watson will hear the play calls from next season.

"I think it's so early right now to really talk about any of that," Bill O'Brien said Wednesday from the NFL Scouting Combine when asked who would be the person calling the plays on Sundays.

The only options are O'Brien remaining the man with the microphone or newly promoted offensive coordinator Tim Kelly.

O'Brien was bullish on Kelly's potential as the team's offensive coordinator.

"We have a system in place, he knows the system, he knows where the system needs to be improved, he knows how it can be tweaked, he knows the things that we have to keep doing that we did well last year."

Kelly finds himself in this position after being the team's tight ends coach. O'Brien said the team has a philosophy of preparing young coaches and giving them more as the team's faith in them grows.

Kelly, of course, fits that mold.

"He's run the third down meeting. He's run our Wednesday morning meeting where we introduce the opponents' defense. He's done a lot of things in front of the unit because I do think that you can't just take a guy and say 'OK, he coached tight ends and that's all he ever did' and then you just put him in front of a unit of professional football players. That's not what we've done here."

It very well could still be O'Brien with Kelly as the backup option, or vice versa. As for the current task in front of the team's new offensive coordinator O'Brien trusts Kelly.

"He's had a lot of input into what we do. He's had a big part of the process and he's ready for the challenge."

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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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