As the side door swung open to the media workroom at NRG Stadium, you could hear laughter and a small, friendly back-and-forth conversation between two people.
The first voice was unrecognizable, but the second voice was one that reporters could identify quickly.
In walks the executive vice president and general manager of the Houston Texans, Nick Caserio, with a massive smile on his face from the previous conversation, making his way towards the center of the room, preparing for his annual midseason press conference.
Even though the laughter continued from the previous conversation, before he took his seat, he still had a smile on his face, and one could only ponder if it was a reflection of how the Texans have been playing over the last two games.
After a rough 0-3 start to the season, Houston has put together back-to-back wins over the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens to get their record to 2-3 heading into the Week 6 bye.
During those games, the Texans have outscored their opponents 70-10 as the offense has found some consistency between first-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley and third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Over the past two games, Stroud has thrown for 477 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions.
“He’s done a good job,” said Caserio about Stroud’s season so far. “The last couple of games, he’s played the position the way the position is supposed to be played and made good decisions, been efficient. Completed 81% of his passes. Hasn’t turned the ball over.
“He’s 24 years old, he’s still a young player, even though he’s played a lot of football. You learn by doing. You learn by playing. Each year is going to be a little bit different; each opponent is going to be a little bit different; every situation is going to be a little bit different.”
One of the most significant issues Houston faced during its three-game losing streak was the inefficiency in the offense, as Caley struggled to adjust, which is common for an inexperienced play caller.
The Texans ranked near the bottom of almost every statistical category before finally putting things together in the last five quarters.
“I think it’s evolved,” said Caserio about the offense. “Anytime any of us are put in the position for the first time, you’re going to have to deal with some ups and downs. It’s a learning process. We’ve all been there. I’ve been there. Nick [Caley] is going through it. You look around the league, there’s a lot of coaches that go through that.”
Having been around Caley during their time with the New England Patriots, Caserio has observed his work ethic and mindset towards the game of football, which gave him no reason to panic when things weren’t going so well in the beginning.
“Nick is a smart guy, been around football for a long time, seen a lot of things,” Caserio told reporters on Tuesday. “We’ve made some modifications and adjustments as we’ve gone. We’ve talked about this. You probably figure out what you have with your football team over the first four or five weeks. We have five games in the bank here. Figure out what we’re doing well, what are some of the things we can build on.”
Texans players will be in and out of the building for treatment and working out throughout the week before the team reports back in preparation for their Week 7 Monday Night Football matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.