After a 1-8-1 start to the season, the Houston Texans are trying something different. For his part, rookie running back Dameon Pierce is on board with the change at quarterback from Davis Mills to Kyle Allen. Though he’d be on board with sticking with the man who has been starting all season as well if that was the play.
After initially going out of his way to pretend that a quarterback change wasn’t in the offing for the Houston Texans, Lovie Smith admitted that Kyle Allen would be getting the nod against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Once Smith admitted a change had been made, it was a little like the top had been popped off a can of Pringles. Everyone had been working hard to keep official word from leaking out of the locker room, even if most of the Texans’ media knew Davis was now QB2. With that pressure released, Dameon Pierce once again showed that while he’s just a rookie, he’s something a bit more than that with this rebuilding team looking for leaders.
Pierce spoke with Fox 26 Sports Director Mark Berman after Friday’s practice and said all the right things about the change for the most part. Though he did give away the fact that perhaps some of the Texans players were looking for something to be done to try and spark this lost season.
Dameon Pierce on Kyle Allen named the starting QB: “It’s new. It’s fresh. Something we’re trying out. The whole team is behind this decision including Davis. There’s no room for feelings or any room for trying to make a case in this offense..We rock with Kyle. We rock with Davis” pic.twitter.com/yzeMs0j6yh
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) November 25, 2022
Pierce said that the decision to go with Kyle Allen was “new” and “fresh.” He added that the Houston Texans teammates are behind Davis Mills’ benching to try and find some way to win.
The rookie running back, who is well on his way to a 1,000-yard season also made it clear that even if someone personally likes Mills, there isn’t room for that kind of favoritism in an NFL locker room.
Now that Pierce has clarified that the Houston Texans are on board with the call, the next step is to see how everyone responds on Sunday.