DeMeco's presser was electric. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
The Houston Texans hit a home run with the hiring of DeMeco Ryans to be the franchise’s next head coach.
For the first time in a long time, there is a sense of optimism with the organization. Ryans’ introductory press conference only solidified that.
Ryans said it was a “no-brainer” to choose the Texans over any other head coaching gig in the league. It is a homecoming for the former linebacker that was selected by Houston in the 2006 draft. This is his dream job, and his level of commitment to rebuild the team to prominence is infectious.
When general manager Nick Caserio and owner Cal McNair met him during their Zoom interview a few weeks back, they both caught the Ryans fever. It was one of the most impressive interviews they’ve ever had, Caserio told reporters on Thursday.
Even though San Francisco was just a few days away from playing the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, Ryans knew where he wanted to be for the 2023 season and beyond.
“I want to come home. This is my dream job. Let’s make this thing happen,” were the parting words Ryans told McNair and Caserio at the end of their meeting.
From that point on, it was a matter of waiting.
Since then, it appears a majority of the city has caught the Ryans fever too. Fans and followers of the Texans almost unanimously approve of the move. Even former players have it as well. NRG Stadium was filled with notable former Texans, including Andre Johnson and Brian Cushing, on Thursday. Numerous current players also showed up.
Now the real work begins
Houston has a lot of work to do with numerous resources to help. With two first-round draft picks and a plethora of draft capital and cap space over the coming years to go along with it, Ryans will be tasked with helping lead the team back to relevance.
He will not do it alone. One of the biggest lessons he’s learned in his young coaching career is that it is all about collaboration with the front office, Ryans said. It is something that must be music to Caserio’s ears.
Ryans and Caserio will be looking for players that play with precision, effort, and physicality. Ryans, who has starred as a defensive coordinator in his young coaching career, even has a vision for the Texans’ offense too.
Ryans want to own the line of scrimmage. He wants the team to establish the run game first, but he also wants to be balanced and be able to operate with play action and be efficient.
When it comes to coaching, Ryans knows he needs to be adaptable. That goes for everyone he brings into the organization. He wants a diverse coaching staff, and what he means by that is having coaches with different levels of experience. He wants coaches that are great teachers. He wants guys that are positive and that can connect with players.
Ultimately, a reason why a lot of people have the Ryans fever is because for the first time in a long time, it seems like the Texans have a plan. They have a specific vision. Above all else, Ryans wants to be here just as much as Houston supporters want him to succeed.
“We want to bring a winning team,” Ryans said. “That is what we want to bring to Houston. We want to bring you guys a team that you’re going to be proud of as fans. We want to fill up NRG Stadium and we want you guys to truly make this a home field advantage for us again.”
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When DeMeco Ryans became coach of the Houston Texans before last season, the two-time Pro Bowl linebacker brought his swarm defense with him.
It’s an identity the Texans have embraced as they prepare for their second straight trip to the divisional round of the playoffs Saturday where they’ll face the Kansas City Chiefs.
“You really can’t go out there if you’re not about it,” Ryans said.
And while every member of the defense has bought into Ryans’ aggressive style, there is one player who epitomizes it like no one else.
“Will every time,” cornerback Derek Stingley said of defensive end Will Anderson Jr.
Anderson, last year’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, has taken his game to another level this season and had 1½ sacks last week after piling up 11 in the regular season.
He described what playing swarm defense means to him.
“Do whatever it takes to get the ball, attacking the ball,” Anderson said. “We’ve got this saying in our D-line room; ‘who gonna pop it off?’ Whoever pops it off first, that’s swarming. Like who’s gonna make the big play? And I feel like there’s a lot of guys on defense that pop it off, who swarm.”
The Texans intercepted Justin Herbert a career-high four times, including one which was returned for a score, in last week’s win over the Chargers after he had been picked off just three times all season. Houston’s four takeaways in the first week of the playoffs are tied with Philadelphia for most in the NFL.
That performance came after Houston ranked fifth in the league in the regular season by forcing 29 turnovers.
Stingley, who had two of the interceptions last week a day after earning AP All-Pro honors, shared his mindset on the team’s defensive mentality.
“It really just comes down to if I was to tell you this is the last time you’re gonna do something, how you gonna do it,” Stingley said. “It’s simple as that. Just do that every single play.”
Ryans said there’s really no secret to why his team has such a knack for forcing turnovers. He believes it’s because he has good players, and they emphasize it in practice which translates to games.
“That’s our main thing that we go into every week is talking about attacking the football, taking the football,” Ryans said. “Because we know, when you take the football away, it just raises your percentages of winning the football games… it’s the defense helping the team win the game.”
While all of Houston’s takeaways last week came on interceptions, Stingley was quick to point out that those picks wouldn’t have happened if not for the pressure the defensive line put on Herbert. The Texans sacked him four times and hit him another nine in the 32-12 victory.
“The defense starts with them up front,” Stingley said. “They’re doing their job and it just makes it easier for us on the back end.”
Anderson said with each turnover, the defense got more and more amped up and was pushing each other to see who the next player would be to force one.
“That’s just that swarm mentality and we just feeding off each other,” Anderson said. “This person can’t do it by themselves so who is gonna be next and that just generates that contagious energy.”
The Texans were the fifth team since 1963 to have at least four sacks, four interceptions and an interception return for a touchdown in a playoff game last week. The past three teams to do it all went on to win the Super Bowl, with Tampa Bay doing so in the 2002 season, Baltimore in 2000 and San Francisco in 1989.
This Texans team would love to keep that going. But first they’ll need a win Saturday to put them in the AFC championship game for the first time after losing their previous five divisional matchups.
“That’s what you come here for,” Anderson said. “That’s what they’ve been rebuilding for is moments like this… we’ve got all the right pieces, we’ve just got to go out there and make it happen.”