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Shocking report points to possible Texans fan revolt
Jun 9, 2021, 2:24 pm
Why would anyone pay to watch this team? Composite image by Jack Brame.
Here’s how Texans ownership put their fans in the worst possible position
To say the Texans have had a whirlwind offseason would be an understatement. Not only did they release JJ Watt, the best player in team history, but their franchise quarterback has been embroiled in a couple of controversies. Deshaun Watson has made it known he wants out and has 22 civil suits pending. Not to mention they didn't have any first or second round picks, and proceeded to make only five picks despite having eight because they traded up twice. Add that to some questionable roster moves, and there's a recipe for a disastrous season on the horizon.
Enter the season ticket fiasco. Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle wrote an article explaining how much of the waiting list is no longer waiting. It painted the picture of fans evidently being fed up and are finally fighting back against the organization where it truly hurts them: the bottom line. This is a team that sold their 91% capacity of season tickets before even playing a game! They've had a waiting list longer than a CVS receipt for 20 years! Now, the fans are fed up because the organization appears to still be a laughingstock despite getting rid of Bill O'Brien.
My only question is: will this strategy actually work? Will fans being noncommittal on buying season tickets have the desired effect on the way the team is run? Cal McNair is still in charge. Janice McNair, Cal's mom, won't do anything to embarrass her son publicly, such as removing him from power. Jack Easterby is firmly entrenched in a leadership role and the McNairs apparently love him. He helped get Nick Caserio hired, so there's a certain debt of gratitude there. David Culley is a placeholder coach in my opinion. So how will this strike against supporting the team actually make a difference?
With the television deal and revenue sharing in place, NFL teams won't lose money. They'd have to gamble it away and use the rest on hookers and drugs before they come close to losing money. Not saying that the Texans are a strung out junkie of a franchise, but they aren't exactly the picture of stability. It helps that they're in a business that's fool-proof. Fans sending a message of disinterest will cause the organization to think differently, but it won't hit them as hard as people would like. They can still operate as if nothing else matters because they know the money will keep coming in. Look at the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions. Two NFL teams that have been horrible for a number of years, but are able to maintain despite a losing history over the last 10-20 years or more. The Clippers, Kings, and Timberwolves have managed to survive in the NBA despite their poor performances. So have the Tigers, Orioles, and Diamondbacks in MLB despite their bottom of the barrel showings.
While I hope the downturn in season ticket renewals/buys forces the Texans organization into changing their way of operating, I don't think it'll have the desired impact. Single game ticket sales will increase because opposing fan bases will buy some of them, especially ones that travel well or are close regionally. There's also the week-to-week fans that will buy tickets just to have an outing due to being locked down for most of the past year or so. The pandemic has caused some crazy things to happen. I personally have been a victim and beneficiary of this on a number of fronts. Ultimately, this won't change how the Texans operate as an organization. It'll be status quo on Kirby because the NFL is almost impossible to fail at (A.K.A. losing money). Fans can do as they please, but the team will always win. Here's to hoping Caserio can put together a roster worth competing soon. Otherwise, this team will be more Browns South than Patriots South.
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Jets interview Houston Texans coordinator for their head coach vacancy
Jan 17, 2025, 3:11 pm
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.”