LIVE: Houston Texans Coordinators address the media

How’s it going? What do you do on it? How do you think it’s worth? Yeah, I think everything to answer your question really. It’s it’s not my stamp specifically. It’s what suits the strength of the guys that we got. So I think we’re in the discovery process through phase two and we get to work with them on the field. Get an opportunity to see the different skill sets, the different routes, the different schemes that we could potentially deploy this year. So it’s really an evolving process and this is the time to really kind of put the rubber on the road and and see what we can do and evolve from there. I do. I do. We’re tracking. We’re growing every day. We’re, you know, learning. There’s mistakes and trials and errors and we’re growing and and improving uh eliminating repeated mistakes. The guys are have a great attitude. They’re working their tails off and uh yeah, I’ve been very pleased with everybody. CJ, yeah, they they they they love the position. They they take a lot of pride in what they do. Yeah, they love football. What does a Nick Kaye offense look like? Well, it depends on the the players we got and that’s not a copout. That’s the reality of it. So, it can evolve. Um be willing to change and do whatever we do need to do that’s necessary based on who we have and who we’re playing. Um whether that’s again you want to get big in terms of multiple personnel or not gap schemes or zone schemes you know committing to more play action or not that’s going to really be dependent on you know what your personnel dictates and who you have available. So again that’s what this that’s the great part about this year is we get to do a lot of different things and really put a lot of guys in different positions to run certain routes some of them which most some of these guys have never done anything you know uh or certain routes that we have and they might be just exclusively outside receivers that we’re working inside and vice versa. So, it’s a good opportunity just to see what these guys can do. CJ said that he’s going to have a little bit more on his plate at the quarterback position than maybe he’d had his first two years. What kind of goes into that? What sort of things maybe be on his plate that previously he hadn’t been? Yeah, I think it’s like anything else. The more the more you can do, the better off you’re going to end up being. And and he wants to have the ability to be able to to have control. And when you’re at that position, there’s a lot of great value in being able to fix problems that come up or unscouted looks that come up. And it doesn’t happen overnight. That’s for sure. And it’s it’s repetition. It’s comfort with the offense. He’s working hard. It’s he done a good job. And we’ll just keep growing that. Nick, how long do you think being a first first time play caller? How much can you use that to your advantage at the start of this season before they finally get on you, you know, cuz everybody guys been a good coordinator to get a hook on all back. How long do you think you have before you finally out there? Yeah. You know, Go ahead. I’m sorry. No. No. I think that, you know, again, it’s like anything else. We’re going to continue to build our scheme as we get into the season. The season’s a long ways away from now. So, all in all, honestly, we’re focused on is trying to get better every single day, deploy the different schemes that we want to try to experiment with, see what fits us, and we’ll see. You know, I know this, we’re we have a good staff. We have good players here. We have good guys that love football, and we’re just trying to grow every day. I’m not worried about what’s going to happen in September. Honestly, I’m worried about just trying to get better every single day here. says it’s going to take time for the offense to completely jel together, but in the short amount of time that you guys have been together, how you felt about the jelly and messing chemistry. Yeah, I feel really good about it. I do. Um, we’ve got great character in this locker room in general, both sides of the ball, the kicking game. Uh, we got good guys. They love football. I mean, you see, you guys have been around them a lot. Some of you guys that have been here, they they got a smile on their face. They love to compete. And that’s what you want to be around is competitive guys that find joy in what they do. We have a staff full of guys like that. starting with our head coach, okay, trickling down and and that’s what makes it, you know, fun to come to work. I I feel, you know, we have a great group of guys and and we’re getting, you know, a lot of stuff done. Yeah, he’s and he’s working, you know, and it’s like anything else. There is an adaptation, but he’s working. He’s got a great attitude, a great way about him. just really trying to get with Cole, Zack, the offensive line, the vets, and trying to refine his skills and and learn the techniques that may have been foreign to him, you know, coming from Minnesota to here, but it’s like anything else. He’s doing a good job. He’s working hard. OTAAS are you going to use? OTAAS and mini camp are you going to use to be able to watch what the offensive line can do and how you all are mixing and matching right now, but how much of that are you going to be able to use to solidify going into training camp? Yeah, I think it’s like anything else. I don’t think anything’s going to be solved here in the next two weeks, okay? But it is ob obviously a progression. There’s things in this time of the year with not having pads on. We can’t hit gap double teams. We are not going to come off the ball and capture zone combinations as much. When you get into training camp, a lot of those things come to life, which obviously carries over into the play action game, your play passes on early downs and passing off picks and stuff like that. So, it’s a little bit more of a controlled environment, but we’re certainly going to build off everything we do and continue to build up until the time we report back here. Nick, obviously CJ’s watching during throwing part of the practice today. Where is he physically? What are you asking of him right now? Yeah, he’s he’s locked in every step of the way. Um, no concerns whatsoever. I know Dico’s already hit on this. Every everybody’s got a specific routine relative to their own routine, uh, specific to whatever, you know, through whether it’s football, whether it’s athletic training, etc. And he’s doing a great job and he’s out here and he’s working. Nick, what stands out? He’s he’s a pro. Hey, he’s a pro. He’s highly competitive. Um, and he’s versatile. He really is. I He’s got a You talk about a guy that’s steady every single day. And I’ve really enjoyed having the opportunity to be around him. What’s CJ able to take away when he’s not under center during the throwing portions, and what is he missing out on during that time? Well, it starts it starts in the film room, starts in the meeting and the preparation going into it and trying to prepare and learn the details and the nuances of everything we’re doing. You get mental reps out here. I mean, being out here, he’s he’s involved in all the communication. He’s tapped in. He’s into it. So, I’ve been very pleased when he’s out here. Yeah. The fun part for me to be honest with you is establishing a foundation which we talked about in phase one just the terminology, the nomenclature, the language. Okay. Getting past that barrier and you know there is some same as um some of the verbiage and then the second thing I would say is establishing the fundamentals. how we want to hit blocks, how we want to run routes, okay, what the routes are called. And I would say the third element of that to piggyback off that is really teaching the details of specifically how you want to run routes. What are the concepts? What are the details of the concepts, etc. What’s the intent of the play? And I think that’s an important part like we don’t just call plays to call plays. There’s an intentionality of why we’re calling every single play for specific reasons. And I think that this is a great opportunity to really establish that foundation and move forward with that. Uh, yes. Yes. It’s an ext block. We’re going to be committed to that in the run game. That’s part of who we are. That’s toughness. That’s physicality. I think that’s a non-negotiable period. So, maybe you answer this. You know, Dom consistently talked about looking for the right offensive lineman who had the right mindset. What does that mindset look like to you? Yeah, consistency, dependability, toughness, the ability to grow and take coaching. Those are the most important things because if you have guys that care, if you have guys that have capacity, which we do, okay? And you have guys that work hard and take coaching, you’re going to move the needle and you’re going to improve. And that’s that’s the job of us as coaches, too, is to assess where we’re at. And again, building it. There’s not there’s not a rush to throw everything at it. There is a progression to how we teach everything that we do from start to finish. And we assess that as a staff and we move forward. Take a couple more guys. What are they showing you so far? the traits you see? Yeah, I mean they’re competitive, they’re versatile. Um, you know, they stay grounded through the catch. Uh, they compete, they they’re students of the game, they’re taking notes. I mean, every single they’re great people and they love football and, you know, it’s been fun for all of us, for all the different positions to go out there and get an opportunity to see, you know, what all these guys can do. I know you like um tight ends, but what what are you seeing from KT Sto? He’s tough. And I mean, you turn on the tape, I think you guys have all seen I mean, he he plays with his hair on fire and there’s no substitute for that and and I appreciate the way he plays the game. I I’ve had a a lot of respect for him dating back to his days at Ohio State. There’s a lot of new pieces to lines and new piece of receiver. Just kind of that meshing process trying to get everybody on the same page. Yeah, just clarity and communication, building a foundation, uh encouraging them to ask why. you know, there’s no there’s no questions that, you know, should be left at the table. If you got a question you need to know, ask. And they’ve done a great job of that. We got really really good coaching staff of really good teachers and really good people. And I think understanding that we are in this together. This isn’t coaches, player. This is we’re in this together. We’re Texans and this is this is what we’re going to do. And just keep moving the needle day by day and just try to stack days to be honest with you. Yeah. Thank you guys. What we got? How you doing? How’s been? Good. obviously always excited. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, obviously, uh, never lack of energy and enthusiasm and, uh, you know, I think part of the reason we brought him on to this team and in this program and just who he is as a person. And so, uh, really cool to see a guy like Kamari, uh, competing out here. It like means something to him. And, you know, Demo preaches, you know, if you’re here, you’re here and and it’s important. And, uh, he’s he’s showing the growth that he made throughout the year and kind of continue on that path. So, it’s been fun to see him work for sure. and and what are your expectations as they go to year two? Yeah, I mean just the same for everybody like just keep getting better. I mean obviously uh both those guys as rookies got a lot of playing time. Uh so like hopefully that experience and and the the highs and lows and then the things they saw throughout the year are add to the foundation that they’re building on from here. So uh both those guys have been here the whole offseason, you know, have really been working together as we know they’re they’re kind of tied at the hip. So, uh, I just really like the the intent and focus that both those guys are showing. I mean, it’s it’s, uh, they’re they’re kind of growing into a leadership role and into young veterans on the team pretty quickly. So, it’s cool to see. Matt, have you seen Matt, have you seen how much of a focus have you seen from Derrick Stingy Jr.? Looks like he’s already a mid-season form the way that he’s practicing. Yeah. Uh, same for sure. I mean, again, another guy like I know we loud laugh. You guys were most you guys were there for the for the contract. uh I guess you call it a press conference. I’m not sure, but uh just doesn’t change. You know, he’s day in and day out. I think I think as a coaching staff, we’ve actually kind of talked about it off and on that the growth we’ve seen from him in the two years that we’ve been here, two plus years, uh just continues and uh man, he’s really just like trying to fine-tune a bunch of things to take it even to the next level with him. The focus is there, the work’s always there with with Sting. Um it’s been really cool to watch. I mean, honestly, it’s hard sometimes to step back in that like big picture window, but from a two-year span to to to where he continues to grow, it’s it’s really cool to see. So, uh really excited for him to keep developing where where he’s heading for sure. Sorry, I’ll come back to you. Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think with Will, uh, like a lot of these guys, we’re talking about like you guys know, I mean, that the effort and the intensity and the energy is never going to be an issue and the the get off. And so, I think the challenge that that we put to Will is to to to fine-tune the details and go, you know, what does it take to go from good to great to elite to the best, you know, and as he’s climbing that ladder, like it gets harder and harder to make those steps up those rungs. Like, we know he’s a good player, great player. like, “All right, now how do we keep climbing and fine-tuning uh to become even better?” And he’s uh he’s on a mission. He he actually uh he dropped a move today in in the pass rush setting that was a new move for him that he executed really well. It was really cool to see. So, he’s just really trying to work on a lot of details to like really climb that ladder to be to be the best. We got so many familiar faces. You don’t have as much turnover one year or the next defense. Does it allow you maybe give you an advantage to get deeper with these guys? as I know right now it’s still still coaching but some familiarity with the system and what you guys I mean obviously there’s some familiarity and we do have some new faces and uh you know we we always like to sort of like reset uh when we come back in the spring or whenever it is. I mean always say like the I actually put this up in one of the meetings like the three most dangerous words in the in the in the vernacular I got it. You know if those guys come back and think I got it I took all those reps last year I’m cool with that. Like we always like to start back at the fundamentals and the foundation and and then build like hopefully you can progress through that a little bit more because it it clicks back into place. But uh if you start sort of skipping steps and starting where you left off. I mean these guys have been gone for 3 months and and there’s new people, new positions, there’s new stuff we’re doing. So uh we really like to go back to the fundamentals and really sort of build back up from there. So hopefully you can progress through that quicker as you go because of the the level of familiarity, but um we just sort of start back over again. What have you observed from Christian Harris this off? Yeah, he’s here working uh like he always is. Again, another guy that keep sound like a broken record. Uh Christian’s been doing his thing. Again, all these guys are on little different plans and routines and uh the goal is to get all these guys ready for uh for camp and he’s uh he’s on track to to be there for us. Look at the outside. Where do you best see him fitting in this defense and how is he out? Uh yeah, I think for a lot of our guys uh you know the more you can do the better. Uh I think you guys have seen a little bit like we like versatile players so guys that can do that. I mean even from Kamari last year that that played some of the uh spots for us. So, um, really trying to feel that out and work him and just see what again what can he absorb from a mental standpoint, uh, technique standpoint, um, and just where that best fits. And again, as we move forward way down the road in season in terms of how you can deploy those guys in different spots and maybe it’s week to week in different matchups, like the more versatile type of players we have and that they can play in different spots, the better. I mean, that was uh, definitely something that uh, appealed to us about him uh, from a draft process standpoint. So, uh, he’s been doing a good job working and and trying to absorb everything we’re throwing at him and we’ll see see how that plays out, man. Oh, yeah. It’s great, man. It’s awesome, man. And for sure. Yeah. Peach’s I mean, he’s Man, I feel like we got a we got a team full of these guys, honestly. like uh we talked about it last year how like he stayed obviously like energy and being in the building and meetings and uh another guy that’s really trying to like just like like elite focus on becoming the best whatever you want to call that in the league. And again trying to move him around a little bit and uh we know what his talents are but just the energy, the work ethic, the enthusiasm is is just unwavering with him. And it’s it’s always it’s always always always a pleasure to be around Jaylen. Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Uh Dylan, you know, obviously everyone knows kind of what he went through last year and and so I think uh really cool from just uh you know physical standpoint first of all like what he did in the offseason to kind of really get back his starting point. This year is obviously a lot different than it was last year. Um and uh really cool. So, you know, coach always puts uh in his team meeting in the morning, he’s always using uses some highlights to highlight some guys or just things guys that are working. Um and and he highlighted Dehort this morning actually just like working a technique that he needed to get better at. And so, um just like how he’s transformed his body, he’s kind of got back to this strength and size that that he’s used to playing. Uh and he’s working his craft really well out here. So, excited for him to be on that journey that he’s been on for sure. All right, guys. Cool. See you next time. Hey, good to see you guys. Good to see you as well. Before you get to talking about what’s going on here at OTA, can you just give us an update on what’s about to happen next week on June 6th, your event? Yeah. Yeah, thanks for asking. Um June 6, next Friday night, 4th annual Coaches Cut event. Uh we’ll be doing the haircuts for the homeless at the Covenant House in Montro. And um very proud of what the event has grown into. Thank you for everybody who has donated. I know that uh where’s uh I know that Cody and the SNL podcast, you guys had me on and raised a bunch of money. And it’s special. It’s um it’s important for us to take care of our own in in the Houston community. So, um thanks for asking about it. Very excited. And um yeah, hopefully we see some of you guys there and able to help amplify uh the situation that’s going on over there at the Covenant House. And um we’ll be there to raise some spirits and, you know, treat uh both the the the youth population there, male and female, to a day of haircut, pampering, and uh some feelood. So, we’re excited to um do that for our fourth annual. So, thanks for asking. Hope you guys can be there. Cool. What’s the process like trying to figure out? Yeah. Uh a thankless job. And um as we all know here, John was an integral part of the Houston Texans. Forget the special teams unit. to me specifically, he was an integral part of my development. So, um, as we move forward, and that’s the nature of the NFL, as you move forward, it’s always a one-year, uh, entity, and, um, the best players play. Doesn’t matter what the position is. It could be from the quarterback down to the long snapper, but we all know it’s a very important position, a very specific skill set position. So for us, we need to be snap to uh snap to hold to kick or snap to punt operation clean and then be able to do all the little nuances of the position where hold your own in protection cover, making sure you’re supporting your teammates, the guards on the punt team, so on and so forth. But, you know, for us in the immediate, it’s about getting on the same page in rhythm with Tommy who’s handling the ball from the snapper um at a at a high clip regularly. So excited to work with, you know, Austin Brinkman, who we brought here from West Virginia as a rookie, and Tucker Addington, who we have here, we signed to a futures deal. Um, both battling for the position, and we’ll see how it shakes out. What about what you’ve seen from Jaylen Noel so far. Speed, speed. Yeah. Um, definitely been a good rookie class. He can run. Um, excited for all those guys. And, you know, it’s just the start of it. This is so so early. like the the the last two and a half, three weeks has probably been the the most curve they’ve ever learned in their football careers. It’s been, you know, uh download overload and we we now are trying to um refine them fundamentally into the things we’re going to ask him to do. But um all the rookies have been exciting so far and um see what we can add to our current group of veterans that are already here. Traymond’s my buddy. Yeah, I’m excited for Traymond. Um, great football player. Um, knows what it takes to to play the gritty style. Like Trayman’s a good-look guy, but he plays nose first and I love that about him and I’m very thankful that he’s here. Happy for him to get out in the uh uniform for us and hopefully go makes those impact plays from the perimeter speed positions that we need. Okay. So, we good? Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So the question just about the you know where the kickoff currently is. Um so definitely I think a couple things were accomplished you know from our chair and you know we can’t control everything. The NFL has to has a lot to do with that. Um but from a safety perspective and I think they’ve talked about this openly but the injuries from impacts down the core of the kick kick return play resulted in zero injuries in the new scheme over the course of the season. So yeah, there’s still a hamstring or there’s still a tackler and a ball carrier injuries, but I think from a safety perspective, that mission, it was pretty accomplished with the overall the overhaul um of the format of the play. Now, we got to find a way to get the results of the actual performance of the play up to speed. Um, so now that the touchback’s been rolled to the 35, the ball’s going to be in play. You know, we were one of the the Texans were one of the more um aggressive teams to put the ball in play on kickoff, I think everybody’s numbers are going to probably triple and we’re going to get a 60 to 70 plus% return rate. If you give the ball at the 35 yardd line, like one first down, another one you’re kicking a field goal. So, uh I think you’re going to see the ball in play and there’s more um flexibility with the kickoff return alignment and not the kickoff team. So, now the kick return will have some more creativity available to them in their design. So, for us, doesn’t matter what the rules are, doesn’t matter how the game’s officiated, you play to those rules. And for us, we’re going to try and find an edge, create ourselves some field position offensively, be explosive in the return game, and create long fields, and mitigate returns for our defense when we’re covering. Excited for the the new the new changes to it. Hopefully, it allows us to go play ball more. So, we’re excited. Like the safety is going to change, but you want to like fine-tune it. What does fine-tune look for? Like, what are you trying to achieve when you want it to be better? What does that mean? Yeah. And I think I think like the easiest way to the naked eye and everybody

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