LIVE: Houston Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans and Players address the media

get back a player like Petri for a couple days. Was it kind of a getting him just back into the football mode and kind of Petri is good. He’s back out at practice. He’s good. Same guy he’s been. So nothing nothing to report there. about Sheldon Rangers, but um you know after uh not having him this year, why were y’all really interested in having him back? I was really interested in getting Sheldon back just because knowing the the type of player that he was when he was here, like the leadership that he provided, you know, I think him and Will had a really great connection uh their first year together and, you know, really wanted to keep Sheldon. So, it was really tough seeing him go, you know, leave us, go to Cincinnati. That was a tough one. uh because we’re really working hard to get him back. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, but it’s all about the right timing. It worked out this year and so we’re happy to have him back to our team. What are some of the improvements that you’re seeing on the offensive side of the ball now that you had the pads on two days? Yeah, you see it, you know, things evening out more when you when you uh put the pads on. You know, defense kind of had the advantage there. Early on, we weren’t in pass. Defense making a lot of plays and now just see things balancing themselves out. offense is making plays daily. Our quarterbacks are doing a really nice job um just placing the football in the right spot and our receivers are making some really u tough contested catches and that’s what we want to be. We want to be a tough physical football team and you can’t lose sight of that play on the outside from the receivers, the DBs, how those guys play, that’s the makers of a really physical team. So Jaden Higgins, he stepped up, made some really uh nice catches. No. Uh Hutch Hutchinson has done a really good job this year playing physical. Uh really doing a great job at the catch point as well. We got a lot of guys on the offensive side who are getting, you know, really better and it really jumps out in that receiver room to me. On the offensive line, um Tomlinson, what does what does he bring maybe not just on the field, but off the field as you try to improve line? what Laken brings to our to our team, you know, off the field, it starts with his work ethic. I just remember him, he first came in in our in our OTAA our OTAA program, just the way he worked like he did a great job just establishing himself as a hard worker and for guys just to watch him like he didn’t have to say much, but you just watched his actions, watch how he went about his work and I think a lot of our younger guys can gleam a lot from that like, man, this guy is about his business. He’s been in the league over 10 years. Why does a guy like that stick around? It’s it’s going to start with the work ethic, especially at such a tough position that he plays up front in the interior offensive line. Like those guys, you know, it’s a very physical game up there. They take a pounding. Laken does a great job of not only working hard, but also recovering the right way, taking care of his body the right way. So I think he can really help a lot of our guys when it comes to that area of the game off the field that no one sees to allow you to be your best when you step out on the field. Leaken has excelled at that from the beginning of his career to now on the radio this morning. What can you say about the development from here? Will has done a really good job of just taking his game to the next level when it comes to his pass rush. I haven’t seen a person’s just more dialed in when it come to like what moves he’s trying to execute, right? Really and not predetermining moves, but truly playing instinctive playing off what the what the set the offensive line is giving him, whether he needs to play speed to power, whether he needs to be a little more finesse, working the edge, right? working the inside, but he’s just doing a really great job of really developing that pass rush repertoire and uh him working with coach coach Rod and working with Denil and you see the growth, you see the improvement. I talk about Will all the time as that relentless player and what we represent as a Texan, but it’s also he represents that part of that growth factor and what I love to see from all of our guys. And you can see, you know, this year I know he’s going to be a much better pass rusher than he was last year just because of the work that he’s put in all throughout the offseason and now in training camp is still growing each and every day. And I have to keep him away from a quarterback cuz he’s getting a little too close, but he’s doing a great job. You know, with Junior, he’s always looking to get better and work hard. What do you see next to just continue to make some improvements? Well, Sting is Stingley. What I’ve seen from him throughout uh camp, Stingley is just consistent. He’s quiet over there on the edge, and that’s what it takes to be a really great corner. It shouldn’t be a lot happening your way because a lot of people don’t want to go your way. But him and Nico, they go at it every single day. Those two of our best guys, they match up against each other every rep. And they that’s that’s good on good every single time. Those guys, they sharpen each other every time they’re out here. So Sting has continued to be steady picking up right where he left off. It’s not ideal to have a couple of your running backs now, but how beneficial is it to have things added rest for a new guy like Nick who’s getting used to the system and your young younger guys to get these reps in training camp, right? You never know what’s going to happen. So as a player, my message is you always you have to be ready when you do have the opportunity to get more reps. You have to take advantage of those reps. And you take advantage of them by man knowing what to do in the meetings and coming out on the field and being able to execute the right way. Nick has done that, Woody’s done that. All the guys, Jaw, Dar, those guys have done a great job of just being ready to go and those guys are getting a lot of reps. Hopefully those reps pay off as those guys see more throughout training camp, but the backs are doing a great job. Coach Danny Barrett, as always, he’s continuing to do an outstanding job as our running back’s coach, and I I really love working with Danny. appreciate what he’s done working with those guys. Coach, as the first time playing forward, what do you remember the first time you assumed that role? Having that experience with the body and now how do you prepare for that being the first time you do it before you remember and how’s that experience? I imagine there’s nothing like calling in the game, right? As a first time play caller, it’s like we talk about players um rookies and their growth and development. It’s the same with play callers like you have to get reps. The only way to get better at something is you have to actually have to go out and do it. So for me, I try to do a really good job of putting guys in position, right? Different situations, different scenarios all throughout practice, right? Things that have that will come up in games. I try to make sure I’m putting those guys, you know, through those situations. So when they see them, they can go back and they have a library of, hey, we’re practicing on this day. I remember this situation. This is what I call. Hey, as you go in and look at practice, sometime you look at it, you know, myself, you’re always analyzing what you did. How can you be better? You analyze it. Hey, maybe I call something something different here or that would have worked. So, it’s always about self-evaluation as a play caller, right? Nobody else may say anything to you, but you have to constantly be a be a hard critic on yourself as a play caller, knowing what you want to do, when you want to do it, how you want to get it done. And that’s I’ll continue to give the guys as many reps as possible to make sure they’re ready to go come game time. Given given Nick’s experience from tight tight end position, how do you feel you’ve seen Kade and Dalton and Brevin kind of take that next jump forward and how they’ve kind of grown off of last season? Our tight ends have they’ve been really solid all camp. Uh Jake has done a great job of coaching those guys up. Uh just putting the pass on. I see guys just being being on it, playing with their pass, playing physical, playing with great hand placement, the tight end position, starting there in the running game and how we’re blocking at that position. And then you see the route detail and the route growth starting with uh starting with K Stove. I’ve seen him develop a lot as a as a pass catcher running the routes. He’s done a really great job at the top of his routes executing the break points, getting open. Dalton’s comeback. He’s done a great job of being the elite pass catcher that we expected him to be. And Brevin, his explosiveness, his play at the line of scrimmage and when he gets the ball in his hands, like that entire group, they have a lot of different things that they do well. And you got three, four tight ends who can operate in that manner is going to help us. So, not only Kaylee, but also Jake and coach Jake’s done a great job with the tight end group. So many physical play so many physical players. uh play physical on the defensive side of the ball. What is the message that you’ve been giving them to maybe tone it down a little bit because you know you got CJ part Johnson, you know, they’re used to playing a certain type of phys physical style. How did you get them to you know dial it back just a little bit? The Texans are going to be a physical football team. That’s what I believe in. If I don’t like guys who don’t play the game the right way and that’s called that’s being physical not only defensively but offensively like we’re going to play field backs running behind your pass O line finishing at the second level. That’s what I truly believe in. And so what when we come out and practice like we are a team. We have to work together, right? It’s just when we practice there’s just no cheap shots. We still want to play physical. We’re gonna play between the whistles, but we don’t want guys, you know, we just always talk about protecting the team, not taking a cheap shot, not going to the ground, and guys are smart enough and aware enough that they know how to practice the right way, which allows us to practice hard, but also practice in a safe manner. The last one they see like line up better against the whole line again it’s different guys have been in there. I think those guys are continuing to get better and you see it’s real football. You get to block guys with pads on. I think that’s just real and that’s what you see. Our guys are doing a solid job and they’re continuing to get better. Arnett is he’s taking his second chance and he’s running with it. Right. He’s been dialed in since day one. Very grateful for the opportunity to be back in the NFL. And I’m I’m happy to be in a position to give a guy a second chance. I think in life we all need more than second chances. We It’s just having another chance. if we all think back on our lives and things that happened like you want the opportunity to have another chance at things and he’s doing a great job with it so far. All right, thank you guys. Uh I mean just growing up uh trying to see the game from a different lens. Uh you played a year already now so you know the speed of game a little bit better and just uh maturing in that aspect and seeing things a little bit faster. When did you start seeing the improvements? I mean, just really really comes down to opportunities. Uh, I mean, you get opportunities, make a couple plays, then you start to realize that, hey, like what you’re doing is kind of paying off and then just keep trying to find ways to enhance that. Can you see Nick’s offense? Can you see the difference in what the tight ends can be used by him being a former tight end position coach? Has that incorporated into the play? Uh, yeah, I think so. Uh, I mean, he’s got a good mind. Uh, we seem to really like playing his offense so far. Uh he puts us in good spots I feel like to be successful and I’m excited to see where it goes. Is there anything you emphasized in the offseason that you specifically wanted to get better at? Uh really I just wanted to get I mean nothing like I guess directly uh I guess there’s just a lot overarching things that just kind of come together and make one and that was really just to be uh just be consistent. Uh, I think last year flashes are good things and flashes of bad things. And, uh, I think this year my overarching goal was just to be consistent as can be every single play. I know you said that you typically just go to the house and then to the facility. Did you get to do anything in the offse? No, I just go back to the farm, uh, feed cows, work out, catch football, and do it again next day, probably. What is it about the farm that is about I guess there’s a lot of things I love. I guess as I get older, the thing I love the most is that I can wake up and nobody tells me what to do. Uh I can do what I want to do on the farm how I want to do it. And uh if it doesn’t work out, I mean, I got myself to blame. So, uh it’s just a good way to figure out uh good thing to learn, good thing good way to learn about life and just help yourself figure things out and just grow as a person there. if you like. Hey, how would you how would you describe you had your second year now coming through this with CJ? You know, you had him in college. Where where do you think your mindset mold molding now and moving into a professional level? Where are you guys now? Yeah, CJ’s obviously really good player. Uh I think that I think each practice we come out here, I see something that he’s working on each day, something better for him each day. Uh a spot that maybe yesterday a it was a spot of weakness and today it’s a spot of strength. Uh so, uh he’s grown a lot. Uh and I think he’s a really great quarterback. He’s going to take us to uh a lot of good ball games. Is there any type of chore that you use on the farm that you use as a way to get prepared for football? Yeah. Again, is there any type of chore that you use on the farm that you use to get prepared for football with like drills and whatnot? Uh I mean, there’s a lot. I mean, I run a lot of hills in my farm. Uh and then overall, I mean, I carry a lot of five gallon buckets full of feed. And then you’re building pipe fence, you’re building all kind of stuff. I always say to everybody out there like if I could just do that all day long, run a couple hills in the morning, then just work, is that you have the most natural stren strength in the world. I feel like what is it like having his team back on the field? It’s good. Brett’s a great guy. Uh he’s been he was helpful for me last year and have him back. Uh super cool to see him and get healthy and uh do good things. Does it feel like different personalities in the tight end room? Yeah, we’re all very different. Uh yeah, we all get along pretty well, but I think that’s why we get along is because we’re all extremely different people. Uh so that’s I feel like it’s a strength for us to be honest with you. So far from the first couple practices, where do you think that you’ve improved the most from your one year two? Uh I really just I mean consistency I think the game’s kind of slowed down for me. Uh so allows you to really focus in on your footwork wise and then just your top end of the routes and see things a little bit better. competition that you had something that someone’s going to have to do in order to get that kind of job. I I mean that’s not that’s not my place to answer. I don’t know. I just do what I do what I’m asked to do and if it’s that’s about that’s not me. I don’t know. I mean I think that regardless of whoever it is uh I mean it’s just got to be your most consistent dependable guy and whoever that is and awesome. Thanks. Thanks K. See, what are you hoping to do, you know, after you coming off your season? Like what is next for you? Like what is what is the goal here? I mean, really, the goal is just be better than last year. So, whatever comes with that happens. How do you how do you do that? Same same process. just going out and trying to make sure that I’m better than the day before or I’m work if I’m working on my feet one day just making sure that that looks good on my hands on my eyes or anything like that. What’s it like to have CJ Gardner Johnson to the secondary? Oh yeah, he he add like a like a whole another level to just the defense like he fit in. Um he going to fly around, he going to talk, he going to you know dance and do all that but um he’s he’s a good piece to the defense. I’m glad you’re here. Does that add too contagious for the rest of the secondary? So what does that add to contagious for the rest of the secondary? Yeah. Yeah. I mean we all feed off each other so it’s good energy. Okay. This question comes from a young corner young athlete going into his first ball game. You had a lot of eyes on you already going into LSU. What was your mentality going in? Did you know you were about to get go up against? Uh I mean really just believe in who you are. um know that you I mean if you did enough work just know that you prepared for the situation and at the end of the day whenever it come down when the bullets start flying just you’re training just that’s the only thing you got your fundamentals is that different from coming into this camp no it’s just it’s the same I mean as long as you working you shouldn’t you should be all right that corner is my son oh you talk a lot about how Stephen Nelson helped coming into the league. Shout out my dog Steve. And now you’re able to give back to players like but also Jaylen Smith. What have you seen from him, you know, through OTA being down, you know, out here? No, he a dog. He JRock, he he going to make a lot of plays and every day like he does something like and it’s like all right, you moving around, you making plays. Um, but he’s smart. Like he you you don’t got to say something to him more than once really. Um, he know the whole defense already. Like every position. So, I mean, it’s just cool to see him just just being a player that he is. Like, do you feel like a big fan? You said what? You feel like a big fan. Do I feel like a little bit? Sometimes I’m looking and I’m just like, “Oh, that’s crazy. I’m older than all them.” But I mean obviously you you sort of like you got you got a reputation now on the corner and you going in the games now. How do you feel like that you know team want to approach you now? Do you expect a quiet game sometime or you just sort of go back and let the game flow and then you just get in and just catch the groove as it go as the game progresses? I mean I don’t expect quiet or a lot. I mean I just can’t really go into a game thinking like that. Um, you know, the season a long way away, but you know, just go into every game the same, like just do my job. Go back to obviously reputation, you know, around the league, but what’s the grown by connection? What’s uh I mean I I don’t know. I mean there’s there’s a narrative about him like that from people that don’t know him like whatever you assume that narrative is but like he’s a he’s a great person like he he just love football like he going to go out there he going to compete every single day he going to pay attention he going to talk in meetings like express like what he think about like a certain play or something and then we just going to talk about it like I I don’t know I I he a great guy so I I don’t know you told me uh during OTA that you got the all selection that it wasn’t a Derek Stingley award, it was a team award like the whole defense is all coated that way. How do you how are you able to take yourself away from those individual awards and always make sure you put it back on the team? I mean cuz I I mean I wouldn’t be nowhere without the team. Like like everybody has to help each other in order for stuff like that to happen. Um, like we make plays as a group like we we just got to trust and have that chemistry that the player next to you is gonna do what he has to do. So, do you see differences in Kamari as he prepares for year two? And if so, what do you see? Say that again. Do you see differences in Kamari as he prepares for his second season? Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, from the outside looking in, like it looked like the game has slowed down a lot for him. um he knows like what to expect like the course of a day like through through camp or uh or even within a play um once he sees certain things like he know that he can trust his eyes cuz he’s seen it at this point a lot of times. So um it’s cool to see him get comfortable out there. So I’m curious what you love about it about Uh you said what do I love about like uh but really I mean just like the NCAA’s and the and the Maddens. Uh it’s just football like you get to you get to exploit a whole bunch of coverages and especially if you’re going against somebody like like Petri that don’t know how to play Madden that good. Um you just practice. So like it’s just more practice. So anything you ever thought about? Uh no no I I I good stutter too much. I just want to ask you about the uh the unique camp that you probably put on Puerto Rico. Of course yourself was there but to see show up as a good linebacker to work his skill. How good was that to see him taking that long there as well? No, I mean it was good. Um we had a lot of fun out there. We had good work. Oh, seeing him move around like it it’s crazy cuz I mean obviously you would tell that he’s a linebacker cuz swole but he’s moving around just like the like the DBs that were that was out there. So I mean I think it’s good um offseason work. So can you see this paying off now? He had a couple of passions. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Hope he going he going to catch all of them now. Take care. Why was uh use technique? Um and how did your experience with Ryan make you stay in that? Uh, I mean it’s been great so far, you know, working with the guys obviously, you know, uh, having the familiarity with the guys here, obviously with coach Demo, um, you know, knowing some players here, um, Aziz and then, um, you know, knowing some staff here as well. I mean, it’s been great. It made the transition that much easier for me, made the decision that much easier for me, you know, as a player, for my family. And, um, you know, so far it’s been great. A few days past you start. What’s your name again? I’m sorry. Cody. Cody. Yeah. Sorry. I was wondering if you guys have had defense that cohesion come together with the offensive line. You guys are out there. Oh yeah. You know, guys are out here working, man. Uh it’s been great. You know, finally the pads are on. You know, we can go out there and really show what we can do. When you look at the offensive Cole Yeah. When you look at Michael’s offensive personnel, what are some things you really like about it and how does it benefit the offensive line? Man, it’s been great. Uh obviously working with the style that coach Nick’s emphasizing uh it’s been great for us for the big guys up front and um obviously you know uh he has a lot of stuff going on with the offense but uh we’re coming out there and executing and showing what we can do every day. Uh Landry um so you’ve kind of been a part like in San Francisco I know Trent Har you know kind of shifted the whole culture of the offensive line. What is it like coming into a situation where the offensive line gets all the attention and you’re looked at as one of the guys that they kind of want to look to to be on the I mean, uh, obviously, you know, uh, coming coming here, um, from the get-go, you know, I’ve seen, you know, where we wanted to be. Um, you know, I felt it from the players that already been here, you know, with Titus and Blake, you know, they had a standard that they they wanted for themselves and for the offensive line. I felt it coming in. So, uh, just having from that from the get-go and then, um, just coming in here and working with everybody, you know, having the vision that Coach Pop had for us and, um, you know, being out here to work with the the guys on the field, working with the defense, it’s been great. And uh we’re going to build chemistry every day and we’re going to keep working. I don’t I don’t know about Jonathan, but um how have you seen this group uh growing? Uh obviously just spending time together, spending time together as much as we can, you know. Uh one thing you really that’s really impressive with these teams that guys they they stay here like year round. You know, I feel like that’s something truly special for a team. Guys are in the building and getting better. And then you when you have, you know, 57 guys here in the offseason, you know, it says a lot about a team, you know. So that’s uh that’s something that I came in I’m just like man guys really care about each other. Guys really care about spending time with each other. Guys really care about being a part of a team here. So uh that’s that’s really awesome awesome thing to have for our team. The group feel the pressure and the urgency of having to make the change as a group last year. Guys are coming in competing. You know we got new guys, new faces, but guys are coming in here competing. We’re building chemistry. We we know what it takes to be a great offensive line. you know, we’re we’re going to come out here, we’re going to compete every day, and we’re going to uh build that cohesiveness, that chemistry, and we’re just going to keep working. We’re going to keep working all the way through training camp is such a heavy emphasis. How do you not get too high or too low on a rep or uh a team period or anything like that? How do you kind of ride the wave of of camp with competition such a heavy? What What do you mean? I’m I’m not sure. like if you have a bad rep or somebody has a bad rep on the offensive line. How do you not let that linger too much when competition is such a you know uh we have a lot of vets in the room as well, you know, myself included, you know, we got Trent, we got Cam, we got guys Titus, we got a lot of guys, you know, with with a lot of experience in the room and that gives the young guys opportunity to kind of lean on those guys, right? you know, we have young guys like Tay coming out every day working on his craft, not not only having Coach Pop, you know, for, you know, technical craft, but veterans in the room that they he can talk to, get feedback as well. So, when you have that in in offensive line room, I think it’s great. Ad, let’s talk about the that physical mindset that you have particularly in guard and the other guard because last year see got some weaknesses up the middle. What do y’all have to do now to really just like cuz talking about being a physical that mentality y’all got to just come out there and just get all you like the defense start attacking, right? I mean, obviously, coach Nick has his emphasis on the styles that he wants us to to play play. And, um, you know, uh, us as a group, we’re going to keep working towards that. You know, uh, every day we have a a fantastic defensive front, defensive, uh, uh, linebacker, secondary that we can we can work with. And, um, when you have guys coming in together working like that, I think it’s great. So, um, us as a unit come out here, uh, work every day, we see where we go. We’ll blow those holes in. Lincoln, when you look at Tay Ursery, a guy who’s having to learn two different positions, just what have you seen from him in camp? And Titus mentioned that he’s very much active in asking questions. Do you feel like that for somebody who has to learn two sides of the offensive line, it’s important for him to ask as much as possible? Oh, 100%. You know, uh he’s a really good kid that asks a ton of questions, especially to the veterans in the room. uh you know especially you know he’s talking to Cam, he’s talking to Titus, he’s talking to me, he’s talking to everybody, you know, talking to Pop, you know, um when you have that for a young uh talented young young young tackle, I think it’s amazing because not only that he has it mentally, he has it physically as well. And when he can go out there on the field and execute those things, that’s a special thing, especially for a young guy learning this game. Sam, um you’ve played for a couple of different teams, talked to a couple of different coaches throughout your career. Um, is there anything that differentiates Coach Pot as an offensive line coach? I we we love Coach Pot, man. He’s a offensive line coach through and through and um, you know, everything that he’s doing for the guys right now, man, I truly appreciate it because he has a vision for us and and we’re moving full steam ahead, working towards that. Sergeant, what are what are some of the difficulties in coming in with learning a new offensive system, learning new teammates, but also going up against a top five defense like you do in Frank? I think it’s fantastic. I mean, um, just going from an offensive line standpoint, you know, I’ve been here since OTAAS and, uh, having that time with the guys, being able to work with the guys, building that chemistry, it’s a day-to-day thing, especially in offensive line. And then obviously having such a good defensive front to work with. I think it’s fantastic. Coach Domo has a saying, iron sharpens iron. And that’s the best way to go about it right now in training camp. You know, iron’s going to sharpen iron and we’re going to work together. We’re going to get better together. Thank you guys. Thank you.

The Houston Texans address the media.

Subscribe to the Houston Texans YouTube Channel: tex.nz/youtubesubscribe

#WeAreTexans #Texans #NFL

FOLLOW THE TEAM
https://www.facebook.com/HoustonTexans/

https://www.instagram.com/houstontexans/

GET TO KNOW THE TEAM
https://www.HoustonTexans.com
https://www.houstontexans.com/team/players-roster/
https://www.houstontexans.com/team/stats/
https://www.houstontexans.com/team/team-history
https://www.houstontexans.com/team/standings/
https://www.houstontexans.com/schedule/

3 comments
Leave a Reply