All Access with DeMeco Ryans | Inside the 19-Point Comeback & Titans Preview

All Access with DeMeco Ryans | Inside the 19-Point Comeback & Titans Preview

In studio with us, head coach Demo Riot’s coach. Congratulations. Great to see you. Great to see you guys. Thank you. Big week with the Titans coming up, but let’s review everything about the win over Jacksonville. Do you have two or three hours? Maybe we don’t have that long, but that was a sensational win. Can you just talk about the comeback trail a little bit? Everybody’s spirits lifted with each play that went down. Yeah, for sure. It was so many guys making some impact plays in the game. And I think the play really there in the fourth court that that sparked it for us when Davis connected with Jaden Higgins in the end zone. Like to see our guys get in the end zone again. I think that just uplifted our entire team. And that confidence there know, okay, we can go score. Yeah. And we can go score again. And we we did it with confidence. We we were really driving the ball all day on their defense. So I felt confident in what we were doing. Thought Davis did a nice job. We ran the ball well, but it was just that that little dark cloud hovering over us of are they going to score in the red zone, right? And we were able to do that, right? And not only do it one time, but to do it, you know, four times there with uh not after the play to Higgins, but Dalton making a huge I mean, what a catch. And for him to be able to get his feet in, Nico on a two-point convert, it was just so many big plays happening there in the end zone that were, you know, That sparked our entire team to see that confidence. I think when then when the defense when they see the offense go score. Yeah. And I was like, “Okay, we got to just get a three and out or take the ball like just get it to them again like they’re rolling, they’re hot, like let’s get the ball back to them.” And the defense went out and they made plays at the critical times that it needed to make plays. Defense faced nine plays in the fourth quarter and the Jaguars gained that much. One yard. I mean, that’s pretty impressive. So along those lines, it was incredible. So after they do all of that, you get the ball back at 2924. You have that drive. I want to go to the end of the drive and just ask you what you’re feeling, what you’re seeing when Davis takes off and runs on third and goal from the 14. You still got a timeout. I remember as he took off, I’m like, “Okay, if he doesn’t get in, like all it’s going through my head. He doesn’t get in. Okay, we get bang timeout. We’ll see where we are.” But then he gets in. What were you thinking when he takes off with that ball? I saw them drop in coverage. So, it was like a max coverage. They were they were dropping off only rush four. So, and then they matched Woody as a running back. And so, the backer ended up running with him and he took off and I was saying touchdown. Okay. I was saying he’s going to get in because when I seen the backer match Woody, it’s like there’s no one else back to it left over there. And so, I was just like, come on, please get. And you know, for Davis, that was such a great decision by Davis um just to not try to force the ball anywhere in that moment to make the best decision and the best decision at that time. And it’s always good in the red zone when the quarterback can scramble, right? There’s not a great answer for that defensively. Mills is faster than a lot of people think, right? Because as he starts to run, I’m thinking, is he going to make it? He’s going to make it. He dove for it. So, what about Mills speed? What have you seen there, coach? Yeah, Davis is athletic. I I mean I feel like he moves very well for a quarterback and he did a great job of just on the keepers when we were getting him on the edge some QB movement plays. He’s always done a great job with that, you know, in my mind. And you know, quarterbacks don’t have to be extremely fast, just have to be fast enough, right? Is backup quarterback kind of a weird job in that you have to prepare every week as if you’re playing and you might never see the field. In fact, more often than not, you’ll never see the field. So, what about that mentality, coach, that goes into it? Yeah, you I mean, backup quarterback, you’re a coach. Like, really, you are a coach that can possibly get in. We don’t want to coach get it in, but the backup quarterback, you talk about preparation, like how much you have to be on it because, you know, you’re not getting those reps in practice. You want the starting quarterback to get all the reps to make sure everything’s in sync. And so you’re over, you’re doing scout team reps, you’re trying to make those work, make them as realistic as possible, but to actually go through the huddle calls, the cadence commands, changing protections at the line of scrimmage, it’s a lot as a as a backup quarterback, you don’t get the reps in the week and then you’re thrust into a game and you’re expected to go do a great job. Well, I think that’s where Davis truly benefited from having the week of preparation. That’s what I kind of talked about last week. him having a full week of preparation allowed him to be in position, right, to go and play a good game for us. I know we’ve talked a lot about Davis, coach, but I said this to Mark today. I’m get your thoughts on this. They punt us at 2924. We got the ball at the seven. So, we went 93 yards. Yeah. So, we’re at ball to seven and third down and 10. He’s got to back up into the end zone and he’s got a couple guys bearing down and he hits Dalton on that on that over route. I felt like when I I told Mark, I said I felt like at that point like, okay, something’s in the water today. Like that that that play right there getting us out of the shadow of our goalpost with time. I think we can do it right now. That seemed to be a big play. A big throw. What are your thoughts about that third? I was saying I don’t know if I said I think that’s the play of the game. Mhm. Uh I mean cuz we had two plays there that we didn’t get any any yards. And for us that third down play to Dalton, that was the play of the game to really get us going, get the drive moving. And I had to look back at it again this morning. I was like, okay, it was six minutes left on the clock. I was, man, we chewed up a lot of clock on that drive. Like that was an outstanding drive by our offense. And it all started right with that third down play by Dalton. And then we were able to get a couple really good runs in from Woody, from Chub, and it was uh we were off and moving. Yeah, that really stuck with me, coach. The fact that you’re able to run the ball on that drive. It wasn’t a hurry up drive, but you knew you’re running out of time, but you wanted to take the time, too, if you possibly could. You knew it was win or lose on that drive, probably. Yeah, it’s it’s easy to kind of panic, right, when you’re in that like, oh, we got to go score. We got to but you got to remember and just reminding guys let’s just get back to what’s worked for us. Like we’ve had we had a ton of positive plays. Thought the O line blocked it well. Our backs were finishing forward a lot. They played physical and so the run game was there and we utilized it. We we utilized it to our advantage and in that moment when people are probably thinking more heavy pass as a defense and you pop a couple runs in there, you’re able to get some big gains. Coach, two-point conversions. I’m going to ask you from coaching standpoint and then from a defensive standpoint because I feel like as a defender if you stop the two and and going for two can happen a lot of different stops but it always feels like when you stop the two it just takes a little bit of that momentum away from what they just did scoring a touchdown. The flip side of that is when Nico catches that ball, it’s an incredible catch, which you talked about, now you’ve got even more momentum offensively because you’ve gotten the two, especially when you’re trying to climb back into the ball game. How do you look at both from a coaching standpoint of making the two and as a defender of getting the stop like you did when it was 2910, you got the stop on the two, you didn’t think 19, is this going to matter? It ends up mattering because you stopped the two there. But how do you look at it from both perspectives, the two-point conversion? Yeah, it’s a lot of mixed feelings on the two-point. Like if you’re on the the defensive side, it’s like, man, we let him get in the end zone. So, it’s that let down and then the two-point conversion happens. Okay, we got to stop. It’s like, oh, okay, good. Good job. Right. But then offensively, it’s like you scored the touchdown. Same thing. Like then Nico catches. That’s like, oh my good, like outstanding play. You try again and you don’t get like that’s okay. We just scored though. We’re good. Like we’re still good. So, you have those, you know, different feelings that happen on the two-point plays, but offensively knowing you just got in the end zone and got six, that’s the most important thing. All right, maybe for both of you, what’s the best Stingley pick you’ve ever seen because that has to be right up there. Never mind the context of the game because Miami last year, I mean, that was at the end of the game. That was a tremendous interception. Two years ago, he had that one against Denver where he came from out of nowhere and reached across his body or whatever. How how does that one yesterday stack up to some of the others you’ve seen, coach? Wow, man. I I put that one I mean that was probably the best catch. That’s one hit. Like that was probably the best catch of an interception I seen him that and the Denver one like over he always catches the ball like that Denver. So I think that was the best catch he had yesterday, the one-handed. But to me, the one that I love the most is the Miami one because it just to end the game like they’re trying to come back on our sideline just him going up making that play. I was just I was losing my mind on that one. That was a insane play just when it happened a critical moment in the game against Tyreek too. Yes. And this is and this is why I love Sting. I I said to him I I I’ve said this since he’s been here. I was like he’s got the best hands on the team. I’ve said it to you. I’ve said it to Mark. I think he’s got the best hands on the team. I can’t tell you what I said when he picked off that pass because I’m always in Mark’s year. I couldn’t believe I was like he just stuck his paw and just stuck in there. Um that I think that’s the best like physical play that he’s made. Like the other ones may have been maybe maybe a little bit more important, but it did save three points. Yeah, it was it was pretty important. Man, we needed that at that moment, right? Knowing their field goal kicker range. Like we said, you get it at the 50 yard line. This guy is he’s live and he’s ready to kick. So for us to get that pick in that moment to stop their momentum like that was a big play in the game. What I love about Sting though is I went up to him after the game. I said, “Man, that’s the best interception I think you’ve made.” And he immediately said, “Yeah, I got to quit dropping the other one.” Like that’s immediately what he thought about was the one in the far ends on the far side that he had that went through his hands that could have stopped the scoring drive at that point. Coach, we often talk about with the running game, stick with it. Eventually it’ll work. You got to be patient. But defensively early on they had some runs, but you stuck with your defense and you started to slow them down at the end. ETN, three and a half per carry, whatever. You really put the brakes on the Jags as the game wore on. What about that side of things? Yeah, that that was huge. That was the main key for us defensively, like building that wall up front, stopping the run. We knew that was going to be the key. We knew they were going to try to stay after, but if we stopped them, like we wanted to put the ball in the quarterback’s hand and make him beat us, make him drop back and have to beat us. And so it took, man, Tommy again, Tommy Toi inside so many plays that he made in the run game. Our edges, Denil did a great job playing in the run game. One of his better games was setting the edge, coming off, making plays. It was, it was really a collective effort from stopping the run. And the guys did a a really good job of staying with it, right? And not not letting not letting down at all. Like we knew we had to stay with it. They did that. They tackle well and that was the key to us. Coach, you mentioned Denil Hunter. That’s exactly where I wanted to go. Yeah. Uh I’m basically just going to ask I mean Denil Hunter, how good I mean how good Denil Hunter go? Yeah, it’s I mean one of the best games I’ve seen him play. Incredible. You know, since he’s been a Texan. It’s and started for me in the run game when I saw the way he was setting the edge in a run game like that’s what sparked it for me and then when he was rushing like he was he was getting off the ball he was playing explosive violent and the tackle had no chance. Yeah. And so you know for him to get the plays he made I mean also he had one he had a two-play sequence late in the game where he goes underneath the tackle gets a tackle for loss and then he gets a huge sack. Yeah, Mark talked about that a lot and it’s uh that was such a huge two-play sequence in the game to knock them back and it was it was big. I mean, Denil is outstanding. We challenge them all week, right? To really crush the pocket and he did that. It’s strange that he does it. Well, really cool that he does it with JJ Watt calling the game on television, right? Because it was Watt like in that way. It’s very clutch clutch moment. He comes up big with that stop. Yeah. When I mean that’s why you have those guys on your team. Right. Along those lines, what’s it like to be in those TV production meetings with JJ Watt? Coach, you’ve done that, I think, twice now. What is that like for you, former teammate of yours on national television? It’s uh it’s always fun. It’s easy when I’m in there with JJ and his crew. They do a I feel like they do a really great job. It just again, I’m talking to one of my teammates. I can I probably share a little bit more than I need to with him, but I can just be open, honest, just talk to him. Um that’s my that’s my old neighbor, my teammate. Like that’s my guy. JJ is my guy. So he’s does a great job. We keep it professional. Uh but they just he want to know like you know the kind of the pulse of the team and where we are like what’s been the messaging all week with the guys and I I feel like when I start talking the message to him, I feel like I’m talking to, you know, my teammates. So it’s kind of like I’m delivering my message and I’m pumping him up, pumping the team up. So, he gives me a little a little practice for my Saturday night speech. So, coach, we went to you uh Sunday, which I’m sure you know, offensive line a little different. Made some changes during the game, but then you look up, gave up two sacks. One of them, I think, was when Davis ran out of bounds. So, there’s really only one sack that Eric Armstead got. Other than that, couple quarterback hits. Davis had to move a little bit at a time, but how do you feel like the offensive line held up, especially in protection? Yeah, overall in protection I thought they did a really nice job. Davis had time all day. You know, starting off we we had to get some things corrected. It wasn’t up to our standards. So, we had to make some changes, get it fixed, and once we got those fixed, I feel like the guys did a really good job of battling. Um, still things to clean up, but for overall, man, I thought Tay Trent did a really nice job on the edges, uh, protecting it well. Um, we had a couple zero pressures that kind of got us. We got to communicate better on, you know, our mic points and those things, make sure everybody’s on the same page. But overall, you talk about a game protection wise versus a really good front. Uh, our our guys did a great job. All right. So, you’ve played nine games, we’re over the halfway point of the season, which was, I guess, halftime in this past game. But the rookies, coach, are they no longer rookies? When you talked about Ursery, and then you talk about your pass catchers and Woody Marks, what about the rookies? Yeah, no more rookies. like Woody like let’s go. Like Woody’s doing a great job. We got to continue to feed him more. Higgins on the outside. We got Everybody sees like this guy’s catch radius is insane. Like put the ball in his vicinity. He’s going to go and get it. You need a big play. Who shows up on fourth down? It’s Jaylen Null showing up when we needed it most to make that play. So these guys are are not rookies. They’re making plays in in the critical times of a game. Crunch time. We need it most. We’re counting on the rookies. Taye is doing a great job there at left tackle like continuing to battle down in down out. He’s getting better as the season is going on. So, yeah, the rookie the rookie name plate is off. It’s it’s like let’s go and how can we finish this season the right way. Mhm. Coach, you mentioned the pulse of the team and it made me think about it because when it was 17 to nothing, I was kind of looking for, especially offensively, is there somebody that’s going to I say rally the troops, that doesn’t maybe the right word, but just kind of be a be a voice of, hey, follow me. Let’s go. And I looked out and I saw Nico. Now, Nico doesn’t say a whole lot. And I saw Nico as guys would run to the huddle for the drive after it was 17 nothing. He was like slapping fives of guys, you know, kind of getting them back in the huddle. How important were those things yesterday? Nico just the little things kind of keeping guys going. I saw Will Anderson really kind of, you know, you know, keeping guys together like, “Hey, keep up the spirits. Let’s go. We’re good.” How important is that when you come back from 19 that your leaders, no matter how they do it, whether it’s vocal, whether it’s quiet, that those guys step up and say, “Hey, follow me. Let’s go.” Yeah. That was my message to our guys all week is man, let’s make sure like we bring positive energy this entire game. I don’t care what the game looks like, but we need positive energy from everybody on our sideline. Like no matter if a bad play happens, a bad drive happens. That’s not the end of the game. So, how do we come back? Hey, let’s Great job. Let’s keep going. Like, keep encouraging each other. keep bringing positive energy, positive juice, because I told God, nothing great has been done without positive energy, right? So, let’s do it. Let’s not hang our head if we throw a pick, we give up a run or like let’s not hang our head like let’s just keep battling no matter what happens. And that’s what the guys did. They kept encouraging each other. It just it increases that belief factor amongst your team when everybody’s up encouraging even though you know you had a bad play. It’s like, uh, okay. Well, it’s it’s not it’s going to be okay, right? My teammates support me. They got my back. So, I’m going to keep going. I’m going to keep giving my best. Yep. Coach, I know this is personal and private, but everyone saw Nick give you a game ball, the passing of Earl Cochran, great friend of yours, and Koo told us a story in the second half. A lot of the Texans legends texting each other saying, “It’s Earl.” When the comeback was on, when the team was climbing back into it, taking the lead, it’s Earl. What about that element of the game, coach? Oh, man. I can’t say enough about that, man. It’s uh such a a difficult time, you know, losing such a close friend. I’ve known Earl since elementary school. Wow. Like we’re from the same hometown. Uh so to be from the same hometown and being Earl was few years older, but then when he had opportunity to come uh back from NFL Europe, he chose to come to Houston because I was here in Houston and we connected from that moment in 2006. and really did life together as adults, you know, marriage, kids, like we were family. And so he was uh and also he was my coach. He was he was the guy I would lean on giving me advice like in the background after every game. He would give me a whole he a long text messages of, “Hey, why’d you do this? Why did you make this third down call? You need to do this on offense.” He had the entire plan down. No matter win or loss, he was always there to support me. Great friend. And I knew he was he was smiling down on us yesterday. Coach, the value of having somebody that can tell you because it’s easy for Mark and I sit here and go, “Coach, you were great yesterday. You’re great.” You know, but for somebody to say, you know, coach Mo, that wasn’t that wasn’t great. You guys could be doing this better. yet you know it’s coming from a place of love from somebody like how how important was it to have somebody like that in your life? Man, I I don’t know what I’m gonna do without having that. Man, it was so huge. Like if we you know I I was tell if I if we went on a a weight trip or something or you lose a game like when you lose a game you don’t get any text messages but I would always have three that was from my my mom, Jamila, my wife. They have to because they don’t have a choice. And the other message I knew I was going to get was from Earl. And he was going to tell me about, hey, the game plan. Hey, great decision here. Hey, think about this. It was just always wisdom. Always from a place of love. Now, win, loss, it didn’t matter. Like he truly truly cared. Yeah, that’s tremendous. Coach, big opportunity on Sunday. Tennessee Titans going back on the road for the first time in a while. Feels like it’s been a while because it has three consecutive home games behind us. What about taking on the Titans in the matchup? Man, another division opponent. We know how important these division games are. Um, man, so we know they’re going to bring their best and we got to bring our best. Like, can we build off of what just happened, right? Off the win. We just had such great momentum, such great energy in our building. Can we go out clean up the things we need to clean up? Because there are still things to clean up even in the a big win. Can we do that? And can we just remain levelheaded like not allow the past win to hey allow guys walk around with the big head or like we’ve arrived like no can we get back to work and can we do the things that we need to do to go to Tennessee and get a win. Important game for us and we got to go get it. All right the Amig Bank ask coach question of the week. We’re going to music city and Nashville has all kinds of music. So this applies it’s a hypothetical situation coach. You have to sing a karaoke song. We’re going to put you up there. Uh oh. We’re not really going to do this, but if we did, what song would you pick? What would be your go-to karaoke song? That’s so hard. Let’s go. Uh go to karaoke. Let’s do Yeah. by Usher. Okay. Yeah, that’ll get See the karaoke. So, you got a lot of energy. So, no matter how you get the crowd into it, the crowd will start singing after about it. I like it. Couple words. Couple words. Everybody sing along. Everybody sing along. Good strategy, coach. Thanks a lot. Good luck.

Head Coach DeMeco Ryans breaks down the Texans’ 26-0 4th-quarter surge vs. Jacksonville, the clutch Davis Mills TD scramble, red-zone fixes, Stingley’s one-hander, and how Houston carries that momentum into a divisional showdown with the Titans.
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