Here’s everything Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said following Wednesday’s practice ahead of Week 3’s showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars, including thoughts on quarterback Trevor Lawrence, new Jaguars head coach Liam Coen and the status of the offensive line.
Question: On C Jake Andrews, WR Christian Kirk and WR Braxton Berrios practicing again
DeMeco Ryans: “It’s good to get our guys back, Christian, Berrios and Jake. It’s good to see them back out at practice today. We’ll continue to see how the week goes for them, but it’s encouraging to see them out there today working. Hopefully they can help us on Sunday.”
Q: What he’s seeing from the Jacksonville Jaguars so far this season
Ryans: “From the Jags, I see, really, an explosive offense. They got playmakers, starting with the running back, to me. [RB Travis] Etienne is a really good player. Tough tackle. So, we got to do a great job of tackling again this week, another great back. The receivers, I think Brian Thomas [Jr.] is one of the best young receivers in the league. Really like his skill set, really explosive player. Plays with really great hands and can attack in a deep part of the field as well. Then they got Travis Hunter, throw him in the mix, another playmaker. They tried to feed the ball to a little bit more watching the Cincinnati game. Then Trevor [Lawrence] has done a really good job. I think Liam [Coen] has done a really nice job working with Trevor. You can see some improvements from him. If first guy’s open, he’s ripping it in there. He rips it, he’s playing decisive, playing on time and still having that athletic ability to move out of the pocket, extend plays, is really what makes him lethal. So, they’re doing a really nice job. Offensive line, have to definitely give them credit. They’re doing a really nice job of protecting. They only given up one sack this year. So, really nice job protecting the quarterback and protecting the football. Defensively, a lot of different looks. They mix it up a lot. We’re going to be challenged with what they do, especially on a passing situation, second and third down. They mix up a lot of looks, a lot of guys at the line of scrimmage, dropping in and out of coverage looks, pressure looks. So, we have our hands full there when it comes to picking those things up and being decisive where they are. But they do a really nice job of attacking the football, playing fast and physical. I really like the way the defense is playing.”
Q: On how you prepare for a player like Jacksonville Jaguars WR/DB Travis Hunter who plays both ways
Ryans: “For Travis, we play… We have to do us better. So, it’s not us just singling out one player. He’s definitely a part of what they do, and they will try to feature him. But we don’t overextend ourselves to try to chase ghosts or anything. He aligns all over the place. He’ll be in every position. They’re going to find ways of getting him the ball. We just have to play sound in what we do defensively. We have to make the plays we’re supposed to make. When they do put him on the defensive side at the corner position… He made a really nice play there on the sideline, breaking up a pass. You talk about a talented player. You see why he was drafted where he was drafted, the impact he’s had at both places he was at. At Jackson State and also at Colorado. You see the impact that the kid has made, outstanding young man, outstanding player. It’s really cool to see a guy be able to play on both sides of the football in the National Football League, where a lot of people say it can’t be done. But it’s impressive.”
Q: On how he addresses tackling and penalties while also game planning for a game
Ryans: “It starts with this. For me, it’s all about just being precise on what you’re doing. It’s knowing what to do, knowing how to do it. At the end of the day, it’s really, how bad do you want to get it done? Our guys understand that. They understand how we miss. The missed tackles, it comes from, we weren’t wrapping up. You want to play a physical brand of football, but you’re not just going to knock everybody back with a shoulder tackle. Or you have to secure the tackle, get the guy down, especially if you’re the first man in. So, we just have to do a better job of the first guy being there, just make sure you secure the guy. We do that, everybody rallies to the football, and we’ll tackle better.”
Q: On how the players have responded
Ryans: “Our guys are eager to get going, and that’s what I felt from our team meeting. As we went through the game, flushed it, got it out, guys are eager to get going. The one thing about our guys, they understand where we are. They understand how small of a margin it is to win in this league. I continue to tell our guys, it’s not that we are so far off or we’re so far removed. It’s just about, can we buckle down and make those couple plays we need to make to end the game? That won’t change. Every week, it’ll be the same. So, our guys understand what to do, understand the urgency at which we have to operate to get that done. For us, honestly, we just have to go finish. We’ve been in games, we’ve been close, we got to go finish. We got to finish drives, we got to finish in the red zone, we have to finish on third down, we just have to finish the football game.”
Q: On if he expects teams to continue to send pressure at the quarterback
Ryans: “I would assume that guys will continue to copycat and do different pressures. I would say this, the pressure thing, it’s on all 11 [players]. We had a miscue here or there, whether it’s… Maybe it’s the back or getting the ball out quicker to our hot answer. So, it’s all 11 guys when it comes to the pressure. It’s not just… It’s easy for everybody who just watches it and say, ‘It’s the offensive line.’ Well, it’s all 11 guys working together, operating how we have to operate with a sense of urgency. Of course, that’s what everybody does in the league. They see something that was successful, you’ll see it again. So, you just go back, you correct it. We correct it on the sideline, you correct it again and make sure, ‘Hey, we’re going to see this again in some form or fashion.’ Maybe a different look, maybe a different way they bring pressure, but we’re going to continue to see those things until we show that we have answers for it. So, we’re ready for that. We know we’re going see it. We’re ready to roll.”
Q: On playing in close games in the NFL
Ryans: “Every game you’re in, you really would like to win in a convincing fashion. But as I tell guys, it’s not the big schools versus the smallest. It’s NFL football, so every week you’re playing against competitive opponents. It’s not just, this is a ‘W’ just because this team is on a schedule. Every week, you got to bring your best every single week. So, whether it’s a close game, whether it’s not close, you just got to find a way to finish with the win. That’s what our guys are focused on. It’s not focused on how many times we’ve been in one possession games. Players, you don’t think that way. You just think about going out whatever is in front of you. You attack it, you execute the right way, and you focus on winning that particular down. However the game shapes out, we know they’re going to be tight. We know it always comes down to the fourth quarter. That’s why they have the Red Zone channel.”
Q: On if he feels this year is an extension of last year offensively
Ryans: “I do not. I think we are much better. I think our offensive line has done a really good job, much better than everybody gives them credit for. We’ve done a really good job picking up stunts, things like that. A guy here, a guy there gets beat, that’s football. That’s going to happen. So, is it the same issues that we had? No, it’s completely new. Our guys doing a really good job of executing. We just got to finish the game. If we finish the game the right way, I don’t think anybody’s asking the same questions. That’s natural. That comes with it when you lose and I’m ready to handle all of that. That happens in this league. You just got to win games and the story changes. So, until we win games, I know we’ll get those same questions. We should get them because we got to do a better job of playing and finishing games. Until we do that, then I understand the questions that we’ll receive.”
Q: On if he meets with QB C.J. Stroud
Stroud: “Me and C.J meet. We met this week. We meet once a week and it’s good.”
Q: On starting 0-2 in 2023 and starting 0-2 in 2025
Ryans: “2023 seems so long ago. I think it’s very similar when we’re in the same spot, I believe. We went 0-2, going to face Jacksonville, I think, for the third game, if I remember correctly. Kind of the same spot we’re in here. But it’s just different circumstances, different team. Each year, to me, the team is different with its own different set of issues. Every year, your team has to grow, and you have to grow through some things. That adversity, what is it building amongst your team? Is it building that resilience and the resolve that you need to sustain throughout the season? As we talk about each season, there are always going to be ups and downs throughout the season. That’s life for us all. We all have ups and downs in life. Our life isn’t determined by one bad moment, one bad decision. It’s about how you rebound, how do you keep pressing forward, and how do you finish the race? That’s what our team has to do. We just have to go out and finish the race. It’s a long season. We’re not allowing two games to reflect or dictate who we are as a team. We just go to go out and play good football.”
On the biggest differences in Jacksonville’s offense this year versus previous years
“What I see from the offense is it’s very similar with their run game that they had in the previous years. I see the ball is out quick. Trevor, we know he’s known for getting the ball out quick. But you can see more of that. You see more of the screen game than they’ve ran in the past. Then they also, with Liam, same as when he was in Tampa, he’s going try to take some vertical shots down the field. A couple of those a game will show up. That’s probably the biggest difference there, them taking their vertical shots.”