Here’s everything Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said following the team’s long weekend, including an update on Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud, a look ahead in the AFC South battle vs. the Colts, overall thoughts on the defense and defending Colts rookie tight end Tyler Warren.
Question: On whether QB C.J. Stroud will start this week
DeMeco Ryans: “For us, right now, C.J. and Jalen [Pitre] are still in the concussion protocol. Whenever C.J. is back, ready to roll, he’s been our starter. He will be our starter whenever he’s back, ready to go.”
Q: On what goes into building a defense
Ryans: “For me, you talk about defensive football, it’s just about everybody really playing together. That’s the one thing I believe. True defense, when you’re a good defense, everybody’s playing together, everybody’s communicating well. Of course, you have to be a fast, physical outfielder who’s flying around to the football. That’s what we have, starting with our guys up front. They’re the key to what we do. They’ve done a really good job of it when we do cover them well in the back end, having those guys have more time to get after the passer. They’ve shown that they can be very effective at that.”
Q: On the challenges of facing the Indianapolis Colts
Ryans: “For the Colts, you can see they’ve been a very explosive offense. That’s what’s powered them this year. I think Daniel Jones is playing the most productive that he’s played in his career. So, Shane [Steichen] has done a good job of putting them in positions, putting guys around them to really make the plays he needs to make. So, you have explosive receivers on the outside. The rookie tight end [Tyler Warren] is doing a good job as well. Then of course, running the football, Jonathan Taylor. Can’t say enough good things about him as a running back. Just his balance, his power, the explosiveness. You have to be able to set the edge because he can take the explosive run 50-plus yards and take it to the house. He can hit cutback lanes and make you pay. So, it’s going to take everything we have. Defensively, first and foremost, stopping the run. But, we know that’s not the only emphasis with this offense. They do a good job of their play-action pass game, really timing it up at the proper time. Really catching a lot of defenses and off guard. They’re creating a lot of explosives there as well. So, you’ve got to play true. So, I’m telling our [defense], you have to play true, you have to play with elite eye discipline, elite awareness to what your job is and being on it. Because if not, Shane has always done a good job, offensively, of creating eye candy, as I call it, to mess with guys’ eyes, to put their guys in position to make plays.”
Q: On if the defense has played with more discipline as the season has gone on
Ryans: “Yeah, we are doing a better job of being more disciplined than where we started this season. We can still be even better.”
Q: On if QB C.J. Stroud and S Jalen Pitre are expected to practice on Wednesday
Ryans: “We’ll see what happens on Wednesday when Wednesday gets here.”
Q: On what went well in the rushing attack early in the game against the Buffalo Bills
Ryans: “For our offensive line, the rushing game, we have to just stay connected on our blocks. When we have double teams and we’re coming off at the second level, we stay connected and we finish our blocks with the right mindset and we have good running lanes. I thought Woody [Marks] ran the ball well, especially on our fourth down play when he’s one-on-one right in the hole with the defender. For him to play behind his pads, really keep his feet moving, that’s how you have to run the football. We continue to block it well. We continue to make good decisions with our running backs, running the ball well. We can run the ball effectively.”
Q: On S Jaylen Reed’s performance against the Buffalo Bills
Ryans: “Jaylen [Reed] stepped in and he plays swarm football. He was see ball, get ball. He’s flying around, making plays, of course, some things to clean up, but I’m encouraged with what he did. Being that it was a short week, he didn’t get a ton of preparation. He didn’t get any live reps, so for him to go in and do as good of a job as he did in that game, I’m excited for him to continue to progress and continue growing. Coach Stephen [Adegoke] has done a really nice job of working with Jaylen while he’s been out. So, the more he gets, I expect him to be even better for us.”
Q: On if the same offensive linemen will start the game against the Indianapolis Colts
Ryans: “We’ll continue to roll with our offensive line. For me, it’s always been about trying to get our best five guys out there. I think Tytus [Howard] has done a great job unselfishly moving where he’s played right tackle, right guard, left guard, whatever we’ve asked him, he’s done it. It shows that he’s a smart player to be able to handle as much as we put on his plate. He’s done that and he’s played well for us.”
Q: On if the offensive play calling in the second half of the Buffalo Bills game had anything to do with how well the Texans’ defense was playing
Ryans: “It doesn’t necessarily correlate. We still have to do a better job moving the ball in the second half. I don’t think our second-half offense was good enough. We have to continue to strive, continue to get better at executing the plays, calling it better. We have to do a much better job. Coaches, players, everybody. We got to be able to move the ball way more than we did in the second half if we’re going to finish games the right way.”
Q: On what Indianapolis Colts TE Tyler Warren adds to the Colts’ offense
Ryans: “Tyler Warren, he’s a playmaker. Wherever you get this kid the ball, he’s explosive, a little faster than you think, tougher than you think. He showed that at Penn State. He was a one-man wrecking crew. He did a really nice job at Penn State and it’s carried over here to the league. He’s still doing a nice job. You can see they’re trying to put him in spots to get him the football because he is that type of guy. He’s a playmaker, a guy it seems like you can trust, you can count on him. He continues to show up, play-after-play, down-after-down for those guys.”
Q: On how he would assess the team after the long weekend
Ryans: “Everybody came back healthy, ready to go. Guys are bouncing around. Guys understand where we are. For us, it’s always being dialed into your preparation, being dialed into the execution and being on the things you have to be on to make plays. That’s what it’s going to take. As we continue to go out, how we finish this season, it’s really the mental part that has to heighten. It has to be heightened for us to be where we want to be.”
Q: On what the staff saw in DE Will Anderson Jr. that made them trade up to draft him after selecting QB C.J. Stroud
Ryans: “My first year here, started out the draft process that was… We got C.J., which he’s a really talented quarterback, did a lot of great things at Ohio State. Then you flip it over on the defensive side by knowing that we needed a foundational piece on that defensive side. You look at Will Anderson Jr. and his track record in college, everybody you talk to at Alabama, everything they had to say about Will, the type of leader he was. You didn’t even have to talk about the player. You could see how relentless he was on tape, how he finished. But, to hear the leader that he was, how he held other guys accountable, how he was the guy. Everybody talked about Alabama; he was the guy. I remember I wasn’t even thinking about Will at this time, but I remember when Will was a rookie at Alabama, my older brother called and was like, ‘Hey, man, whenever you get a chance, this guy from Alabama, you need to get him on your team.’ It’s like, ‘All right, I’ll check him out.’ Who knew, full circle. When I had a chance to actually be in a position to draft him, I’m like, ‘Yeah, my brother was right. He was spot on.’ I needed to get No. 31, and I’m happy he’s here with us.”
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Everything Texans HC DeMeco Ryans said ahead of Week 13 vs. Colts
Reporting by Cole Thompson, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
