The Houston Texans kicked off one of their more optimistic moments in a long while.
The Texans’ introduction of David Culley as coach in late Jan. 2021 was over Zoom, which meant there wasn’t any connection due to the situation surrounding the starting quarterback and also how Houston went about the hiring process. Even though there was a little bit of excitement when Lovie Smith was promoted from defensive coordinator to coach in Feb. 2022, it did not carry over once Houston started 0-2-1.
DeMeco Ryans’ introductory presser was different. There was plenty of media present to transcribe the quotes from chairman and CEO Cal McNair, general manager Nick Caserio, and the new coach.
#Texans packed team auditorium for #DemecoRyans press conference @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/uLuL3mhRPK
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) February 2, 2023
Waiting for DeMeco Ryan’s press conference to start.
This is BY FAR the most media / people I’ve seen for a Houston announcement or event…ever. #WeAreTexans pic.twitter.com/eeNT2X2dyC
— Paul Gallant (@GallantSays) February 2, 2023
What excited you most about the DeMeco Ryans presser? #WeAreTexans
Pic via @BigSargeSportz pic.twitter.com/wFpqCmoOsg
— The Texans Wire (@TheTexansWire) February 2, 2023
Here are six takeaways from the introductory presser with Ryans.
DeMeco Ryans is energized to get to work
It may be Feb. 2, his third day on the job and still in the honeymoon phase, but Ryans is ready to get to work.
“To the players that are here, the current players, I can’t wait to get started,” said Ryans. “I can’t wait to get started with you guys. I’m fired up. This is a young team. We’re on the cusp. We got to add some pieces to what we’re doing here, but I’m so excited to get started and get to work with the young guys, and get to work building a winning program with the Texans. And I’m fired up. The excitement is real, and I can’t wait to get to work, to get to coaching. We want to bring a winning team. That’s what we want to bring to Houston.”
The Denver Broncos didn't "blow it"; DeMeco just loved Houston more
Ryans said he was thankful for his interviews with the Broncos, and said they have good people in the organization.
“When it came down to it, there is no place I wanted to be any more than H-Town,” said Ryans. “So, it was an easy pick for me. It was a no brainer to be here, be home. It was a no brainer. It wasn’t a difficult decision at all. It was very easy.”
Wants a team built in the image of J.J. Watt
Ryans was very appreciative of the support Watt showed him throughout the interview process.
“J.J. Watt represents the Texans,” Ryans said. “He is a Texan. And for him to have that support of me, it means everything to me.”
Ryans also indicated that he wants his team to embody the spirit the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year played with.
“That’s the type of team we want,” said Ryans. “We want to build this team with guys who have the character of J.J. Watt, who have that athletic ability, that dominance as a player. That’s J.J. Watt. That’s the type of player that we want in our organization.”
DeMeco impressed the Texans on his first Zoom interview
The Texans interviewed Ryans via Zoom the Friday before the NFC divisional playoffs against the Dallas Cowboys. Ryans had been on the practice field 30 minutes earlier, and his enthusiasm came across the telescreen, according to general manager Nick Caserio.
“Before we went into this we had eight to 10 criteria that were important, and there are so many things that go into being a great head coach, and part of it is going to be learning along the way, but he talked about leadership, he talked about strategy, he talked about positioning, talked about ability to connect and lead people. You start to put all those things together, and we got off the call, and we all kind of looked at each other and said, ‘Holy cow. Let’s all go play football tomorrow.’ But it wasn’t a facade. That’s who DeMeco is as a person and a man, and I think that resonated with us.”
DeMeco defines what he wants on offense
Ryans was a member of Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers staff, but on the defensive side. There is a bit of a mystery as to what Houston’s new offense will look like, but Ryans provided more clues in his opening presser.
“I envision the offense looking: we want to play with precision, we want to play with effort, we want to play with physicality,” Ryans said. “So, we want to own the line of scrimmage. We want to establish the run game first, but we want to be balanced. We want to be able to operate with play-action pass. We also want to be efficient. We want to have explosive plays with who we get the ball to. If it’s not the field, we want to be able to throw a check down and be able to put it in the hands of an explosive playmaker and see him create. So, everything about our offense, we want to make sure that we’re adaptable to the players that we have.”
DeMeco is excited about the young talent
Texans Wire alumnus Cole Thompson posed the question to Ryans on how excited he was to work with Houston’s crop of young defenders, and Ryans used cornerback Derek Stingley as a prime example.
“That’s what excites me the most is being able to work with young guys, and young guys who are talented,” said Ryans. “Stingley, outstanding; scouted him the last year, and I know the talent that he has, know the competitor that he is. Going to put him in position to make a lot of plays for us. Put him in a position where he can excel and showcase his talent.”
