The Houston Texans take on the New Orleans Saints Aug. 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the Caesars Superdome to kickoff the preseason.
For the Texans, the preseason opener against the Saints represents an opportunity to sustain the positivity and energy that has been surging throughout NRG Stadium since the promotion of Lovie Smith from defensive coordinator to the big role following the firing of coach David Culley.
Smith met with reporters after the eighth day of training camp practice Sunday at Houston Methodist Training Center, and helped outline what he wanted to see from his team in the preseason opener at New Orleans.
The fundamentals
“Any time they keep score, you want to win, but that’s not the total focus,” Smith said. “Live tackling the quarterbacks, running backs, cut blocking, all of that.”
The emphasis will be on the defense to hit ball carriers and find ways into the backfield. The offense also has to demonstrate how they can break tackles with the linemen clearing out running lanes.
Finish the play
“So, what I want to see in the game is how guys finish and it’s more about the individual play before we collectively put the team together,” said Smith. “So that’s what I can’t wait to see.”
Not all individuals will be on the same page or have great coordination at this point in August, but the coaches will be able to see who is paying attention to the fundamentals and following their specific assignment.
Evaluate the 90-man roster
“We are going to try to give as many guys an opportunity to play as possible,” Smith said.
Part of the challenge every NFL team faces throughout the offseason and training camp is essentially halving their roster from 90 players to 53. Then, teams also have to determine who would be a good fit for the practice squad while also comparing that to other potential cuts across the league.
Terrence Brooks is a lock to make the team. Grayland Arnold could still use as many preseason reps as possible to make his case.
Build something bigger
“If we win at the end of the day, that’s fine, but it’s something bigger we are trying to get accomplished,” Smith said.
The Texans kind of needed a win at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers last season as there weren’t going to be many bright points in the 2021 campaign. However, the Texans just need to show they are headed in the right direction and not get distracted by the nostrum of a preseason win.
