Player comparisons are only natural to make, and the Houston Texans’ fourth-round rookie draws similarities to a former running back who played for the club a year ago.
Running back Dameon Pierce has the same type of outgoing personality that Mark Ingram had when he was with the Texans through seven games last season.
Texans general manager Nick Caserio joined “Payne & Pendergast” on Sports Radio 610 [KILT-AM] and wouldn’t get into comparisons between Pierce and Ingram.
“I think every player has their own personality dynamics,” Caserio said. “I’d say Mark has been in the league, 10, 11 years, whatever it’s been. And I think he’s one of the most respected players on a team, one of the most respected players on our team last year when he was in our building, and that’s earned over time. So, I think fairly or unfairly players get compared to other players, but I think it’s kind of unfair to compare Dameon to a player like Mark and his status as a player.”
What Caserio would say about the former Florida running back was that Pierce was “an outgoing kid.”
Said Caserio: “He plays with a lot of energy, he plays with a lot of joy, and he plays with a lot of toughness. Dameon Pierce is his own person. Mark Ingram is his own person. I think all these rookies it’s important for them to be their own person and be careful of making a comparison and thinking that’s kind of apples to apples.”
Rather than comparisons, Caserio says the team is focused on how an individual player melds with the overall makeup of the team.
“We focus on the individual player,” said Caserio. “Who are they as a person, what’s their makeup, and then how are they going to fit into our building with the rest of the group that we already have in place?”