Tag: Anthony Weaver

3 Rex Ryan traits Anthony Weaver will add as Texans defensive coordinator

First-year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver has been with the Houston Texans since 2016, but one of his bigger coaching influences was Rex Ryan.

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Houston Texans defensive coordinator Rex Ryan has been with the AFC South club since 2016 as a defensive line coach, a position and team he has been with the most in his NFL career.

However, one of Weaver’s larger influences on his career was former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan. From 2002-05, Weaver played defensive end for the Ravens, and Ryan was his position coach for the first three seasons until taking over as defensive coordinator in 2005.

Here are three ways Ryan influenced Weaver.

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Texans DC Anthony Weaver shoots down idea of moving Lonnie Johnson to safety

First year Houston Texans defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver says that Lonnie Johnson is a cornerback, and expects him to make a jump in year two.

Former Houston Texans second-round pick Lonnie Johnson is playing cornerback, but his 6-2, 213-pound frame suggests that he might be a better fit at safety in his second season.

When approached with the idea of moving Johnson to safety, first-year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver told Houston reporters on a conference call on Wednesday that the 24-year-old will be staying where he is on the outside.

“In terms of Lonnie moving to safety, I think Lonnie’s a corner,” Weaver said. “I think Lonnie’s a corner. I think he has press ability, he has length, he has speed. We’ve got to get his confidence right, and I don’t think he lacks in that area either.”

As a rookie from Kentucky, Johnson produced 41 tackles and seven pass breakups in 14 games, seven of which he started. Just as rookies tend to blossom later in their initial year due to increased playing time, Johnson had a boost on confidence in the divisional playoffs when he returned a 10-yard blocked punt for a touchdown early in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Weaver was impressed with the way Johnson was able to have success as a rookie, especially in a position where being burned by receivers is commonplace.

Said Weaver: “The cornerback position, particularly for rookies, is a difficult one. To come in and have success early at corner is not easy. Those guys, they’re out there on those islands, they’re all by themselves and sometimes they’re just not being put in the best positions. We’ve got to help them. I’ve got the utmost faith in our DB room.”

Johnson is part of a revamped cornerback group that has Bradley Roby, Keion Crossen, Cornell Armstrong, Phillip Gaines, Gareon Conley, and Vernon Hargreaves returning. The club also drafted a cornerback in Round 4 of the 2020 NFL Draft with John Reid from Penn State.

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Texans select TCU DL Ross Blacklock in Round 2 of 2020 NFL Draft

The Houston Texans have selected former TCU Horned Frog defensive tackle Ross Blacklock in Round 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft.

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The Houston Texans have found someone to replace D.J. Reader.

The AFC South champions picked former TCU Horned Frog defensive tackle Ross Blacklock in Round 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft Friday.

Blacklock, a 6-4, 305 pound defensive tackle, has the ability to play at the three technique and also zero technique.

Blacklock went to high school at nearby Missouri City Elkins.

“Teams and fans are going to get a leader,” Blacklock said at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in February. “I’m a natural-born leader as a player. It’s something that just grew a part of me as an athlete. A guy that’s going to be accountable at all times, holds people to high standards, like myself.

“I want people to hold me to a high standard just like I will hold them to a higher standard as well. A guy who just wants to be great. I see people in the NFL, some of the greatest athletes in the world, and I just want to be in the same topic. I don’t do it for money. Of course you get paid a lot of money, but I just do it for the passion of football.”

The Texans still have six picks remaining in the draft. Their next selection is at 90th overall in the third round to conclude day two. On day three, Houston has a fourth-rounder, fifth-round, and three seventh-round picks.

OLB Jacob Martin optimistic about second season with Texans

Outside linebacker Jacob Martin is positive and upbeat about beginning his second season with the Houston Texans.

Jacob Martin is beginning his second season with the Houston Texans, and the outside linebacker is optimistic about it.

The former 2018 sixth-round pick from Temple was part of the trade with the Seattle Seahawks that sent edge defender Jadeveon Clowney to the NFC West. The trade was executed on Aug. 31, and the 23-year-old had a week to get ready for the Texans’ season opener at the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football.

One of the reasons Martin is hopeful about 2020 is the promotion of defensive line coach Anthony Weaver to defensive coordinator.

“I learned a lot from him this year working with some of the other guys up front,” Martin told Drew Dougherty of Texans TV. “He’s a young dude. He’s played the game. He understands the game. He brings a lot of energy. He’s just a good guy to be around. He’s a super-smart guy you can lean on.”

Martin collected 11 tackles, three tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, seven quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in his 14 games for Houston. The 6-2, 242-pound edge defender did not register a start as he was mostly a special teams contributor.

While Martin intends to help the team in whatever capacity is asked of him, the goal is always improvement. As COVID-19 has brought the entire world to gridlock, Martin continues to work on his strength and conditioning. The outside linebacker has consulted with strength and conditioning coach Mike Eubank on creating a home gym that will help him train for 2020.

“I’m excited to be back another year with the guys, to grow and to learn within the system and to play for Weave and the new members of the staff that they added,” said Martin. “I’m very optimistic about the things that we’re capable of and the things that we’ll achieve from a defensive standpoint and a team standpoint this year.”

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Texans reach 1-year contract agreement with DT Tim Jernigan

The Houston Texans have reportedly agreed a deal with Super Bowl winning defensive tackle Tim Jernigan.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Houston Texans have reached an agreement to sign veteran defensive tackle Tim Jernigan. The former Baltimore Ravens second-round pick has agreed to a one-year $3.75 million deal with $1.25 million guaranteed.

After spending the last three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Jernigan moves to Houston with a Super Bowl LII ring and a PFWA All-Rookie team credit.

The Jernigan signing represents a low-risk, high reward addition to the lineup. After losing D.J. Reader to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency, the Texans were faced with a gaping hole on their defensive front. If nothing else, Jernigan can act as an experienced voice for whichever DT they draft (assuming they do) thanks to his six seasons in the league.

Having only played a full 16 game season once, Jernigan’s career has been plagued by injuries the last few years meaning that he has played just 13 games across the last two seasons. However, with 17.5 sacks he brings pass-rushing prowess and a strong run-stopping reputation. If he can get back to full health, he would be a quality starter and solves a desperate need for Anthony Weaver’s defense.

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Report: Titans showed interest in Texans’ Anthony Weaver for DC

The Titans might have had Anthony Weaver in mind to replace Dean Pees.

The Tennessee Titans might have had at least one name in mind to take over for now-retired defensive coordinator, Dean Pees.

According to ESPN’s Sarah Barshop, the Titans may have plucked current Houston Texans defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver off head coach Bill O’Brien’s staff had he not been promoted.

Weaver was promoted to defensive coordinator after the Tennessee Titans showed interest in him to replace the retired Dean Pees as coordinator there.

Weaver, who was the Texans’ defensive line coach from 2016 through 2019, replaced the team’s former defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, who decided to not return to his position for 2020.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel has made it clear time and time again that he wants coaches around him who he is familiar with, and Weaver would have qualified as one of those coaches. Both he and Vrabel were on O’Brien’s staff together in 2016 and 2017.

Tennessee ended up not hiring a defensive coordinator at all, and the thought is that Vrabel might end up calling plays on that side of the ball. Whether he calls plays or not, Vrabel is expected to take a larger role in the defense.

When asked about it during his NFL Combine presser, Vrabel said that the team is still “working through the process” of who will call plays.

Former Notre Dame Captain Reportedly Named Texans DC

Weaver takes over a defense that gave up the fifth-most yards in the NFL in 2019 but did manage to allow a significantly more respectable 19th fewest points.

Former Notre Dame captain and defensive end Anthony Weaver has worked his way from player to graduate assistant and now all the way up to an NFL defensive coordinator.

On Monday news broke courtesy of ESPN’s Adam Schefter, reporting that Weaver will be named defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans.

Anthony Weaver was a star defensive end at Notre Dame, playing under Bob Davie from 1998 through 2001.  In 2001 he served as a captain and was named team MVP for a squad that disappointed to the tune of just a 5-6 record after earning a Fiesta Bowl berth the season before.

Weaver went on to become a second round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2002 and played four seasons there before playing three more with the Houston Texans from 2006-08.

Weaver then got his start in the coaching ranks at the very bottom, serving as a graduate assistant to Urban Meyer at Florida in 2010 before taking a job as linebackers coach at North Texas in 2011.

From there it was a long climb to his new post as Weaver had stints with the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns along the way.  In 2016 he took over as defensive line coach of the Texans before being promoted to defensive coordinator today.

Weaver takes over a defense that gave up the fifth-most yards in the NFL in 2019 but did manage to allow a significantly more respectable 19th fewest points.

For a flashback, check out this newsclip about Weaver from 2013 that briefly features footage from his kicking career in high school and one of his highlights from his days at Notre Dame.

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Texans promote DL coach Anthony Weaver to defensive coordinator

The Houston Texans have promoted defensive line coach Anthony Weaver to defensive coordinator.

The Houston Texans have decided to get younger at defensive coordinator and also keep it in-house.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans have promoted defensive line coach Anthony Weaver to the role of defensive coordinator, replacing 72-year-old Romeo Crennel, who had been contemplating retirement.

Weaver has been Houston’s defensive line coach since 2016. Arguably one of the best jobs he had done is developing defensive tackle D.J. Reader, who has turned into one of the Texans’ bulwarks along the interior defensive line and is due a contract extension from the club in the offseason.

Prior to joining the Texans, Weaver was a defensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2014-15. In 2013, Weaver got his first defensive line coach job at the NFL level with the Buffalo Bills after spending the 2012 season in an assistant capacity with the New York Jets. In 2011, he was linebackers coach at North Texas after getting his first coaching job with Florida as a graduate assistant.

Weaver played for the Houston Texans from 2006-08 after spending his first four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, who took him in the second round of the 2002 NFL draft from Notre Dame.