Tag: Coaching

DeMeco Ryans encouraged Texans to stay in contact with cut teammates

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans says he told the players to stay in contact with their released teammates during the trimming to 53.

What makes DeMeco Ryans the ultimate players coach is that he was once a player.

The former Houston Texans 2006 second-round linebacker spent six seasons with his original draft team before finishing out his last four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. As Ryans experienced his first cut day as a coach, the experience brought him back to when he was first starting out in Houston.

“Before having to give the bad news to guys, I went back to being a young player and understanding you’ve battled with all these guys in training camp through preseason games, and now you come in one day and the locker room is different,” Ryans told reporters Aug. 30. “It’s a little quieter in the locker room, some guys are missing, and I remember the shock that it gave me as a young player, because everywhere you’ve played — from high school to college — no one ever tells you, ‘No, you can’t be on the team.’ So, it’s hard to deliver that news and say, ‘No, not at this time,’ so I reflect back to me being in that position as a young player, how it affected me.”

Along with any encouraging messages Ryans may have for players lost in the numbers game, the 39-year-old expressed to the remaining players how they could still continue to be good teammates with the players technically no longer in the organization.

Said Ryans: “So, when I talk to our team, I just make sure that guys who are on our team, that they realize, still, we need you to reach out to our other brothers, and make sure we’re connecting, make sure you’re checking on the guys, making sure they’re okay. We’ll have some guys come back eventually for practice squad, but make sure those guys feel that you care about them because of the special bond that you guys have built throughout OTAs and training camp.”

The Texans kick off the regular season Sept. 10 against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

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Texans’ DeMeco Ryans says coaching staff also had swarm mentality versus Patriots

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans says the coaching staff also demonstrated a swarm mentality on the sidelines against the New England Patriots.

One of the themes for the Houston Texans in 2023 is to “swarm” the opposition.

The Texans defense certainly swarmed the New England Patriots in the 20-9 preseason victory Aug. 10 at Gillette Stadium. Houston held New England to 164 yards total offense and 27:32 in time of possession.

What rookie coach DeMeco Ryans learned about his coaching staff was that he has a collection of great communicators.

“As a collective group, it was just really cool to hear the way our coaching staff communicates with each other,” Ryans told reporters Aug. 11. “Offensively, guys were on it. Defensively, guys were on top of all the situations, all the things to anticipate, like they were working together.”

What Ryans also noticed was the same swarm approach that he asks his players to use permeated throughout his staff.

“I talked about that swarm mentality for our players,” said Ryans. “It was cool to see that swarm mentality and approach to attacking this game like our coaches did, and I’m proud of the way that they handled themselves.”

The Texans will have a chance to swarm the Miami Dolphins Aug. 19 at NRG Stadium for their second preseason tilt of the three-game schedule.

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Texans coach DeMeco Ryans reveals how he corrects mistakes

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans shared how he handles player mistakes as the rookie coach works through his first training camp.

Players make mistakes. They are only human. As such, coaches make corrections. It’s their job.

The Houston Texans tasked DeMeco Ryans with a tall order hiring the rookie coach after the club’s 3-13-1 campaign, the third straight double-digit losing season. No doubt Ryans has many items to correct as the Texans make the long trek back to relevance in the NFL.

The 39-year-old shared with reporters July 31 after training camp practice just how he helps players determine the right course to take following an error.

“Yeah, most of those are film things, Ryans said. “But, with our players, and most NFL players, they know before a coach can say anything. They know exactly what mistake they made, and they’ve already corrected that in their minds, so, not a lot you have to say to a player when he does make a mistake.”

One virtue Ryans has is patience when the players make mistakes.

“It’s going to happen, but it’s all about how resilient are you to put that mistake aside, play the next play,” said Ryans. “Just because there’s one bad play, we don’t want one bad play to become two, three, linger throughout a game.”

The Texans’ first preseason game is Aug. 10 against the New England Patriots.

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Dalton Schultz says DeMeco Ryans was a selling point to join the Texans

Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz says rookie coach DeMeco Ryans was one of the main selling points for the team in free agency.

Dalton Schultz was continuing the adventure.

The former Dallas Cowboys 2018 fourth-round tight end hit free agency after his original draft club declined extension talks following the expiration of his franchise tag. The former Stanford product looked to the Houston Texans as his new NFL city.

What stood out at Schultz during his interactions with the Texans was none other than the new coach.

“I mean, I came in and met DeMeco [Ryans] and right away, he jumps out,” Schultz told reporters Wednesday after training camp practice at Houston Methodist Training Center. “He’s a great guy, full of energy. I know you guys have all probably met him.”

What Schultz also appreciates is the new offensive scheme deployed by offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. The West Coast offense deployed by the San Francisco 49ers makes its way to Space City, and Schultz is hopeful to replicate the success All-Pro George Kittle has enjoyed.

Said Schultz: “I have a lot of respect for the schemes that they brought over. I like the coaching staff, I like the nutrition staff, the strength staff. Everybody I’ve met around here has been great. So that, to me, right away when I came, I was like, ‘Okay, this is a pretty cool place.’”

The 27-year-old’s former team was a veteran group. Whereas his former quarterback turns 30 years old on July 29, the tight end’s new signal caller will very likely be rookie C.J. Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick.

“They’re a young team, they’ve got a lot of good, young pieces and a lot of veteran leadership that nobody really talks about,” said Schultz. “But, you get in the locker room, and you feel it right away. So, I think it just felt very familiar, very comfortable, and I think when I came it was a no-brainer for me.”

Schultz figures to be atop the depth chart at tight end as he works with third-year Brevin Jordan and second-year Teagan Quitoriano.

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Johnathan Joseph among the Texans’ 2023 Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching and Nunn-Wooten Scouting fellows

Former CB Johnathan Joseph will be a part of Houston Texans’ eight fellows in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching and Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowships.

Former Houston Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph is going to get a taste of coaching with his old team.

According to the Texans, the former two-time Pro Bowl cornerback will be a member of the team’s eight fellows who will take part in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching and Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowships for training camp.

During Joseph’s 16 seasons in the NFL with stints with the Cincinnati Bengals, Texans, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans, the former 2006 first-round pick generated 782 combined tackles, 200 pass breakups, 32 interceptions, including seven returned for touchdowns, and eight forced fumbles across 211 career games.

Joseph will work with the defensive backs.

Michigan State defensive analyst T.J. Hollowell will work with the defensive line and linebackers.

Texas A&M assistant strength and conditioning coach Jerry Johnson will be a part of the team’s strength and conditioning.

Pleasant Grove High School (Alabama) head coach Darrell LeBeaux will focus on the running backs and tight ends.

Rice offensive analyst JaMarcus Nelson will work with receivers.

Texas Southern offensive line coach Manny Ramirez will be a part of the offensive line.

New Jersey Generals (USFL) quarterbacks coach Zerick Rollins will be a part of the special teams and offense.

Since 1987, the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship is designed to be a vocational tool to increase the number of full-time minority coaches in the league. With all 32 NFL clubs participating each year, the program’s objective is to use NFL clubs’ offseason workout programs and minicamps to give talented coaches opportunities to observe, participate, gain experience, and ultimately gain a full-time NFL coaching position.

The Texans will also have Colorado director of recruiting Darrius Darden-Box take part in the team’s scouting. The Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship will give Box a look into player personnel and the intricacies of college and pro scouting within an NFL team.

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Report: Notre Dame losing assistant coach to Youngstown State

All the best to him down the road!

Notre Dame is losing an assistant coach, this one being Jeremy Larkin.  According to Football Scoop, Larkin is headed to Youngstown State to coach running backs.  Larkin was a full-time assistant on Marcus Freeman’s staff this past season as he worked as an analyst, high school relations, and helped in recruiting.

Larkin is a former Northwestern running back who previously worked as a graduate assistant on Pat Fitzgerald’s staff in Evanston.  As the former running back now goes to coach his own running backs group he does so having worked closely with one of the best of those, Notre Dame running backs coach [autotag]Deland McCullough[/autotag].

Larkin rushed for 849 yards and 10 touchdowns between 2017 and 2018 at Northwestern.

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Five-star recruit shares how long Nick Saban intends to coach for

Nick Saban intends to “Coach until he croaks.”

At 71 years of age, the question everyone in the college football world wants to know is how long Nick Saban will continue coaching. With seven national titles under his belt and virtually every record in the history of the Alabama football program, he has already earned the title of the greatest coach of all time.

However, Saban’s age certainly plays a part in recruiting as no kid wants to commit to the G.O.A.T. for him to retire in the midst of their college careers, but it doesn’t appear as if that day is coming anytime soon. Five-star wide receiver and Alabama commit, Ryan Williams, is a key piece in the Tide’s 2025 recruiting class and he shared that Nick Saban isn’t considering calling it quits yet. Williams is the No. 4 overall player in the country and keeping his commitment is essential.

Williams acknowledges that Saban is a monumental part of his commitment to Alabama and they have even discussed his retirement at points. Williams said to Bud Elliot of CBS Sports about Saban’s potential retirement, “We’ve talked about that, of course. But he said he’s going to be coaching until he croaks over.” That was all Williams needed to hear as he has been extremely committed to the Tide dating back to last fall.

This is great news for Alabama fans as this means the Tide will continue to compete for national titles for years to come with no worries of who is potential replacement will be one day.

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Texans coach DeMeco Ryans will use downtime to power up for training camp

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans says he will use the remainder of June and the bulk of July to power up for his first training camp.

DeMeco Ryans has a long path ahead of him in shepherding the Houston Texans through the 2023 season, and with a month-long break ahead of the team before training camp, he and his coaching staff the extra time will be spent on rest and preparation.

For the first-year coach, the remainder of June after minicamp and beginning of July represent the only free time he will have had since signing with Houston after the 2022 season ended.

Ryans told reporters on Wednesday about how the time off will benefit himself and the rest of the Texans’ staff, who will embark on their rebuild season in earnest in September.

“For our coaches over the next few weeks, I think it’s time for a little rest and relaxation,” Ryans explained. “Especially for me. I’ve been going pretty non-stop since our last playoff game. So definitely a little rest and relaxation to make sure I’m powered up and ready to go for the season. The same with our coaches.”

Of course, it won’t just be Ryans and his coaches who benefit, but their families, as the father of three pointed out.

“It’s a time for us to have the opportunity to spend more time with your family, go and visit family that you haven’t seen a while… So just a time to reconnect personally with your family.”

In a game as brutal as football, time away is necessary. Each Texans player is sure to spend the early part of the summer in a different way, but the team will be sure to show up to training camp and the preseason with the same motivation to excel.

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How likely is DeMeco Ryans to turn around the Texans?

Coach DeMeco Ryans is tasked with turning around the Houston Texans. What is the likelihood Ryans can complete the job in his first year?

The Houston Texans have been also-rans in the AFC South since 2020. Aside from individual accomplishments in 2020, there has been very little to cheer.

The Texans have a wave of excitement they can ride throughout the spring thanks to hiring coach DeMeco Ryans, a former two-time Pro Bowl linebacker with the franchise from 2006-11. The enthusiasm could turn to dejection if the Texans aren’t able to get out of their funk that has limited them to a four-win ceiling the past three seasons.

According to Dalton Wasserman from Pro Football Focus, among incoming coaches in 2023, Ryans ranks No. 4 in his prospects to turn around his team.

Ryans will pride himself on improving this defense, which carried a league-worst 34.1 run-defense grade last season. The first part of winning games is staying in them. And too often in 2022, the Texans’ front seven did not allow the team to do so.

The relationship between Stroud and first-year play caller Bobby Slowik will be interesting to watch. The entire team, though, will be built in Ryans’ blue-collar image. Without a true WR1 on their roster, the Texans’ goal will be to improve the defense and run the ball well.

It’s a developmental year for everyone involved, but the direction of the team is very clear. It will take time, especially in a loaded AFC. Ryans has the requisite time and a good core of talent to work with. The Texans could win a couple more games than expected if things break right.

The Denver Broncos’ Sean Payton was No. 1. The Carolina Panthers’ Frank Reich was No. 2. The Indianapolis Colts’ Shane Steichen ranked No. 3.

The Texans will have their travails throughout the 17-game season. Nevertheless if Ryans is able to end the season on a high note in January, regardless of playoff qualification, Clutch City sports fans will have to believe better days have returned.

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WATCH: Texans coach DeMeco Ryans brings enthusiasm to OTAs

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans was full of energy during the team’s OTAs in video published on the team’s Twitter.

One of the more compelling reasons why Clutch City sports fans were welcoming of DeMeco Ryans as coach of the Houston Texans is his enthusiasm.

There was no better display of the former two-time Pro Bowl linebacker’s spirit for the game than during organized team activities on May 31.

The Texans’ media department embedded a microphone on Ryans during practice and filmed his reactions throughout the session.

Naturally for a 38-year-old who has kept himself in great shape since his last game in 2015, Ryans was jumping around and shouting as though he were going to participate in the reps.

“Just for me in this position, it’s a role of service, and I’m just in position to help out either side of the ball as much as I can,” Ryans said.

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