Tag: DeMeco Ryans

Mike McDaniel: We anticipated fake punt, ‘frustrating’ it worked anyway

The Dolphins looked completely bamboozled by the Texans’ trick play, and Mike McDaniel can’t understand why.

While the Miami Dolphins turned the ball over four times Sunday, one special teams play was equally as devastating as Tua Tagovailoa’s interceptions.

After the Dolphins defense got a stop on the Texans’ first drive of the second half, Houston ran a perfectly executed fake punt for a 35-yard gain. Two plays later, the Texans took advantage of the opportunity with a touchdown that extended their lead to 14.

While the Dolphins looked completely bamboozled by the Texans’ trick play, head coach Mike McDaniel can’t understand why.

“We were anticipating that situation, so we had the appropriate call,” McDaniel said after the game. “I’ll have to take a look at the execution of it because I was surprised. It was the punt return scheme that we want in that situation to defend against that specific play.

“I’ll have to see how that unfolded because we were very aware pre-snap, and that was frustrating, when you’re bringing awareness to a possibility, and you lose on that possibility.”

While McDaniel felt he had his team in the right spot to counter the fake punt, Texans coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters that his team ran the play, in part, because of the Dolphins’ alignment.

“We got the look we wanted and guys were on it,” Ryans said after the game. “The entire punt unit did a really nice job of just executing that the right way. Excellent execution.”

The 35-yard gain for Dare Ogunbowale accounted for nearly 20 percent of the Texans’ 181 yards of total offense and close to half of the team’s 77 rushing yards.

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Texans can clinch playoff spot in Week 15 with one possible scenario

Here’s how the Houston Texans can clinch the AFC South division title in Week 15’s showdown against the Miami Dolphins.

Even though the Houston Texans won’t play an AFC South opponent, they can clinch the division before midnight on Week 15.

The pathway to the postseason is simple, but also partially out of Houston’s control.

As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport pointed out, the Texans can secure one of the final five playoff spots in the AFC in front of the fans at NRG Stadium with a win over the Miami Dolphins.

That’s only one part of the equation. Houston also needs the Denver Broncos to defeat the Indianapolis Colts at Empower Stadium, thus moving the Colts’ record to two games below .500.

Even if the two teams were to finish with 9-8 records, the Texans swept Indianapolis during the regular season, thus giving them a division advantage.

If both teams won, Houston would simply need to defeat Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium to secure a 10-win season. Much like Week 15’s outlook, even if the Colts were to finish 10-7, they’d lose the head-to-head battle.

A Texans’ win also benefits the Pittsburgh Steelers, who would clinch a playoff berth with a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles and losses from Indianapolis and Miami.

The Green Bay Packers can clinch a playoff spot if they beat the Seattle Seahawks, get a loss or tie from the Atlanta Falcons and get a tie between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers in Week 15.

The Minnesota Vikings can also punch their ticket to the postseason with a win over the Chicago Bears. The Eagles are already in playoffs but would secure the NFC East with a victory over Pittsburgh.

None of that matters to Houston for now. Just win against a red-hot Dolphins roster on the warpath to January football since Tua Tagovailoa’s return and wait for the rest to fall in line.

It’s not like the Texans must win to stay alive. According to the New York Times playoff simulator, Houston has a 96 percent chance of making the postseason and would improve their standing to over 99 percent with a win over the Seahawks.

Kickoff from NRG Stadium is scheduled for noon CT.

DeMeco Ryans provides positive update as LB Christian Harris returns to practice

Christian Harris might be back at practice, but will he play for the Houston Texans in Week 15’s showdown against the Miami Dolphins?

With the Houston Texans designating linebacker Christian Harris to return from the injured reserve, all eyes are set on his status for Sunday’s contest against the Miami Dolphins.

Harris, who suffered a calf injury during training camp, has been itching to return to the active roster. He hasn’t practiced with the team since training camp and has suffered several setbacks since early July.

Second-year coach DeMeco Ryans said that Harris is back practicing, but the team would evaluate his progression throughout the week before electing to officially add him back to the active roster.

“He looks like himself physically moving around,” Ryans said Monday. “He’s missed a lot of football. It’s just a matter of him getting back in and getting those mental reps. Nothing can help you with football except playing football.”

Harris’ return comes at an ideal time amid the suspension of teammate Azeez Al-Shaair. After the NFL denied his appeal on the hit against Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in Week 12, Al-Shaair won’t be cleared to return until after Week 17’s Christmas matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

A breakout player under Ryans in 2023, Harris could be in line for an extensive new contract with stellar play to close out 2024. Last season, he finished second in tackles with 101 stops and secured the eventual game-sealing interception over the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card round.

“Christian at 100%, 70%, 50%, he’s amazing,” linebacker Henry To’oTo’o said. “He’s a freak of nature. But he’s worked so hard to be the player he is now.”

The Texans have 21 days to decide whether Harris can play or not. If he can’t go, Ryans said the team has faith in special teams star Neville Hewitt, who’s filled in at both linebacker roles this season.

“When Neville had to step in for us, I thought he did a really nice job of just being where he’s supposed to be, communicated really well, executed his technique within a defense and he made some plays for us,” Ryans said.
To’oTo’o, who was also teammates with Harris at the University of Alabama, mentioned how the former third-round pick has worked hard to return to full speed before the season’s end.

Expectations are for him to help Houston return to the playoffs and go on another run behind a hopefully improved offensive performance.

“It’s been so long,” To’oTo’o said. “Just to see him day in and day out, he’s been head down, grinding to get back out there.”

Where does DeMeco Ryans ranks among all 32 coaches by age?

DeMeco Ryans won’t make history in 2024 with the Houston Texans as the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl title.

While he might be pushing four decades, Houston Texans second-year coach DeMeco Ryans is considered a young gun in the NFL.

The 40-year-old former Pro Bowl linebacker has blossomed into a rising star among the coaching ranks. Last season as the first-year man in command with the team that drafted him in 2006, Ryans led the Texans to a 10-7 finish and playoff berth.

Houston, which currently boasts an 8-5 record, is expected to return to the playoffs in 2024 as the AFC South champions. The Texans have a two-game lead over the Indianapolis Colts heading into the bye week and could clinch the division title by Christmas.

Should the Texans hoist up their first Lombardi Trophy in New Orleans this year, Ryans wouldn’t be the youngest coach to claim the title. Mike Tomlin (36 at the time) held the record as the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl until Sean McVay (20 days younger) later claimed that crown with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021.

McVay, now 38, is still the fourth-youngest coach and two years younger than Ryans with seven years of head coaching experience.

Bruce Arians was the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl (68), but George Halas (204 days older) was the oldest coach to ever win an NFL title (Halas coached in the pre-Super Bowl era).

While age doesn’t matter to success, Andy Reid (66) has claimed three titles during his tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs, including back-to-back Super Bowls in 2022 and 2023. The longtime play-caller would need to coach at least three more seasons to have a chance of becoming the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl.

View the full list of all 32 NFL head coaches below, ranked by age.

  1. Andy Reid (66) Chiefs
  2. John Harbaugh (62) Ravens
  3. Mike McCarthy (61) Cowboys
  4. Todd Bowles (61) Buccaneers
  5. Jim Harbaugh (60) Chargers
  6. Sean Payton (60) Broncos
  7. Doug Pederson (56) Jaguars
  8. Darren Rizzi (54) Saints [interim]
  9. Dan Quinn (54) Commanders
  10. Mike Tomlin (52) Steelers
  11. Sean McDermott (50) Bills
  12. Brian Daboll (49) Giants
  13. Dan Campbell (48) Lions
  14. Raheem Morris (48) Falcons
  15. Jeff Ulbrich (47) Jets [interim]
  16. Antonio Pierce (46) Raiders
  17. Matt LaFleur (45) Packers
  18. Kyle Shanahan (44) 49ers
  19. Dave Canales (43) Panthers
  20. Nick Sirianni (43) Eagles
  21. Kevin Stefanski (42) Browns
  22. Jonathan Gannon (41) Cardinals
  23. Mike McDaniel (41) Dolphins
  24. Zac Taylor (41) Bengals
  25. Brian Callahan (40) Titans
  26. DeMeco Ryans (40) Texans
  27. Shane Steichen (39) Colts
  28. Kevin O’Connell (39) Vikings
  29. Sean McVay (38) Rams
  30. Jerod Mayo (38) Patriots
  31. Thomas Brown (38) Bears [interim]
  32. Mike Macdonald (37) Seahawks

Ryans (.586) has the 11th-best career winning percentage among active coaches.

Texans coach praises Cowboys backup QB Cooper Rush entering Week 11’s showdown

DeMeco Ryans sees the potential in Cooper Rush entering Week 11’s showdown between the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys.

Cooper Rush might be a backup quarterback, but it’s best not to doubt a player who’s been a part of a team for years.

It’s worse to doubt a passer who’s proven they can win on any given Sunday.

Rush, who’s served as Dak Prescott’s backup since joining the Dallas Cowboys out of Central Michigan in 2017, has filled in for the latter before because of injury.

Prescott suffered a broken right thumb in a dispiriting opening-day loss in 2022, thus leaving the balance of the regular season in the hands of Rush. He kept morale high, going 4-1 as a starter for an eventual postseason-bound roster.

Sitting at 3-6, the Cowboys would need a comeback for the ages to enter the NFC postseason race, but Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans isn’t rushing to conclusions on Rush.

“Cooper has been there a while and he understands how to operate the offense very efficiently,” Ryans said Thursday. “When it comes to everything, every operation that goes with the offense, the checks, getting them in the proper plays, Cooper does a great job of managing all of the pre-snap operations and he does a great job of getting the ball out, finding his playmakers, making really good decisions with the football.”

Prescott will miss the remainder of the regular season after undergoing hmastring surgery. Despite having former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance on the roster, the Cowboys are sticking with Rush for another week.

Rush, who’s started six games in eight seasons, completed 13 of his 23 pass attempts for 45 yards and fumbled twice in Sunday’s 34-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged that he “didn’t get Cooper into a rhythm” and said that Dallas needs to execute quicker if it plans on setting a tone.

For his career, Rush has completed 178 of 298 passes for 1,831 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions.

Ryans, who’s looking to get Houston back to its winning ways, isn’t paying attention to a Week 10 loss against the NFC East favorites. He’s looking at the body of work, which features Rush sitting at 4-2 all-time in the starting job.

“Cooper has a great record,” Ryans said. “When he’s started, he’s won a lot of games. So, we’re going in with the mindset of it being about the Texans and about us executing the right way.”

Kickoff from AT&T Stadium is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

Did DeMeco Ryans ever sack Aaron Rodgers when he played?

DeMeco Ryans and Aaron Rodgers have crossed paths before.

Did you know Aaron Rodgers is older than Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans?

That’s right. Rodgers has Ryans beat by about seven months, as both are 40 years old but Rodgers turns 41 in December. Watching one coach while the other is still playing when the Texans and New York Jets meet Thursday night may leave you wondering whether the two played against each other at any point. The answer is yes.

They were in the league together for the entirety of Ryans’ playing career from 2006 to 2015. And though they didn’t have many opportunities to cross paths — with Ryans spending the majority of his time with the Texans in the AFC and Rodgers playing with the Packers in the NFC — they did share the field together once. And Ryans even got a rare sack on Rodgers.

In 2008, the Texans beat the Packers 24-21. A 25-year-old Rodgers played well, throwing for 295 yards and two touchdowns, but Ryans got the last laugh. He sacked Rodgers to force a third-and-long on a potential go-ahead drive for Green Bay late in the fourth quarter. Houston kicked a game-winning field goal the next drive. The sack was one of just 13.5 for Ryans’ entire career.

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Watch: Texans DB Jalen Pitre records first interception of 2024 in rival game

Houston Texans defensive back Jalen Pitre recorded his first interception since his rookie season against Colts QB Anthony Richardson

Kamari Lassiter nearly had a pick-six on second down.

Jalen Pitre finished the assignment on the next play.

On 3rd-and-5 with less than a minute remaining in the first half, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson elected to go to the air again for the conversion.

He paid for it as Pitre came down with his first interception of the regular season and his first since Week 17 of the 2022 campaign.


Outside of the 69-yard passing touchdown, Houston has shut down the Colts passing attack. Richardson finished the first half 2-for-15 with 81 yards and a touchdown and an interception.

Richardson’s 13.3% completion percentage is the lowest in a half in Colts history since 1991.

Despite the lack of a passing game, Indianapolis has remained in the game due to continued struggles along the offensive line.

Houston’s defense has eight takeaways in the 10 quarters after recording just three in the first five games.

Pitre’s interception is the first Texans takeaway at NRG Stadium since Week 2.

With a win, the Texans will finish at least .500 in divisional play for the 2024 season.

DeMeco Ryans breaks down Texans signing of Pro Bowl LB Devin White

Here’s why the Houston Texans brought in former Pro Bowl cornerback Devin White.

Why did the Houston Texans sign former Pro Bowl linebacker Devin White?

Is it because third-year starter Christian Harris will miss the remainder of the season?

Is it because Azeez Al-Shaair is set to go to the injured reserve?

Nope. Both would be valid reasons for the Texans to bring in the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers captain, but it’s not why he’s now suiting up for the AFC South favorites.

“We wanted to add him to give him an opportunity to see where he can come in and help us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said when asked why they signed White. “That’s what it was about.”

The Texans need linebacker depth following Sunday’s loss against the Green Bay Packers. Herny To’oTo’o, who was out last week due to a concussion, still hasn’t been cleared by the team’s medical staff to play this week against the Indianapolis Colts.

Al-Shaair, who suffered a knee injury in Week 6, did not practice on Wednesday and could miss his second consecutive game. Harris, who’s been  on the injured reserve since the start of the season, is making progress but isn’t expected back for at least a few more weeks.

Enter White, a former first-round pick out of LSU and do-it-all defender for the Buccaneers during their Super Bowl run in 2020. He was a second-team All-Pro in 2020 and made the Pro Bowl in 2021.

Last season in 13 games, White finished with 83 tackles, six pass deflections and two interceptions. He signed a one-year deal this offseason with the Philadelphia Eagles but never played a down before being released earlier this month.

Just because he didn’t play doesn’t mean the Texans don’t envision White in the same light as the Eagles.

“He went top 10 in the Draft, I mean, he was an exceptional talent,” Ryans said. “So, what happened and why he’s here, no one knows.

“You just have to keep punching, keep attacking each day with the right mindset and opportunity for Devin is to come in here and compete. Again, nothing’s promised. We don’t know what the future holds.”

After Sunday’s game, the Texans have a quick turnaround on Thursday Night Football against the New York Jets. White might not play this week, but there’s a chance he’ll be caught up to speed in time to see meaningful reps against Aaron Rodgers and Co. at MetLife Stadium.

Ryans, however, isn’t ruling out White from playing on Sunday in Houston just yet.

“We’ll work with him and see where he is. Try to get him caught up to speed to see if he can help us,” Ryans said. “So, it’s an opportunity for Devin to compete. Come in, learn how we do things and see how he can fit in and how he can help us.”

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans explains conservative play-calling on final drive

DeMeco Ryans said the Green Bay Packers did enough to stop the Houston Texans from punching it in for a touchdown on the final drive Sunday afternoon.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

If the Houston Texans would have gone for the jugular, perhaps they’d be sitting at 6-1.

If the Texans tried to attack through the air instead of settling for their ground game behind Joe Mixon, perhaps they would have finished with more than three points in the second half on Sunday’s outing against the Green Bay Packers.

That wasn’t the case. The Texans never picked up the steam, thus leading to a comeback drive from Jordan Love and a game-winning field goal from Brandon McManus to secure a 24-22 victory at Lambeau Field.

Houston never kicked it into high gear, thus heading home with its second loss on the season.

“I just try to execute every play that I can, that I get called. I don’t know the philosophy in there,” Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said.

While Stroud only completed 10 pass attempts for a career-low 86 yards, he seemed to come to life on the final drive. Facing a third-and-10, he found Xavier Hutchinson for a gain of 11 and a fresh set of downs.

Houston knew the Packers were going to use their timeouts to stop the clock. If they were aggressive, they could have been up by five with just under two minutes remaining.

Instead, the Texans called two running plays to Joe Mixon for a loss of five yards. Stroud then tried to connect with receiver Tank Dell, but the pass would have been well short of the first down even if the second-year target held onto the ball.

What’s worse is the incompletion stopped the clock and allowed Green Bay to hold its final timeout until the offense took the field. That later played a pivotal role in helping McManus have time to set up the game-winning kick.

“What it seemed like is we were trying to just run out the clock and then try to kick the field goal before we ended up having to throw the ball on the third down and give them the ball back with like 1:40 left,” Stroud said of the final three plays. “I think that it was a good plan, just got to execute better.”

Ryans disagreed with the sentiment that the Texans’ initial plan was to settle for a field goal from Fairbairn and mentioned that every drive comes with the intent of scoring a touchdown.

“They did a good job stopping us,” Ryans said. “Didn’t get in. Obviously, we didn’t pass the ball well all day, so wasn’t good all the way around.”

Fairbairn gave Houston a quick lead off a 35-yard chip shot. Seven plays and a timeout with three seconds remaining later, it was McManus’ turn to secure the win.

“They finished it the right way,” Ryans said. “Made the plays when they needed to make it, and they finished the game the right way.”
The Texans return to NRG Stadium for the first time since Week 5 to take on the Indianapolis Colts.

Watch: Texans rookie safety Calen Bullock record third interception

Houston Texans rookie safety Calen Bullock recorded his third interception of his rookie season to get the ball back to his offense

Green Bay Packers Xavier McKinney leads the NFL interceptions with five picks.

Houston Texans rookie safety Calen Bullock is close behind at halftime after securing his third interception of the season just before the end of the first half of Week 7’s matchup at Lambeau Field.

Bullock picked off Packers quarterback Jordan Love on their first offensive snap with three minutes remaining in the second quarter.

It’s the third Texans takeaway in the first half.

Houston’s offense has struggled to move the ball on offense but has used its two previous takeaways to score 10 points. Bullock, who also picked off New England Patriots passer Drake Maye last week, is one of five players with three or more interceptions entering Sunday.

The USC product has seen a steady increase in playing time throughout the early part of his rookie season. He got his first start as a result of veteran Jimmie Ward missing a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Bullock was a third-round pick in April’s NFL Draft. Texans general manager Nick Caserio has had plenty of success in the third round, including Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Christian Harris.

The Texans will begin the second half on offense.