Tag: Dino Vasso

Texans training camp: Derek Stingley Jr. continues to steal the show

Derek Stingley Jr. is making a case to be a favorite in the All-Pro category following training camp.

On a team filled with star power, one of the rising talents has been worth the price of admission to watch during Texans’ training camp.

C.J. Stroud might be building a rapport with All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs, but the past few practices have gone in favor of the third-year cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who might finally be putting together an All-Pro level season.

During team drills, Stroud tried to connect with Tank Dell on a vertical route, but Stingley was step-by-step with Dell and intercepted the pass. Physically, Dell tried to hang on but the former LSU product added a bit more to jar the ball loose and into his hands.

The crowd erupted as Stingley joined multiple Texans’ defenders to celebrate the turnover. And while Wednesday was the first time fans caught a glimpse at the former No. 3 overall pick’s progress, he’s been performing at this level since the camp broke last week.

“Derek has done a great job during camp,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He’s been very consistent. One of our most consistent players in camp, so I’m encouraged with where Derek is.”

Stingley, a former All-American at LSU in 2019, wasn’t done with just the interception. He forced a fumble against Robert Woods that led to another turnover.

During 7-on-7 reps, he intercepted another pass, this time intended for Diggs. When matched against the four-time Pro Bowler, competitive reps that can go either way have become a regular occurrence.

“I actually think Sting is, and I won’t even shake when I say that, I think he’s one of the best DBs in the League, especially from talent level and he’s fast, he can run, he can break and he’s competed at a high level throughout his career,” Diggs said Monday.

Stingley’s on-field play wasn’t during Wednesday’s practice. Nearing the end, he was engaged in a scuffle with multiple offensive players and eventually went after tight end Dalton Schultz.

Nobody on the Texans’ coaching staff encourages fighting, but this was more so a minor altercation. Players are ready to hit opponents, though cornerbacks coach Dino Vasso would prefer it to be between the whistles.

“The extracurricular stuff is not what we want, but I like to see the [fire] and emotions are high,” Vasso told reporters following practice. “These guys are ready to compete against someone other than the Texans.”

Injuries aside, Stingley has come as advertised since joining the Texans in 2022. When healthy, he’s been an elite shutdown cornerback who rarely is penalized in coverage.

Last season, he picked off five passes and allowed a quarterback completion percentage under 37 percent in 11 games, including four over four weeks.

The injuries have been a concern but unsurprising. After a dominant freshman season in Baton Rouge, Stingley only played in 10 games over his final two seasons with the Tigers.

Since being drafted, he’s made 20 starts and missed six games for the AFC South champions last fall. Still, when the lights are on, Stingley has shined bright.

Against one of the league’s top passers heading into 2024, Stingley has been Stroud’s kryptonite.

“[I] love what he’s done so far,” defensive passing coordinator Cory Undlin said. “Just consistency, that’s all. We know he can make the big play.”

3 potential defensive assistants that could reunite with Jim Schwartz in Cleveland

Who could the new DC add to his staff?

The Cleveland Browns acting quickly this offseason to get their new defensive coordinator, hiring Jim Schwartz almost one month ago. Now both defensive backs coach Jeff Howard and defensive line coach Chris Kiffin have moved on leaving Schwartz the chance to add some of his guys to the staff.

The former Detroit Lions head coach has a long career and has worked with a bunch of talented coaches in his time in the league. I have three names that worked with Schwartz in Philadelphia when he was the defensive coordinator that he may pursue to come to Cleveland with him for the 2023 season.

Cornerbacks coach Dino Vasso on Commanders offense: ‘This might be the best trio of receivers that we’ve played’

Vasso made it clear that the #Commanders’ crew of offensive talent will be a massive challenge against his #Texans cornerbacks

The Houston Texans will face an uphill battle in Week 11 against a Washington Commanders team that is coming off a victory over the last remaining team in the NFL to be undefeated in 2022. Washington is likely to be a heavy favorite in the matchup, and given their crew of talent on the offensive side of the ball, could run up the score on Houston’s inconsistent defense.

Texans’ cornerbacks coach Dino Vasso spoke to reporters on Thursday about the challenge his unit will face against the Commanders, and made it clear that he has serious respect for Washington’s passing game. When asked about quarterback Taylor Heinicke’s connection with star wide-out Terry McLaurin, Vasso told the media that his chemistry plays a factor regardless of who he targets on a given play.

“This might be the best trio of receivers that we’ve played,” He explained. “17, Terry [McLaurin], elite speed, game changing speed. Can win at all three levels. Obviously, strong after the catch. Just a great player in this league. I know they say in the analytic community that wins isn’t a quarterback stat, but this guy [Taylor Heinicke] has won games at of late. He’s playing at a high level. The guys have rallied around him.

“Then you look at the other receivers, Curtis Samuel, kind of a position-less player, will line everywhere on the field, good run after catch, just good combination of elusiveness and power with the ball in his hands. And then the rookie, [Jahan] Dotson, he’s missed some time but he’s back now. Just a refined, polished route runner. When you cut on the tape, doesn’t really look like a rookie, so they’ve got a good group.”

Rookie cornerback Derek Stingley’s absence from Thursday’s practice will certainly play a factor in this game, a detail that Vasso conveniently left out in his statement. Against such a potent offensive attack, the Texans will need to step up in a big way to limit the Commanders to a minimal number of points so that Houston’s offense doesn’t need to play catchup against their equally formidable defense.

Texans CB coach Dino Vasso admires the way Derek Stingley handles adversity

Houston Texans cornerbacks coach Dino Vasso appreciates the way rookie Derek Stingley has handled adversity through the first three weeks.

Houston Texans cornerbacks coach Dino Vasso has seen plenty of Derek Stingley.

The Texans selected Stingley with the No. 3 overall pick in Round 1 of the 2022 NFL draft. The former LSU cornerback was transitioning to the NFL while recovering from a Lisfranc injury that limited him to three games.

Stingley handled the challenge of adapting to the pro game while putting the finishing touches on his rehabilitation.

Through the first three games of the season, Vasso has seen Stingley handle the variable nature of life as a cornerback in a league that heavily favors the offense and the passing game.

“Extremely impressed with Sting,” Vasso told reporters Sept. 29. “Most impressed by his demeanor on game day, his ability to put plays behind him, be it good or bad. He’s a guy that deals with success and adversity extremely well.”

Vasso also indicated that the way to evaluate a player is by how they handle the ebbs and flows of the game.

“That goes to show with his stoic personality, just doesn’t get too high or too low,” said Vasso. “That’s really how you judge someone’s character, how they are in the highs and lows. He’s showed that over the first couple of weeks.”

Stingley has 18 combined tackles, three pass breakups, 1.0 sack, and a quarterback hit through three games, all of which he has started.

[listicle id=77100]

Can Texans CB Keion Crossen take the next step in 2021?

The Houston Texans have a stacked cornerback group, which means Keion Crossen must do what he can to separate himself from the pack.

The Houston Texans have an overcrowded cornerback group with Bradley Roby, Vernon Hargreaves, Terrance Mitchell, Desmond King, John Reid, and Tavierre Thomas just to name a few.

Throw in cornerback Keion Crossen and the Texans will have decisions to make about the unit throughout training camp and preseason.

For Crossen, a former 2018 New England Patriots seventh-round pick from Western Carolina, he will have more competition to work against as he continues to build the momentum from the final four games of 2020 when he started every game, collected 22 combined tackles and five pass breakups.

New cornerbacks coach Dino Vasso likes the athleticism that the 5-10, 185-pound Crossen can bring to the unit.

“Really the expectation for Keion is no different than anyone else,” Vasso told reporters on a Zoom call on June 8. “It’s about attacking the day and getting better each day. As we look at Keion, he’s an athletic player who can run, he’s explosive, he’s long for a guy his height and he’s got impressive ball skills being around him the past couple weeks here; a guy that we’re excited about; a young player that’s progressing and trending in the right direction.”

Through 32 career games with the Texans, Crossen has provided 59 combined tackles and five pass breakups. Crossen has been primarily used on special teams throughout his past two seasons in Houston with 516 special teams snaps compared to 439 on defense. 2021 represents an opportunity for Crossen to separate himself from the pack and become a key part of the Texans’ secondary.

Report: Texans hiring Dino Vasso as secondary coach

The Houston Texans are adding former Philadelphia Eagles defensive assistant Dino Vasso as their new secondary coach.

The Houston Texans continue to add to their coaching staff under new coach David Culley.

Culley, a former Philadelphia Eagles receivers coach from 1999-2012, went to a familiar well and the Texans will be adding former Eagles defensive assistant Dino Vasso as their new secondary coach, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

Vasso worked with Culley when the two were under coach Andy Reid with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2013-15. In 2016, Vasso left to join rookie coach Doug Pederson’s staff with the Eagles.

Before Vasso made the leap into the NFL, he was an offensive intern for Temple in 2011 and then was a defensive graduate assistant at Missouri in 2012.

The Crum Lynne, Penn., native played defensive back in college for New Hampshire from 2006-10 and was a first-team AFCA All-American as a senior.