Tag: Matt Burke

Texans DC Matt Burke walks through decision to have DeMeco Ryans call the defense

Houston Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke shared the process that went into deciding coach DeMeco Ryans would call the defense.

One of the questions of the offseason was who would call the defense. Would the Houston Texans go with coach DeMeco Ryans, who had spent the past two seasons calling his own defense for the San Francisco 49ers? Or would the Texans go with Matt Burke?

The scheme was Ryans. However, Burke had experience as he was the Miami Dolphins’ defensive coordinator from 2017-18.

The Texans would arrive at whichever decision after much communication, and ultimately, Ryans decided to keep the menu as the man on the sidelines. Nevertheless there is still coordination with Burke and Ryans through the first week of training camp.

“I feel very — it’s been very collaborative with me and ‘Mec’ [Ryans] this whole time and I’ve never been a head coach, so, I can’t speak to some of that,” Burke told reporters after training camp Tuesday. “But I think early on in the process, he felt that he had to commit some of his attention to other parts of getting this program going and the team — those sorts of things. Then, as we were coming back into [training camp], he has a very specific vision for how he wants the defense to play, and I think he felt that he had some more time to dedicate to that part of it.”

Although Burke is not calling the plays and is on a headset, he still stands by Ryans just in case he needs a quick resource.

Additionally the 47-year-old understands that Ryans having control of the defense may be the best way to instill his system.

Said Burke: “I think he wants to make sure the foundation of this defense is what he wants it to be. I would say towards mini camp, at the end of OTAs, he started getting a little more hands on when he was freed up from some of his other duties. I think, again, it’s going to be a new challenge as we go into the season in terms of what other sorts of things come up to restrict him.”

Last year, coach Lovie Smith similarly called his own plays as he doubled up as defensive coordinator.

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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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J.J. Watt believes Texans have ‘phenomenal’ talent in Will Anderson

J.J. Watt has kept up with the Houston Texans since retiring, and believes they have a “phenomenal talent” in rookie DE Will Anderson.

J.J. Watt was the face of the Houston Texans for 10 seasons.

From 2011-20, Watt oversaw the team’s first AFC South title, their first playoff win, and built his Hall of Fame resume along the way. The former first-round pick from Wisconsin earned a record-tying three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, had four seasons with over 16 sacks, and was a five-time first-team All-Pro. Altogether, Watt compiled a career that ultimately led to the Texans announcing plans to induct Watt into the team’s Ring of Honor.

There is no doubt that Watt’s accomplishments deserve celebration and he took time with the Houston media Tuesday afternoon to reflect on that and his recent retirement. However, Watt was also quick to point out the future of the organization appears bright as well. Those comments were extremely evident when he spoke of No. 3 overall pick, defensive end Will Anderson.

“I think Will is a phenomenal player,” Watt said on a Zoom call. “I’m very excited to watch him grow, to watch him develop, to see what [defensive coordinator] (Matt) Burke does with him in that defense, DeMeco’s defense.”

From what Anderson displayed at Alabama, Watt is impressed.

“The attack mindset, watching — he’s a freak athlete,” said Watt. “He’s already great at getting to the quarterback. So, I’m excited to watch him develop and grow, and hopefully get down there and speak with him a bit as well at some point. For me as a pass-rusher, I’m very excited to watch Will.”

Coach DeMeco Ryans’ defense thrived in San Francisco with edge rusher Nick Bosa causing havoc on the perimeter. Houston parted with their 2024 first-round pick for the draft rights to acquire him and clearly has a strong belief he could be a foundational piece.

The glowing comments are surely a good sign for Anderson coming from a player of Watt’s caliber and pedigree in the NFL. Anderson, the top defender in the draft, garnered much attention after a 17.5 sack season in 2021 and he’ll now have a tall task to replace Watt as the next franchise edge rusher for Houston.

Burke helping Watt finish his NFL career on a high note as the Arizona Cardinals’ defensive line coach in 2022. Watt’s final season produced 12.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss. It should be interesting to see how both Burke and even Watt himself are able to help Anderson with the transition from Alabama to the pros.

Nobody knows how the Texans or how Anderson himself will perform during their debut seasons under Ryans, but having Watt around the Texans adds more positivity to a trending upward situation.

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Texans QB C.J. Stroud picks the brain of defensive coordinator Matt Burke

Houston Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud will seek out defensive coordinator Matt Burke for critiques.

What is better than having a rookie quarterback ask his position coach and veterans about details of the game?

Having him seek critiques from the defensive coordinator.

According to Houston Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke, No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud is known to hit him up after organized team activities for a few pointers.

“I’ll tell you one story, honestly,” Burke said May 31. “We did a two-minute drive at the end of practice sometime last week, and he threw into kind of a coverage we hadn’t shown. It was the first day we put the coverage in, and he threw in, and kind of probably was a throw he probably wanted back, I’ll just say it that way.

“The first thing he did when I was walking off the field was he grabbed me, said literally, ‘Coach Burke.’ And he spent about 10 minutes walking in off the field asking me about the coverage and just sort of what he saw and how we kind of set it up and talked through that.”

Burke is entering his 20th season as an assistant in the NFL, which gives him a wealth of experience when it comes to observing how quarterbacks carry themselves on the building and in the facility.

Said Burke: “His deliberateness and intent to try to get better, and like he’s literally grabbing everybody he can on the field. All those guys, Davis [Mills] and Case [Keenum] and those guys, like during stretch lines I go hang out and talk to them a little bit about some of the stuff we’re doing and the periods and just trying to get that back and forth. So he’s been very sort of intentional about learning and just learning defense, too, like what did you call there, what was that coverage or what did you do here. I respect that from him.”

Stroud spending time with the defensive side of the ball to learn more about their coverages is also a great way for the rookie to earn the respect of veterans on defense.

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Texans S Jimmie Ward has been helping young defensive backs learn system

Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward has been helpful in getting the younger defensive backs up to speed in DeMeco Ryans’ defense.

DeMeco Ryans is providing a variety of modes for the Houston Texans to learn his defensive system.

The former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator has assistants who can teach players in the classroom and also on the field for more visual learners. Ryans also has former players who were with him in San Francisco to help with the finer aspects of his scheme.

One of those former 49ers to come eastward is safety Jimmie Ward. The former 2014 first-round pick has been an example for young defensive backs in the secondary, including second-year safety Jalen Pitre.

“He’s been great in that room with, again, with a guy like Jalen, obviously working with him,” defensive coordinator Matt Burke said on May 31. “You know, like I said, working with Jalen and kind of helping that growth along, the whole back end, it’s great.”

Another player the Texans brought in from San Francisco is Hassan Ridgeway, although the defensive tackle has been limited with a groin injury.

“Obviously just a lot of the guys or some of the guys that we targeted to bring in from Jimmie and some of the guys on D-line that have a history in the system and familiarity, it just helps almost just keep the messaging going obviously in the locker room and those sorts of things,” said Burke.

Working with younger teammates has also revitalized Ward, according to Burke.

Said Burke: “Jimmie has been great, and he looks like he’s about 25 right now out there, so that’s been cool, too.”

Ward provided the 49ers with 50 combined tackles, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, three interceptions, five pass breakups, and a forced fumble through 12 games, five of which he started.

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Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke says defense is designed to attack

Houston Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke says the new defense is predicated upon having an attacking front four.

There is a general concept of what type of defense the Houston Texans will run with new coach DeMeco Ryans. The former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator has two seasons of film spectators can observe to get a sense.

Nonetheless Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke clarified the type of defense Houston seeks to deploy in 2023.

“We’re going to base out of a four-down front, and I would just say if you wanted to do the whole pick one word, it would be attack,” Burke told reporters May 31 at organized team activities. “We play our defensive line in a penetrating style, try to edge them up, play nine techniques, those sort of things to cause disruptions.”

With the 49ers, their defense was able to generate 44 sacks, tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the 10th-most in the NFL. San Francisco shut down the oppositions’ ground game with 3.4 yards per carry surrendered, tied with the Tennessee Titans for the fewest in the league.

“Our goal is to be able to affect plays with our front by the style that they play, the attack mode they play in and penetrate and disruption and reset the line of scrimmage and those sorts of things,” said Burke. “I would say if you just wanted to bottle it up, that would be the main thing.

“Again, the more that you can pressure a quarterback with four and not have to commit other resources to doing that, that helps kind of protect your coverage a little bit so you can play multiple coverages and change that element up if you can affect the quarterback and the offense with your front. That’s kind of the general approach and philosophy that I’d say we’re taking.”

What also helps an attacking front four is to have a playmaker, which San Francisco did in defensive end Nick Bosa, who led the team with 18.5 sacks. Houston hopeful No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson can grow into that role.

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Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke deliberate in describing S Jalen Pitre as ‘great’

Houston Texans defensive coordinator used his words carefully when he described safety Jalen Pitre as “great.”

Matt Burke could have used whatever superlative he wanted to describe Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre, but he picked a monosyllabic word that encompassed what he has seen from the second-year safety throughout the offseason program.

“Great — literally, I’m saying he’s great,” Burke told reporters May 31 after organized team activities.

Where the Texans’ defensive coordinator started in his determination that Pitre is great is in the meeting rooms, where the Texans’ offseason program started for the first two weeks in Phase 1 and starts each day, even with on-field work now available.

“Doesn’t say much in the meeting rooms and stuff from that point of view, but, man, is super communicative on the field,” Burke said. “I would just say [coach] DeMeco (Ryans) has a team meeting pretty much every morning, kind of recapping some of the stuff that happened from the day before, and I would say Jalen sort of finishing and effort shows up on that tape probably as much as anybody. I’m not going to discount anybody else, but just the way he approaches finishing every play in practice, being in good football position.”

Even though practicing with pads and hitting is not permitted until training camp, Burke is still able to tell when Pitre plays deep safety that he is taking the proper angles to limit the yards after the catch.

Said Burke: “We want our offensive guys finishing downfield, but Jalen is always there like getting to a hip, finishing in good position. So, just to see him train those habits consistently like that is just really cool. I think that’s what you guys saw obviously on the field last year, just like the fruits of those labors. Like he practices with intent and he’s very deliberate in everything he does, so I think that’s what kind of translates.”

Pitre led the Texans with 147 combined tackles and five interceptions as a rookie, starting 17 games.

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Texans coach DeMeco Ryans has not decided who calls the defense

New Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans has yet to settle on who will call the defensive plays in 2023.

DeMeco Ryans is a successful defensive play-caller.

The 38-year-old was the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers the past two seasons, and the NFC West club appeared in the NFL’s final four each time. The NFL assistant coach of the year honors Ryans picked up at the end of the 2022 campaign was an exclamation point as to how great he could be leading a defense.

As Ryans embarks on being the Houston Texans’ new coach, there still is ambivalence as to who will call the defensive plays nearly two months on the job.

The Texans hired former Arizona Cardinals defensive line coach Matt Burke as the defensive coordinator, and the 47-year-old was the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins from 2017-18 in the final two years with offensive-minded coach Adam Gase.

Ryans told reporters at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix March 27 that they have yet to decide who will call defensive plays.

However the Texans arrive at their decision, Ryans seeks to filter all of his actions through the philosophy of autonomy and allowing coaches to lead in their own way.

“I think at the end of the day, it’s all about leading people, growing the people that are around you and seeing something in the people that are around you, seeing certain traits and trying to help develop them more, trying to give them more of a leadership role, give them more command over running whatever particular part of our program, giving them the autonomy to take it over and see how they thrive in it and micromanage, letting people grow, letting people develop, knowing that there may be hiccups along the way, but that’s how you learn,” said Ryans. “That’s how I learned. No one micromanaged me. They allowed me to make mistakes and it allowed me to grow and become better.”

The Texans’ offseason program begins April 11.

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Texans DC Matt Burke explains time as Jets’ ‘game management coach’

Houston Texans DC Matt Burke spent time on the New York Jets’ staff as ‘game management coach’ in 2021, and he defined what that role was.

Matt Burke held an interesting title with the New York Jets in his lone season with the club.

In 2021, Burke was the “game management coach” under rookie coach Robert Saleh. The title alone seemed redundant to what Saleh’s duties actually were as the man in the charge on New York’s sidelines.

However, Burke elaborated in his introductory presser on March 8 how the opportunity allowed him to meld the analytics side of the game with the game day management to help Saleh.

“He was obviously a first-time head coach and wanted someone to bridge the gap between analytics and game day management and coaching,” Burke said. “He sort of asked me if I would kind of help him get things up to speed in that role. It was a cool opportunity for me. I was living in South Jersey at the time, so it was an easy transition that way.

Basically, during the week I would put together stuff, teaching tapes for the players, for the whole team. Again, I was very thankful coach Saleh gave me the opportunity to address the whole team a couple of times a week just on situational football, stuff that’s happening around the league, penalties, whatever it may be, two-minute stuff that came up that I could teach and educate the team.”

During the games, Burke would wear a full headset and suggest to Saleh when to take a timeout, possibly throw the challenge flag, or be alert to any situations that could be on the horizon throughout the game.

“I’m grateful that he gave me a lot of work to do for kind of a made-up job, just sort of plugged me in a way late,” said Burke. “It was a great experience, really having to help him talk him through challenges and timeouts and how to use things. ‘Hey, look out for this,’ all the end of game situation stuff, that was kind of my world.”

Burke is overseeing the defense as the Texans’ defensive coordinator. Nevertheless his role is similar to what he had with Saleh with the Jets: helping the coach.

“If that’s something he wants me to be a part of with him and help him as we go through that process, I’d be more than happy to because it was a great experience,” Burke said. “Contact with the league office on a lot of stuff, just around the league and obviously going through that season and the game situations really helped broaden my horizon.”

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Texans DC Matt Burke ‘appreciative’ for DeMeco Ryans’ trust to run the defense

Houston Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke is thankful that new coach DeMeco Ryans has placed the trust in him to run the defense.

Matt Burke didn’t know DeMeco Ryans from Adam.

Well, from Robert Saleh at least.

Burke was once the “game management coach” for the 2021 New York Jets in the first season under Saleh, who was the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator from 2017-20. Ryans was on the 49ers’ coaching staff in a variety of defensive roles from 2017-22.

For Burke to be the defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans’ defense in the first year with Ryans, it indicates the level of trust that the rookie coach has in his equally inexperienced lieutenant.

“I’m extremely appreciative for the opportunity from Meco (Ryans),” Burke said March 9. “I’m excited to get to work with him. You guys know, the through line with him from his playing time here and everything else, he’s a winner and just his approach has been impeccable from player, coach, everything. Again, I’m here to serve him and what he wants.”

One of the ways that Burke could ease the burden for Ryans would be to take over the play-calling on defense. Incidentally the Texans’ coach last season, Lovie Smith, doubled up as the defensive play-caller. Any such repeat would be coincidental and not a directive from the front office.

Burke, 46, is willing to help Ryans in whatever manner possible — so long as Ryans is able to be an effective coach.

Said Burke: “He’s got a lot on his plate as a head coach and whatever I can do to help him ease the burden, that’s kind of my role. I’m thankful just for the opportunity to get to work with him and again as we grow in our relationship in the first time we get to work together and start sharing ideas and start building it up together. It’s cool. I’ve loved having him in the building.”

Ryans has taken an active part inside NRG Stadium sitting in on the defensive meetings as the coaching staff overviews their defensive scheme.

“I’m extremely excited about the opportunity for us to sort of learn from each other,” said Burke. “Again, I’m here to help him any way he needs me to help him. If that’s filling up water bottles, I’ll do that for him too.”

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