Tag: Romeo Crennel

Report: Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel considering retirement

Houston Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel is considering retirement, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

The Houston Texans might be forced to make a move at defensive coordinator in the offseason.

According to a report from Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, current defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel is contemplating retirement after coaching his 39th season in the NFL total and 12th as a defensive coordinator.

Meanwhile, sources say Texans veteran defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel is still contemplating his plans and whether to retire or return. If Crennel decides to move on, Texans defensive line coach Anthony Weaver is regarded as a top in-house candidate to succeed him.

The Texans defense was tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the most yards surrendered in the NFL at 6.1. However, Houston only gave up 385 points, the 14th-most in the league. The bread and butter of the Texans defense, sacks and tackles for loss, were in the bottom-10 of the NFL at 31 (tied-sixth) and 51 (third) respectively.

If Crennel does move on from the Texans, they will need to find a candidate who can run the 3-4 as a majority of their personnel is geared to run that defense. If they switch to a 4-3 front, then it could be another season of poor defensive output as they go through the growing pains of such a transition.

Report: Texans dismiss OLB coach John Pagano

The Houston Texans have dismissed outside linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant John Pagano, according to a report.

The Houston Texans have dismissed outside linebackers coach John Pagano.

According to a report from the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, the AFC South club informed the senior defensive assistant that they will no longer require his services with the organization.

The Texans’ edge rushing was anemic in 2019 as the team produced 31 sacks, tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the sixth-fewest in the NFL. Only the Seattle Seahawks with 28 has fewer among playoff teams.

Houston’s tackles for loss were also bottom-10 in the NFL as they generated 51, the third-fewest in the league and the absolute fewest among playoff teams.

Part of the problem was personnel. The Texans traded defensive end-outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney to the Seahawks on Aug. 31 for draft picks and also outside linebackers Barkevious Mingo and Jacob Martin. However, given how putrid the Seahawks were with Clowney, there is no guarantee he would have made much of a difference for Houston either.

The Texans’ leading sack producer was outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus with 7.5. 2019 was the first time since 2017 when Clowney had 9.5 that the Texans failed to have a single player go over the double-digit sack mark.

In their own words: 4 keys for the Texans to beat the Chiefs in the AFC divisional

The Houston Texans explain in their own words the four keys to beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional playoffs Sunday.

The Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs square off at 2:05 p.m. CT at Arrowhead Stadium. The Texans are one game away from their first AFC Championship Game in franchise history.

In order to beat the Chiefs, Texans players and coaches shared their keys to the game.

1. romeo crenneL: stop chiefs wr tyreek hill

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

“It’s good to have the options, but I don’t know who we have that can run Tyreek. That guy’s really fast, and so we’re going to have to – I don’t know what we’re going to have to do to try to slow him down.”

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Texans’ plan is to use J.J. Watt as a pass rusher first and foremost versus the Bills

The Houston Texans’ plan to integrate J.J. Watt back into their defensive line is to use him first as a pass rusher and go from there.

The plan for J.J. Watt versus the Buffalo Bills in Saturday’s AFC wild-card is to see how well the Houston Texans defensive end produces as a pass rusher first and foremost.

Watt has missed the last eight games of the regular season with a torn pectoral muscle, an injury that would normally end a player’s season. However, Watt’s quick recovery in a two-month span afforded the All-Pro a chance to contribute in the postseason.

“Well, he’s a pretty good pass rusher, so I would like to get some pass rushing reps out of him,” defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel told reporters Wednesday. “So, you’re looking at third down, two minute and then we’ll see after that.”

Watt is on board with the coaching staff’s plan.

“I think we have a good plan,” said Watt. “I think we have a good plan for how we’re going to utilize the game and how we’re going to go throughout the game. I think today was a good day for me. [Wednesday] was my first day in pads. We were in pads out there on the field and it was good. I went through a lot of tests that I wanted to go through personally.”

The physical aspect of returning from an eight-game absence due to injury is one thing. After all, what Watt was able to do in his rehabilitation gave him the belief he could play. However, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year admits he is still adjusting to the mental aspect of coming back from injury.

Said Watt: “Just mentally, when you’re coming back from — you’ve got to go through some tests mentally to make sure that you can do the things you want to do, and today was a really good day for that. I felt really good out there, did a whole bunch of different stuff to try and simulate what’s going to happen in the game and felt very good in all of those things. So, very pleased with where it’s at.”

The Texans finished the regular season with 31 sacks, tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the sixth-fewest in the NFL. Watt wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire himself with just 4.0 sacks through eight games before his injury. However, if he can provide the Texans’ pass rush a spark to harass quarterback Josh Allen, then the comeback would be worth it and the first stages of Crennel’s plan to re-insert Watt would be successful.

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Texans defense stepped up in absence of J.J. Watt

The Houston Texans defense found a way to band together while defensive end J.J. Watt was sidelined with a torn pectoral muscle.

With defensive end J.J. Watt, the heart and soul of the Houston Texans defense, seemingly out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle, the unit seemed like a sitting duck.

However, after the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year sustained his injury on Oct. 27, the defense held forth and contributed to the Texans going 5-2 in the absence of Watt.

“It’s a team game. J.J., as good a player as he is, he’s not 11 guys,” defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel told reporters on Dec. 26. “So, when you lose J.J., the rest of the guys have to step up and they understand that it’s a team game and that one guy can’t do it all.”

Without Watt in the lineup, the strength of the Texans’ defense shifted from its pass rush to its coverage. Whereas the Texans have the eighth-fewest sacks in the league with 31, they are tied with the Seattle Seahawks for the sixth-most pass breakups with 73.

“So, if it’s those other guys do what they’re supposed to do and then the unit works well together, then they can be pretty good,” Crennel said. “But if the unit doesn’t work well together, even with J.J., you give up plays. I think our team mentality on the defensive side helps us to be able to win without him.”

Watt has been back at practice, though he has not been placed on the active roster. Crennel is tempering his optimism about the All-Pro defensive end returning, even though Watt is highly confident he will return for the Texans’ wild-card playoff game.

“Well, I hope he comes back,” said Crennel. “He’s out there running around right now. He’s excited about it. If you listen to him, he’s back, but we have to see how he finishes the week, how he does and then the medical people, they’ll make a determination and we’ll go from there.”

If somehow Watt isn’t back, it will be up to the rest of the defense to do their jobs to fill the void same as they have been without Watt in the lineup.

The secret for the Texans to stop Titans QB Ryan Tannehill: Play tight coverage

If the Houston Texans want to duplicate their success against the Tennessee Titans and QB Ryan Tannehill, they will have to play tight coverage.

Just because the AFC South is wrapped up and the outcome won’t get them out of wild-card weekend doesn’t mean the Houston Texans are going to give the Tennessee Titans a free win.

Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel and the defensive staff will be working to ensure the Titans earn the win, which would secure them as the No. 6 seed in the AFC bracket.

In Week 15, the Texans defense had success against quarterback Ryan Tannehill, limiting him to a 92.2 passer rating, the only sub-100 passer rating the former 2012 first-round pick has had in the past six games.

“I think that if you can take away some of the big plays and make him have to execute when guys are tight in coverage,” Crennel told reporters Thursday. “We were tighter in coverage than maybe we had been other games.”

In addition to keeping Tannehill to 279 yards and two touchdowns, safety Justin Reid deflected a pass from tight end Anthony Firkser that outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus intercepted to erase a red zone trip and set one up for Houston’s offense.

Keeping the opposing quarterback to below 100 in passer rating is part of the secret sauce for the Texans’ success in 2019. However, it doesn’t always guarantee success. Quarterback Kyle Allen posted an 89.3 passer rating in the Carolina Panthers’ 16-10 win over the Texans in Week 4 at NRG Stadium.

“This is a quarterback league,” Crennel said. “Everybody knows that. If the quarterback is able to perform, generally he makes plays and they score touchdowns and it makes it hard on your team to win. If the quarterback, if you can hold him down and he’s not able to make some of the plays that they want him to make or he thinks he can make, then that gives you a chance to win the game.”

The Texans will look to hold Tannehill down and finish with an 11-5 record for the second straight season.

DC Romeo Crennel: CB Gareon Conley has ‘done a nice job’ for Texans

Houston Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel thinks cornerback Gareon Conley has done a nice job since his trade from the Oakland Raiders.

Oct. 21, the Houston Texans risked it. In trading a third-round selection to the Oakland Raiders for 2017 first-round pick Gareon Conley, Houston banked on the Ohio State product’s potential over his production.

Conley has played seven games for the Texans since the trade. Houston’s defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel likes what he sees.

“I thought he did all right,” Crennel said on Thursday in response to his expanded playing time. “He’s done a nice job for us. I feel good about him.”

The Texans are tinkering with their cornerback lineup heading into the postseason. It appears Conley will act as a starter in a group that tends to rotate play himself, Bradley Roby, Vernon Hargreave and Johnathan Joseph.

According to Pro Football Reference, Conley is allowing a 92.4 passer rating in coverage in Houston, as compared to 130.6 in Oakland in 2019. On the year, with the Texans, he has 22 combined tackles and nine pass deflections.

Why is Texans CB Lonnie Johnson only playing special teams?

Houston Texans cornerback Lonnie Johnson is playing more special teams than defense. Why is that? Romeo Crennel explains.

The Houston Texans threw rookie cornerback Lonnie Johnson into the fire.

By Week 2 of his inaugural NFL season, Johnson was a starting cornerback for the Texans, entering the lineup after Houston released cornerback Aaron Colvin. However, his prominent role on defense didn’t last long.

Johnson has not played more than 50% of defensive snaps since Week 11’s Baltimore Ravens’ drubbing of the Texans. Why did the Texans regulate their young defensive starter to special teams?

“Well, the thing is that we have some other guys who have played in the league on the team we’ve added since we had Lonnie, so they are doing pretty good,” defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said on Thursday.

The Texans made Johnson, a Kentucky product, a second-round pick in April. Since then, they’ve tinkered with their lineup, adding former first-round picks Gareon Conley (2017) and Vernon Hargreaves (2016) via trade and waivers, respectively. The two are starters, with Hargreaves acting as Houston’s nickel.

The Texans are letting Johnson grow behind the two. Rather than throw an experienced corner into the fire for the rest of the season, they want him to develop heading into 2020. That comes as no surprise, as rookie cornerbacks often struggle.

I tell Lonnie all the time, I say, ‘You’re still a rookie and you’ve still got a lot to learn,’ Crennel said. “He’s learned a lot since he’s been with us, but the ability to learn the receivers that you have to go against week in and week out, he doesn’t have that catalog built up yet. So he’s going to have to build that catalog so that he can just refer to his notes when he goes up against a guy and he’ll know what to expect and how he should be able to play him.”

Johnson earned seven starts in 13 games played. In doing so, the 22-year-old tallied 36 combined tackles and seven pass deflections while allowing a 105.4 passer rating in coverage, per Pro Football Reference. 

Expect Johnson to re-establish himself as a defender in the future.

Texans defense has to be mindful of Buccaneers receiver Breshad Perriman

The Houston Texans defense has to keep their eye on Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Breshad Perriman.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Breshad Perriman has had a resurgence with the NFC South club.

In Perriman’s first season, he has produced 24 catches for 409 yards and five touchdowns. In last week’s 38-17 win over the Detroit Lions, Perriman caught five catches for 115 yards and three touchdowns.

A former 2015 Baltimore Ravens first-round pick from Central Florida, Houston Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel knows they can’t discount Perriman’s talent, even if he is on his fourth NFL team in three seasons.

“Perriman, he shows up on the tape,” Crennel told reporters. “As you’re looking at the tape, he’s got good size, got good downfield speed and they throw him the ball as well.”

Perriman will have to play a larger role now that receiver Mike Evans is on injured reserve and wideout Chris Godwin is out for Saturday’s game with the Texans.

“They had a good stable of receivers and I think probably his role will become more prominent without those guys around and so he’ll be the go-to guy and then we’re going to have to try to get something done about him.”

The Texans have a bevy of cornerbacks who should be able to stop Perriman in Johnathan Joseph, Bradley Roby, Gareon Conley, and former Buccaneer Vernon Hargreaves. Whoever is tasked with guarding Perriman, they will have to play sound, fundamental technique to shut down virtually the only option quarterback Jameis Winston has left with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

DC Romeo Crennel: CB Vernon Hargreaves has ‘made plays’ for Texans defense

Houston Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel thinks former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Vernon Hargreaves has made plays in his defense.

Since 2016, the Houston Texans have struggled to find consistency at the cornerback position. The 2019 season marks an attempted end at that notion, as Houston has adamantly worked on improving the roster.

Following the release of former nickel Aaron Colvin, the Texans brought in two former first-round picks, Gareon Conley and Vernon Hargreaves. Conley got his revenge game, against the Oakland Raiders, days after his trade. On Saturday, Hargreaves will get his.

The Texans will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday. Earlier in the season, the Bucs released Hargreaves, a Tampa native, after making him a first-round pick in 2016. Houston scooped him up off waivers and they like what they see.

“He’s done good,” Texans defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel said on Hargreaves on Thursday. “He’s made some plays. I think he’s helped us.”

Hargreaves has moved from outside cornerback in Tampa Bay to nickel in Houston. In doing so, he has tallied 17 combined tackles and two pass deflections in four games played.

According to Pro Football Reference, Hargreaves has allowed 195 yards and a touchdown on 25 targets in coverage. A Florida product who struggled immensely with the Buccaneers, the Texans are hoping that the change from outside to inside will come with an uptick in production.

Hargreaves must hope it too. Though the Texans gave a bid in confidence by adding him from waivers, he still has to prove that he is worth staying on board next year, considering his pricey contract.

The Texans can cut his non-guaranteed $9.59 million fifth-year option after the season unless he sustains a severe injury. If they don’t view the 24-year-old as a starter or full-time nickel in their defense, he could be gone.

Hargreaves, realistically, has at least three games to prove he belongs. First, he’ll have to play well against his former team, then against a rival in the Tennessee Titans. If Houston wins one of those games or the Titans lose one, he’ll have to prove his worth in the playoffs for the first time.