Roy Lopez knew what the Houston Texans were getting when they decided to promote Lovie Smith to coach.
The defensive tackle spent his rookie season playing under the defensive coordinator, who was making his foray back into the NFL under first-year coach David Culley.
Lopez, a sixth-rounder from Arizona, expressed what he appreciates the most about Smith when talking with reporters about Fiesta Gras in Galveston, Texas, where Lopez will be this year’s grand marshal.
“It’s just he’ll sit down and he’ll talk with you,” Lopez said. “He’ll critique you, but at the same time show you love and help you understand what he’s saying. If you ever have a problem, or not a problem but just want to talk football, you can call him anytime of the day. You can go up to his office and talk to him. So, just being able to rely on a guy like that. That’s the big thing: you’re able to rely on him.”
There are elements from Smith’s style that resonate with Lopez, who says he receives daily text messages from his father encouraging him to be the best version of himself.
Said Lopez: “It’s be the best, BTB. My dad texts me every day, BTB, be the best. And it’s not necessarily saying be the best football player. No, it’s just be the best you, be the best guy every day. Be the best boyfriend you can be, the best husband, best dad, best brother.”
Although Smith may not use the phrase BTB, Lopez knows that he lives the same philosophy.
“So, that’s something I live by and he doesn’t put in the BTB slang word, but he has that motto of wanting to be the best himself every single day,” said Lopez.
Smith is the fifth full-time coach in Texans history and is on his third NFL team as coach, having previous coached the Chicago Bears (2004-12) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014-15).