HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2023
(On impressions of Texans QB C.J. Stroud) “I’m very impressed. For a rookie quarterback to come in and
perform at this level, the way he’s thrown the ball, I just really admire his poise quite frankly. He’s putting
the ball where he wants to put it, meaning it is very accurate throws. He’s got the ability to escape and
move and still keep his eyes down the field. I think that’s a unique trait for a young quarterback to be
able to do. They’re shooting the ball down the field, they’re making plays down the field. What you see
is it’s gaining confidence each week, in him, in his team. That’s a reflection of [Texans Head Coach] Coach
Ryan, DeMeco. I’ve just been really impressed with him.”
(On if it makes a difference being the first team to play Texans QB C.J. Stroud twice) “Well, not only
twice, but we’ve got all that film on him. Yet, it still seems like he’s putting up really good numbers and
they’re scoring on offense, defensively they’re better. You just see the improvement each week with this
group. We understand what happened here not too long ago, and C.J. performed well in that game. That
and the ability to run the football, which they’ve been able to do. They’re playing good right now.”
(On if Texans QB C.J. Stroud is more of a risk taker than other rookie quarterbacks) “No, I think it’s all just
confidence. Look, this is the NFL. Guys are good. I admire the quarterback position obviously, and really
good quarterbacks and the great ones that have played in this league. If you’re not willing to take risks
from time to time, you’re not going to be one of the great ones. He continues to shoot the ball. Our guy
does the same thing. The guys around him are making plays for him.”
(On if QB Trevor Lawrence and Texans QB C.J. Stroud could become a rivalry quarterback matchup) “You
hope so. That’s what makes the NFL so special, when you have great quarterbacks. Especially in the
same division, we hope this is one of those in the beginning and in the makings. You just go every year,
it’s back-to-back, toe to toe. The better quarterback that day is going to win. You’re hoping that’s the
case.”
(On if yesterday’s game was one of the offensive line’s better games) “Yes. Like we’ve mentioned last
week, Walker [OL Walker Little] getting more reps and settling into that role. Obviously, these were
bigger body d-tackles, the week before with [49ers DT] Javon Hargrave, that’s a lower to the ground
body and he got under Walker a little bit, where Walker matched up well this week. He did some great
things and improved. Anton [OL Anton Harrison] was good, Cam [OL Cam Robinson] was good. Other
than [Titans DE] Jeffery Simmons making a few plays, which he’s going to do, he’s a great player, I
thought the offensive line played really well.”
(On if he challenged the offensive line last week in preparation of yesterday’s game) “Didn’t really need
to.”
(On thrill of LS Ross Matiscik recording a fumble recovery) “It’s great when you see him down the field
making those kinds of plays. Getting a hand on the ball and recovering the ball. I thought when you
watch it, our special teams unit really played well. We didn’t get a lot of punt returns, but I think our kick
cover unit was really good. Dewey [S Andrew Wingard] played well. Ross played well. There were some
good moments there. Those are exciting because Ross is not a big guy, he got beat up a little bit even on
our field goal protection. He’s tough and he hung in there, it was good to see him get that play.”
(On performance of WR Zay Jones in yesterday’s game) “He played okay. It was good to see him get out
there, it was good to see him get that early catch. I think he had four targets, four catches yesterday, kind
of getting him back in the mix. I think it just helps the whole overall offense. We don’t have to switch and
change as many personnel groupings as much as possible. He was tough in the run game. I think he was
another one, much like Walker [OL Walker Little] a week ago, he’s just knocking off that rust and just
getting back out there in game speed. He’ll continue to get stronger and better and more confident each
week. From an offensive perspective, it was really good to see him back.”
(On what RB D’Ernest Johnson has shown in recent weeks) “Just the same guy we thought coming out of
training camp, that’s why we held onto him. He’s a really good running back, he’s giving TJ [RB Travis
Etienne Jr.] some valuable rest throughout the course of the game, and he’s done a really good job. He
had a big fourth down play, he and Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence] on the scramble. He had some tough
runs, protection, all those things that you ask, he’s done it. We’ve been encouraged by his play.”
(On RB D’Ernest Johnson carrying the ball more being ideal) “Yeah. The goal would maybe be a touch or
two more, just to keep the pressure off of Travis [RB Travis Etienne Jr.] and he’s very capable of doing it. A
lot like Ezra [OL Ezra Cleveland] yesterday, getting him more opportunity with the offensive line and just
getting in there. Sprinkling him in helps him just understand the offense a little bit better.”
(On performance of OL Ezra Cleveland) “Ezra did well. First time out, you can see his athleticism and his
ability to run and get out in space, things of that nature. We just continue to work him in, get him in
wherever we can. It’s hard to say that it’ll be every week, but right now, going into this past game, the
plan was to get him some snaps. We’ll see as we go each week.”
(On embracing another divisional opponent or have a mindset of it being another week) “It’s game 11,
but they’re always big. Anytime you’re playing your division, they’re all big games. Obviously, we
understand what this team did to us a few weeks back. It is another game on the schedule, a lot of
football ahead still. But it’s big, you don’t ever want to go 0-2 against a division foe in any year, obviously.
Our guys will respond again, much like they did this week. It’s going to take a good week of prep and
their film study and all that, but it’s a great opportunity, it’s going to be loud. They’re playing extremely
well, and we are too. It should be a good matchup.”
(On what the Texans defense did well against the team in the first matchup) “They did a nice job of
controlling the line of scrimmage a little bit. It was a game where we just didn’t play well in all three
phases in that game. I felt like they had more energy, they played faster in that game than we did. They
came out and were the aggressor really from the jump. We never really responded throughout the
course of the game. It was warm here and hot, but it didn’t seem to bother them. Our execution was
poor that day. Since that time, we’ve responded well and rebounded well, we got ourselves back on
track.”
(On where LB Devin Lloyd has improved this season) “I think he’s really calmed his mind if that makes
sense. Things aren’t as fast, the game isn’t as fast. He’s been able to slow some things down. He had a
good game yesterday again, and he just continues to improve each week. [Inside Linebackers Coach]
Tony Gilbert has done a good job coaching him and having him prepared and ready to go. He plays with
really good leverage, plays with good physicality, he runs well. It’s just been a steady improvement all
year with him.”
(On performance of OLB Dawuane Smoot the past few weeks) “Smoot has done well. I feel like he’s in
game shape, football shape now. He got his legs under him, he’s a big addition with the pass rush and all
of that. He’s done a nice job.”
(On talent of Texans offensive line protection) “Well, that goes a long way. That first game, they were
dealing with some injury. These guys have really settled in and they’re playing well as a unit. That helps
your quarterback, it helps your run game, it helps the whole offense when your offensive line can play
well and they’re playing with confidence. It’s definitely a positive, you see it even with our offensive line
yesterday. When they play well, it seems like the offense plays well. That’s what they’re doing in
Houston.”
(On if QB Trevor Lawrence’s knee injury has subsided) “It was pretty much gone. He’s in a good place
with that and it just depends on the type of defense we’re playing if we can utilize some of that
movement stuff. How are the ends playing, how are the backers playing, things of that nature. We’re
going to continue to find ways to get Trevor on the edge, he does a nice job of seeing the field there
and/or running. We had some plays yesterday that were very positive for our offensive by moving Trevor.
We’ll continue to explore that.”
(On what can be done to avoid roughing the passer calls) “Yeah, it’s tough. Especially when the
quarterback is in a backpedal sort of position. The natural reaction is for the quarterback to go
backwards. The best the guys can do is just as they’re going to the ground, try to roll off to the side or
brace with your hands wide. Even the second guy through, Roy [DL Roy Robertson-Harris] has to be
careful in that situation. It felt like his body weight was probably more of the culprit than KC’s [OLB
K’Lavon Chaisson]. It’s tough, it’s tough on those guys because they’re trying to make a play and the
quarterback on the ground. It’s unfortunate, I think it was the right call at that time, but best they can to
try to either peel off to the side or try to brace yourself with your arms off the quarterback, things of
that nature. Do the best you can.”
(On if great quarterbacks get more energized for games against other great quarterbacks) “I think when
two teams have really good quarterbacks, I think the team feels it and I think each team responds
accordingly. They want to play great in those matchups. You think about when Mahomes [QB Patrick
Mahomes] was playing Brady [QB Tom Brady] or those types of Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers matchups.
Whatever it might be, the teams themselves get a little more juiced up for games like that. They do feel
that energy a little bit, there’s a lot of talk surrounding the quarterback position. For us, it’s still that you
have to go out and execute, you just don’t put all the emphasis on your quarterback trying to make every
play or outdueling the other guy. You still got to stay focused on your gameplan, one play at a time, all of
that. Do the best you can to try and win.”
HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2023
(On injury updates across the team) “Tyson [CB Tyson Campbell] will get some work in this week, we’ll
see where he’s at. He’s kind of day-to-day, feeling better. DaVon [DT DaVon Hamilton] same thing, we’re
just going to keep working him and get him some more practice reps to make sure he’s feeling good and
maintaining his strength, getting all of that back.”
(On WR Zay Jones feeling better with his knee injury) “Correct, yes.”
(On danger of Texans WR Tank Dell) “Speed, quickness, size, good route runner, great hands, he can
elevate everything you want in a receiver. He does well.”
(On difficulty of Texans QB C.J. Stroud and Texans WR Tank Dell combined) “I think that and the scheme
they’re running, some of the bootleg play action stuff has also helped with that. Those two seem to be
dialed in right now.”
(On if any rookie mistakes are seen from Texans QB C.J. Stroud) “Not really. The occasional force to
throw, but I think everybody gets away with that from time-to-time. This kid is playing extremely well,
he’s a very mature individual, he goes a nice job.”
(On if Texans QB C.J. Stroud was looked at by the team in the draft) “We peeked at him, but we knew we
didn’t need one. We always peek at him because it’s fun to watch good quarterbacks.”
(On if Texans QB C.J. Stroud would have this performance if he was on the Jaguars) “It’s very impressive
what he’s doing, for a young player, especially a quarterback in his first year like this, but obviously no
surprise. His history, background, track record in college and I think even though we didn’t spend a ton
of time, you can see his work ethic show up in games. Not really a surprise that he’s playing as well as he
is.”
(On Texans having a quarterback-friendly scheme) “I don’t know if there’s a friendly system, I think it’s
just how you’re taught and how you’re coached. They do a nice job of doing that.”
(On Texans offensive system making it easier for quarterbacks to go from college to pros) “I don’t know
them as much, you see some of the San Francisco influence offensively and of course defensively.
They’re doing a good job of just utilizing his strengths too, not putting him in tough situations. The
offensive line is blocking extremely well. I believe Tunsil [Texans T Laremy Tunsil] will be back and when
he’s playing, he’s a tough guy to pass rush against. That helps young quarterbacks.”
(On if there’s a balance between confusing young quarterbacks and standard defensive play) “Yeah, you
just throw on any of these games and watch him [Texans QB C.J. Stroud]. Teams that want to put exotic
pressure him, they’re giving up a zone on the backend and he’s finding that window. The ball is out of his
hands. You’ve just got to be timely on pressures, but they’ve done a nice job, they’ve handled it, he’s
handled it. You can beat the blitz a lot of ways, protection number one, and really throw and use your
legs. He’s been able to do all three and he’s been able to do all of that. They stay on the field a lot
because of that success.”
(On growth of Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. since last matchup) “Quite a bit. I think he’s really settled into
that role, he’s fast and he’s got good strength and leverage, power, pad level, all that stuff. He’s turning
into a really good edge rusher.”
(On talent of Texans DE Jonathan Greenard) “Yeah, I think what’s happened is the addition of 51 [Texans
DE Will Anderson Jr.]. Those two, Bosa and Khalil Mack, right? When it was Chris Jones and when they
had 55 a year ago off of Kansas City, (DE Frank Clark) Clark. There’s those tandems of guys and so that’s
why one benefits from the other. You put so much emphasis over here, he’ll get you on this side. He’s
playing extremely well, too. He’s playing fast, he’s playing aggressive, and doing some really good things.
I think it’s the addition of 51, but in tandem, they’re playing well.”
(On the importance of this weekend’s game for future playoffs) “I think everybody knows that without
really speaking it verbally. Quite frankly, it’s a meaningful football game, AFC South, all of that. There’s
still some divisional games left and a lot of things can play out. The importance of where we are and
what we’ve done and focusing on that and staying true to that. Just understanding that we’re going
down to a place here in a dome, it’s going to be loud, the environment is going to be great, they haven’t
had that. They haven’t had this experience in a few years. This is great for Houston and the organization
to feel that sort of playoff atmosphere.”
(On if there’s a different mentality with the team being the hunter not the hunted this season) “Yeah, it
shouldn’t change the mindset, it’s just that the team has done better this year. We’ve done well and put
ourselves in this position. We still have to understand we haven’t done anything. We got in the playoffs
last year, but didn’t do anything. We didn’t finish. We have to play the same way, we have to play as
we’ve got everything to prove, our backs against the wall, it’s a playoff atmosphere. You can’t make
mistakes, you saw Sunday when you take care of the football and you create takeaways defensively and
on special teams, you can score points. That’s what a lot of these games boil down to. You have to match
intensity week to week, whether they’re matching ours or we’re matching theirs. This team beat us up
pretty good in the first matchup. It’s just going to be a great football game.”
(On the team matching intensity on the road) “I don’t know, I think maybe a little bit just because we’re
together more. On the road, from the time we leave to the time we get back off the plane to go home
Sunday night. It’s a great group of guys too, when they’re together, they enjoy being around each other
and I think that goes a long way to the success of any team.”
(On talent of Texans Offensive Coordinator Bobby Slowik) “Yeah, obviously he’s got that San Francisco
influence and you see what they do and what their quarterbacks have done in San Fran. They try to do it
through the run game, they have two excellent running backs there and try to do it that way. They feed
off the movement stuff, just give the quarterback an opportunity to be successful. You don’t overload
him with a ton of reads and regressions, keep things really simple. Keep his reads right in front of him
and create that space in the pocket which they’re doing and allowing C.J. [Texans QB C.J. Stroud] to use
his arm talent to push the ball down the field.”
(On if he thought in training camp the Texans would be able to ascend this quickly) “Well, that was a long
time ago and you just don’t know. You think rookie quarterback, Indy had a rookie quarterback,
Tennessee drafted another, potentially three rookie quarterbacks, you just don’t know back then. It
doesn’t surprise me. I know Coach Ryans [Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans], I know he’s a former
player and I know how he’s been coached, how he’s been taught, who he’s worked for and worked
under, the influences he’s had as a coach and it’s no surprise that these guys are feeding off of that too.
That makes a difference, when you get the right leader in there, you can flip a franchise. We were able to
do it a little bit last year and there’s a belief. There’s a belief down there. That goes a long way to winning
in this league.”
(On LB Foye Oluokun’s leadership allowing him to be nominated for the Art Rooney Award) “He plays the
game right. He comes to work every day,he puts in the time, he’s a great leader, on and off the field, he
plays hard, he plays it the right way. He never misses a day, you can count on him, he’s accountable. He’s
just very deserving of this honor.”
(On if there’s something to San Francisco defenses that makes it difficult on offenses) “When we say the
influence, it’s sort of the structure of the defense, not necessarily the personnel of the defense. Now, we
see what Houston is doing, they’re investing resources in the defensive line, where San Francisco did the
same things. That’s DeMeco [Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans], that’s the experience he had in San
Francisco. I think the structure is there, but you see Matt Burke who I had in Philly as a DC [Defensive
Coordinator], he’s a Jim Schwartz guy, so he’s a wide-nine guy, which we’re going to see in a couple of
weeks. They’re kind of combined the two a little bit with the front and the backend, they’re playing it
extremely well. You can learn from and you have a pretty good idea of the type of defense it’s going to
be, but you still got to study the tape and prepare each week because it changes.”
(On his message to the team this week about showing up in the first half) “The only thing I mentioned to
them is when they can go back and just watch the game. Just go back and watch the game, I don’t have
to tap back into that or last week. It’s a week-to-week business, obviously Houston is a good football
team, we’re a good football team, we’re better and we’ve learned from it, but I do want them to watch it
and see for themselves just how we played in that game.”
(On if he looks at the big picture of the season or if he’s focused on each game ahead) “Week to week,
moment by moment, I think maybe in a down moment, you can take a look at the big picture but I never
want to put that in front of the team because this is a big opportunity this week.”
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR PRESS TAYLOR
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2023
(On performance of QB Trevor Lawrence in Sunday’s game) “I thought he played well. He was in control
the whole game, he knew where he wanted to go with the football, he was able to move in the pocket
and do some good things. He just really ran the offense, distributed the ball to the guy it was supposed
to go to, protected the ball first of all, protected himself. I think we came out of the game with one sack
where he actually scrambled and lost a yard, we wish he would’ve flipped it out of bounds for that. He
played well and did a good job running the show.”
(On QB Trevor Lawrence’s ability to run influencing last week’s game) “Yeah, I think all of it marries
together of being able to run the ball, being able to run wide-zone concepts, movements off wide zone
concepts or off tosses, then play actions off wide zones and play action screens, staying in first and
second down, normal-down distance situations like we want to be in. We’re able to kind of get into all
the things that we plan to get into in a game. Being able to control the dynamics of the game, stay ahead
of the chains, stay efficient, allows you to get into some of the stuff that allows you to be explosive. We
were able to do a little bit of that.”
(On what the Texans defense did well last matchup) “They did a good job of mixing looks. Traditionally,
when you play this type of unit, you knew what the zone coverages you’re going to get. Obviously, we fell
behind, they scored, they were able to play a little bit more of the shell-coverage things and do a good
job. As you look at it, they took the football away twice from us. We fumbled once on a third-and-ten
conversion, then we threw an interception there late in the game as well. They did a good job of just
keeping things in front, which is one of the big core commandments for their defense, is to limit
explosives. I think they do that well, they play a lot of zone coverage, zone eyes. They’re able to see
everything in front and rally and tackle, they play with great energy. They gave us a lot of fits the first
time through.”
(On talent of Texans QB C.J. Stroud) “Yeah, I haven’t spent a ton of time watching C.J. Stroud so far, we
spend more of our time just watching their defense to begin with. I see a little bit here and there.”
(On what Texans QB C.J. Stroud has done for their team) “Yeah, I’m aware of the numbers and things he’s
put out there. That’s certainly impressive for a young player, they’ve done a good job in their system
from what I understand. I can’t say I’ve sat and watched all of his games and how he’s performed and
things like that. I know he played well when he was here the first time and in the crossover film you see
they do a really good job with his offensive scheme, he seems to be running the show really well.”
(On what went wrong in last matchup against Houston) “Yeah, I think there were a lot of self-inflicted
wounds in that game. You watch and we had a couple of drops, we had three pre-snap penalties, we had
two post-snap penalties in the first half of the game. We gave the ball away twice. We trip our own back
on third and two. We convert a fourth and one, we get illegal hands to the face. Just a number of things
that we couldn’t get out of our own way. They did a good job, they made it hard on us, they’re a really
good, young defense that I feel like have grown a ton in the two months since that game. We feel like
we’ve grown a lot as well. Fortunately, the score doesn’t carry over and we get to start over at zeros and
see how it goes.”
(On being able to maintain a passing game even if the numbers aren’t there) “Yeah, that’s a big thing we
want to do. It’s more so being efficient, it doesn’t always look pretty to get three, four yards of run here
and there. I think we change some tendencies potentially and hit some runs, we started a two-minute
drive with the run and gained nine, ten, eleven, something like that. We had a couple of second-and-long
runs that hit for us. We’re able to stick with it in the redzone and move forward and being able to
convert third downs. There’s going to be times where if you run the ball, you end up in these third downs
that are third-and-manageable. You got to make plays, that’s something we hadn’t done earlier in the
year. We were able to do on some of the third-and-twos, threes, fours this week to just continue to get
snaps. The more we get snaps, the more we can dive into the ways we want to attack people and
everything marries off one another.”
(On involving WR Calvin Ridley more in last week’s game) “Yeah, we’re always trying to feature guys in
different ways. Again, I think the more you can stay on schedule with that stuff, you can utilize those
things and I don’t know if there was necessarily anything we did with him that we haven’t done at some
point in the year. We handed the around to him, we hit him on the over which was the same play as we
hit against Pittsburgh in the rain out there when he made a good play. Obviously, the red zone concept,
we had a third down red zone concept in there that he was around the corner and he did a great job of
that. We’ve carried that in our game plan for a long time and hadn’t had a chance to call it. It’s looked
like that in practice, it looked exactly like that was a great throw. There’s certainly things we’ve done
throughout the course of the year, I think just managing the situations and the dynamics of the game
allows you to stay on script a little bit more and get to everything you have. Then at the same time, for
him to have a big game, other people don’t have as much, so there’s always going to be this give-and-
take and it’s a great thing to have a lot of good players and be able to feature that. Sunday was his day,
so it was nice to see.”
(On if he can feel when QB Trevor Lawrence is getting into a rhythm) “Yeah, I think so. You have a good
feel for when he’s seeing it and when he has a lot of ideas. There’s a lot of communication, a lot of times,
through the sideline with Coach McCoy [Quarterbacks Coach Mike McCoy] and Doug [Head Coach Doug
Pederson] and things like that of they’re saying this, he’s seeing this, we’re kind of where we’re going
next with certain calls when we get into that. I think just even watching him deliver the ball, you can feel
he’s in rhythm right here, he’s seeing it really well, he’s throwing it where he wants to. It felt like one of
those games on Sunday.”
(On how to stay with the run game when the team is doing well with the pass game) “Well, I think
everything kind of builds off the run game. You trust a little bit more that when you get around to this,
it’s going to set up that, or he’s going to put the ball in the right spot. Sometimes, they’re not dynamic
plays down the field. It’s he’s seeing it well and chucking the ball down because they’re getting down
underneath and he’s putting the ball in play. That’s a big part of it that maybe the stats don’t reflect, but
we can feel when he’s in control and seeing things really well. Again, it worked out the other day where
they happened to be down the field throws, but there’s been games where he probably has 190 yards
and we felt like he was in complete control doing the right thing with the football every time.”
(On if he gets impressed by strong throws from QB Trevor Lawrence) “Absolutely. I get really impressed
with guys on the sideline. Just the toe drag stuff; Christian [WR Christian Kirk] had one, Calvin [WR Calvin
Ridley] had the one in the back of the endzone, some of that stuff, to be moving at the speed they move
and get their feet down, the quarterback to put it in a position to where only his guys get it on the
sideline is pretty impressive. There’s certainly, as you’re watching tape, you see a lot of things. I have
folders that are just called ‘Wow.’ It might be a quarterback and it’s somebody running around, spinning
around, making a play that you’re just thinking how does this happen when you’re being chased by the
best of the best and trying to fit it in a tight window. Sometimes you take for granted how amazing these
guys are at what they do.”
(On performance by RB Tank Bigsby in the fourth quarter last game) “Yeah, that was awesome. Tank is
going to be a really, really good player in this league. I think he’s had a little bit of some unfortunate
circumstances, two balls have bounced off his hands that were hot from a couple feet away, he scooped
up a ball that got punched out when he didn’t realize it was over. A little bit is unlucky, but we believe in
Tank, we believe in what he brings every single day and that’s why we believe in Tank; because we see it
and we see the work he puts into studying the game plan, to walkthroughs of understanding blocking
schemes and protection schemes and things like that. He just continues to grow as a player. I’ve talked to
him a number of times, whether it’s this week, this game, next week, there’s going to be a point in the
season where Tank Bigsby is going to make a huge play for our offense. We’re going to stick with him and
we believe in him, we know what he’s capable of and he’s starting to show that, so it’s exciting for all of
us.”
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR MIKE CALDWELL
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2023
(On what it takes for any defense to be as consistent as the team’s consistency) “I think the guys understand that they want to be good. We put in the work and they understand we’re going to demand things from them, try to do it the right way. They’re enjoying it, they trust it and it’s the culture around here. When we first got here, we tried to put a stamp on it, and it’s continuing to build that way. The guy that bought in, Doug [Head Cach Doug Pederson] does a great job of getting everybody on the same page. When you’re on the same page, good things happen.”
(On growth of Texans QB C.J. Stroud since previous matchup) “A bunch. He was good back then and he’s even better now. It’s pretty amazing to see him come in and do the things that he’s been able to do. He takes care of the ball, he throws the ball wherever he needs to, makes a bunch of plays with his legs and he’s a guy that is really putting on great performance’s week after week after week.”
(On talent of Texans offensive line being recognized enough) “I don’t think so. They have a guy, last time we played them, they were kind of banged up. Now they’re getting their guys back in there and you can see them starting to gain confidence. When you have a quarterback that’s playing as well as he is, it just builds confidence throughout the team. DeMeco [Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans] does a good job of
leading that bunch. They’re playing at a high level right now.”
(On Texans offense hitting consistent explosive plays) “Well, they’re dynamic. You can see the speed at receiver, they have a run game that you get the quarterback protected. The quarterback has a strong arm and he drops dimes. There are times he’s putting the ball exactly where it needs to be placed. They got us a few times and it was miscommunication, but you have to be on your A-game. If you’re one step late or you don’t get in the right coverage, they’re going to take advantage of it. That’s what you got to do, you’ve got to make sure you’re able to get ourselves in the right coverage and go out there and compete.”
(On the pressure on safeties in the upcoming game against Houston) “It’s really everybody. Safeties communicate, linebackers and nickels and corners. Communication is a thing that we stress all the time, we have to be on the same page and sometimes we do a good job of it, sometimes we’re not as good as we want to be, we’re working to get better at that.”
(On what the Texans have done to make the offense easier for Texans QB C.J. Stroud) “I don’t think they make it look easy, they’re putting up a bunch of yards. He’s a guy that you look at him, you see maturity. I don’t know him personally, but you see that when he plays the game, it’s not he’s running around and all over the place. He’s poised in the pocket, he understands where to go with the ball and he trusts his offensive line. He has a run game behind him and he’s just making play after play after play.”
(On the Texans offense not making things simpler for Texans QB C.J. Stroud) “I guess all coordinators have progressions that they want the quarterback to go through. He has his and he’s going through
them, it’s like clockwork for him. If it’s not here, I’m going there. If not there, I’m going here. The offensive line has something to do with that because they’re protecting him. You send a blitz and he feels the blitz, he throws it to the right spot. There’s different things that he’s able to do to help the success they’re having.”
(On how much stress is put on the secondary competing against a powerful passing game) “It’s big time. We have to be in our zones, man to man, we have to make sure we have eyes on him so we’re able to anticipate and break on a ball. That’s the thing, you have to speed the quarterback up and we try to do it every week. We’ll go out there and try to do it again this week.”
(On if he misses facing a rookie quarterback as a player) “Well, I don’t know about that. There’s been some good, young quarterbacks. But the game is evolving, you have seven on seven, where guys are throwing the ball around all summer. You have guys that in college, some colleges moving to pro-style offenses, so you have guys that are ready to play. When you’re surrounded by weapons and you’re ready to play, he’s a special one and he’s showing why he’s special.”
(On if planning exotic looks is necessary against Texans offense) “Well, we’re going to be us. We’re going to do what we do. At the end of the day, we have to execute what we try to do and they have to execute. That’s football. You go out there, you try to takeaway, you want to make him play left-handed, unless they’re left handed, then you want to make them play right handed. You want to try to go away from what they do good and at the end of the day, that’s what we’re going to try to do and see how it works.”
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(On if anything changes motivationally when facing Texans QB C.J. Stroud) “Not really, I think there’s
plenty of motivation for this game anyways. You look at what the Texans have done this year and being in
our division, we’re getting down here at the end of the season and all of these games matter. They all
matter when you go back and look at your season, every game has implications, but especially when you
get to this point. We have seven games left, it’s a tight race in our division. Overall, you look at the AFC,
there’s a ton of teams that are in the hunt. Every game matters, even more so that it’s a divisional game.
This is huge. That’s enough motivation as is. I think it’s motivation too, you look at the Texans and what
they’re doing, they’re playing really good football right now, they’ve got a good and young team, they’re
playing really well. It’s a team that obviously there’s motivation to beat, they beat us here, pretty bad
here at home earlier in the season. There’s plenty of motivation just in those areas.”
(On any quarterback rivalries that intrigued him growing up) “Of course, Tom [Brady] and Peyton
[Manning]. That’s when I was little bit younger and that was in its prime. That was a big one, I’m trying to
think. There’s been a ton, I’m trying to remember. That was probably the main one because Peyton was
my favorite player growing up. Obviously, the player Tom was his whole career, every time he was on TV,
you wanted to watch him and the way he plays the game. That was probably the biggest one. Shoot,
even growing up in Georgia, sometimes Matt Ryan and Drew Brees, all that. There’s a couple that I
watched growing up.”
(On how much the first game against the Texans this season plays into the upcoming game) “Yeah, it
does because we remember what that felt like and dropping a division game earlier in the season and
not playing well. We remember that feeling and that gives you a little bit of motivation, but either way,
this game is big for the Texans. We’re talking about how big it is for us, it’s big for them too. You know
they got motivation. I think that only goes so far in this league, you still got to go and prepare and have a
great plan and go execute on Sunday. You can have all the motivation in the world, I felt like we’ve been
prepared in a lot of games and maybe didn’t play well. You’ve got to go execute on Sunday, that’s what
it’s about, who the better team is for three hours on Sunday. Of course you use everything you can, but
you’ve got to keep in mind that everybody is motivated for these games, especially when you’re trying to
make a push at the end of the season. We all know what is at stake, there’s no hiding anything. You’re
not going to pull any fast ones on anybody. We all know how big this game is and what it could mean at
the end of the year.”
(On how to avoid distractions and tighten focus with holidays approaching) “That’s something we talked
about today, actually. Coach Pederson mentioned it and I think it’s important, you’ve got to recognize
this is a crazy time of year with holidays and family and friends, just a lot going on. You also got the most
important part of your season right in front of you. That’s when the good and great teams play well,
when it matters especially at the end of the year. We understand that, we were in a position where we
didn’t have a choice, back was against the wall, we had to make that push at the end of the year and we
were able to do that. We have some experience playing well and playing our best ball at the end of the
year, but we’ve got to do that again this year. That doesn’t carry over. That is on our mind, that is
something that we’re aware of and I think you have to be because at the end of the day, this is our job
and you can’t let all the outside distractions get to you because there’s going to be a lot going on. Coach
mentioned, you talk about holidays and family and all that stuff, for those people usually it’s vacation for
them and you’re hanging out. Whether they come to your house or whatever it is, for them, that’s
vacation for them. They’re taking time off work, we’re working. Everyday is important, you can’t miss a
day and obviously we’ve got to put everything together before Sunday. You can’t afford to just take days
off and all those things. You got Thanksgiving and of course you can celebrate, spend some time
together, fellowship, all of that. I think you got to keep in mind what time of year it is, how important
these games are for us, and our guys know that. I think we’ve got a mature group that can handle it.”
(On earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week meaning anything to him) “Not really. I appreciate the
recognition, but it doesn’t really give you anything, just people saying you played a good game. That’s all
it is at the end of the day, so it doesn’t really mean too much. I appreciate the recognition but there’s a
lot of guys that go into that. I think especially being the quarterback, when you get something like that,
obviously the guys around you had to play really well. It doesn’t go without them. That’s a little boost for
all of us, but that’s all it is, nothing more than that.”
(On a win was needed to keep things going offensively) “That’s a good question. I don’t know if need
would be the right word, I definitely think it’s a positive. You look at where we’re at, you said we’re
getting into the back half of the season and that was probably the most complete game we’ve played as
an offense. To take that step and to be playing some of our better football as the season is getting
towards the back half, I think that’s a positive and you use that. You let that push you forward and you
keep striving to play like that every week and play even better. There’s still a lot of stuff we left out there.
I think you do use that and that gives you a little motivation, gets you going and it shows wow, this is
what we could do every week. We just have to be dialed in, we have to be detailed, we have to execute
and make the plays that are there. I think that, need is a tough word, but I do think that it was big for us
and it gives us confidence. We need to continue to play like that the rest of the way.”
(On if the offensive line is getting appreciated for their efforts last game) “I don’t know. They don’t get
much love. It seems like that’s a tough room to be in just for recognition, they understand that and they
handle it like champs. They always joke about it, but those guys are doing a great job. Stuff like that
doesn’t happen, the offense doesn’t go like that when the guys up front aren’t leading the charge. That’s
what they did, they took a lot of it on themselves last week of they’re going to do great in the run game,
they’re going to protect all these things, give us a chance to shoot the ball down the field. We were able
to do that. It doesn’t go without them and I think sometimes I should mention it more because people
don’t understand that, I understand that and we talk about it a lot in our group. We love those guys up
because it’s a tough job, it’s the most selfless job on the field. You do your job, you do your job great,
and nobody talks about you. You give up a sack, everybody is talking about you. It’s the opposite of other
positions, it’s like you do your job the right way, you don’t get much recognition for it. Those guys
deserve all the credit, it’s a tough job and they’re doing an awesome job. We’ve just got to keep getting
better every week.”
(On why the team has been able to perform so well on the road this season) “I don’t know what the
answer to that is. I think that’s something we emphasize for sure this season, we weren’t great on the
road last year. Especially early in the year for whatever reason. That was a point of emphasis in training
camp that we talked about, we talked about our season, things we need to get better at, maybe things
we did well. That was something we thought we needed to get better at and maybe it is something. I
think when you get out here a day early, you go to a hotel, it’s just you, you’ve got time to prepare and
do all your stuff, no distractions. I think there is some merit to that. Who knows how big of a part that
plays but like I said, I think we’re all professionals so we take care of our business here, too. We’ve got to
keep that going. Obviously it’s a big road game, we’re going to play in big road games to finish the year
that you’re going to have to win. This is a good challenge for us this week.”
(On players not being intimidated in hostile playing environments) “Yeah, I think from a communication
standpoint, it’s not to your advantage. I do think there is something cool about being able to go in
someone else’s stadium. The goal is always to quiet the crowd by the fourth quarter. I think that’s
something we’ve tried to make an emphasis on our games on the road, is to try to do that because that’s
a cool feeling when you go to someone else’s stadium and get into a position where they’re not even
loud in the fourth quarter. I think that’s something you kind of look forward to and that challenge,
everybody against you, back against the wall, that feeling of being on the road. It is a real thing and I
think you should use all that to play better. From a practical standpoint, obviously communication
becomes more challenging when it’s loud and you can’t hear critical situations. You just have to really
communicate, really be on the same page and have to be prepared, especially those situations when
communication is limited. You have to be really prepared and know your job.”
(On his three favorite foods to have at Thanksgiving) “Sweet potato casserole would be one of them,
green bean or broccoli casserole, I would say that’s one. The third one, can you guys throw some out
there? Dessert? Oh, pecan pie.”
