One area that has stayed the “new normal” for Clutch City sports fans since 2020 is the Houston Texans being dismal and miserable.
Since giving up a 24-0 lead to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional playoffs on Jan. 12, 2020, the Texans have compiled an 11-38-1 record, burned through three full-time coaches, and drifted to the bottom of the AFC South.
The aura in the Bayou City changed when Houston hired DeMeco Ryans. Although he had been the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator the past two seasons, the fanbase adored him for his two-time Pro Bowl tenure as a linebacker from 2006-11.
With the fans as excited as they have been in three years, Ryans says he does not feel any pressure because of the excitement level.
“No pressure for me at all,” said Ryans. “This is an outstanding organization, an outstanding job. I love the excitement being around the city, just everybody stopping. Fans are excited, they want to take pictures, autographs. It’s an exciting time. I don’t feel any pressure because I know I’m surrounding myself with the right people and I know we can get the job done. I know Houston is hungry for a winner.”
Ryans was part of the 49ers’ two unsuccessful bids in the past two NFC Championship Games. The 38-year-old similarly wants to lead a team to the Super Bowl, and the desire runs strong.
Said Ryans: “Trust me, I’m just as hungry to create a winner for this organization, for this city. It means a lot to me, and I want to be able to bring that to Houston. So, it’s no pressure. It just reminds me just continue to put your head down and go to work with the right purpose and to be detailed and just make sure we’re adding really great players to our team so when we line up on that field on Sundays, I want to just put a team out there that our city is proud of.”
The Texans kicked off the first phase of their offseason workout program Tuesday at NRG Stadium.
