HOUSTON — This time around, Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans stood on the sidelines with a different lens as he watched organized team activities.
Last week he was viewing his 2023 rookie class as they were getting an introductory tutorial on properly conducting day-to-day activities once the season begins, which includes studying film, learning the playbook, practice segments, lifting weights, etc.
On Tuesday, he got his first glance at how the rookies and returning veterans interacted with each other.
“For it to be voluntary, we have a really good group participating,” said Ryans. “The guys that are here, they are honing their craft. They are getting better. And it’s all about setting yourself up to be able to compete to make the team in training camp. I feel like the guys that are here are going to be in great shape to help us out in the fall.”
“When you see guys improve, that’s what fires me up,” Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said to me when I asked him about seeing the guys who will contribute this upcoming season. “I’m excited to get out on the field because now we are getting close to real football. #Sarge #Texans pic.twitter.com/GLVYY6aXho
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) May 23, 2023
Ryans, who also played in the NFL before becoming a coach, knows that it will take more than a couple of practices to get everyone on the same page but likes that the players have shown up and want to get better. It is the mindset that he has instilled early on since the Texans hired him.
“It’s very refreshing,” Ryans said in his press conference after practice about seeing guys who will contribute this season. “It’s exciting just to be able to get out on the field. We spend a lot of time in the classroom with these guys to make sure they understand it, make sure they have it. Some guys do well in the classroom, some guys not so well, but it’s all about how you perform when you’re out on the field. To see guys in the element, to see that they made a misstep, or they made this mistake, and they instantly are able to correct it.
“When you see guys improve, that’s what fires me up. I’m excited to get out on the field because now we’re getting closer to real football, seeing guys in the true element, being able to compete out there in the field. It’s been exciting. It’s fun for me. I’m trying to put our team in as many competitive situations as possible, offense against defense, just to see how our guys respond to competitive football. That’s what it’s going to be. In the fall, you’ve got to line up, you’ve got to compete, and who’s going to step up and win. It’s been fun, a lot of fun for me to get out on the field.”
