The first takeaway of the Lovie Smith era — at least in the preseason — came when Houston Texans cornerback Tremon Smith picked off New Orleans Saints quarterback Ian Book.
Smith came up with the deflected pass with 3:03 to go in the first quarter and returned the free possession 12 yards to the Saints’ 34-yard line in Houston’s 17-13 win Saturday night at NRG Stadium.
The pick was another example of what Smith can provide for the defense. The 26-year-old from Central Arkansas is already an exceptional returner having posted a 25.6 yards per kickoff return last year along with a touchdown.
‘The more things you do, the better your chances, and Tremon is our returner,” Smith told reporters. “He’s gotten the ball in the end zone. We’ve seen him. We know what he can do in that role.”
What Smith would like to see from the fifth-year veteran cornerback is the activation of his returner skills after he has come up with a takeaway.
“When you say the more things you can do — to be able to do that and also play good ball at the cornerback position in a backup role is big for us,” said Smith. “And it’s always good when a cornerback will get his hands on the ball. What I expect when he got his hands on the ball, since he’s our returner, I was hoping he could maneuver and use some of those moves to get it into the end zone.”
In terms of a return, Smith’s interception return was three yards shorter than his lone punt return of the night. Smith also had a 25-yard kickoff return against the Saints.
If Smith were able to get at least 25 yards per takeaway recovery, it would help the Texans’ offense with favorable field position.
“We’ll work on that next week,” Smith said.
