HOUSTON—When the Houston Texans hired second-year head coach DeMeco Ryans, one of his main objectives was to build a top-ten NFL defensive unit similar to the one he coached as defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers. Ryans took his premiere talent and blended it with hard-working reserves who would be starters on other teams.
In Houston, he has enhanced that with his “S.W.A.R.M” mantra, which each defensive player repeatedly mentions when asked what makes their unit so strong.
With the defensive starters on the sideline after taking less than 15 snaps in the second preseason game against the New York Giants as they held starting quarterback Daniel Jones to 18 yards passing and two interceptions (which should have been three), it was time for players who were vying for playing time and roster spots to give Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio a reason to keep them on the team once training camp is over.
“At the end of the day, you still have to show up,” Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair told Big Sarge Media about how the reserves played. “Some of the best teams I have been a part of, I was one of those backups coming in trying to show everybody that I am a starter. I think that is the mentality you saw with a lot of the guys. Everybody is hungry, and that is how you have to be from top to bottom. I was proud of everybody.”
Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. was impressed by the defensive reserves but not surprised on how they played in the 28-10 victory over the New York Giants. #Texans #BigSargeMedia pic.twitter.com/JH3gWlrMyU
— BIG SARGE MEDIA LLC (@BigSargeSportz) August 19, 2024
Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. Was Impressed By The Defensive Reserves
Not only did the reserves show up, but they showed out, forcing three more turnovers on the Giants to give them a total of five for the game in a 28-10 victory over New York. This caused Ryans, the defensive-minded head coach, to smile during his postgame press conference.
“Defensively, one thing we harp on is attacking the football,” said Ryans. For us to go out today and take the ball away five times, that’s big time. Any time you can do that, you’re going to win the football game. It was exciting to see [S] Jalen Pitre and [CB Derek] Stingley, [LB] Max Tooley, [LB] Neville [Hewitt], [DE] Solomon Byrd.
“It was exciting to see so many different guys attack the football in different facets, whether it’s intercepting the football, strip sack, or just taking the ball away from the back there. We talk about it so much, and to actually see it come to life is confirmation for us and our coaching points and what we ask guys to do. It’s fun. For me, I just love seeing the reactions from everyone on the sideline going crazy when we take the football away.”
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| Texans Defensive Backs Jalen Pitre (5) And Derek Stingley Jr. (24) |
One player who has been doing a fantastic job of causing turnovers has been third-year player Derek Stingley Jr., who has been a menace to quarterback C.J. Stroud with days of multiple interceptions.
Maybe the Giants didn’t do an excellent job of reading the scouting report, or perhaps they wanted to see what all the media hype was about Stingley’s performance in practice.
Either way, Jones tried to get his rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers going early by targeting him on the game’s first play. Stingley broke on the pass and nearly started the game with an interception that would have given him an easy path to the endzone.
Later in the quarter, Stingley intercepted a pass intended for Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt. His work against his teammates, Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, and Tank Dell, prepares him to play against the opponent’s top receiver.
“It’s crazy going against them in practice every day,” Stingley told reporters in front of his locker after the game. “They help a lot. Coming into games feels like practice.”
Houston will be back on the practice field on Wednesday as it prepares for back-to-back joint practices against its final preseason opponent, the Los Angeles Rams.