Texans' DeMeco Ryans' message to Will Anderson is exactly what you want to hear

Justin Churchill — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer

Sep 19, 2023 4:30 PM EDT

The Houston Texans are not having the start to the season they thought they would have. Even after Week 1, there was a thought that this team might have a really good defense. Then, Week 2 happened, and a bad Indianapolis Colts team scored 31 points.

The offense has been a problem both weeks, but the defense still has shown some promise. The pass rush needs to be better, and the run defense needs to be better.

But this is a young team, so that they will have growing pains. That's all part of the gig for DeMeco Ryans. These young pieces on defense will come around, which is why Ryans was hired. As for those pieces, Ryans has a great message for the biggest piece on the defense.

"Really, just keep rushing," Will Anderson said of Ryans' message to him. "That's one of the biggest things that Coach Ryans harps on all the time. No matter what happens, just keep rushing, don't rush timid, just everybody rush from the same page. That's one thing that I took from the last game: you may miss a few here and there, but just keep rushing and track your angles. When the ball is thrown, just track to the ball and take your angles. That's what I want to take with me."

Sure, the Texans lost 25-9 in Week 1, but the defense did its thing. They sacked Lamar Jackson four times and allowed just 169 passing yards. They also had two turnovers on the day. As for Week 2, it could have been better, but there are things to be excited about.

They didn't have any sacks against the Colts and didn't create a ton of pressure. The tape, though, looks much better than the stats do for Anderson.

Ryans is a player's coach, and this is exactly what you want your coach to tell young defenders.