HOUSTON – Texans coach DeMeco Ryans engineered a dramatic turnaround, galvanizing a losing team with his leadership.
The former Texans Pro Bowl linebacker lifted the team to an AFC South division title, going 11-8 one year after they finished 3-13-1 under former coach Lovie Smith. He was named NFL Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America.
The McNair family nailed this hire as Ryans won a playoff game against the Cleveland Browns, and improved by six wins to become the seventh head coach since 2019 to improve by at least six wins since the previous year. The Texans are the second team in NFL history to have a winning record after three consecutive seasons of less than four wins.
With Ryans calling the defense, the former NFL Assistant Coach of the Year, led the Texans to finishing sixth in rushing defense, allowing 96.6 yards per game after finishing last in 2022, seventh in passing defense (245.5) and 11th in points allowed (20.8)
“I feel good about our season and what we were able to accomplish,” Ryans said Monday. “As I told our guys today, just be proud of what we were able to do. This league is a year-to-year business, and you just always embrace the moments that you have with the people that you’re around because, as we know, teams change, staffs change, a lot of change happens on a year-to-year basis.
“So, just embrace that. Live in the ‘now,’ but really be proud of what we were able to accomplish this year. Moving into the future and next year, we like where we are with the young nucleus of guys that we have. I feel like we have a good group to build off of, and you still have to add more pieces. You’re always adding and always looking to acquire talent and get better, and that’s where we’ll look to spend our offseason. Who can we find to help us get better?”
Standing inside a somber Texans locker room, following an epic turnaround season that ended painfully as Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson dismantled a proud defense, veteran wide receiver Robert Woods reflected on the upward trajectory of a franchise that reversed years of hard luck and embarrassing outcomes.
Although the resurgent Texans ultimately fell short during a lopsided 34-10 AFC divisional round playoff game defeat Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium as they failed to reach the AFC championship game for the fifth time in the postseason, they did build a rock-solid foundation this season as Ryans boosted the the organization and the city and quarterback C.J. Stroud delivered arguably the best rookie season in NFL history. A year ago, before the return of Ryans, a former Texans Pro Bowl linebacker, and the arrival of Stroud, a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist at Ohio State drafted second overall, the Texans finished 3-13-1. Now, they’re a winning team.
“I think this team has grown a whole lot,” Woods said. “We found out who we are as a team. We established a Texans culture and been able to implement that. You see that on the field. I know everyone is happy for where we’ve come from last year, not many wins. A full turnaround of the team and culture, that’s what we expected getting DeMeco and C.J.
“We expected a turnaround. This team has established who we are. We believe in who we are. This year is a total confidence building. Everyone in this room believes in Texans football, believes in ourselves, believes in C.J. This team is only going up.”
It was a season defined by dramatic growth in Ryans’ first season, matching the combined victory total of the previous three seasons as he and Stroud became the first first-year coach and rookie quarterback tandem in NFL history to win a division title and Stroud joined Tom Brady and Joe Montana as the only passers in league history to lead the NFL in passing yards per game and touchdown-to-interception ratio.
When an organization has the pivotal head coach and quarterback positions figured out, $72 million in salary cap space and owns the 23rd overall pick of the first round, the future is definitely bright.
Although it was an embarrassing final game as far as sloppiness with 11 penalties as the Texans lost to the Ravens for the second time following a season-opening 25-9 loss in Baltimore, the overarching perspective was there’s a lot to be proud of, and a lot to like about the team and its outlook to be involved in meaningful contests like this one going forward.
That starts with Stroud who set an NFL record by launching his career with 191 passes without an interception, finishing the season with 198 consecutive passes without an interception and passing for 4,181 yards, 23 touchdowns and just five interceptions. The last time Stroud threw an interception was against the Arizona Cardinals months ago.
“C.J. did a great job throughout the entire year, I’m proud of him,” Ryans said. “Proud of his resolve and his confidence throughout the entire year. He was the guy breaking our team down. He’s the leader of our team. I’m so proud of him and proud of how he’s grown as a player and as a leader. It’s fun to watch. Really awesome young man, the sky is the limit for him and what he can do in his career.”
It was fitting that Stroud broke down the final huddle of the season with his teammates. He’s the Texans’ guy, the focal point of the entire organization.
“DeMeco hit it on the nail, our future is bright, but these types of losses suck,” Stroud said. “It’s tough to get embarrassed like that, but definitely I think our future is bright. Coming in, guys didn’t know what it looked like to win or the standard. I think DeMeco set that at a high level of expectation. I did the same, I hope. All in all, we won a lot of games, so I think that set a great foundation for the standard for guys coming back.
“Pressure is a privilege. I think the foundation we set is a hard one built on rock like DeMeco always talks about. I’m going to continue to work my tail off next year to make the city of Houston proud, to make my family members proud, make God proud.”
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to Sports Talk 790.
Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images