Anthony Weaver is known for his ingenuity in the defensive line meeting room, but now he'll bring his creativity to the Houston Texans defense. After coaching the defensive line for four seasons with the Texans, Weaver was promoted to defensive coordinator.
"Weave (Weaver) has a great presence," O’Brien said Tuesday from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "He was a former player and has coached for a long time. He's been in different schemes, done an excellent job with our d-line. He's been in front of the (defensive) unit before, because they divide up responsibilities during the week. Very smart and the players have a lot of respect for Anthony and he's going to bring a lot of different ideas and creativity to our defense."
Weaver learned a number of different schemes during his 15 years in the NFL. The former second-round draft pick played defensive end for seven seasons in the NFL (2002-08), including the final three in Houston. He played four seasons under Brian Billick in Baltimore and worked for the defensive minds like Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine as an assistant coach. Weaver will also continue coaching the defensive line.
"He's been really involved with the unit, not just the d-line," O'Brien said. "His experience on different staffs with all the different people he's worked with defensively, especially, is good for him. He brings a great perspective to what we're going to try to do. He's very, very smart, very good communicator, very hard worker. So we're excited about Weave and what Weave's going to be able to do."
With Weaver's promotion, Romeo Crennel will step into a new role as associate head coach. Crennel's duties will include assisting O'Brien in various areas such as game planning, situational football, mentoring young coaches as well as other responsibilities.
"Romeo has been a great personal asset to me," O'Brien said. "He helps me in more ways than words can describe and so Romeo will be in a different role next year."
Check out some of the best shots of Texans coach Anthony Weaver.
An image from the Aug. 11, 2018 training camp practice in Houston, TX.
An image from the Oct. 13, 2019 regular season away game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans won 31-24.
An image from the Sept. 16, 2018 regular season away game against the Tennessee Titans. The Texans lost 17-20.
An image from the Nov. 4, 2018 regular season away game against the Denver Broncos. The Texans won 19-17.
An August 3, 2018 image of Texans Training Camp Practice at the Greenbrier in West Virginia.
An image from the Oct. 20, 2019 regular season away game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Texans lost 23-30.
An image from the Sept. 29, 2019 regular season home game against the Carolina Panthers. The Texans lost 10-16.
An image from the Oct. 6, 2019 regular season home game against the Atlanta Falcons. The Texans won 53-32.
An image from the Sept. 22, 2019 regular season away game against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Texans won 27-20.
An image from the Aug. 29, 2019 preseason home game against the Los Angeles Rams. The Texans lost 10-22.
An image from the Aug. 17, 2019 preseason home game against the Detroit Lions. The Texans won 30-23.
An image from the Sept. 15, 2019 regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Texans won 13-12.
An image from the July 25, 2019 Texans training camp practice at the Houston Methodist Training Center.
An image from the Aug. 29, 2019 preseason home game against the Los Angeles Rams. The Texans lost 10-22.
An image from the Jan. 5, 2019 Wildcard game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Texans lost 7-21.
An image from the Dec. 23, 2018 regular season away game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Texans lost 30-32.
An image from the Aug. 5, 2018 Texans training camp practice at the Greenbrier in West Virginia.
An image from the July 27, 2019 Texans training camp practice at the Houston Methodist Training Center.
An Aug. 14, 2018 image of the Houston Texans training camp practice at the Houston Methodist Training Center.
An image from the Oct. 27, 2019 regular season home game against the Oakland Raiders. The Texans won 27-24.
An image from the Jan. 4, 2020 Wildcard home game against the Buffalo Bills. The Texans won 22-19.
