The Texans have set a new tone on defense in 2009 and they haven't touched the field. By promoting Frank Bush to defensive coordinator and hiring Bill Kollar as the assistant head coach/defensive line, the team has shown a commitment to being hard-nosed and aggressive upfront.
In his press conference last week, Bush said he wants to see the defensive line going after the quarterback and being quicker off the ball
"They will be more attacking, more get up the field and attack off the line of scrimmage," Bush said. "We won't go sideways. That's a coaching term, but we won't go sideways. What we will do is attack and get off the ball and give our kids an opportunity to be aggressive at the start of the play."
Bush is a passionate coach and the linemen have said they are excited to play his brand of football.
Kollar will make sure they follow through. When it comes to tough, old-school NFL coaches, he makes the short list. Kollar has been in the league 20 years and knows what it's like to be in the trenches. He was drafted in the first round of the 1974 NFL Draft by the Bengals and played eight seasons for Cincinnati and Tampa Bay. Now, he wants to take the talent on the Texans' d-line to the next level.
"We've been watching film the last couple of days and obviously, we need to end up improving overall at all positions and defensive line wise," Kollar said. "(We) need to end up being a little more aggressive and put a little more pressure on to the quarterback.
"I've watched the guy (Mario Williams) the last really couple of years. The guy's a heck of a player. (He) has unlimited ability, and we're hoping to really end up getting him to playing at his max."
As for what he will do with Amobi Okoye, here's a taste:
"I will stay on him and keep working on technique and get him to play. Really, everybody's the same. You have to play full speed every play. If you're tired, come out and let somebody else go in. We're not going to have you out on the field playing 50, 60 plays if you're tired. We want everybody that's out on the field being able to play 100 percent at all times. That's what we need to do."
