Jerrell Powe knows a thing or two about playing nose tackle for defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. He did so for two years as a Kansas City Chief. Powe knows exactly what his primary responsibilities are as a nose tackle in Crennel's traditional, two-gap, 3-4 defensive scheme.
"To keep the center off the linebacker, push the pocket, and get my hands up and bat balls down," Powe said in an interview with Texans Radio.
Crennel likes a large, physical presence in the middle of the defensive line. In fact, both Powe and Louis Nix III, the Texans third-round draft pick, are a hulking 6-2 and 331 pounds.
Transitioning back into Crennel's system has been relatively easy for Powe, who says the calls, adjustments, and alerts are similar to what he learned in the past. His favorite part of playing nose is making the big plays because it doesn't happen very often.
"It's always rewarding when a nose tackle makes any play because we rarely make any plays," Powe said. "So when we can bat a ball down, definitely get a sack, or TFL (tackle for loss), or when a linebacker is able to shoot through and make a TFL and we eat that center up or took on a double team, it's always rewarding. It's always good."
