The day after the Texans opened their 2023 regular season with a 25-9 defeat at Baltimore, Head Coach DeMeco Ryans met with the media inside NRG Stadium. Defensive end Will Anderson, Jr., linebacker Denzel Perryman and wide receiver Robert Woods also had press conferences, and here are some of the news tidbits that emerged from Monday.
Richardson/Jackson similarities
A day after trying to contain the ever-elusive Lamar Jackson of the Ravens, the Texans were asked if Sunday's test by the 2019 MVP will help them prepare for this Sunday against Indianapolis. The Colts are quarterbacked by rookie Anthony Richardson, who tossed a touchdown and ran for another in yesterday's home loss to the Jaguars. He led the Colts in rushing yards with 40 on 10 carries against Jacksonville.
"It'll be the same this week: another quarterback who is athletic," Ryans said. "He can run the ball, so we have another challenge, and that's the kind of theme of the league, and that's where I think the trend is going with more quarterbacks who are athletic and can run the ball, so we'll see a lot of that each week."
Jackson also led the Ravens in rushing yards with 38 on Sunday. But Perryman explained the veteran in Baltimore is quite different than Indianapolis' young signal-caller.
"Two different quarterbacks," Perryman said. "Anthony Richardson is a lot taller. And bigger. Lamar Jackson is a lot quicker."
Still, Anderson said the escapability of Jackson could definitely help as preparation for this week against Richardson.
"A lot," Anderson said. "They're similar. They're both running quarterbacks that can use their arms because they have cannon arms. But the same rush plan is probably going to be in this week. Keep him contained. Make sure the offensive line is in his lap. Make sure that he's not escaping and we're all rushing together."
Start Faster
Woods, an 11-year veteran, pulled in six catches for 57 yards on Sunday. He shared what he thinks the offense needs to do operate more smoothly in the future.
On early drives, and on first downs, Woods said the Texans must have a good procedure.
"Get in the huddle," Woods said. "Get the play call in. Get lined up correctly. At the same time, still have time on the clock to be able to get a chance to look at the defense. I think that's a small adjustment we can fix."
Speaking of Anderson
Anderson was in some pretty elite company based off what he accomplished Sunday against Jackson and the Ravens. Deepi Sidhu explained HERE.
Snap count
Here's how much each Texan played on Sunday in Baltimore. SNAP COUNTS
