HOUSTON TEXANS HEAD COACH DEMECO RYANS

Postgame press conference
Sunday, October 13, 2024

Q: What do you feel like both Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce's presence really brought to this season and how did it elevate the offense?

DR: Really proud of all of our guys today for this win. Started off hot, excited about how we came out, first quarter, came out third quarter, really nice job all the way across the board with our offense and how they ran the football to run for over 190 yards versus a really stout defense, really impressive, starting with the offensive line, right? Give credit to our backs having Dameon, having Joe back was huge for us, a huge lift for our team, very excited to see those guys continue to do more for us, but very pleased with the run game and how they got after it today.

Q: When it comes to those guys, what do they bring to this team that allows them to have success?

DR: Those guys bring play-making ability. Not just getting what the run is blocked for. When your backs are special, they get more than what is blocked for, and that's what you saw today with the explosive runs, the two big explosive runs, one by Dameon and one by Joe, right? When you got backs who can do that extra, that's what they're capable of doing, of giving us the extra and for both guys to get touchdowns today that was big.

Q: Coach, at the end of the first half, there were like four offensive stalls and then the defense gave up a touchdown. What did you say at halftime to get them refocused. Came out 27 points in the second half, defense was flying around.

DR: Right, halftime I just felt like we kind of – just during that second quarter I felt like we kind of took our foot off the gas and guys kind of relaxed and it was just that we had to flip our mindset and understand this is the NFL. Like, guys aren't laying down, they're coming back out, they're making adjustments, they'll be ready to go and we just had to make sure we got back to what we said we were going to do and that's execute and that's the only thing that matters, it's us executing and we kind of fell into a lull there and allowed them to get points.

Q: DeMeco, Will Anderson Jr. had a career-high three sacks. What did you see the way he was getting off the football and tackling?

DR: Yeah, proud of Will, massive game for him to be able to get off the quarterback the way he did. Three sacks, also forced an interception there by E. Murray. Just really, really productive day by him and he stayed out there. Loved his energy, right? From start to finish. He came out – I felt his mindset in pre-game warmups so I knew it was going to be a really good day for him. Will is – he is getting better every week and this is his best game by far.

Q: You only had a little bit of tape on Maye during the regular season. How did he make them different? How did he make them better?

DR: Credit to Maye. One thing he does, right? As a quarterback, his escapability is really good for them and I think it's a positive for him, like being able to pull it down and when things aren't there, being able to make plays on the run. As rushers, you have to be aware that this guy can pull it down and run, take off, and you have to just a understand that and be able to get off a block so I thought they did a good job of O-line blocking for them and him being able to find it when it wasn't there and in the passing game, him pulling it down. That sets them apart, makes him a little different.

Q: Calen Bullock, turnover game. He's made a lot of plays this season. He continues to show up –

DR: Yeah, Calen shows up every week around the football and that's the reason we drafted Calen. He showed that in college and it's cool to see, like, that's who Calen is, right? He did it in college and now he's doing it here in the league. The game isn't too big for him and he made a ton of plays again, him intercepting the ball, getting the fumble. Very proud of him.

Q: We've talked a lot about the inability to pull away. You guys pulled away on this one. What's the ease of having multiple possession win for you guys today?

DR: Yeah, I don't know about easy (chuckling). It's never easy and I never take it for granted. That's a really good football team and I never take it for granted that we were able to come here and get this win. It's a big one for us. This is an organization, our first time winning here in New England, so it's a special game for everyone.

Q: Is it good for you guys to be able to finish a game off and to the have to go down to the last possession?

DR: For me, every time we play (chuckling) it's about winning it doesn't matter how you get it done, if it's a last-second one, if it's a, you know, two touchdown, it doesn't matter to me, finish with a win.

Q: First time we have seen Stroud here. Can you talk about he just seems to be under control all the time. Not the flashy bombs, per se. Tell us a little bit about C.J.

DR: Yeah, C.J. was very efficient today. As you mentioned, he was poised, under control, that's who C.J. is. Never gets too high or too low. He understands – when he does make a mistake, he understands instantly and he's able to fix it in-game, within series, so. Very proud of C.J. and the way he played today leading our offense to get three touchdowns, again, top, really to have defense, for him to get three touchdowns was big and he didn't do it by himself, right? It's our O-line, thought they did a good job of protecting. And also Tank had a really nice game. Tank and Stefon, both guys stepped up. We were down not having Nico's who's been a lot to us, but Tank and Stef stepped up big time and made a lot of plays.

Q: How was his decision-making?

DR: His decision-making was nice. He was efficient with the football, he was going for the right spot with the football, right? They got one on us, DB made a nice play being able to tip the ball there in the endzone but overall, right? From start to finish, C.J. was very decisive. He was efficient, great decision-making all day.

Q: How impressive was it when your defense as a whole to just go out there and keep getting the offense the ball back and keep giving them a chance to get back on the field, short field at that.

DR: Right. One thing we pride ourselves on is taking the football defensively and today to get four takeaways, that was huge for us, the most we've gotten in a game here this year, so to see it come to fruition was really awesome by our defense and to see the energy that it provided our entire team and it's not only getting the takeaways but as you mentioned, it's about the offense being able to capitalize and score points off of takeaways. That's when you really can get ahead on a team. So giving the offense the short field and the offense doing their part of actually putting points on the board after the takeaways, that's where the takeaways mean a lot more, so proud of our team collectively, offense, defense, special teams. I like the way we were disruptive in the kickoff game, like forcing some kicks, forcing them to return. Our guys did a really great job of covering.

Q. How is Azeez Al-Shaair doing? He was in and out -- was that another reason for not pushing him?

DR: Yeah, Azeez is getting evaluated with a knee. He tried to come back. We'll see how he progresses throughout the week.

Q: You know, you mentioned it a little bit, just being without Nico and you mentioned Stef and Tank stepping up. I guess what did it mean to have them perform in that moment considering what Nico brought to this – has brought to the team?

DR: It wasn't surprising to see Stef and Tank step up and make the plays. I hate to say that they're stepping up. They maximize their opportunities, that's who those guys have been, so to say step up is probably an understatement for those guys. They're play-makers as well and that's what they've been. Tank in his short career has been a play-maker for us and we all know what Diggs has done throughout his career of being a top guy, so not surprising at all.

Q: Coach, Stefon said that locker room is really, really competitive. He said it's real competitive in here. We got a bunch of dogs in here who support each other, very competitive. When you look at what Joe Mixon did today, could you see this game coming for him, especially leading up through the week?

DR: For Joe, you see the energy that he brings, it's just different. (Laughter) He brings a different energy to our entire – not the offense but just the entire team, right? Joe is – man, he's probably one of the best competitors that I've been around. His passion for the game, his will to go out and play injured, not all the way 100% but for him to go out, gut it out and still have a really outstanding performance it just shows who Joe is, right? He put the work in this week. He's put a lot of work in, rehab, get himself back and we're just happy to have him and his energy, his presence just uplifts our entire time.

Q: Dameon Pierce, we all know Dameon his rookie year was obviously one to remember. The second year was a little up and down. What did it mean to see him, you guys stuck by him through – what did it mean to see him have kind of like that –

DR: Happy for Dameon. He's just made the most out of his opportunity and Dameon, it's just about not pressing or trying to do something out of the ordinary, it's just playing the game the right way, letting the game come to you and Dameon made the most of his opportunities and there you go. He has a big explosive run for a touchdown, one of the best runs we've seen him have since we're been here. It's just about plugging away for Dameon, just stay after it, it doesn't matter what the noise is on the outside, just keep working, keep following. The guys keep playing for each other, right? It'll all come to you, so proud of Dameon for what he's done, proud of our entire offense. Thank you, guys.

QUARTERBACK C.J. STROUD

Postgame press conference
Sunday, October 13, 2024

Q: You guys were able to score a lot of points and put some things together. How did that feel as an offense?

CS: Yeah, first just want to thank God, you know, first win against the Patriots in our organization's history so I thought that was cool, but I felt like we were flowing in all aspects, you know, pass and run. Kind of just slowed down, you know, at the end of the first half. Can't do that, but other than that, I feel like we were hitting on all cylinders.

Q: What do you feel like helped you get out of that little bit of a lull and the accelerating third.

CS: Just holding each other accountable, and, you know, of course, our defense getting turnovers and having short fields. That definitely helped. We played complementary football today, our special teams set us up great, you know, and I think when you're playing like that it's hard to be beat.

Q: What was it like in that second half going to the sideline before you could even get your helmet off and sitting on the bench good enough, the defense got you the ball back?

CS: I think it's dope just to see what we planned on worked, you know what I'm saying? Seeing how hard the defense worked and I don't think we got a turnover in a couple weeks so they were really hungry to get a couple and got four so that was pretty dope.

Q: C.J. after you hand Joe Mixon the football, what do you see from him as he rumbles into the line?

CS: He's got great vision, you know, hits it as hard as he can, you know, so just a great feel for the game, a great feel to set his blocks up. When our O-line is blocking today and he's setting blocks, it's a recipe for success and then DP [Dameon Pierce] comes in and does well as well.

Q: Talk about the energy Joe Mixon brings. As a quarterback of the offense, how do you feel that energy? What is that?

CS: I would say his attitude, just the way he comes to work every day, how hard he runs at work. How hard he does everything from studying his plays to really, you know, on the practice field, running as hard as he can. You can see he runs like 80 yards every time he touches the ball, so it shows up on tape.

Q. You and Will are really close. How good was it to see him get those three sacks today?

CS: Oh, man, it was super cool. I was super happy for him. He's a dog so I'm definitely just proud of him. I know he's been hunting, you know. He always talks about chopping wood, carrying water, so it's good for that to pay off finally.

Q: Did you have a second with Drake Maye at the end of the game? Did you get a chance to talk to him?

CS: Yeah, I gave him a little word, you know, tried to give him a little word of encouragement. I thought he played really solid, you know. Definitely feel like he'll get better and better as he keeps going.

Q: Given what you've learned over -- what would you like to have known when you were at his stage that you know now that's valuable?

CS: Honestly just take completions, stay in the positive and make guys around you better. I would say those are the three things I would want to know and it doesn't happen overnight. It's not easy. He has a hopefully a team helping him and, you know, like I had last year. I had so many guys helping me. So definitely hope that helped him what I said but those three things definitely helped me on top of just being disciplined.

Q: You and Tank are obviously – blood couldn't make you guys closer. What did it mean to see him be able to get back into the end zone?

CS: Man, words can't explain how proud I am. How hard it is to come back from injury and it wasn't really getting the production he wanted early and to see him, he was so motivated this week to get back and get rolling. I thought he did a good job, not only on his play, that stuck out for itself, but also just his attitude and his mentality. Didn't let his emotions go up and down. He just stayed at an even keel, stayed at it and it paid off for him today.

Q: Without Nico Collins did you feel like everyone adjusted well as far as all the involvement, all the play-making?

CS: Yeah, for sure. I definitely think that. I think we knew that we needed everybody to step up and once he did that, it was – once everybody took on that challenge, you know, I think we started rolling and we didn't feel bad for ourselves that Nico wasn't out there, we just try to, you know, pick up the slack and really just be there for one another and I feel like we did that.

Q: I think for the most part when Tom Brady played, you were in high school, a little college when he finished his career. Did you follow Brady? Is there anything about Brady's game that struck you?

CS: Yeah, most definitely. I know Tom now and got a lot of respect for him. He gives me a ton of advice whenever I see him, so just a really huge fan of his, but, you know, I think the biggest thing that sticks out for him from him is just being a good teammate and really just helping out your teammates, loving on one another, being there for each other. Every time I talk to him, that's all he talks about.

Q: There's probably a couple offensive plays you would like to have back but you all still put 41 points on the board today. How good did that feel just to get the offense moving?

CS: Yeah, it felt great. I think, of course, like you said, could have some things back and I think we definitely left some points out on the field still but to put that production on there, run and pass was great.

Q: -- more than a one-possession game so you don't have to come down in the last second today?

CS: Yeah, I don't know. That was a dub, hard or easy, and today wasn't easy. Just pulled it out faster. I definitely think that needed to show that we can win early but, you know, that was great.

Q: In regard to Drake and a certain weight that comes with being the type of quarterback that you are, he wants to be. What advice would you give to him in that regard, the ups and the downs and what have you learned personally?

CS: Just be yourself, you know. Everything that got you here will take care of where you want to go and really just trust yourself. Trust that you'll eventually figure it out. You'll have bad days. You'll have good days. There's days where you'll look at yourself like, man, I'm the worst quarterback in the world, but it's always about getting up the next day and keep going. So I would just tell him that and I told him how much I believed in him and I hope to see him do well in this league.

ADDITIONAL PLAYERS

Tank Dell, WR

(On what it meant to the team to get a convincing win)

"It was a great. Any win in the NFL is great. We came out victorious and all glory to God."

(On how it felt that the game didn't come down to a final possession)

"It felt good. Sitting out the last minute and thirty seconds, I tried to get back in, but Coach said no. Sitting out the end of game is the kind of game you want to be in. You have a lead like we had and you can just chill and everyone get out of the game healthy."

(On finally winning at Gillette Stadium)

"That's great. We came in without having a win against them and we did what we just did. Putting up the type of numbers against them and it was amazing. We still shot ourselves in the foot and we know as an offense that we left some points on the board."

Joe Mixon, RB

(On how it felt to be back and get into the end zone)

"It felt great. Obviously, without the entire offense being in synch and being locked in on those blocks, that doesn't happen for me. I'm just happy that everybody trusts in the scheme and trusts in everybody's technique and doing everything the right way. It was a great thing and a great feeling. I'm just happy we got out of it with a win."

(On what he tries to bring to the team)

"I just want to do whatever I can to be the best guy to uplift my teammates however I have to do it, whether it's vocally or going out there and making plays. I just try to do whatever I can to be the best player I can."

(On his 69-yard run)

"Everybody executed their blocks and the hole was there. I just did whatever I could to explode through the hole. Obviously, we finished in the right way. I didn't finish and score but we just executed it the right way."

Jalen Pitre, S

(On the game)

"It was a great game. A lot of plays that were made and it was just fun to be out there with the guys again. It's a true blessing every week to show up and I think we showed up for the most part."

(On the many defensive takeaways this week)

"It's the mindset of the team. I think the coaches do a great job of making sure that we're honed in on the ball and today it showed. I think it was like two interceptions and two fumbles, like that's huge. That just gives the ball back to our electric offense to make plays."

(On Joe Mixon)

"Joe is just an energetic guy, that just brings that good feeling to the team. He's always making sure that everybody is up and awake at the meetings. He's going to speak what's on his heart, and that does nothing but helps us out. He's a big time player for us making big time plays each and every week."

(On Will Anderson Jr.)

"The Terminator, he just did what he usually does. He showed up and showed out. I think it was three sacks, a tip for an interception. He's a true playmaker and I'm glad he's on the edge for us."

Tim Settle Jr., DT

(On getting motivated)

"Danielle [Hunter] is such a blessing to have on this team. He's taught me so much and every time I see him I give him a big hug. I don't have any brothers, so like all of these guys that have been in this group I look at them as big brothers, and I get on their nerves. I say Danielle, 'thank you so much,' because I've learned so much from him. He kept me composed, he kept me grounded. This last two weeks he kept saying, 'Bro it's coming, it's coming, just keep chopping. Keep getting better man.' He kept me on edge, don't get lax, you get lax your body starts winding down a little bit."

(On his sacks)

"It was a blessing. I take from last year to this year on how I would get down with myself not getting a sack from week one all the way to week eight. Now it's like you have to keep chopping. You just have to keep going and getting better and keep working your moves. Don't be scared to throw moves. I think last year I was scared to throw moves and this year I'm like, 'if it happened it happened.' It was like this year it was just going to come."

Juice Scruggs, C/G

(On the energy that Joe Mixon brings to the team)

"His physicality, he's a big back, and he's always going to go forward no matter what. He also has great vision."

(On putting up 41 points and getting the offense going)

"It feels good for sure, but we are not where we need to be or where we want to be. It just goes to show you that we scored 41 and we didn't play to the best of our ability. I'm just excited to see what we can do when we play to the best of our ability."