When you think of players and coaches, Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans is usually at the top of the list. He is the ultimate players coach, and you see that in the way his players play for him. He gets the most out of his guys.
Ryan is so much of a player's coach that he actually doesn't do things that the stereotypical head coach would do. He doesn't yell and cuss at his players like they are in college or high school. He doesn't go extra hard on them because he knows his guys can turn up the heat themselves. He is not like normal coaches.
And the same applies for the offseason workout stuff, even for the rookies. He's not going to be overly aggressive in his coaching style with them, even if they are new and need to adapt to the NFL lifestyle. In fact, the rookies' first day of rookie minicamp actually is a lot more simple than you would think.
“With the first day, we’re really excited to have our rookies out, just to get them on the grass, see them in their Texans gear for the first time," DeMeco Ryans told reporters on Friday. "So, it’s an exciting day for the coaches to be able to work with them, and we’re just trying to get the guys acclimated to what we do, how we do it. And then just make sure everybody understands that. So, when we show up next Monday, the guys are ready to roll and be integrated in with our veterans.”
And, you know what, whatever Ryans is doing, no one is going to tell him that he is doing it wrong. That's not to say he can't do anything wrong, or not to hype him up as a guy who just won a Super Bowl. But, he's two full years in, and in both years, he has won a playoff game.
In his first year, he beat the Cleveland Browns pretty handily before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the next round. This year, he beat the Los Angeles Chargers pretty handily before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the next round. Regardless, Ryans is doing something right. And hey, who is to say that's not normal for rookie minicamp anyway?
The Texans nailed the draft, and getting their guys in the locker room, on the field, and in their gear is very important right now when it comes to establishing the culture they want for 2025, even with the first-year players.
