BY COLIN BISH, STAFF WRITER
Phtot Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Despite the Houston Texans falling short against the Baltimore Ravens 34-10, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans should be a lock for the NFL’s Coach of the Year Award.
Last season, the Texans ended their season with a 3-13-1 record, which was second-worst in the NFL. Houston performed so poorly that they nearly ended up with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
However, two late-season victories over the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts pushed them back to the second overall pick. While many fans were upset with this, this outcome may have been the best possible one in hindsight.
The Texans would hire Ryans as their next head coach. Ryans was a former Pro-Bowl linebacker for Houston from 2006-2011 and led the San Francisco 49ers’ first-ranked defense in 2022 as the defensive coordinator.
Houston also hired San Francisco’s passing game coordinator, Bobby Slowik, as the offensive coordinator.
With the second-overall pick in the 2023 Draft, Houston selected Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. They also made a big trade by moving up to the third overall pick and taking Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson Jr.
Ryans was a huge fan of Anderson going into the draft, so it seems reasonable that he would convince the front office to make a huge move to take Anderson.
Many analysts credit Slowik with developing 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy, and Ryans thought he could do the same with Stroud.
Stroud’s and Anderson’s Rookie of the Year-like performances proved that Ryans and the Texans made the correct picks.
Along with other rookies like Tank Dell, Juice Scruggs, Jarrett Patterson and Henry To’o To’o, Ryans and the front office made the right moves in rebuilding this team through the draft.
Ryans’ personnel moves were critical to the team’s elevation from the basement to contenders.
The change in performance was evident. Houston went from a bottom-five defense in 2022 to 11th in the league this year. They also went from scoring 17 points per game, third-worst in 2022, to 22.2 points this year.
Ryans not only changed their on-field play, but also their team mindset. The culture change that he brought to Houston brought stability to a turbulent franchise.
Before the Texans hired Ryans, their organization was crumbling. They traded their talented yet scandalous quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns, effectively hitting the restart button.
They went through four head coaches in three years before hiring Ryans. Bill O’Brien, Romeo Crennel, David Culley, and Lovie Smith all fell victim to the Texans’ dumpster fire before they hired Ryans.
But the culture felt different when Ryans came into the organization. The players immediately loved him, buying into his culture of winning together at any cost.
It’s incredibly impressive that a rookie head coach not only applied this mindset to his team but that it paid off in full with a season no one expected.
Coaches like Cleveland’s Kevin Stefanski and Detroit’s Dan Campbell should get an applause for their performances. But Ryans completely shifted the trajectory of a crippled franchise and turned them into a future force in the AFC. And he should be recognized with the NFL’s highest coaching honor for what he has done.
bishcj22@bonaventure.edu
