DeMeco Ryans sends a message to the entire NFL after incredible Texans offseason
It's hard to think of too many NFL teams whose 2024 season is more widely-anticipated than Houston's. The Texans surprised everyone last year, rebounding from a three-win season to go 10-7 with an AFC South Division title to boot. Their turnaround was well-rewarded after the season: CJ Stround won Rookie of the Year, and DeMeco Ryans barely lost out on Coach of the Year (by one single first-place vote). After giving the Ravens a run for their money in the first half of last year's Divisional Playoff game, people around the league are as bullish on Houston as they've been in a long, long time.
And while the Texans don't even have to look outside of their division for examples of exciting young teams who took the proverbial 2nd year step back, Ryans' message has more or less stayed the same throughout:
Texans HC DeMeco Ryans while meeting with the media in Houston-asked about the expectations shifting for the team this upcoming season:
— Tyler Milner (@tmilrealdeal) April 15, 2024
"We're always hunting.. Expectations from the outside doesn't change who we are.. It really doesn't matter.. Our message, our focus as a team… pic.twitter.com/X2yFQoMGzQ
That's the type of quote you can only fire off when you've been around the NFL as long as Ryans has. The hunting metaphor, the 'Us against the World' mentality coming off a division title, the focus on team goals – it's all peak NFL coach speak.
Fortunately, as the expression goes, actions speak louder than words, and the Texans have been about that action this offseason. Even if the quotes don't reveal much, moves like the trade for Stefon Diggs, or the signing of Danielle Hunter, say plenty for what type of aspirations the Texans have this season. You know the Texans have made it when their head coach is out here putting a damper on questions about season expectations.
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