This past Sunday afternoon, not long after the Houston Texans overcame a 19-point 4th quarter deficit to stun the Jacksonville Jaguars, I wrote a rapid reaction piece in which I doled out credit to various Texans who deserved praise for their efforts in the 36-29 win. After recognizing the on-field contributions of guys like Danielle Hunter, Davis Mills, Derek Stingley Jr. and others, I had this to say about head coach DeMeco Ryans:
And hey, let's give credit to the coaching staff too... a disconnected team would've rolled over and ended up losing this game by four touchdowns. The Texans wouldn't go away, and that should at least partially be attributed to DeMeco Ryans and his crew.
It turns out, I may have actually undersold Ryans' contributions to keeping the morale of this team high enough to withstand both a 3-5 start and a three score 4th quarter deficit. Because listening to Texans linebacker Henry To'oTo'o speak about DeMeco Ryans during a mid-week appearance on NFL Network's Good Morning Football made it abundantly clear that not only are Ryans' fingerprints are all over this roster, he's embedded himself into the group's collective DNA.
“When you've got a leader like that; he's a player’s coach," To'oTo'o said, "He expects greatness out of him. Me and him, we have a great relationship. When you have somebody that you’ll go out and die for, and he still has that player energy where he's hyped up, and he's turnt up."
"When you make a play, he's jumping up and down with you, and that’s what you want as a player. You want to be able to go out with somebody that you know will die for you, and that’s who DeMeco is.”
DeMeco Ryans' energy is clearly infectious, because despite a below .500 record, there hasn't been a game yet this season where it's felt like the Texans have packed it in early knowing an L was coming. All five of their losses this season have been by no more than 8 points. They've been right there, fighting and battling, right until the bitter end.
Now does DeMeco Ryans -- and this team, for that matter -- have their shortcomings? Of course. Ryans' game management, particularly against the Denver Broncos, has come under fire in recent weeks, but one thing nobody can accuse the former Defensive Rookie of the Year of is losing the Texans locker room. The fact that he still approaches the game with the kind of competitive enthusiasm as he did when he was playing linebacker is arguably his greatest attribute.
In time, any tactical concerns about DeMeco Ryans or the infrastructure of this franchise can be addressed. He could, in theory, become a better football coach, build a better staff or have the benefit of coaching a more talented roster. But there will likely never be a point where guys stop playing for him, and oftentimes, that's half the battle.