DeMeco Ryans experienced surprising success in his first season as head coach of the Houston Texans , leading the team to an AFC South division title when just about everyone expected them to finish in the cellar.
However, Ryans is not allowing the Texans to get overconfident heading into 2024.
“People talk about how exciting of a year it was, but I throw up a stat to our guys this offseason, like, ‘Look, I know we won some games, but guys, look, we had 10 games within one score, and these games were down to the wire and we had to find a way at the end.’ That doesn’t change. That’s the NFL,” Ryans said on NFL Network, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com .
Seven of Houston’s 10 wins last season came within one score. In other words, with a couple of different bounces here and there, the Texans’ record could have been flipped.
Ryans is ensuring his players know that with the coming season on the horizon.
“So I just always remind them, like, ‘Hey, we didn’t just blow everybody out!'” added Ryans. “Those games can go either way, and you have to continue to prepare that way coming into this new season. It’s not just going to happen again. You have to start back over at ground zero and work your way back up.”
The Texans look loaded on paper
Thanks to a bevy of offseason moves that included signing top edge rusher Danielle Hunter and swinging a trade for wide receiver Stefon Diggs, expectations are high for the Texans going into 2024.
Houston already had one of the best quarterbacks in the league in C.J. Stroud, not to mention wide outs Nico Collins and Tank Dell. Plus, the Texans had some very talented defenders like edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. and cornerback Derek Stingley.
Add Hunter and Diggs into the mix, and suddenly, the Texans are looking like a club that could legitimately challenge the Kansas City Chiefs for AFC supremacy.
Unfortunately, the game is not played on paper.
Stroud could have a sophomore slump. Diggs could fail to mesh with the other receivers. Regression could happen across the board for a Houston squad that vastly exceeded expectations in 2023.
Remember: last year, no one saw the Texans coming. This time around, teams will be ready for them, and DeMeco Ryans is exercising caution with his players with September right around the corner.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here . Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network .
The post DeMeco Ryans Sends Stern Warning To Texans For 2024 Season appeared first on NFL Analysis Network .
Local Houston, TX
Most Popular
Comments / 0