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HOUSTON — At the Pro Bowl in February, NFL stars approached Will Anderson Jr. in droves, expressing interest in the Texans as a potential home. They watched Houston’s stunning rise from afar — from league bottom-dweller to AFC contender in just a year — and wanted in. They wanted Anderson to pass word of their interest to coach DeMeco Ryans.
But Anderson cautioned them: The Texans aren’t for everyone.
“It’s a different type of DNA you have to have to play here, man,” the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year said in April. “It’s a different type of character you have to have. You just got to love football, man. I think the front office and coach do a really good job of choosing the guys they want to be here that can help change the culture and help keep uplifting the culture and being a positive impact — not only in the building, but in the locker room as well.”
Anderson’s more veteran teammates have echoed that sentiment.
It offers one reason as to why the Texans could be more than a one-hit wonder.
They enter 2024 as the NFL’s most-hyped team, one touted as a Super Bowl contender. After a surprising 2023 season — during which they won the AFC South for the first time in four years and got within a game of the AFC title game — the Texans aggressively built up their roster around star C.J. Stroud, who’s on the shortlist of the league’s top quarterbacks after only one year. They traded for star wide receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon. They also signed Pro Bowl edge rusher Danielle Hunter, standout defensive lineman Denico Autry and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair in free agency.
But the Texans, starting with Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio, have seemingly made a conscious effort to not feed into the expectations. They’ve been singularly focused on this season.
That starts at practice, which several Texans players have described as difficult.
Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil said that “not everybody can play in this system.”…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/how-c-j-strouds-texans-using-tough-nosed-culture-fuel-rise
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Publish date : 2024-08-23 14:51:14
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