HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- To a man, the Texans' defensive players speak glowingly about Lovie Smith's 4-3 base system.
From all levels of the defense, players are expecting to use their instincts and athletic ability to wreck plays for offenses, rather than thinking and processing as much.
Perhaps the player to benefit most from this system will be linebacker Zach Cunningham, an emerging star in the NFL who was the league's tackles last season.
"I was excited to get into the new scheme, get around the guys and just begin the process of learning the new defense," Cunningham said after practice at Texans training camp Tuesday. "It allows me to do what I do best, which is run around and make plays, key on the ball, and also being more open in the coverage game."
Smith spoke during the offseason about not having to reinvent anything with Cunningham, since he already has a propensity to be around the football.
There is potential for Cunningham to thrive the way others coached by Smith, like Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Derrick Brooks.
"I just know in our system, history tells you a lot, we’ve had some special players that play his position specifically," Smith said June 8. "He’ll have an opportunity to blitz. He’s an excellent blitzer, I think. We talked about tackling. The other part of his game that I’m anxious to see him take another step in is the pass part of it. We’re always talking about taking the ball away as an interceptor, zone coverage."
Fellow linebacker Christian Kirksey is in his first season as Cunningham's teammate, but already recognizes him as one of the league's best at the position.
“I think he's a little underrated, man," Kirksey said at camp last week. "You know, people don't talk about him as much as they should. You can see that he flies around, and he goes out there and he makes plays. He's a very athletic guy, and it's been a great experience working with him and I'm trying to, you know, push him the best that he can be and vice versa; he pushed me to become the best that I can be, and we can become a great linebacker core."