Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke is going into his second season with head coach DeMeco Ryans and things have changed quite a bit from when they started.
This offseason, the Texans added Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter, parted ways with their starting defensive tackles and have competition brewing at key spots in the secondary.
Burke met with reporters following a voluntary practice session Thursday afternoon and here is what he had to say:
On adding DE Danielle Hunter to this defense
“Yeah, great. Both of those guys have been really cool to work with. Danielle [Hunter] obviously has a history of success rushing the passer. We think that hopefully playing in this front and in this style that he can even enhance that, and partnering him with Will [Anderson Jr.] and the other guys we have rushing, we’re excited about seeing how that comes to fruition. And Azeez [Al-Shaair], I didn’t have any history with [him] personally. Obviously, DeMeco [Ryans] and that connection. I would say the coolest thing with Azeez is just the level of command of the huddle, of the group communication-wise, obviously something we’ve stressed all last year and everything. He [Azeez Al-Shaair] is like ‘A+’ with that stuff, and watching it enhance everybody else because of that – even just taking some of that burden off of Christian [Harris] and some of the backend guys – just [being] on the same page. It’s really been a joy to watch him take command of the huddle and do those things. So, really excited about the additions those guys are going to bring.”
On some of the individual intangibles that DE Danielle Hunter brings
“I would just say that any time you have a rusher like him that is going to command attention from an offense, it just changes protections and how you do things, and that just sort of unlocks other parts of the rush I guess I would say. So, when we are looking to attack protections, probably the biggest thing is just how predictable can you get the protection? It’s like anything in football: If you know what the other team is doing or have a good sense that the percentages are pretty high that they’re going to do it this way, you have an answer for that. So, if they’re focusing attention on [Danielle] Hunter or Will [Anderson Jr.] or whoever, it sort of unlocks some more things that we can do or how we manipulate some of those protections. So, I think just having his presence and his history of what he’s done in the league, I think teams are going to have to account for where he is and how we’re using him and kind of how we play off that is just going to be on us. But really, all those guys – Denico [Autry] is a unique style rusher. Again, Will [Anderson Jr.], Mario [Edwards Jr.], all the guys we have, we can move pieces around. I think it’s just trying to put guys in different spots to either dictate protections or to win matchups that we like.”
On the goals for DE Will Anderson Jr. this year
“Yeah, again, this time of year, everyone is trying to get better. I think Will [Anderson Jr.] is obviously very high-demanding of himself and what his expectations are. I do think – we obviously went through all the tape – that there is room for Will to get better. There is. Obviously he had a great season and I love what he brings to the table and what he is for us, but there are definitely things he can get better at. I think a small thing would be separation, trying to get more extension and separation at the top of his rush. There are things that we’ve worked on. One of the really cool part of DeMeco’s system of how we do things: Every player that we have, we do an offseason study or project on. We call them ‘pro grow’ tapes of just one thing or something specific that each player can grow and get better at from what we saw off tape last year, whether they were here or somewhere else. We try to give each player something specific, like, ‘Hey, we saw this on tape last year. Let’s focus on this for these next six weeks. Can you get better at this?’ So, then that’s off your plate and that’s a step in the right direction. So, between that and the understanding that I think there were times last year [where] Will was just throwing fastballs and being Will, and I think his understanding of the defense and some of the things we just talked about with protections and those things are kind of growing as I have conversations with him. So, excited to see where he takes that, for sure.”
On continuing to add to the defense with new players this season
“Yeah, if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. And we had good players that moved on for other reasons, and I think we just try to bring in as many good players as we could at all spots. Whether it’s competition to raise the guys that have been here to get better, or if there’s guys that win those spots, I think Nick [Caserio] did a really good job this offseason of bringing in good football players at all levels. And this process now – this time of year – it’s just rolling those guys out and seeing what the best combination is and where we’re playing those guys and how they fit together, so I don’t think it was born out of a need of saying we have to replace these guys, it’s just more of, ‘Let’s keep bringing in football players.’ And listen, the nature of football is that you’re going to have turnover every year. It’s pretty rare to bring back 11 starters, so I think we just know that’s part of the business, and so how do we bring in the right players that are going to hopefully take us to another level?”
On DE Denico Autry
“Those are possibilities. We haven’t even started scratching that surface yet. But again, I think I would say this, at all levels of our defense, one of the things we try to do is we try to be multidimensional. To bring guys in – say they can rush inside or outside – even Danielle [Hunter] rushed inside some last year and stood up and moved around. Corners that can play inside and outside, safeties that can drop down and cover. All those things. The more interchangeable parts and multidimensional talents that you have, it unlocks a lot of those things. So, I don’t think we’re at a point in the year to say this is how we’re going to do that, but all those options are on the table I would say, John.”
On bringing in CBs Jeff Okudah and CJ Henderson
“Again, like you said, there’s a lineage of talent there. I think DeMeco [Ryans] might have even said it somewhere publicly, like, ‘Hey, the past doesn’t matter.’ What went right or wrong for those guys, are expectations are that you learn the system, you get better. And again, there’s a lot of competition. We obviously feel good about ‘Sting’ [Derek Stingley Jr.] holding down one of those spots, but we just wanted to bring in some guys to compete, and I thought that both those guys have talent, and our system fits from, schematically, what we want our corners to do. So, being able to provide the depth of options there. Again, nothing is sorted yet, we’re kind of rolling those guys and giving everybody options to show us what they can do. But, they’re both long, they both can run, they’ve both played some football in the NFL. So, hopefully the system helps get them there.”
On S Jalen Pitre
“Yeah, I said this the other day. I feel like a lot of those third-year guys like [Jalen] Pitre, ‘Sting’ [Derek Stingley Jr.], Christian [Harris], all those guys, it’s the first year where they’ve had a second year in the system and there’s some stability there. I think Will, to some extent, and those guys – I think Jalen’s knowledge of the defense. Again, some of it, we’re scrambling last year, obviously, and things are flying. But banking those hours that Jalen did, it’s showing up now. His levels of communication, his comfort in some of those things. But, I think the consistency comes from that. The awareness, knowledge of the system and being comfortable in everything we’re asking him to do. We just try to ask all these guys – if you think you stink – to not be thinking when you’re out there. So, the more reps you have and the more comfort you have in the system and the scheme and the calls, it frees you up to go make those plays and go let their athleticism shine. So, I would say that sort of fits in with that, and the overriding philosophy of the defense is just to keep it simple, do what we do and let’s be really good at it, and then it lets those guys be playmakers. And, he’s obviously shown the ability to do that to make plays, so we’re hoping he gets there.”
On LB Christian Harris entering his third season
“Yeah, again, I think we all saw that growth through the season. Obviously in the production, and being around him and his approach to everything. I would say, I think it’s awesome seeing Azeez [Al-Shaair] and him together, and Azeez’s history in the system and in the front. But we try to bring guys in that, at a professional level, do it the right way, that approach their craft in the right way. So, Christian [Harris] sort of latching onto Azeez and seeing how he’s done it and how he’s gotten to where he’s gotten to has sort of enhanced Christian’s development I think, for sure. I think he’s made a pretty big jump this offseason and hope that continues.”
On what he wants to say to J.J. Watt
“About what? [laughs] No – miss you buddy. I’ll talk to you soon. I talk to him pretty frequently, so I don’t need to say anything public. Sorry you got relegated.”
On the excitement for CB Derek Stingley Jr. this year
“I’m trying to be pretty steady about everything. No, again, I feel like he had the injury last year, missed some time, came back, and I think we all saw – similar to Christian [Harris] where once he started playing a little bit – and as the season progressed, he started making some big plays for us. Obviously, his ball skills are very impressive, so I think similar even to ‘J.P.’ [Jalen Pitre], that level of consistency from ‘Sting’ and having hopefully a full season and offseason. He missed some time in the offseason last year too. Man, he’s been here – I’ll say this. I’ve seen ‘Sting’ in the building since February. I mean, he’s been here every day. Even before the offseason program started, he’s been working across the way in the [Houston Methodist Training Center] getting himself ready, so I think he’s really locked in and committed to trying to take it to the next level.”
On LB Jamal Hill and his fit in the system as a rookie
“Yeah, I think so. Obviously, we target guys that are linebackers around the league, but maybe are a little bit more space-type guys and speed guys, and he’s obviously shown that skillset from playing safety and moving down, playing linebacker last year in college. So, that’s the same thing. It’s a learning curve from learning the system and the calls, but hoping his athleticism is able to shine. It fits the profile of what we’re looking for in linebackers.”
On the versatility of CB Kamari Lassiter
“Yeah, I would say the versatility is probably the starting point for Kamari [Lassiter]. He’s got length. Some of those guys – I mean, Jeff [Okudah] has got really long arms. Kamari’s got length. He’s not a small corner. He’s actually really well-built through his lower body. He’s a pretty stout corner. Yeah, I think again, another guy just more talking about those interchangeable pieces and the versatility of, ‘Can we move him inside? Can we play him outside? Is there matchups we like better?’ Again, a little bit is going to be how much he can absorb. He’s just a really smart football player and grasps things pretty well. So up to this point, he’s kind of absorbed everything we’re throwing at him pretty good, so I would say that would always be the limiting thing for younger players. How much can they learn and know different positions and where we’re trying to move them into spots? So, we’ll see where he kind of settles in most comfortably, but I wouldn’t call him a length-deficient corner.”
On how he feels about the interior defensive line
“Yeah, I was saying this the other day, I feel pretty good about the depth of our interior guys. Foley [Fatukasi] I have a history with from New York, so he’s been in the system. He’s been great. Tim Settle is a bigger body type for us in there and still can move. I think our system lends itself to Tim’s skillset and traits, so I’m excited about him. Honestly, the guys that were here, like Kurt [Hinish] and Khalil [Davis] that got a lot of reps in this system last year and showed the same growth curve that some of these guys that we’ve been talking about. ‘Sosa’ [McTelvin Agim] has done a really good job, McTelvin, and Mario [Edwards Jr.] has kind of been here for the last month or so and really has some twitch. So, I actually feel like there’s a really good depth of players in that interior, and again, it’s another position that we’re kind of moving them around and letting them sort out and see kind of how it shakes, but I actually do feel like we’ve grown some depth there.”
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