The Texans, who were expected to be one of the worst teams in the league, are (2-2) with a (37-17) road blowout win over the reigning AFC South division champion Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3. They followed that up with Sunday’s (30-6) home blowout of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Not only was Sunday’s win impressive, but it also came against a Mike Tomlin-coached team, and, for Ryans being a Black coach, the legendary Steelers sideline stalker is the standard.
It’s Early, But Ryans Could Have Success Similar To Tomlin
Saying a coach could have success that rivals that of Tomlin is steep. The Steelers coach holds the record for consecutive seasons to start a coaching career without a losing season (16). He’s also been to two Super Bowls, winning one, making him the unquestioned greatest Black sideline stalker has ever seen.
So why do we believe Ryans has that same type of mojo?
Ryans has the IT factor, and, a lot like Tomlin, players love to play for him. When Ryans took the job with the Texans almost all of his defensive players with the San Francisco 49ers had nothing but praise for how he treated them. LIKE MEN.
That’s the same exact thing you hear about Tomlin yearly, and that goes a long way with players, and makes them want to run through a wall for you as a coach.
Tomlin was the defensive coordinator of one of the better defenses with the Vikings prior to becoming just the third Steelers coach in nearly 50 seasons in 2007.
Ryans made his bones leading a dominant Niners defense for two seasons. So, the x’s and o’s acumen are there as well. And just like Tomlin, Ryans is extremely charismatic, which bodes well for him going forward.
Ryans calls the Steelers a “model for all NFL teams.”
QB, Front Office Will Play A Role
For the first 15 seasons of his illustrious coaching career, Tomlin was blessed to have a future Hall of Famer at quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger. That, along with having some of the best owners in the business in the Rooney family, has definitely played a role in his sustained success.
The Texans don’t have that track record with the McNair family and ownership, but Ryans seems to have found his QB in 2023 No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud who looks the part, and even better than advertised.
Ryans and Stroud have built a relationship on trust over their five months together, and it’s paying dividends. Stroud told reporters this following that huge road win in Jacksonville.
“DeMeco is definitely someone that I trust. He’s somebody who’s done it before, and he gets what we’re going through every week in and week out. He holds me to a high standard, which I appreciate. He talks to me constantly about things I like, things I don’t like — just trying to make this Texans organization better.”
Sounds a lot like the Tomlin/Big Ben dynamic and why they were so successful.
This season Stroud has 1,212 yards passing, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. In Week 3 he became the first QB to have 900 yards passing, four touchdowns and zero interceptions through his first three games.
