MIAMI - With two games this season, the 2-0 Houston Texans allowed fewer yards (271 per game) and points (20) in the NFL. It is nothing less than remarkable, even the Texans have benefited from playing offensively challenged teams such as Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins.
This week, however, Houston gets a tough test when he faces the New Orleans Saints. Last year, Houston ranked 29th in points allowed (26.7 per game), 30 in total defense (376.9 YPG) and was the last against the pass, allowing 267.5 yards per game. So far this season, the Texans allowed only 162 passing yards in a game new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Much of the reason was the play of defensive lineman Antonio Smith and linebacker Mario Williams (notes), each with two sacks. During last Sunday's victory in Miami, Williams, who moved from defensive end Phillips returned to the team to a 3-4 scheme, has been critical of one pass defensed and one hit in the fourth Chad Henne (notes) that created an interception.
This week, however, Houston gets a tough test when he faces the New Orleans Saints. Last year, Houston ranked 29th in points allowed (26.7 per game), 30 in total defense (376.9 YPG) and was the last against the pass, allowing 267.5 yards per game. So far this season, the Texans allowed only 162 passing yards in a game new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Much of the reason was the play of defensive lineman Antonio Smith and linebacker Mario Williams (notes), each with two sacks. During last Sunday's victory in Miami, Williams, who moved from defensive end Phillips returned to the team to a 3-4 scheme, has been critical of one pass defensed and one hit in the fourth Chad Henne (notes) that created an interception.
Williams, the No. 1 choice of the entire 2006 NFL Draft Reggie Bush (Notes) and Vince Young (notes), spoke about the impact of Phillips and the mantra that gave Houston this season, as it tries to make playoffs for the first time in its 10 year existence.
This team was 2-0 last year. Is there any reason to believe that his departure will make serious candidate after what happened last season?
It's a new year and we're 1-0. That's all that matters every week, we're 1-0.
What do you mean 1-0? The team is really 2-0. What is the "1-0" thing?
That just started this season. We try not to repeat what happened last year, so we make every effort to take it one game at a time and concentrate on that. Everything else can speak to us, is 2-0, we focus on being the next 1-0 weeks. That's it. We're 1-0. These two games are behind us. And 'our way of thinking that we're 1-0. We're just trying to win that game, which is before us and have only a few weeks 1-0. That's it. ... Tomorrow you wake up, come back to try to be 1-0. I'm just excited because we have so much to learn yet. Anthony and I, we talk about how we have a lot of things that we can work to play each other. We're both guys in the field, we are both men the power to do everything. The problem is that we are all at the same time. A lot of the time we're both trying to reach a field or stream at the same time, and we need to learn when a guy will do something so that others can do something else benefit from it.
We just have to learn to play together.
Speaking of, how to take advantage of the switch position and this has to adjust his game to work?
I love it, it's fun to be able to pass it and go at once (offensive) tackles and is the best thing ... compared to what I do. My all about speed, speed, speed. I got some pretty good rushes on two tackles, so it's really about the defensive effort. The whole system allows much more spontaneous. For coaches that drives us, it's another thing that's funny. You never know what these guys are going to say. They say all sorts of things.
So all is well, and Phillips?
Wade is not crazy, (linebackers coach) Reggie (Herring) is crazy. Reggie Herring is the voice of Wade. Reggie go-getter. It says it all. I do not even speak with Reggie Wade strong that it speaks to him mentally, and they have something in mind-reading course. I like to play Reggie.
Do they do the good cop, bad cop routine with you?
No, both are bad, it's just a song. It works good.
A lot of offensive players say the defense has really done the work won the first two games. After how last season went on, How does it feel?
It feels good, it's a new year for us and we're just trying to make plays and help the team win. We were able to go out and get stops on four downs in the beginning of the game, so everything was good for us. ... It shows that things come together for the team, and it has not happened in the past. I think Coach Phillips has solved it in us is to win every game, playing 60 minutes of football, and every time we went there at the end of the game to get the ball to our attack, we have done. This is the biggest thing we do right now. ... At the end of the match when we had to stop them, we did. We were all over them. Antonio got a bag. We were all over them. What was surprising is that our line is getting a lot of respect now. There were things (Dolphins) attempted to minimize us, but we were able to overcome it.
They had their tight end (Anthony Fasano (notes)) that are in block for us and is one of their principal, so it shows that we get from them.
Against the Dolphins, you have the opportunity to face Bush, most people thought the Texans would take 2006 instead of the No. 1 overall pick. There was also a big fan pressure to take the young because he grew up in Houston and played in Texas. Does the satisfaction of playing well when you face one of those guys, especially when you're still with the Texans and the two of them were dismissed for their original teams?
[Related: the role of Reggie Bush fell with the Dolphins]
I play, I cover, I'm not running against him. No, I'm the kind of person who tries to win on every play. I'm not trying to worry about what happens to someone else or what is happening with another player. This is not productive.
His defense has led to some failures against the Dolphins, allowing over 100 yards. What happened and is a major concern for this?
It was frustrating because it should not have happened. What was the worst thing you could say when they had to run things. Draw Play They run very simple and we simply do not respond so well in this game. It is one of the things we collect. We ran out of holes, and we must solve.
New Orleans likes to run plays quickly, get rid of the ball quickly, play a high tempo. This is different from what you are facing (in week 2). How big a challenge is it?
Look, I'm just trying to get the quarterback. That's all I can say. This is what it is. I do not care if they get rid of it quickly, I just do. We play twice a year against Peyton Manning (note). There is no one faster than him to get rid of it.
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