Here is everything Houston Texans All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr.said after the bye week, including how he reflected during the bye week, getting defensive tackle Naquan Jones back and facing the Los Angeles Chargers offense on Sunday.
Question: On the teams energy after the Bye Week
Will Anderson Jr.: “I think the energy is great. Everybody's refreshed. Everybody's ready to go and I think we're just itching for that next opportunity and it showed us today in practice. I thought we flew around. Everybody was getting to the ball. Offense looked really good. Defense looked really good. Everybody is just like, we're ready just to go play now. I think the Bye Week was really good for everybody, I'm glad to have everybody back in the building.
It's been good since we've been back.”
Q: On the Bye Week
Anderson: “The Bye Week was good. I think it was just a mental reset. Get your body back right. Take some time for yourself. Reflect. Before we left, coach [DeMeco Ryans] asked us to reflect on how we played the first few games and areas that we can get better at.
Q: On the expectations for the defense in the second half of the season
Anderson: “Go back to our standard. Reflecting, watching the tape, it's just we have to do a better job of swarming. We have to do a better job of leaning in on our foundation and I think that's just been the biggest reflection. It’s like, ‘Are we playing our brand of ball on tape on a consistent level.’”
Q: On why he believes the defense can play to the standard suddenly
Anderson: “It's not going to happen overnight, but I think the more you practice it, the more reps you get, the more consistent you be at it during the week. It's going to show up on Sunday and that's just how football is. You never know when it's going to show up, but it's going to show up eventually and I feel like we have the guys to do it. We have a really great team and you go back and watch those games. It just comes down to finishing. It comes down to how consistent can you be at the end of the game. We're not getting blown out. The scores have been right there by each other, so I think for us, it's looking at that in a positive way. It's like, ‘If we can just finish these games and just continue to play our brand of ball consistent for four quarters going into overtime, we would have been in a much better spot,’ but we have ten games that we have to do that and there's no negotiation for that.”
Q: On improving tackling as a defense
Anderson: “He took us back to Pee Wee Ball today. He had all of us line up on 35-yard line and in line and one person was on their knees. The other person was standing up and when he said, ‘Hit’, and you drive and wrap and squeeze and then you get up, stand up five yards apart, go tackle the man, drive for five yards. Whatever it takes to get the job done. Football was played differently back then and how it is now and he's reteaching us. Like, ‘No, you have to go put your body on people. You just can't go to the side and just jump off the diving board and just think of all the tackles going to work in this league.’ You have to put body on body, I think that's the area that we continue to clean up and get these guys on the ground.”
Q: On the mindset of practicing fundamentals
Anderson: “No, it's fun. This is football. It's fun. You don't make it bigger than what it is. You don't go out and look for a negative reason to say, ‘Oh, we're doing this stupid stuff.’ No, that's what football is no matter what level. When a rookie comes in, you tell them, ‘It's just ball.’ You've been playing ball your whole life and that's what it is. It's just ball. You go out there, you do what the coach tell you to do and if that's what he wants us to do, we're going to go out there and have joy and do it. Nobody's complaining about it. It was fun. That's the type of stuff that we do to continue to rally behind each other, continue to have the camaraderie that we have with stuff like that. Even though we may laugh at it, that's a good chemistry drill for us. Even though we're working on getting better, it just takes you back to those days when you first started playing football. Yes, it's a serious drill, but that's what makes it light and that's what makes everybody want to continue to come to work in this building and continue to show up and play.”
Q: On Los Angles Chargers QB Justin Herbert
Anderson: “He's still a really great quarterback in this league. You talk about a big guy that has a big arm that can run around, that can throw the ball deep, makes a lot of plays with his legs. He's still a very respectable player in this league and we have a ton of respect for them. As far as scheme, we're going to probably see a lot of bounce. [Los Angeles Chargers Offensive Coordinator Mike] McDaniel, he's went against this defense a lot of times, coached against his defense at San Fran. We know what to expect a little bit, but Herbert, he's playing out of his mind. They have a really great solid offensive line as well and some really good running backs that can get downhill, that can hit the perimeter, it's going to be a good challenge for us.”
Q: On there being a small margin for error on the defense
Anderson: “Tackling, doing your job, communicating. Those are non-negotiables that we can't have. When you play defense, we have to tackle better. You play defense, we have to communicate better, those are just things that we can't have.”
Q: On whether he still believes the postseason is a possibility
Ryans: “Yeah, most definitely. Most definitely. I think where we at right now, we have to take it one day at a time, one game at a time. We can't look too far ahead. We know what we want as a team. We know the goals that we want, but I think right now it’s, each week, how dialed in, how detailed can I be on this one opponent to go out and do my job to the best of my ability and just to win these next games to get to where we want to be at.”
Q: On whether he feels anybody is pressing to make a play
Anderson: “It's so weird being in this position because I haven't felt the energy of anybody trying to press and overdo their job or even talking in the locker room like, ‘Oh, we have to go pressing.’ It's just, ‘Man just go do your job.’ Do what's required of you. That's on all phases, each level. Up front, back end, middle guys, nobody's pressing to go make a play that's not theirs. We're looking at it as just more as, ‘How well can I do my job on a consistent basis for us to win these games?’ I don't really think anybody is going to press to go make a play or anything like that. It's just, lean back in on your foundation, who we are as a team, what [Head] Coach DeMeco [Ryans] has brought here, the culture that we have set here. Lean back in on that and I think that's what makes us great, is we have a foundation. We have a great squad that knows what to do. We just have to continue to put it together and be one.”
Q: On having DT Naquan Jones back
Anderson: “It feels good. ‘Big Mark Henry’. No, it's great to have him back. He brings a lot of light to that room for us, man. He's really great for us up front. I thought he had a really great preseason for us and to have him back in his room, it felt like he's been there. We love him. Glad to have him back. He's going to make a lot of plays for us.”
Q: On having DT Naquan Jones’ presence
Anderson: “Just another big body in the middle that can clog up the hole, get some of these backers free, scraping downhill, taking up space, to continue to eliminate this run game. Having him back is really huge for us.”
Q: On how he reflects
Anderson: “For me I love fishing. I just got on the boat and I didn't even catch any fish. It was just more so of just a reset of just being out on the water and just calming myself down and really just recentering myself and remembering who I am and not getting caught up in everything. I think for me, it's just going through my daily process of remembering the piece that I have, remembering who I am, how much hard work that I've put in and continuing to go through my process.”
Q: On how he has handled the teams struggles mentally
Anderson: “I think it's frustrating because that's a natural human emotion to have, but I think also as a leader, you have to keep the face of bringing energy every day, being a consistent guy, showing up even when you don't feel like it and I think that's what makes great teams great is when they have guys like [LB] Azeez [Al-Shaair], they have guys like [S Jalen] Pitre, [QB] C.J. [Stroud], [WR] Nico [Collins], that continue to show up every day and be that same guy that people look at and that's how a team continues to strive forward, no matter what your record is. It’s that when you look at the leaders on this team, ‘How are they coming into the building, how are everybody receiving them?’”
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Everything Texans DE Will Anderson said before Week 9 matchup vs. Chargers
