Here is everything Houston Texans All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr.said ahead of Week 4's game against the Dallas Cowboys, including the in-state rivalry between the Lone Star showdown, the possibility of linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair not playing in this game and the pressure on the team after starting the year 0-3.
Question: On the in-state rivalry of the Texans and Cowboys
Will Anderson: “There’s a lot of history that goes back to this game that I'm just now learning about being here. I ultimately think it's about us. It's about how we approach this week, the process we go through, our process and how we're going to attack Sunday. I think that's the biggest thing. How much more can we focus in on just doing your job and just being where you're
supposed to be and doing what you're supposed to do? Then when we get to the game, we can worry about the rivalry in Texas and stuff like that.”
Q: On how much pressure the defensive line feels with the secondary having big matchups this week
Anderson: “I don't think there’s any pressure at all. I think once you know your purpose of what you're doing out there and that's playing for your brother and that's every Sunday. For us, yeah, they have really good wide receivers, but we have really good defensive backs too. We have ‘Sting’ and Kamari [Lassiter], All-Pro and Pro Bowler. For us, we just get to go out, have fun, do our job. Of course, we want to make their lives easier. We just have to continue to do our job and continue to do what we've been doing to help this team. That's all four guys rushing together, being the engine, showing up when we need to show up, making those big plays and just playing together.”
Q: On what he has seen from Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
Anderson: “Man, Dak, he's an athlete. He's an athlete. This is my first time going against him and I know he was hurt the first time in 2024 when we played them. But watching him on tape, he’s very explosive, can throw the ball deep, wants to take big-shot plays. I think they have a really great offensive line. He likes to roll out. It's going to be a great matchup for us. We have a ton of respect for him and we can't wait.”
Q: On having a big performance and coming up short with a loss in Week 3
Anderson: “I think Coach says it the best, ‘Be where you're supposed to be and do what you're supposed to do.’ For me, I'm not putting any more pressure on myself to go out and make plays that I'm not supposed to be making or feel like I have to be Superman because that's not what I'm here to do. I'm here to lead. I'm just here to do my job. I'm just here to be Will Anderson Jr., but I'll also always give credit to the guys that play beside me. I don't get what I have without them. Every day, we keep talking about the process. I see the way those guys work and we all feed off of each other. Going into this week, it's going to be the same thing. I'm not getting too high. I'm not getting too low. I'm just staying still. I'm staying, going towards my process. Each week, you want to get better. I think once you start focusing on outcome, outcome, outcome, results, results, results, you leave out parts of your process. For me, I want to make sure that I'm doing everything that I've been continuing to do in this whole season to lead into the results that I do want and that's by going through my process and ultimately just being a great leader and being an impact in that way and bringing guys along. Like you said, we have rookies out there. It's not just me out there. It's not just Will Anderson playing this or that. We have guys behind us that have to get ready, so I have to point to those guys.”
Q: On the possibility of LB Azeez Al-Shaair not being able to play
Anderson: “Next man up. This is what the league is about. I think the rookies, they'll be ready. We have Jake [Hansen] back there, but we told them today like, ‘We got y'all. We're not going to leave you stranded out there. It's going to be a couple of plays where you're going to have some one-on-ones, but ultimately, up front, we're going to help to be able to knock some stuff back, get in these gaps so things don't have to just get to you automatically. But we got your back. Just line up, play ball,’ and that's what we've been telling them. Have fun with this experience. We are all out here together. We have your back. We're not going to let you fail. Just communicate and that's it. I think for us, it's just rallying behind those guys, giving them grace, this is going to be some of their first starts and just pick up what we left off at. Azeez has been doing a good job coaching those guys, getting them right. They had an all-off camp. We have Henry [To’oTo’o] out there coaching as well. The culture that we built here, the guys that we have in the room, in the linebacker room, they've been pointing to those guys. I have no doubt in my mind that they'll be ready for this game.”
Q: On what he is doing to be a better finisher
Anderson: “I think it just starts in practice. Whenever the defense is not going, me, Coach Rod [Wright] and ‘D-Hunt ’-we stand off to the side and that's the time when we slow things kind of down and we really just work through those mechanics of getting stuck at the top of the rush and then defeating the outside hand, doing all the different types of things to be able to turn the corner tight, running hula hoops, all those different type of things. But just constantly repping those reps so when the game comes, it's going to show up.”
Q: On being joyful during tough times
Anderson: “It's crazy, because I was talking to Andre [Johnson], he used to play here, but I was asking him if he had joy today and he was like, ‘Of course I have joy. Joy is what's inside of me.’ So for us and looking at it, it's like, joy is not what's on the outside. If you say you have joy and you say you have real joy, that's what's inside of you. Regardless of the circumstances, regardless of an 0-3 start, if you truly say you have joy, it's going to be inside of you, so every day you get to show up being the same guy, being the same consistent person and going. It's like I said after the game, ‘Once that door opens for us, it's going to open.’ Everybody's going to say what they want to say but we have to stick together in this group and we have to be as one and I believe the best is yet to come for this team. I believe we're right there knocking at that door and I believe it's going to open soon. I just think we just have to keep going through the fire. We have to keep going through it until it blows out. Until that time, we have to keep being us.”
Q: On going up against unique offensive pass block protections
Anderson: "It's great, I love it. We all love it as a defensive line. I think it gives a very good, different look for us. Obviously, with the chips, with the protections, all those different things, we create a lot more one-on-ones and we create opportunities for them to be able to bust the protection as well. When we get those type of looks and you see that, it allows everybody to truly either get a one-on-one or somebody's going to run free. So for us, I think we've continued to do those things and can grow our defense and get in those different type of looks."
Q: On how close the defense is to getting big stops in big moments and where they can improve to do so
Anderson: "I think it's just everybody doing their job. Like I said, I think we're really close. If I could just be 100% honest with you and be transparent, it's just everybody has to do their job. I think Coach [DeMeco Ryans] hit it on the head today. He said, 'Man, defense. When all 11 guys are in the right area and everybody's communicating, we are a really great defense.' And the times that one guy is out of line or I don't set an edge or somebody does something, it gets all out of whack. The defense we run, everybody has to be on it 24-7. It's just everybody just being where they're supposed to be and doing what they're supposed to do."
Q: On the chemistry on the defense
Anderson: "We've got some new guys and they're still learning. It's a part of the defense. This defense, it can take time to learn. Other than that, it's just ball. Football is not always easy. You're not going to always have the game that you want. You're not going to be able to always achieve what you want to achieve. But if you keep going, you're going to get it. It's not up for anybody in that locker room to condemn anybody or put anybody down. It's for us to uplift them so they can get it right. When they get it right, everybody's going to be happy. Regardless of if they don't get it right, we're still going to be happy. We may not like the results, but that's our brother at the end of the day. We don't want to see anybody get talked about in a bad way because it's all on us. It's going to be all of us if we win. It's going to be all on us if we lose. It's not just one particular person. We all have plays on the film. When you look back on that, 'We could have been in a better position. We could have made the tackle. We could have been better pass rush lane.' The way this defense works, everybody has to be in their specific spot at that time."
Q: On the pressure of being 0-3 to start the season
Anderson: "I look at it like this, man. We can hold our heads down and everybody can be around here moping around and sad and, 'Man, what's going on?' Or we can pick each other up, look ourselves in the mirror, be grown men. We get paid to do a job. Go do your job. I think that's the approach that we're taking and bring guys along with you. Nobody's going to walk around sad because then it's just energy vampires. Then everybody's down. Then we're really not going to win the game because everybody's slouching around. Everybody has to have joy. It starts with DeMeco. DeMeco has been doing a great job of coming in here with energy every day, because if we're looking at him and he doesn't have joy, then what is the rest of the team going to do? Nobody's going to walk around here all sad. Everybody can be frustrated. But at the end of the day, when we touch that grass, that's your opportunity to go get better and show what you need to go do. That's your opportunity to go be in the right spot when you need to go be in the right spot. I think that's just the thing right now, man. Y'all are getting me hyped up here [laughs]."
Q: On where he gets his energy from
Anderson: "A lot of it started when I was little and I think most of it started in high school. I think walking into a leadership role and just knowing you see potential in people, obviously you see how great they are and you want to push them to be the best and you know they can be the best. It just makes me want to keep going for them. It makes me want to keep pushing them because I know they're great and I know they can be great. That's the same approach I take here. You're a hell of an athlete. You're great. How can we get better? And that's what Coach talked about today at practice. 'Did you get better today? How did you get better today?' I thought a lot of guys got better today."
Q: On if winning the turnover battle against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3 is encouraging
Anderson: "Most definitely. That was something we talked about during the first week. We didn't take the ball. We didn't start taking the ball until this last game. If we can continue to open that up and win the turnover battle and get the ball and get the ball back in the offensive hand, I think that will open a lot of stuff up for us... And recover. We have to do a better job of recovering."
Q: On how he got better in practice today
Anderson: "That's a great question. How did I get better today? Well, first I would say I continue to run my line every day. I go out and pre-practice every single day and I go through my process of running my line. Then I continue to work on my stab with my coach and don't forget the trail arm, because a couple of times in the game, I didn't bring my trail arm on some of my rushes and I got caught. Just continuously working my trail arm. Then two, just working on my footwork with 'D-Hunt' and taking coaching from him and [Jadeveon] Clowney. So those are a couple of ways I got better today."
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Everything Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. said ahead of Week 4 vs Cowboys
