Savoring defense to call his own
Weaver tries to lift unit that sagged late last season
As a football player, Anthony Weaver had a vantage point from the line of scrimmage’s trenches, where he attacked from a three-point stance.
Now, as a rookie defensive coordinator, he has seen his vision and responsibilities vastly expand. With the Texans having promoted him from defensive line coach in January, he’s in charge of their entire defense.
Formerly a defensive end for the Texans and Ravens, Weaver, 39, has prepared for this moment since he started coaching under former Bills and Jets coach Rex Ryan, his position coach in Baltimore. The knowledge Ryan imparted, including the nuances of coverage schemes and blitz packages, is what Weaver will apply as the replacement for veteran defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, who remains on the Texans’ staff as assistant head coach.
“Rex was obviously a huge influence on my career both as a player and now as a coach,” Weaver said Wednesday during a Zoom news conference. “As a very young player, he always prompted us to learn the big picture and learn all the stuff happening around us, just because he thought that would enable us to make some more plays.
“The responsibility of being a coordinator — that transition — has been something I’ve been preparing for really since I’ve started coaching. I knew the defensive line play, and I always wanted to learn the intricate details of the back seven.”
Said Ryan: “Most defensive line coaches, they’re in their new own little world. Anthony knew a lot. Anthony knew everybody’s role, knew their jobs. It speaks volumes.
“I think he’ll be outstanding. He’s one of the guys we’ll be talking about as a head coach in the next few years with that kind of personality and that kind of charisma.”
Although Weaver takes over a defense headlined by a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year in end J.J. Watt, the unit became a
weak link during the second half of last season when Watt was sidelined with a torn pectoral.
The defense’s major vulnerabilities — lack of a pass rush, deficiencies in pass coverage, and an inability to get off the field on third down — were exposed by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during an embarrassing 51-31 playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champions. Mahomes threw five touchdown passes and Kansas City scored touchdowns on seven consecutive drives as the Texans squandered a 24-0 lead.
“That was obviously a tough day,” Weaver said. “We were on the highest of highs, and we couldn’t have crashed on that roller coaster fast enough. We have to be a resilient football team. There’s ebbs and flows to every football game, and we can’t ride those waves. We’ve got to stay consistent throughout and trust in our ability and trust that we’ll be able to stop any hemorrhaging.
“I’m not a guy that’s going to get too riled up on the sidelines and scream. I’m going to stay in the moment, I’m going to stay locked in, and I think our players will be a reflection of that.”
The Texans will find out quickly if the defense has improved. They kick off the NFL season in a Thursday night road game against the Chiefs. In the second game, they face the Ravens and gifted quarterback Lamar Jackson after absorbing a 41-7 loss to them last season.
“It’s an opportunity for us to put our defense out there and showcase it to the entire world and show them what we’re going to be,” Weaver said. “I’m sure having to play those guys in those first two games will be a little bit of extra added motivation going into camp.”
One of the reasons the defense nosedived was Watt’s absence. The defense finished with just 31 sacks, ranking 26th in the NFL. Offenses zeroed in on blocking outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus, who was limited to two sacks in the second half of the season without Watt.
Overall, the defense had only 14 sacks in the final eight games of the regular season.
“J.J. playing the full 16plus