Here’s everything Houston Texans All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said following Tuesday’s OTA practice, including his thoughts on the team’s ability to win a Super Bowl and the recent trade of All-Pro and two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett.
Question: On his mentality at practice
Will Anderson Jr.: “I believe in the process and preparation. Anytime I step on the field, it’s an opportunity to get better. As you said, it doesn’t matter if it’s OTAs, being training camp, walk-through, jog-through, I’m learning how to be a pro still. I can’t do a jog-through because I’m going to be on the sideline or I’m going full speed, but that’s me training my body to be in these positions that I’m going to be in in a game, training my hands, training my footwork, turning a corner, throwing by, setting edges, everything like that. For me, it’s like I’ve only been wired one way and that’s to go full speed.”
Q: On if it is fair to say that Super Bowl expectations are something for this team
Anderson: “Most definitely. I think the additions they made in the offseason have been great. I think what we want as a team is right in front of us. I told the guys today when we broke it down, ‘It’s a confidence thing.’ I said, ‘Everybody in this circle who believes that this is a Super Bowl team, raise your hand.’ Everybody raised their hand. I said, ‘Well, the front office, the coaches, they made the decision to bring you here because they thought you could help us win that Super Bowl, so you’re a Super Bowl caliber player. I look at this team and we’ve got Super Bowl-caliber players all over the field. It’s just about taking that next step. I’ve thought since the four years I’ve been here, this has been the best OTAs that we’ve had, offensively and defensively. Everybody is locked in I love the rookie class that we got. They’re adapting really well, getting into the building early, taking care of their bodies, doing meetings, staying extra on the field. But that’s the culture that’s been built here. Everybody is buying in. This OTAs has been the best OTAs I’ve seen with everybody buying in offensively, defensively, offense doing their thing, pre-snap, whatever it may look like, defense getting lined up, coverage stuff, defensive line stuff. It’s just been a great sight to see and I’m excited for the future of this team.”
Q: On the Texans becoming one of the all-time defenses
Anderson: “We want to be a staple defense. We want to be a household name defense. We want to be one of the greatest defenses out there. But I think it starts at this time. It starts during OTAs. It starts in meetings. It starts getting out on the field for pre-practice. That’s how you become a great defense, taking the little details of your game and fine-tuning them. If you think you know the standard, if you think you’re doing the standard, you’re not, because the standard is so much higher. More is required for us. Everybody has been buying into that standard. But we talk about being the best defense in the league, it starts now at this time and I think everybody is buying into that and believing that in their heart.”
Q: On the defensive line room as a whole
Anderson: “Super athletic, really long, man, can get off the ball really well, use their hands really well. They know the attack system. They bought in super early. Dylan [Horton] has been a guy that’s been here with me the four years. To see his progression, to see how he’s been doing, he’s having a heck of an OTAs and I’m excited about him. Dominique [Robinson], he came, I think, from the Chicago Bears, a good guy, can pass rush. I’m excited about him, too. We have a rookie, [Sabastian] Harsh, who’s been great. I told him, ‘You’re way more advanced than me when I started as a rookie.’ I’m excited about that room. A young room, excited. They’re hungry. We’ve just got to keep the ball rolling, keep buying into the system, keep buying into the culture and great things will happen.”
Q: On DE Myles Garrett being traded to the Los Angeles Rams
Anderson: “It was crazy because this has been an ongoing conversation when we work out or we just spent some time together, hang out. I think Myles [Garrett] is a great guy. He’s put so much into this game, put so much into the Cleveland Browns. He gave it his all. I’m happy for the opportunity that he has, a new start somewhere. I know he’s going to be the same Myles. Huge shout out to him, huge congrats to him. I can’t wait to see… I told him I’m happy you’re leaving the AFC, he can go somewhere else. But, I’m super excited for him.”
Q: On what he does to elevate the other players on defense
Anderson: “That’s a good question. For me, I think taking that next step of leadership and differentiating the difference between talking to Will and talking to somebody else has been, like, a really big challenge for me. But I’ve been taking this step of grace because I remember how it was when I was a rookie and how hard it was. It wasn’t easy, especially coming into a system like this, coming to a place where the standard is super high. Just giving the rookies grace, like ‘You’re okay. You’re good. You’re here for a reason. They chose you for a reason, because they thought you’re good enough to help this team get somewhere we’ve never been before.’ But, like I said, their mindset has been really good. They have been great in the building, great on the field, great in the meeting room. There’s not a lot that needs to be said to them because they’re already on it so much. But, I tell them, ‘This is only your first, second week of OTAs, don’t be too hard on yourself. Take some time to reflect on the good things that you’ve done. Don’t always look at the negative. You did it good, how can I be consistent at doing this every single day.’”
Q: On the balance of giving rookies grace but also upholding the standard
Anderson: “I think there’s a fine line just in how you connect with them and how you’re saying it. There were a couple of times where it got a little… Will came out, but there was a couple of times you’ve got to dial it back because not everybody responds to how you may talk to them. Everybody is different. But I think the sense of urgency that I led with and what I’m talking with, it’s become easy to understand. Like I said, I told the guys, ‘I’ve been here for four years and in the last three years, we haven’t got past the second round. The sense of urgency in the building is high. What we’re trying to achieve is high. So, either get with the program or figure it out.’ But I want everybody to figure it out because I want everybody to be here, and I know that they’re here for a reason. So the talk of sense of urgency being on the field, being in practice, how much more do you have to give, how much more is your urgency going up and I think the guys have been responding really well to that.”
Q: On what improvements he’s seen from the offense this year
Anderson: “I think you talk about C.J., he has really taken that step of watching the clock, getting the guys lined up, moving with urgency. But he’s been the commander back there. He’s taken that step as a leader back there to get everybody lined up, to take the initiative, like ‘Let’s go’. Everybody is rallying behind him. You’ve got guys like [G] Wyatt Teller, who I love, he’s been that energy booster on the offensive line, getting guys moving around, picking guys up. I’m excited about that group. I could just see the growth in them already. The offense is moving at a much faster pace. I think [Offensive Coordinator Nick] Caley has been doing a good job. They’ve got Foster [Moreau] with the tight ends, Dalton Schultz, as you know. Those guys are rolling. It’s competitive. I laughed the other day. I said, ‘Man, it’s going to be a fun training camp,’ because you can see the anticipation of everybody getting out therse. It’s going to be one of those where it’s going to be a battle every single day, like the physicality on the edges have upped big time with Foster coming in as a tight end. All of those things that they’ve been working on, they’ve been doing a really good job of that.”
Q: On his relationship with QB C.J. Stroud and what that has meant to him
Anderson: “It’s meant everything to me. I said in my press conference that it was great to come in with somebody. We weren’t alone. We were No. 2 and No. 3, so we piggybacked and relied on each other a lot during this process because we were going through the same thing. To see each other’s growth in this game and to see the leadership skills that we’ve built and to see the way that we’ve connected with the guys and to see where we helped take this program to, it’s been nice. So just having him have my back and I’m having his back, it’s been nice.”
Q: On if him signing a contract extension adds more pressure
Anderson: “No, honestly, it didn’t add any pressure. I kind of changed my mind when I look at pressure. I always say, it’s not pressure, it’s an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to go out and continue to be yourself. I think now the only thing that’s risen is I want to hit that next stage of my game, not because of the contract, but because I owe it to myself because I know how much hard work I’ve put in. I know what I’ve put into this game, so that’s what I want for myself. It’s really nothing about the money, it’s just about the work that you’re putting in, the preparation and the process. That’s why I’m always big on preparation and process is because I told them, you can’t get to your destination without the preparation and the process. So for me, how much more can I up my preparation, how much more can I up my process to get to where I want to be as a player.”
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Everything Texans All-Pro DE Will Anderson Jr. said after OTA practice