Texans Head Coach David Culley – Media Availability – October 31, 2021
Opening Statement
“First of all, injury-wise, really nothing to talk about. There was nobody that got hurt. Just some bumps and bruises that were not able to come back in and play. And also, I just want to congratulate Sean (McVay) and the Rams. That’s a very good football team. They played very well today. They whooped our butts.”
Why did DB Desmond King not play?
“Disciplinary reasons.”
Is DB Desmond King expected to play next week?
“We’ll see.”
Can you shed some light on what a player does to get benched?
“That’s internal. It was a disciplinary thing that we keep in-house.”
You keep talking about how you need to stop the penalties. How disappointing is that that you were not able to fix that today?
“It’s very disappointing. It’s frustrating. We’re going to keep coaching it just like we’ve been doing. I’m disappointed and I’m frustrated, but I’m not discouraged with this football team. Simply because I saw at the end there that, first of all, they’re not going to quit. We’ve just got to play better. We’ve got to coach better, and we’ve got to continue to play better. We know what that process is. We know what we have to do. We’re not there yet. We’re going to keep coaching. We’re going to keep coaching.”
With all the explosive plays on defense, where did you see the problems there?
“The same thing we’ve had before. Miscommunication, guys not being where they should be. As I said before, it’s just about our penalties and those kinds of things. We’ve got to keep coaching that, and we haven’t done a good job of preventing that from happening. It doesn’t matter who is back there when we’re doing that.”
What was that shared moment with DB Lonnie Johnson Jr. when he came off the field?
“I was just encouraging him right there. I was just encouraging him right there to, ‘Hey, be where you need to be, do what you need to do. Things will happen.’ Obviously, later on, he went back in and he played.”
With the trade deadline approaching, do you know if you’re all planning to trade QB Deshaun Watson? What have the conversations been with General Manager Nick Caserio?
“That’s up to Nick (Caserio).”
What did you see from QB Davis Mills in the fourth quarter?
“I thought at that point they knew we were going to have to throw the ball. We knew they were still going to come and blitz us. And they did. Basically, we were just in a situation where we went up-tempo, which actually helped us a little bit, kind of gave us a little change of pace. And he handled it very well. He handled it very well, our entire offense handled it very well. We were in a pass mode at that point, and he did a good job of distributing the ball, our guys did a good job of making the play and up front they did a good job of protecting.”
How tough is it for anybody, especially a rookie, to try to progress the way QB Davis Mills is under constant pressure?
“He’s progressing. That’s a learning experience for him. The thing about it is during that time, anytime they had pressure on him, the one thing he didn’t do he did not mishandle the football during that pressure. He protected the ball. The interception he had was just a poor throw. It had nothing to do with pressure. He was right outside the pocket just made a poor throw and they got an interception. But he’s progressing very well. And I like where he’s at right now. And I like what he did with our offense at the end of the game, the way he handled things. And he’s just getting better and better.”
How does losing make it more difficult to do what you’re trying to do in terms of establishing a culture with your guys?
“We have short memories. Win or lose. And the only thing that matters is the next game. And in our case, we’ve gone, I guess, seven games now without a win. And we’re going to come back tomorrow. We’re going to look at it, correct it, and then move on to Miami and never look back on this and just try to get that next win.”
What was it about this matchup that made RB Rex Burkhead much more of a factor today than he had in previous games, beyond you traded Mark Ingram?
“He (Rex Burkhead) was more effective because we got in the hurry-up mode. Obviously, he’s like David (Johnson). He is very good out of the backfield. In that particular situation, too, I feel they’re looking for the pass, and we got some nice little runs off the draws there with him. And that’s what he’s been in this league. The opportunity was there for him today to do that, and he did a nice job of that.”
What did you see from TE Brevin Jordan today? Do you feel like he’s ready to play in games ahead?
“He showed today that he deserves an opportunity. He got it today basically the way he practiced, not so much because of Pharaoh (Brown) being hurt. But he did a nice job. And that’s what we expected out of him. He’s been showing that. He’s been practicing well. He’s been doing the things we wanted him to do. He deserved an opportunity to play today, and it looks like from what I saw other than the touchdown that he did a nice job.”
Will up-tempo become a better part of the menu now?
“That’s something we’ll think about and we’ll talk about as a staff. Obviously, it worked for us in this particular situation. I mean, we’re down. They’re playing us completely different. It’s different when you’re in the middle of a game and you’re doing that, and you have to be effective when you do that. And we’re fortunate because of the situation of the game to be able to do that. But that’s something we will talk about. And Davis (Mills) liked that. I went to him, said, ‘Look we’re going up tempo, how do you feel about it?’ He said, ‘let’s go.’”
Where do you think QB Davis Mills is with recognizing pressure?
“I don’t think him recognizing it had anything to do with it. Basically, we didn’t block very well on some of those pressures today. The fact that he held onto the ball and was able to not have a bad play, I thought, was a positive because he knew there was nothing he could do. All we tell him in that situation is, ‘You protect the football.’ That happens. Last week that happened to him one time he didn’t because he didn’t see it. He saw things today. And he did a nice job of doing that.”
What was the message to the guys after the Rams pulled their quarterback after three quarters in a lopsided game?
“The message is it doesn’t matter who is out there. This is the NFL. You just play, and you play the best that you can play. You do the best that you can do. And at that situation, those guys out there playing didn’t know who was out there and who is not playing, or if it’s the first team or the second team. They’re just playing football.”
Have you been in a game previously where a team pulled their quarterback in the fourth quarter?
“I can’t recall.”