Texans Interim HC Romeo Crennel Breaks Down Jaguars' Offense & Defense
For the first time since Gary Kubiak roamed the Houston Texans sidelines, the Jacksonville Jaguars are set to face a Houston team without Bill O'Brien at the helm.
O'Brien, who was fired on Monday, was the longest-tenured coach in the division and has a close relationship with Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone. He always had good insight into the Jaguars whenever the two sides matched up, but that is no longer the case.
In his place is interim head coach Romeo Crennel, the long-time defensive coordinator and former Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs head coach. Crennel spoke to Jacksonville media earlier this week ahead of the Jaguars and Texans clashing in Houston on Sunday.
In doing so, Crennel gave his views on the Jaguars' offense, defense and youthfulness, as well as the challenges he thinks the Jaguars possess for his team.
"Well, I think they got ability off the edges, you know, particularly and then also, Myles [Jack], you always have to account for him," Crennel said when asked about the defense.
It isn't surprising to see Crennel highlight Jack over anyone else. Jack has been arguably the best linebacker in the NFL in 2020, leading the team in tackles with 37, along with a sack, a tackle for loss and an interception.
"I don't care where he lines up or where he is. You know, he's a guy that you have to know where he is, you have to get a hat on him, all right, or otherwise, he's gonna make the tackle. So we got to do something about Myles," Crennel said. "And then also, as I'm watching, I noticed number 90 [Taven Bryan] inside, he makes some plays. And so we got to slow him down as well."
While Jacksonville has some front seven talent that Crennel knows can throw a wrench in Houston's offensive plans, the youthful secondary is currently going through some growing pains.
The Jaguars are set to start two rookies, a third-year player and a second-year player in the secondary on Sunday unless Jarrod Wilson starts. Add in the fact that the young secondary is already experiencing the expected ups and downs of the NFL, and Crennel sees a unit that is bound to get better.
With that said, there are still some rookie moments. One particular one in Week 3 stood out to Crennel, a moment he believes was a teaching moment.
"And I noticed one play, 23 [CJ Henderson] ... a receiver caught a ball on him right, was in front of him. And, you know, he was disappointed that the guy caught the ball, but he didn't tag him down and the guy got up and started running," Crennel said.
"So I said to myself -- and then I looked and saw that he was a rookie, and now then I understood why that happened. But rookies are rookies and they have to go through the learning experience, you know, and they have to get out on the field and play. And so they can learn from that experience, and I doubt that he'll ever make that mistake again."
While Jacksonville's defense is young but going through a rough patch, it is an explosive offense that Crennel knows his team will have their hands the most full with. Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden has helped the Jaguars' offense evolve this season, while some improvement from second-year quarterback Gardner Minshew has also played a factor.
Included in that explosive offense is James Robinson, an undrafted rookie who is currently the league's most productive rookie running back. Considering Houston has the worst run defense in the league, there is no reason to think the Texans haven't placed an emphasis on Robinson.
"I see improvement from the quarterback. I see a running back who has a lot of talent, who has strong running style, is hard to tackle, can make people miss an open field," Crennel said.
"The quarterback, he himself can run. If you give him the seam, he'll pull it down and run. But he's throwing pretty accurately, also. So I think that there's some talent there that we have to deal with."
