Texans OC opens on Derek Stingley, Dalton Schultz getting into heated altercation - "It's a good learning moment"
The Houston Texans are well deep into practice as they prepare for another attempt to reach the championship stage for the first time in franchise history. On Wednesday's practice, a fight broke out between tight end Dalton Schultz and cornerback Derek Stingley after a play.
On Friday's episode of the Green Light podcast, host Chris Long asked Houston's offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik, about the altercation and its implications on the team.
"So far, for us, it's been a lot of back and forth and a lot of good football," Slowik said. "So, the way that situation went down, we just need to be smart, we can't, like if that's a game and we lost probably like three players ejected right there. That's a big deal.
"For us and where we're at right now at camp, it's a good learning moment. I got no issue with people barking at each other. I think it's great, bring the intensity, but we also gotta stay disciplined enough to stay under control."
Texans HC Demeco Ryans also spoke about practice scuffles
It was not just Slowik who was presented with this topic. The Texans head coach, DeMeco Ryans, also addressed his players' fights during practice. On Friday, he called it a lesson on discipline, accountability and selflessness.
“For me if we’re in a game, are you throwing hands in a game? If you do, then you’re thrown out of the game,” Ryans said (h/t USA Today). “For me, it’s just learning a lesson that if you throw punches, or whatever you do, are you really protecting the team? Because now you’re kicked out of the game. I don’t want it, I don’t like it.”
He continued:
“We just want guys to move forward from it. Nobody is holding any grudges. We’re still teammates. We’re still brothers. Skirmishes happen in our families all the time. We get upset, but at the end of the day we’re still family and it’s still all love.”
Practice so far, however, has been a mixed bag. While certain players like tight end Brevin Jordan and cornerback Kamari Lassiter have been impressive, Ryans said the team had "a lot to clean up" after a "sloppy" practice in the rain that saw many "pre-snap penalties."