DeMeco Ryans offered a passionate defense of Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after his ejection on Sunday. In doing so, the head coach directly contradicted his former self from just four months ago.
He essentially gave a pass to his players for fighting during training camp while criticizing the reaction to his player’s dirty hit. There is some nuance to this comparison, but it is antithetical at its core.
Azeez Al-Shaair was removed from the game after a late hit on Trevor Lawrence. He came in high on the Jaguars quarterback, who already slid to give himself up, and connected with a forearm to the head. A brawl ensued after Lawrence’s body went into fencing response due to a concussion.
Although Al-Shaair issued a statement to try and explain his side of what happened, there continues to be widespread calls for his suspension. It would be surprising if he does not miss at least one game.
As could be expected, Ryans stood up for his guy on Monday afternoon. The second-year head coach’s initial comments about Al-Shaair were completely fair. He doesn’t want anyone to question his character.
He’s an exceptional leader for us. Azeez is a really good player, and he plays the game the right way. His intent is never to hurt anyone as he’s playing the game. If anybody knows Azeez and talks to Azeez, nobody with a bigger heart than Azeez. This guy is a special guy I’ve known since 2019. Special young man. Love working with him.
For any picture that’s painted that Azeez is a dirty player or doing something intentional, that’s the exact opposite of what Azeez is. People who know Azeez, they know him. They know how he plays the game.
Yes, he plays it fast. He plays it physical. Sometimes that physical nature gets misunderstood in today’s game.
— DeMeco Ryans
Ryans also issued a defense of the hit and criticized the rules as they stand.
With the entire situation, we stand behind Azeez and everything that came from that. Of course, the unfortunate hit on the quarterback, but it’s also two-fold. A lot of the quarterbacks in this day and age they try to take advantage of the rule where they slide late and they try to get an extra yard, and you’re a defender, and a lot of onus is on the defender, whether it’s on the sideline or on the quarterback.
You don’t know what a guy is thinking. You don’t know if a guy is staying up and he’s continuing to run, and then you get a late slide, and you hit the guy.
Unfortunate that Trevor got hurt. We hope Trevor is OK. But it’s also if we’re sliding we’ve got to get down; if we’re getting out of bounds, we get out of bounds. That rule is there to protect the quarterbacks and we want our quarterbacks to be safe in the league.
— DeMeco Ryans
If that was the extend of his comments, fine. A difference of opinion is fair. Especially from a former linebacker who played in a different, more physical era. However, Ryans went one step too far and referred to the brawl as an “overreaction.”
The entire thing is Azeez hits the guy, but their sideline overreacts and it turns into a melee. It wasn’t our guys. Their team overreacted, pushed our guy, dragging our guy to the sideline, so that’s uncalled for on that side. We have to be better on the sideline.
— DeMeco Ryans
This is where the hypocrisy comes into the equation. A few Texans players got into a brawl during training camp. DeMeco Ryans condoned the behavior— but in doing so, he also said he understood it.
When it comes to the skirmishes in practice, I don’t want it. I also understand it. Myself as a former player, I was involved in some so I’m not going to act like it doesn’t happen. The tempers get raised. It always happens in camp. You have skirmishes and fights, but what I tell guys is, what we can learn from it? 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. For me it’s just learning 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. It’s sloppy and I think it’s not representative of who we are as a team and as an organization.
— DeMeco Ryans
Those comments from July are also completely fair. The problem is how he reacted then versus now.
His team fought itself during training camp and he understood. He later thought it was an overreaction when Jacksonville players retaliated on Azeez Al-Shaair for a dirty hit that knocked out their quarterback. The math doesn’t add up!