The Texans want the ball back.
Defensive coordinator Lovie Smith shared the team's desire for takeaways recently, and on Friday, safety Justin Reid explained how that plan is taking shape.
"We have target goals on how many times we even want to punch the ball," Reid said. "This is the first time I've seen it to where we're tracking just strips attempts, punch attempts – tracking all of that. Really trying to put an emphasis on guys to go after the ball and create turnovers because those are game-changing situations."
Houston came up with an NFL-worst nine takeaways last season. With just three interceptions in 2020, the Texans were 32nd in the NFL. Only four teams had fewer than the Texans' four fumble recoveries last year as well. Those numbers need to trend upwards, according to Reid, Smith and the rest of the Texans.
"The first thing that Coach Smith came in and said, and he put up on the big presentation during an OTA meeting, was we're going to get the ball," Reid said. "That's been an emphasis in every meeting that they've talked about."
Reid said he's been working out some at NRG Stadium, as well as some other places as well. Being more consistent that last year has been a main personal goal for Reid, who enters year four as a Texan in 2021.
