Romeo Crennel Press Conference Highlights: 10/19/20

Head coach Romeo Crennel sat down with the media on Monday and had some words on The Decision, working on the team’s run defense, and an update on Gareon Conley. Let’s get into it. The link to the juicy nuggets can be found here.

On the decision to go for two for a 9-point advantage, instead of making it an 8-point lead that would have forced Tennessee to go for two:

“I would do it again because you know what, you’re on the road against a division opponent who is undefeated, and if you can get a two-point conversion, you shut the door on them and you win the game,” Crennel said. “I think that when you have that opportunity, if you want to win the game, you go ahead and you try it at that time. So, we had a guy open. Unfortunately, the ball got tipped and we didn’t make it. Then, they were able to put it into overtime, they got the coin flip and then they win the game. I would do it again because I think it was a good choice.”

We here at BRB fully endorse RAC’s decision to go for two. It’s a lame duck season and what’s the point of playing conservatively? Let’s go balls to the wall and get nuts. Except with the defense...that ship has to get straightened out.

On the porous performance displayed by the defense against Tennessee’s run game:

“During this week we’ll see if we can come up with a better pan than what we have,” Crennel said. “Maybe we have to cut back on some of the things that we’re doing to keep the mental errors to a minimum. Then the physical part of it, I think we have guys who can play physical football. Sometimes we don’t always do it. But we have to focus on those two areas and see what we can come up with.”

Just to note, the Houston Texans have currently given up....1,065 yards rushing through six games. That’s 177.5 yards per game, folks. The runners-up are the Jacksonville Jaguars, and we have them beat by 202 yards. This team might end up being legendary for all the wrong reasons.

On J.J. Watt taking the blame for said terrible run defense performance:

“It’s nice that he says that, but I’m the head coach and the buck stops at my desk,” Crennel said. “So, I’m the reason that we ended up losing that game. I think that that’s the way everybody is going to look at it eventually down the road. If that were not the case, you’d be talking to Bill O’Brien right now. When you lose, nothing really good comes of it. It’s great that J.J. said that, but it’s not his fault. It’s my fault.”

Oh my goodness, is that the sound of genuine accountability? After years of hearing BOB mindlessly spewing out “It’s on me” time after time, this is music to my ears. J.J. had himself a pretty good game, but one player can’t carry the defense. Consider it an outlier as opposed to the norm.

A quick update on Gareon Conley:

“He’s trying to get back but I don’t think that he’s where we need him to be right now,” Crennel said. “He’s had second opinions and they haven’t been able to pinpoint anything definite. We’ll have to see how he does and if he can get back.”

I don’t think that Conley was going to shift the tides in our favor, but he isn’t any worse than Lonnie Johnson Jr. or Phillip Gaines. Hopefully Conley is not dealing with something too serious, but he will be missed. Aaron Rodgers is licking his chops right now.

The Texans play the Packers at NRG Stadium this Sunday at 12 p.m.