HOUSTON -- Before training camp began, DeMeco Ryans set the tone for his team with a different approach.
The Houston Texans coach delivered a speech with a picture of Artemis II towering over him in bold letters. The names from NASA's crew of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen sat beneath Ryans as he talked about the launch on April 1 and flight around the moon, marking the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Ryans, who mentioned how it was a 10-day mission to fly around the moon before returning safely to Earth, used the historical feat as an example of how the crew "went further" than anyone else. But he also highlighted how they laid the groundwork for years to make that moment possible.
He compared the takeoff to what Houston could do come this season. How this team could reach heights that it never has. Not only reaching the AFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history, but winning the Super Bowl.
Built different. pic.twitter.com/WFe4INau1f
"The preparation that it took for Artemis II to launch, it took three years for that mission to take place, and that's the beauty of it," Ryans said.
Owner Cal McNair has been on record saying Houston wants to play "in the very last game," and All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr. called the Texans a "Super Bowl team" this offseason.
"When you guys asked me about expectations, the only thing I know is high expectations," Ryans said. "That's why we do what we do to achieve the ultimate goal."
But with the Texans' lofty goals comes the mentality of daily submission to the process.
"The expectation is to take it one day at a time, one play at a time," quarterback C.J. Stroud said. "And then see where we are at the end of camp."
The roster has the necessary pieces on both sides of the ball to reach the heights the franchise has failed to capture in years prior.
Houston has a capable quarterback who has played at a Pro Bowl level before. The running game has a lead back in David Montgomery, a more physical offensive line with the addition of first-round pick Keylan Rutledge (center), offensive tackle Braden Smith and former All-Pro guard Wyatt Teller. And wideout Nico Collins is a multiple time Pro Bowler.
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