HOUSTON – Dameon Pierce’s stellar tackle-busting display, violently punishing the Jacksonville Jaguars defense and their feeble arm tackle attempts, didn’t alter his no-days-off mentality.
The Texans rookie running back was right back in the weight room Monday, squatting 425 pounds, after scoring the game-winning touchdown and rushing for 99 yards on 26 pounding carries. It was a designated day off, but not as far as Pierce was concerned, and his work ethic was referenced by Texans general manager Nick Caserio as emblematic of the rookie class’s approach to the game.
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“We’ve gotten decent production out of that group but I think the attitude and the mindset probably stands out more than anything,” Caserio said. “We’ll use Pierce as an example. So, Monday is the off day for players and yesterday, he’s in squatting 425. People wonder why is he successful on the field? Well he’s successful because he works hard, he’s got the right attitude, he’s a good teammate, he trusts the people around him, he gives credit to his teammates, the offensive line, to the tight ends, doesn’t make it about himself.”
“I think more players with that attitude, more players with that mindset collectively in this building and in this program, ultimately, that’s what it takes,” Caserio continued. “It’s not about one player, it’s never going to be about player or one person or one draft class or anything like that. It’s a collective effort of over the course of time. When those guys have had opportunities, they’ve done some good things.”
The Texans’ powerful rookie running back just wouldn’t go down Sunday, busting through tacklers like a runaway truck. He shrugged one defender off of his shoulder pads with a roughneck shake of his head and shoulders, sending him falling to the ground.
Pierce spun like a whirling dervish away from Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rashawn Jenkins in the backfield before bulling through Foye Oluokun, Tyson Campbell, Darius Williams, Shaquill Grifin, Andre Cisco, Devin Lloyd and Dawaune Smoot before he was finally tackled by Campbell and Cisco on their second try as Smoot grabbed his right ankle and held on for dear life.
Pierce displayed toughness, strength, vision and will power. His sheer determination kept him on his feet as he churned through defenders to set up his 1-yard touchdown during a 13-6 road victory for the previously winless Texans.
Pierce created strong runs despite facing at least seven defenders in the box on 22 of his 26 runs, which is tied for the most such carries in a game this season, according to Next Gen Stats.
“It was a good play,” Caserio said. “In the context of the drive, we were able to get the ball in the right area, the ball on the goal line, get the ball in a scoring situation. I think collectively as an offense, we had an opportunity to get the play started, and then once you get into the second level, being able to make tackles miss. He has good lower body strength, good toughness, he’s got good playing strength, and I think you saw some of those things on that particular play. There is a certain level of want-to to finish plays.
“We talk about this, (offensive line) coach (George) Warhop talks about this, just straining on the offensive line, straining to finish,” Caserio continued. “I think it’s a good example of DP straining to finish and really doing everything in his power just to try to keep the ball moving forward.”
Pierce nearly fumbled before his score, but was ruled down on contact. Pierce fumbled twice against the Chicago Bears earlier this season while trying to gain extra yards, but said he learned a lot about how to do that the right away while strongly protecting the football with both hands in close quarters.
“I’d say the best thing about that play, I mean the next play wasn’t as good, but the best part about that play was the ball security with all the traffic, with breaking tackles, being able to secure the ball,” Caserio said. “The next play we were near the goal line, we were fortunate that his ass was on the ground by about that much before the ball came out. Nothing is more important than ball security. Especially down near the goal line, you want to make sure you take care of the football. Because taking care of the football hopefully leads to points. It was a great effort on his behalf, and hopefully we can take more of that as a team.”
Pierce displayed toughness, strength, vision and will power. His sheer determination kept him on his feet as he churned through defenders.
”Go country boy, go,” Pierce said when asked what he was thinking about during this epic angry run. “It’s all about getting that touchdown, man. And I know I had them big boys coming defensively. They were going to rally behind me at some point, so I just tried to fight and get in the end zone.”
The native of Bainbridge, Ga., is true to his roots. The 5-foot-10, 218-pound fourth-round draft pick from Florida runs with a rugged style all his own. He’s an emerging NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate.
“It’s a little early,” Texans coach Lovie Smith said. “He’s a rookie and he’s playing well. I haven’t seen all of the rookies out there. I just know that our rookie, we’ve loved him from the start. It’s not a bandwagon-type thing. We believed in this guy and what he can do.
“He’s letting other people kind of see it a little bit. Again, for us to be talking that way, the offensive line and the guys that are blocking for him, they have to be doing their job. I just know after a quarter of football, we like where he is. Much more to go, but I like the way he’s trending.”
Rookie fullback Troy Hairston, Pierce’s friend and lead blocker, had a colorful reaction to what it’s like to watch him run.
“Dog, he’s an animal,” Hairston said. “That boy is relentless. He runs the ball and is hard to stop. That’s just grit. That’s the Texans’ way. He’s a football player.”
Pierce has rushed for 412 yards, a franchise record for a rookie through the first five weeks of the season and third most during that span in team history behind Arian Foster’s 546 yards in 2010 and 532 yards in 2012. He’s on pace to finish the season with 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Pierce became the first Texans rookie to run the football more than 25 times in a game since Alfred Blue had 36 carries against the Cleveland Browns in 2014.
“D.P. for president,” Texans right tackle Tytus Howard said. “He gets to the second level and he’s going to make something happen every time. I think he’s one of the best backs in the league.”
The Texans are finding their identity as a smash-mouth football team.
Pierce is their most dangerous weapon.
“I think I probably counted at least six broken tackles that run,” quarterback Davis Mills said. “I looked at LT (Laremy Tunsil) after the play and I was like, ‘This guy is the real deal.’ He’s trying to win games and he’s helping us out a lot. Just the energy he brings day in and day out, it rubs off on everybody on the team, and we want to rally behind that, and we want to fight for him. I think we kind of found our identity today, being a run-first football team, being downhill.”
Howard said that Pierce has earned honorary lineman status.
Does Pierce owe the big guys a nice dinner? Or is the other way around.
“Oh now, we have to get him some food after what he did today,” Howard said. “Breaking tackles. That’s what he eats: breaking tackles.”
Pierce’s mother, Shameeka Rogers, was at NRG Stadium for his touchdown jaunt last week and took the football back to their hometown. She was in attendance at the Jaguars game, too.
“I’ve got a great group of guys around me on this team, from the veteran leadership to the coaches, to the support staff, training room, weight room,” Pierce said. “It takes a village, especially with me being a rookie. I’m a young guy. It takes a village to kind of groom me in the right direction.
“I need to be to be a key factor on this team and be an eventual leader on this team and take the roles of some of those veteran guys as they end their careers, as they move away from football. They are doing a great job of putting me in that role to enable me to be one of those leaders and step up for this team.”
Aaron Wilson is a Pro Football Network reporter and a contributor to KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.