HOUSTON – Myle Garrett is one of the most formidable pass rushers in the game and widely regarded in NFL circles as a generational, game-wrecking talent.
And the former Texas A&M star and top overall pick of the NFL draft now plies his trade as an All-Pro defensive end for the Cleveland Browns.
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Garrett has freakish athleticism and a chiseled physique at 6-foot-4, 272 pounds. Although he’s only played in the NFL for six seasons, the former Aggies star has piled up 68 1/2 career sacks, including 10 sacks this season heading into Sunday’s game against the Texans at NRG Stadium.
Texans quarterback Kyle Allen, preparing for his second start as the replacement for Davis Mills, had a funny message for his former college teammate: “Be nice to me.”
That would be ideal, but it’s unlikely that Garrett will show Allen any mercy.
Garrett already has 15 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for losses. He had a career-high 16 sacks, 17 tackles for losses and 33 quarterback hits last season and represents a huge matchup problem for the Texans on Sunday.
“I played with Myles in college, so I know firsthand how good he is,” Allen said. “He’s only gotten better since then. I just remember his picture from high school with him running around. I think everyone has seen it. It’s him looking like he does now and a bunch of his high school teammates, so he looks 30 years older than them. He’s a freak. Good dude. He was the best player on our team then and is probably one of the best players in the league now.”
The 1-9-1 Texans are hoping for better results than their shaky performance from a week ago, falling 30-15 to the Miami Dolphins for their sixth consecutive defeat.
The Texans didn’t cross the 50-yard line in the first half, generating just three first downs and 32 yards of total offense on 25 plays as Allen went 10 for 16 for 59 yards while being sacked three times. He finished with a substandard 67.8 passer rating and two interceptions, completing 26 of 39 throws for 215 yards and one touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Akins.
Allen didn’t attribute his rough debut to a rust factor considering he hadn’t played in a regular-season game since last year.
“I don’t know if it was rust,” Allen said. “There were a couple bad decisions, three-and-outs twice early and we were down 10-0. The pick put them at the 2-yard-line, and they scored. Then, it’s 17-0. We’re just climbing back. I don’t think it’s a rust thing. I think it’s just an overall theme of the offense. We’ve got to execute early in games to put us in a good position.
“I think any experience on the field, especially the first time in a new system, I was in the same system my whole career, getting that real life bullets experience in the new system with these guys who I haven’t practice with, I think it’s going to help a lot.”
Allen floated a pass into heavy traffic intended for rookie running back Dameon Pierce that went directly to linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel to set up a Jeff Wilson touchdown run as the Dolphins built a 17-0 lead on their way to a commanding 30-0 halftime edge.
“It’s just execution and staying within the plan,” Allen said. “Limit the big mistakes. We said it after the game, but the interception early really put us out of range. Can’t put the team in that position. A lot of things to learn from, but on to the next.
“Execute, score points, got to make it happen on offense. Throughout the season, early in games it’s been tough for the offense, so we’ve got to find a way to execute early, find a way to get on the board, let our defense play with a lead. We put our defense in tough situations all year, so I think for us it’s literally as simple as execution and just trying to find a way to win games.”
Allen, a former University of Houston and Aggies quarterback who has previously played for the Washington franchise and the Carolina Panthers, has a 7-11 career record. The former blue-chip recruit has passed for 4,533 yards, 25 touchdowns and 19 interceptions with an 83.9 passer rating.
Allen is taking the first-team snaps this week as he prepares for his second start for the Texans.
“Kyle, any time you practice, you’re going to get better,” Texans coach Lovie Smith said. “It was good for him to get a Wednesday practice. He got pretty much most of the reps. To just throw to the guys and all of that that goes into practicing.”
Unlike a week ago, Allen is getting more practice time to prepare for the Browns.
“I’m just getting more reps,” he said. “I think the practice is the same. I prepped like I was going to play last week. For me, I just think I’ll get a little bit more reps.”
Allen was signed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract with a maximum value of $3 million during the offseason. He played in two games last season and completed 12 of 19 passes for 120 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He rushed for 11 yards on two carries.
Allen has talked with Mills about how to handle this demotion. He’s dealt with similar experiences and predicted that the former third-round draft pick from Stanford will rebound from this career setback.
“Yeah, we’ve had conversations,” Allen said. “Davis is a super talented player. He’s got it all. It’s just that he’s young, been thrusted into a tough situation. It’s a great opportunity for him, and he’s going to be back on that field at some point.
“He’s too good of a player to not be back out there. I think everyone in their career is going to face some type of adversity. Sometimes you’ve got to go through it to come out that other side better, and I think he’s definitely going to come out the other side better.”
Allen defended offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, who has drawn criticism.
The Texans rank last in the NFL in total offense with 3,069 yards of offense and 31st in scoring offense, averaging 15.8 points per game.
“I think Pep has been great in the quarterback room,” Allen said. “Pep has been trying to put us in the best positions. The one thing I love about Pep is we’re in it together. You get some coaches sometime where it’s a coach, coaching by himself on some players. When we’re out there Sunday, we’re in it together.
“We’re working through things. It’s been a tough year for us on offense, but when you look at football, it’s easy to point fingers at the quarterback, or it’s easy to point fingers at the coaches or coordinators. At the end of the day, there’s 11 guys out there. It’s a team game, and those guys have to make it happen. I think Pep has been good for us this year.”
The Browns have a talented secondary that includes Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome and Martin Emerson.
“Both of their corners are excellent football players, their safeties are, too,” Smith said. “That’s why we see the challenge that we have as far as that is concerned. We have good players, too. We’ve got to be able to pass the football, and sometimes you need to pass the ball more than others. If that’s the case, we like some of the matchups that we have.”
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to KPRC-2 and click2houston.com