Jimmie Ward knows what to expect with Cory Undlin.
The Houston Texans hired the former San Francisco 49ers pass game specialist and secondary coach as part of DeMeco Ryans’ staff.
The safety spent the past two seasons with Undlin on Kyle Shanahan’s staff, and there was an underlying theme as it related to playing in Ryans’ defense.
“Be patient,” Ward said May 4. “In this defense you don’t have to force plays. Like I said earlier, this defense is ran through the defensive front. This is going to be an attacking D-line. All you have to do is be in your spot and plays will come to you.”
Ward collected 89 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, five interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, five pass breakups, and a forced fumble in his 28 games playing for Undlin.
Second-year safety Jalen Pitre has only had the fortune have working with Undlin throughout the Texans’ offseason program. Nevertheless Undlin’s instruction has been useful to the former second-rounder from Baylor.
“I love Cory,” Pitre said after organized team activities on May 23. “He’s in the meetings. He’s very interactive. He knows a lot about the game of football as a whole and especially about the secondary. In the meeting room, he’s not going to let anything slide and make sure every detail is said in the meeting room and making sure we get everything squared away.”
Pitre led the Texans with five interceptions through 17 starts last season. If Pitre stays patient, as Undlin advised Ward, there may be more opportunities for the Stanford High School alumnus to produce key takeaways.
