Houston Texans defensive end Jacob Martin was pleased with the way the defensive line played against the Green Bay Packers in the first week of the preseason.
At Lambeau Field during the Texans’ 26-7 win over the Packers, Houston’s defensive line provided 13 combined tackles, 2.0 sacks, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
Martin says the defensive line is adding energy to the team.
“Everything starts up front and I said earlier in the offseason that the D-Line brings the juice, D-Line brings the energy and when the D-Line such, the rest of the defense is up and when the rest of the defense is up, and when the rest of the defense is up, the team goes,” Martin said. “I truly believe that the energy and the effort comes from the D-Line in terms of how our team responds and plays.”
Martin started for Houston but did not record any statistics in the preseason victory. However, the rest of the defense had a promising showing.
The Texans’ production appears to be a byproduct of switching from the 3-4 to a Tampa 2, new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith’s signature defense. Smith’s philosophy is also predicated on getting gobs of takeaways. So long as the defensive line is bringing the juice to generate those turnovers, the Texans should be able to compete in 2021.
