At 5-8, 190 pounds, Phillip Lindsay is anything but a big running back.
However, the former Pro Bowler had a big falloff in the 2020 season when he barely got over 500 yards on 118 carries. He scored just one touchdown on the ground through 11 games, eight of which he started.
Not being in an offseason program for 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdowns meant that Lindsay became a bigger back, but in a negative way.
“For me this year, it was a lot of times of — I think overdid a lot of stuff last year,” Lindsay told Houston reporters on a Zoom call on Wednesday. “First year not being in a structured thing where you’re in the building, so you’re kind of all by yourself. I think that for me, I went and got a little heavier last year and I did well, but that wasn’t my game. For me, I want to be light, I want to be fast. I’m already strong as it is. I don’t need no weight. I just need to get it from point A to point B to score a touchdown. That’s my goal.”
Lindsay produced two consecutive seasons with 1,000 yards rushing in his first two seasons with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent. The secret to Lindsay’s 31 games played over the first two years was learning how to not get hit.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re big or small, we all have the same ligaments, same joints,” said Lindsay. “If you get hit the wrong way, you’re going to get hurt. For anybody, it’s anybody. People want to put that stigma on you if you’re a little running back. That’s not how it goes. You’re a grown man and at the end of the day, you have to handle your business. It doesn’t matter if you’re, tall, small, big. At the end of the day, you’re a grown man. You’ve got grown man strength. You just got to, one, pray and hope that you can stay healthy. That’s what a lot of it’s about, is making sure you don’t get hit the wrong way.”
As Lindsay has joined the Texans, the 26-year-old has focused on his diet, getting adequate rest, and maintaining his flexibility by practicing Taekwondo.
“The rest of it, man, you’ve just got to pray that it’s your year with the health,” Lindsay said.
