Linebacker Christian Kirksey has never played before coach David Culley.
In fact, not many players in the NFL have as the 65-year-old is getting his first shot at being a coach. If any have, such as running back Mark Ingram, it is because of their experience with him on the offense side of the ball.
Even though Kirksey has spent just two months with the Texans after signing on March 24, he has seen enough from Culley to know what his best strength is to the team.
“Man, Coach Culley, that’s my guy,” Kirksey told reporters on a Zoom call on May 27. “You can tell that he knows how to interact with people. Sometimes people can be kind of to themselves and only speak when they feel like it. He’s always involved. You can see him on the defensive side of the ball, talking, bringing us up. Then we come up as a team, he’s just mixing and talking with both sides. That’s a good sign when you look at a head coach because he’s the leader.”
One of the trends in the NFL has been to hire coaches who specialize in one side of the ball, or are gurus at a specific scheme or philosophy. Culley appears to embody being a “walk-around coach” in his first offseason.
“He has a sense of humor to where half the time he’s making everybody laugh, joking around, and then when it’s time to get to work and it’s time to be serious, he can do that, too,” Kirksey said. “I think Coach Culley is doing a great job right now. You can just tell that we’re going to be rocking throughout the season and he’s going to be the head man in charge. I think he’s going to do very well.”
Culley is the fourth full-time coach in Texans history.
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