‘I’m happy, I’m overwhelmed,’ how Texans’ Dameon Pierce handled injury process for most explosive touchdown in a year

HOUSTON – Dameon Pierce navigated a gamut of emotions and pain, both physical and in his feelings, long before the Texans’ running back traveled a different pathway of euphoria last Sunday against the New England Patriots: a speedy jaunt to the end zone for his most explosive touchdown since last season.

For the former Pro Bowl alternate, the last two years have been a tough adjustment. As a rookie standout, he took the NFL by storm with his punishing running style that earned him the Angry Run of the Year award for his tackle-busting display against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He had a difficult season last year as injuries and a long adjustment to offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s zone-based playbook ultimately led to him losing his starting job and being replaced by Devin “Motor” Singletary.

During the offseason, the Texans acquired Joe Mixon as their new feature back and Pierce got hurt in the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts on the heels of an encouraging preseason. Now, it was back to basics as Pierce had to compartmentalize another medical setback after dealing with an ankle injury last season. This time, it was a Grade 1 hamstring strain, a magnetic resonance imaging exam revealed. He would miss the next four games.

“The way I handle problems, I go through a pout period and I put it behind me and go to work,” Pierce told KPRC 2 in an interview with Randy McIlvoy for his weekly Mic’d up with McIlvoy segment. “I do an MRI and they put me in that Grade 1 category and they reevaluate it and they it’s probably going to be three more weeks. I worked really hard, and that was amazing that I can maybe get back in three weeks. Coming off an injury, it was a matter of getting comfortable and the hamstring feels okay and we’re good to roll. I’m glad to be back out there.

“I hate being away from football. I kept my head down, work very hard, stay on top of it. The trainers, the return to football staff, everyone was very supportive. They helped me. Everything paid off. On Sunday, seeing everybody that helped me get back on the field and the smiles on those guys’ faces, that was really great. Coming back in the fashion that I did, it was great.”

All of that culminated last Sunday at Gillette Stadium as Pierce busted through a gaping hole in the Patriots’ defense, slipped past a couple of feeble arm tackle attempts and managed to dive into the end zone while cornerback Christian Gonzalez attempted shove him out of bounds. Pierce reached a speed of 20.72 miles per hour, according to Next Gen Stats for one of the fastest scores of the weekend. He rushed for 76 yards on eight carries in the 41-21 road victory. It marked his longest touchdown run since a 75-yard score during his rookie season against the Jacksonville Jaguars and followed last year’s 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last season against the Cleveland Browns.

“The real heroes in the room are the linemen,” Pierce said. “Those guys go through so much, so many injuries. They got to go through so many looks of things that could happen, they got to be prepared for every angle. Every time I get a chance to shout out the line, I’m going to shout them out.

“It wasn’t wide open, but everything went right. Everybody had to be right. That’s what you see a lot. When you see this gaping hole and you see the end zone, then you do your job and it’s just like, ‘Okay, what does it take?’ That’s what you get when you thrive. I just like seeing all that work come to fruition. At a certain point, you never know what is going to happen. You never know what’s going to happen. You always have to be ready at any moment.”

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The way the hole opened up, it was a matter of trust and following the advice of running backs coach Danny Barrett.

“Our running backs coach always says, ‘Run through the smoke,’” Pierce said. “It might not look like the best lane to hit, but trust that when you get there, guys are going to clear out and that was just a prime example of that. Tytus [Howard] did a great job of not giving up on the play backside. If you put your hands in the wrong spot, it’s an automatic flag, like, ‘Come on bro, this is football.’ But he thought about it, but Tytus finished great on the backside. Boom, he was able to clear his guy out and I was able to cut right off of Tytus and break a tackle. Tank [Dell] got just enough of [Gonzalez] to let me get the corner of the pylon and the rest is on film. Touchdown.”

With Mixon rushing for 102 yards and scoring two touchdowns, the Texans finally had the 1-2 punch they envisioned this offseason and during training camp. They felt comfortable enough days later to trade reserve running back Cam Akers to the Minnesota Vikings. The Texans are now 13th in the NFL in rushing, averaging 118.8 yards per game and 4.5 yards per run.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans showcased Pierce’s big run during a team meeting. There’s a lot of pride in how Pierce has handled adversity, including rushing for just 416 yards last season.

“What an exciting day for Dameon,” Ryans said. “I think everybody was fired up to see him get the big run, the explosive run. It just shows the work that Dameon has put in. I was just showing that clip there in the team meeting. Everybody was going crazy with Dameon and how physical that run was for him to break through the line and also to break two tackles and the speed to finish the run.

“Man, I’m happy for Dameon and proud of him for the work that he’s put in while he’s been out with injury. But he showed up and showed that he was ready to go and he made an outstanding play for our team and a play to help us win that game.”

Pierce was in too much of a rush at times last season as he tried to learn an unfamiliar strategic approach to running the football after excelling in the pass on quicker-hitting, more straightforward runs. And his body weight and nutrition weren’t where he wanted them to be. So, Pierce switched things up this offseason. He’s down to 210 to 214 from 217 to 218 pounds last year through a diet emphasizing lean meats and vegetables designed by the Texans’ nutritionists.

Pierce feels like a new man, and it shows through his play on the field and the smile on his face, at least in practice sessions.

“I’m feeling comfortable, I’m feeling in shape,” Pierce told KPRC 2 during training camp. “Last year was like another rookie year for me in terms of unlearning and relearning things. My head was in a thousand places at one time, and that’s not efficient. You can’t play fast. You can’t play clean if you’re thinking a lot, if you’re wondering, ‘What I got on these plays? Who do I have on that? Was I right on this play?’ So, a lot of the cobwebs and all that are gone. I’m more precise and more sharp, cleaner. Everything just feels right. It’s fun again, bro.

“I ain’t gonna say last year took the fun away from the game, but, man, nobody wants to be hurt. Nobody wants to be on the sidelines. Nobody wants to not be in the action. Nobody wants to not be on the field. So, it was definitely a learning curve. You heard it. Compared to last year to this year, it feels amazing to be back out here and be in the mix and doing my thing the right way. Everything just feels right and comfortable. It’s like football. To not have missed assignments, this is the kind of football I like playing.”

Pierce had a 2.9 average per run in 14 games and seven starts last season, dealing with an ankle injury.

Pierce wanted to make some changes after last season.

He changed his diet, incorporating more lean proteins and vegetables into his diet. After playing at around 223 to 225 pounds as a rookie fourth-round draft pick from Florida, Pierce has more energy now at a lighter weight and still appears powerful.

“This year, I’ve got way more muscle mass, more lean muscle mass and I feel great,” Pierce said. “I got tips on proper nutrition and it feels good. I really don’t eat red meat no more, but when I do I go crazy. If I’m going to get the red meat, I’m going to get the ox tails and go crazy.”

Against the Browns, Pierce reminded everyone in the NFL how explosive and powerful he can be toting a football in the open field.

Pierce attacked the kickoff coverage during a 36-22 loss at NRG Stadium, aggressively attacking the middle of the field in a structured return before cutting to his right toward the sideline and running away from pursuit. The Bainbridge, Georgia native wasn’t going to be caught -- especially by Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins, who injured his hamstring chasing after Pierce in vain. He got shoved at the 2-yard line by linebacker Charlie Thomas II and dove into the end zone.

Now, Pierce is back in the end zone again.

“Amazing,” Pierce said. “It’s been a long three and a half weeks, but through rigorous training and being relentless in my rehab with the help of the athletic trainer staff and the support of my teammates, everything went smooth and I was able to reap the benefits on Sunday.”

Seven games into his third NFL season, Pierce heads to Green Bay for the 5-1 Texans against the 4-2 Packers for a high-profile matchup at Lambeau Field.

He’s rushed for 1,447 career yards and seven touchdowns with 44 catches for 267 yards and one score.

Working behind Mixon, Pierce can be a part of a formidable tandem when they’re healthy. Mixon returned from a high-ankle sprain last week to get back on the field.

Now, both running backs are healthy at the same time.

Pierce is optimistic that he’s turned a corner after his first touchdown of the season.

“Hopefully, that’s always the plan,” Pierce said. “The more you learn, the better you try to become and that’s all I can try to do. Just be the best version of me and I’ve got a great support staff. The team is always helping me when I need it. I’ve got guys I can always talk to and lean on for anything I need when it comes to football in this building, so that’s a great asset to have in that process. The process is not a short one, it’s a very long process, but hopefully moving forward, I can add on top of this and just keep moving forward.”

“Then last three weeks, I think the hardest part was trying not to come back too early. You see Joe go down, so naturally it’s like, dang, I want to get back in there and help my running back room out, help the team out. This is actually my first hamstring. It’s crazy because I never started getting hurt until the NFL. As long as I was good Friday, I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m not sore. I’m not feeling anything lingering.’ I knew I had two good days of treatment before the game. I was very confident I was going to be good Sunday. I feel great, I feel amazing.”

And the celebration ensued Sunday as Pierce hit paydirt. It’s a feeling that will never grow old for him.

“Any time you get a touchdown, it’s a party,” PIerce said. “So, that’s how I treat it. Soon as I cross the goal line, I’ve got the hands up for the referee, I just want to find the guys. It’s not about me. It took all 11 to get there, so all 11 are going to party when we get to the end zone. On a more personal note, it felt great just to be able to come back from rehab and not miss a step because that was one of my main concerns, how is it going to feel Sunday? Am I going to be able to still have my same step? Am I going to lose a step Sunday? But I felt good Sunday. And that run just kind of gave me confidence in my mind that, ‘Alright, you’re good. You can run.”

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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com