How Texans nickel Jalen Pitre delivers crushing, legal hits: ‘Some guys have that ability to uncoil’

HOUSTON – Jalen Pitre uncoiled his body with incredible power, bringing a ton of force into his aiming point as he delivered a crushing, clean tackle with his right shoulder that sent Dallas Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker flying to the ground in visible pain Monday night.

Sandwiched between Pitre and Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, Schoonmaker was absolutely leveled.

And the referees blew the call, penalizing Pitre for unnecessary roughness. They got the call wrong. His shoulder struck Schoonmaker in the shoulder pad, avoiding any helmet contact. And the league office disagreed with the call. Pitre was not fined for the hit, per a league source.

“I’m just trying to keep it as legal as possible, but still deliver the blow,” Pitre told KPRC 2. “Definitely trying to lead with the shoulder, keep the head out of it and make sure I don’t have any helmet-to-helmet contact.”

Mission accomplished again by the Texans’ hard-hitting nickel, a former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and Stafford graduate.

What did the Stafford Cobras youth football team want to ask Pitre about during his surprise visit Tuesday night?

“The big hits,” Pitre said. “That’s what they wanted to talk about.”

That conversation makes a lot of sense with the devastating blows that Pitre uncoiled this week. His ability to bring his hips and snap his shoulder to create torque and violent impacts is eye-catching and it belies the 25-year-old’s unremarkable -foot-11, 200-pound frame that packs plenty of power.

Pitre also crushed Cowboys left tackle Tyler Guyton when he made the mistake of trying to run with the football after Texans defensive end Derek Barnett stripped the football from quarterback Cooper Rush. Pitre popped Guyton so hard the Cowboys had a second lost fumble. And Barnett adeptly scooped the football up for a score.

In both sequences, Pitre’s hard-hitting style made an impact.

“I would say that’s just him to some extent,” Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “Some guys have that ability to uncoil, the little six-inch punch that he’s got. You said he’s small, I didn’t say he’s small. But he’s got ability to sort of snap his hips and that’s sort of where a lot of that strike comes from.

“He can really uncoil, has an explosiveness to him. I would say, again, it goes back to his mindset. There’s not a lot of guys that are willing to put your face on people like he is. And so, he embraces that opportunity.”

A natural nickel who was a consensus All-American at this hybrid linebacker-safety role at Baylor, Pitre has had a resurgent season with 64 tackles, six for losses, two quarterback hits, one forced fumble and one interception through 11 games for the 7-4 Texans.

“He’s such a special kid, he really is,” Burke said. “I love being around him every day and then talking to him and seeing how he operates. He is all ball. It’s so important to him. He’s so passionate about it. So, that’s just a pleasure. And then to see him grow in the system and just kind of grow in the role that we’ve tried to provide for him and make those plays that he does.

“I’ve said this, he just makes it easy on us, to be honest with you, because we can do so much with him and some of the tricks or the things you would get caught playing nickel, to a certain thing to 12 or in certain roles.”

Hitting hard is just what Pitre does.

He loves to tackle.

“For sure,” he said. “Every time that’s the mentality of this team and this defense to make plays.”

And Barnett benefited from that style.

“Yeah, that’s my dawg,” Pitre said. “He shows up every day to work. I’m just feeding off his energy. It just happened. I hit him and the ball came out and he scooped and scored. Pretty athletic on that one, for sure.”

The way the Texans have deployed Pitre this season has been an ideal fit.

Nickel is a spot he embraces.

“To see him grow in that role and be able to expand what we do with him and how we utilize him, it just starts with his energy and his passion and how much he cares about the game and cares about the team,” Burke said. “And it’s fun to be around every day, for sure.”

The hit-stick tackle earlier this season on Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet initially drew a penalty flag for unnecessary roughness that was quickly picked up as it was clearly not an illegal hit as Pitre didn’t make contact with his helmet and stuck the much larger Kmet in his shoulder pads.

Kmet was shaken up on the play and later acknowledged on his podcast it was the hardest hit he’s ever absorbed.

“Our job is to take whoever we have available and put them in the best spots and I’m not sure everyone can do what Pitre does,” Burke said. “So, if Pitre’s shoelace broke for a play, maybe we’d play something differently, but then we’d have to figure out what that person’s strengths are or how do we want to approach this thing. So, I do think he’s got a pretty unique skillset and he’s a unique player for us and that helps us play the way we play.”

Pitre has played 93 percent of the Texans’ defensive snaps heading into Sunday’s home game.

Lining up closer to the line of scrimmage at the nickel spot that capitalizes on his blitzing skills, Pitre looks comfortable being back in that spot again. The Texans are building in flexibility and playmaking ability in their secondary by having Pitre in a similar role to the hybrid Star role he thrived in at Baylor.

Embracing the whirlwind nature of the NFL, quickly understanding coverage schemes and reading quarterbacks’ eyes to anticipate throws, Jalen Pitre emerged as one of the most instinctive and productive rookie safeties in NFL history two years ago.

This is an important year for Pitre. The 2021 second-round draft pick is aiming for a bounce-back year after an up-and-down second season.

It was a watershed moment for Pitre as a rookie excelled at picking off passes and providing an aggressive presence in run support. As a ball-hawking safety, Pitre was incredibly impressive in almost every facet of the game as he led the Texans with 147 tackles and five interceptions.

Pitre recorded the most tackles among all NFL rookies and became the first player to record more than 125 tackles and intercept five passes since the tackle statistic began being tracked in 2000, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He played 93 percent of the Texans’ total defensive snaps, rarely leaving the field.

A year later, though, Pitre experienced some tough adjustments as he didn’t appear to be reacting as fast and confidently during his first season in coach Ryans’ defense as he did as a rookie. Despite an encouraging preseason, Pitre appeared to be thinking too much rather than simply acting on his instincts.

While Pitre had his moments, including improving as a cleaner tackler with 84 tackles to finish third on the defense for the AFC South champions, he didn’t intercept any passes. He also dealt with a painful injury as a bruised and collapsed lung in the opening game against the Baltimore Ravens forced him to miss the next two games. He was benched in a regular-season game against the Cleveland Browns before regaining his starting job for the remainder of the season.

Pitre yielded three touchdown passes on 26 of 38 passing for 68.4 percent accuracy and 456 yards and opposing quarterbacks compiled a cumulative 135.4 passer rating when throwing in his director, according to Pro Football Reference analytics. As a rookie, Pitre allowed just 41 completions on 63 targets for 662 yards, four touchdowns and an opposing quarterback rating of 88.2.

It wasn’t as if Pitre had declined somehow or forgotten how to play football. He just looked unsure of himself and his role in a new defense.

Now, Pitre is feeling more confident and comfortable within the defense. and appears poised for a resurgent third NFL season.

“I feel great, man,” Pitre told KPRC 2. “I’m trusting everything that the coaches are telling me and I’m coming to work each day eager to learn. I feel like I’ve improved in a lot of things and just looking to continue to do that moving forward and try to make this team as better as I can.

“It’s definitely slowing down for me. I’m seeing things a lot better and I’m able to make checks. A lot of things are slowing down and I’m enjoying it, but you learn different things every day. The game evolves. It’s fun. I love the game of football.

SEE ALSO ‘Means the world to me,’ Texans’ Jalen Pitre on giving back and how his hometown roots ‘made me the man I am today’ (click2houston.com)

Growing up in Houston, Pitre built strong roots in his community and his experiences followed him into his life playing for his hometown NFL team.

As a philanthropist, friend and mentor to children through his work with Kids Meals Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides free, nutritious meals for food-insecure children in the greater Houston area, Pitre uses his platform to help others. And Pitre is determined to give back, to be a helping hand, as others did for him.

Deeply spiritual and determined to inspire others, Pitre knows what it’s like to want something more.

“It’s important because you know I feel like I had those days growing up,” Pitre said. “There were a lot of people in my life that made me into the man I am today. They helped me during times to look good in the game or to have the good cleats or if I needed help with a meal, those types of things. It was a lot of people that helped me out. So, I feel like in the position I’m in right now, it’s my duty to shine light where it needs to be shining and to help out those who need it.”

And, now, Kids Meals Inc.’s Feed 5 More fundraising campaign returns for the second year in a row in partnership with Group 1 automotive, an international Fortune 300 automotive retailer based in Houston to combat childhood hunger.

The Feed 5 More campaign raises money through donations as little as $10 to provide meals to children facing food insecurity. For every $10 raised, Kids’ Meals can provide five meals to children who need them the most. This year, Pitre hopes to surpass last year’s total with the goal of raising enough money to feed 55,555 children by the end of the 2024 football season. Group 1 Automotive will match every dollar raised, up to $250,000. Last year, the campaign successfully raised nearly $110,000.

“Means the world to me, and it shows me that God is truly working in the community and he’s going to continue to use all of us to help each other,” Pitre said. “There’s a lot of people that don’t have as much as we do. So, it’s our duty to give back as much as we can and to lend a helping hand to those kids because, honestly, they’re so vulnerable.

“They don’t have the means to do it, to go get it. Their parents are trying as much as they can, but they’re less fortunate as well. We are going to help. We’re going to get them food and we’re going to empower them to do what they want to do.”

When Pitre isn’t playing football, he’s spending time with his parents and his girlfriend.

And he relaxes with music, including Larry June, Marvin Gaye, BossMan Dlow and other artists.

“I’m a huge music guy,” Pitre said. “It’s a little bit more of a chiller vibe. I’ll go with some Marvin Gaye, keep it old school and then some BossMan Dlow and turn it up a little bit.”

Pitre follows a tradition of watching the Denzel Washington basketball movie, ‘He Got Game,’ in the days leading up to kickoff. He knows the lines of Jesus Shuttleworth and Washington’s character by heart.

“They did a great job with that movie,” Pitre said. “A lot of the scenes it kind of takes me back to when I was a kid and my dad was hard on me. My dad was always pushing me and my brother to get better. It’s a big reason why I am where I am today. It’s just a little bit of a flashback and it kind of grounds me. It gets me ready for the game.”

His family and his girlfriend inspire Pitre to strive for more in all areas.

“My parents are always challenging me, my girlfriend is always challenging me, my brother,” Pitre said. “We’re always thinking of ideas to help each other out and continue to develop ourselves.”

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

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