Heading into the climax stage of draft preparation, 610 AM’s Marc and John in the Morning interviewed Texans general manager Rick Smith who told them he was unfamiliar with the new Texans defensive system. With the hiring of Wade Phillips, the Texans will be transitioning their defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4. In the past, Smith and Gary Kubiak have drafted the likes of Brian Cushing, Amobi Okoye, Zac Diles, Glover Quin and Kareem Jackson for their 4-3 defense. Smith said on his experience outside the 4-3:
“I am excited. I’m excited from a personal standpoint, guys, to be honest with you, because at Purdue, I played in the 4-3 defense. In Denver, we played the 4-3 defense, and here, we played (it). So I’ve grown up in a 4-3 defense and this is really my first exposure to a 3-4 from a personal standpoint. Obviously, we’ve watched it and studied it and understand it, but from the standpoint of us playing a 3-4, this is the first time.”