Houston Texans star Azeez Al-Shaair is a polarizing figure. Former NFL defensive lineman Seth Payne believes he is even misunderstood in a sense.
Al-Shaair asserted that his role in the Texans’ defense is unique from “a lot of other schemes,” noting he found himself laughing at a poll from ESPN in July that ranked of the top 10 off-ball linebackers, which said that he was “specialized by scheme.”
He joked about not being one of the players who says they ignore the outside noise.
Payne, who was with the Texans from their inaugural season in 2002 through the 2006 campaign and started 46 of 55 games in Houston, concurred with Al-Shaair.
“I had the exact same reaction Azeez did,” Payne replied to Houston Stressans (Garret Williams), who shared a clip of Al-Shaair’s comments on X on September 6. “I think there’s a perception that because the runs are funneled into the middle that it’s somehow easier to play LB. That perception ignores the conflict that creates for LBs in pass coverage.”
Azeez Al-Shaair Calls Out Bad Take
Al-Shaair, who is in his third season with the Texans and earned his first Pro Bowl in 2025, explained that his role is a difficult one to fill on the field.
“I laugh because the scheme that we run, the linebacker– especially in the cover four system, this scheme–you might as well be playing man coverage,” Al-Shaair said during an interview with former NFL EDGE Chris Long on “Green Light” on September 4, noting his responsibility is “whoever the No. 3 is” for the opposing offense on a play.
“You have an extremely challenging job. You look at guys who play in this scheme; somebody like Fred [Warner]. There’s not many guys who can own the middle in that way, and have to cover, and be able to play the run. So, you have to be extremely athletic. You have to be physical still. And when you look at other schemes, they’re not asking the MIKEs to run with anybody. You’re really just kind of just that low-hole guy, just making tackles in between the hashes, and stuff like that. Where, with our scheme you’re basically like a glorified safety.”
It should be noted that the blurb on him in the ESPN article was clearly meant to complimentary, highlighting that he shot up the ranks to make the list for the first time in his career. One executive compared Al-Shaair to NBA legend Dennis Rodman.
However, the slight did not go unnoticed all the same.
Long joked “it’s funny” to have coaches tell players to avoid exploring media coverage, saying the misrepresentation in the article would have “pissed me off, too.”
“I think some people look at the scheme and say, ‘Oh, it’s on the simpler side.’ So, they conflate that with being easier,” Long told Al-Shaair. “But to run a simple scheme like this, you got to have great players.”
Azeez Al-Shaair Gets Honest About ‘Challenge’ of Texans’ Defense
Al-Shaair also noted that the simplification of some parts of the defense complicates matters for others. He said the Texans’ attacking front requires him to be patient.
“That’s the challenge. Because when you have a scheme, where is it easier to line up? Knowing, ‘Hey, I know exactly what coverage this guy is in, and I just got to beat him? Or is it easier to be like, ‘Okay, they got 15 different coverages. I need to know which one it is right now,’” Al-Shaair asked rhetorically.
“For us, defensively, we’re like, ‘Hey, we’re going to do what we do, regardless of who we’re going against, and we’re just going to perfect [it]. It’s like a thousand punches one time versus one punch a thousand times.”
Long called that “Bruce Lee s***.”
Azeez Al-Shaair Praises DeMeco Ryans, Matt Burke
Al-Shaair also praised Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke. He noted their knack for mixing things up to keep opposing offenses off balance. He argued that they “can’t just literally line up and do the same thing every play.”
However, he also said the Texans have done just that, and in high-leverage situations.
“There’s a lot of games where we done lined up and called the one play the entire game, even in some of the biggest games of the year. Playing Pittsburgh in the playoff game, we played the same coverage almost the entire literally the entire game,” Al-Shaair said. “There’s some games where literally we have all this stuff on the call sheet and we might call one one or two plays.
“On third down you might get a rush, and that’s about it. But that’s the beauty of being able to be in a scheme like this, and have the players that we have, and the coaching staff that we have.”
Former Texans Starter Gets Honest After Azeez Al-Shaair Calls Out Comments