HOUSTON -- Before training camp began, DeMeco Ryans set the tone for his team with a different approach.
The Houston Texans coach delivered a speech with a picture of Artemis II towering over him in bold letters. The names from NASA's crew of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen sat beneath Ryans as he talked about the launch on April 1 and flight around the moon, marking the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Ryans used the 10-day mission to fly around the moon before returning safely to Earth as an example of how the crew "went further" than anyone else. But he also highlighted how they laid the groundwork for years to make that moment possible.
He compared the takeoff to what Houston could do this upcoming season. How this team could reach heights that it never has. Not only reaching the AFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history, but winning the Super Bowl.
Built different. pic.twitter.com/WFe4INau1f
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) July 29, 2026
"The preparation that it took for Artemis II to launch, it took three years for that mission to take place, and that's the beauty of it," Ryans said.
Owner Cal McNair has been on record saying Houston wants to play "in the very last game," and All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr. called the Texans a "Super Bowl team" this offseason.
"When you guys asked me about expectations, the only thing I know is high expectations," Ryans said. "That's why we do what we do to achieve the ultimate goal."
But with the Texans' lofty goals comes the mentality of daily submission to the process.
"The expectation is to take it one day at a time, one play at a time," quarterback C.J. Stroud said. "And then see where we are at the end of camp."
The roster has the necessary pieces on both sides of the ball to reach the heights the franchise has failed to capture in years prior.
Houston has a capable quarterback who has played at a Pro Bowl level at times. The running game has a lead back in David Montgomery, a more physical offensive line with the addition of first-round pick Keylan Rutledge (center), offensive tackle Braden Smith and former All-Pro guard Wyatt Teller. Wideout Nico Collins is a multiple time Pro Bowler.
The defense is highly decorated with three All-Pros in cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., Danielle Hunter and Anderson. There are three other Pro Bowlers in linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, cornerback Kamari Lassiter and safety Calen Bullock. Each level has difference-makers, which helped them allow the fewest yards (277.2 per game) and second-fewest points (17.4) in the NFL last season.
But the coaches and players have left those achievements in the past, shifting their focus toward a Super Bowl while putting a massive emphasis on the daily process.
"You just have to realize that it's a marathon," Lassiter said. "It's a long season. Training camp is the beginning, but every day you want to get better. If we have a common goal, and we're all trying to reach that goal, you take each and every day with a sense of gratitude and you attack it like you don't have the next one."
The push for goals never met is what's fueling this season, but they won't rush through the importance of the process.
"You want to do things, you want to go places you've never been before, there's a lot of preparation in the background to prepare to launch," Ryans said. "We don't launch tomorrow. You don't just get there just by talking about it. You got to put the work in, and that's the main message."