Foley Fatukasi was shocked.

He was asked how he got the nickname “Big Dog,” and though he initially starts to respond, he stops after realizing the question.

“How you know that?” Fatukasi asks. “That’s in-house.”

After a brief back-and-forth, he finally explains.

The nickname was given to him by defensive line coach Rod Wright and assistant D-line coach Nate Ollie. Wright and Ollie use the nicknames as motivation for their players.

And it has helped fuel them to be one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.

Want to know why some of the top quarterbacks — Josh Allen, Jared Goff, Tua Tagovailoa and most recently Justin Herbert —  have had the worst games of their careers against the Texans?

Look no further than the defensive line.

They’ve found ways to affect games this season, whether that’s through sacks, pressures, or quarterback hits. They finished the regular season fourth in the NFL with 49 sacks.

And they pressure quarterbacks on 37.8% of their dropbacks, which is No. 2 in the league, trailing only the Cleveland Browns.

The goal, edge rusher Danielle Hunter — who is nicknamed “Cyborg” — said, is to “affect the quarterback in any way possible.”

“It can be a sack, hit his arm, or anything,” Hunter said. “Just find a way. You don’t got to get home every time. If you affect him, I’d say the chances of winning go up about 50%. That’s why they pay him so much.”

Last week, the Texans took down the Chargers by pressuring Herbert on 50% of his dropbacks and sacking him four times.

It led to a career-high four interceptions for Herbert, which was one more than he had thrown all season.

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh was almost at a loss for words after the game.

“(Their) edge pressure is the best we’ve seen,” Harbaugh said. “The pass rush was outstanding.”

It also helps that the Texans have one of the best secondaries in the NFL. Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. is a first team All-Pro selection. And cornerback Kamari Lassiter and safety Calen Bullock should both be candidates for Defensive Rookie of the Year. They had 13 combined interceptions.

So when the defensive line forces the quarterback to rush throws, the Texans’ secondary is often there to make a play.

But it starts with those nicknames.

Behind the nicknames

 

Wright, who was promoted this offseason to from assistant defensive line coach to the man in charge, said he and Ollie were looking for ways to motivate their players when he thought of giving them nicknames.

By taking on those nicknames, his players would hopefully take on their characters’ personas.

Will Anderson Jr., the group’s leader, is “The Terminator,” the superhero played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, and a nickname that dates back to his Alabama days.

Hunter is “Cyborg,” mostly given to him by Wright because of his physique, but also his personality, and the fact that he’s not the most well-known superhero.

Edge rusher Denico Autry is “Junkyard Dog,” because he’s a guy you wouldn’t want to meet in an alley and because of his relation to the former pro wrestler.

Edge rusher Derek Barnett is “Deadshot,” named after the superhero played by Will Smith and because he resembles him.

Defensive tackle Mario Edwards is “Wild Dog” because of his personality.

Fatukasi is “Big Dog.”

Defensive tackle Tim Settle, has several nicknames. But they mostly call him “Skinny Timmy.”

And defensive tackle Kurt Hinish is “Mr. Reliable.”

“It makes you feel unique,” Hinish said. “It makes you feel good. It gasses you up a little bit.”

Said Edwards: “It’s like (playing) Tekken,” he said of the video game. “You get to pick your character. You tap into that alter ego.”

Each day, before starting the D-line meeting, Wright and Ollie will put up a few clips of the D-linemen making plays. They call it “Rep your style.” After showing the player making a play, they’ll show a clip of the person’s character.

The room goes crazy. For players that don’t have characters, they’ll find other ways to celebrate them.

“It gets the vibes going,” Wright said. “The positivity.”

You can see it in the celebrations. After a sack, Hunter will put both hands parallel to the ground and act like he’s lifting off like Cyborg. Anderson does the finger wag.

All have made contributions at some point this season. And they feed off each other.

“I thought it was cool because the actual Junkyard Dog is my cousin,” Autry said. “Every nickname fits the guy and the personality of the player.”

It’s fun for the D-line and hell for opposing quarterbacks.

Some of the top quarterbacks in the NFL have had the worst games of their careers against the Texans this season.  Here are some of the notable ones:

Other quarterbacks like Anthony Richardson in Week 1 and Aaron Rodgers in the first half of their Oct. 31 game also had their struggles.

Why?

Pressure from the D-line was a huge factor.

Wearing teams down

 

Ryans made it an emphasis this offseason to retool his D-line, despite the success they had last season, after they were whipped in the playoffs by the Ravens.

He knew that to compete with the top teams, they needed more.

The Texans had good players, but they lacked depth. So when players got hurt, their defensive line wasn’t as effective.

Now, they can rotate several edge rushers and tackles throughout the game.

Hunter leads the Texans with 12 sacks this season. Anderson has 11. Settle and Barnett both had five. Edwards and Autry both had three.

“The coaching, Rod and Nate, they do a really great job of being detailed of what they ask the guys to do,” Ryans told the Chronicle, “and being able to have a rotation of guys so you’re not just counting on one guy to get pressure.

“We have eight or nine guys working in the rotation working together, we don’t want to give the O-line a break. We can wear teams down.”

Saturday’s divisional-round game presents a different challenge for this D-line.

No one has cracked the code in stopping Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

When Mahomes retires, he might be considered the best quarterback ever. The Tyler native has won three Super Bowls, including the last two, three Super Bowl MVPs, and two regular-season MVPs all before he’s turned 30.

But his ability to escape the pocket, and then make big throws is why he’s one of the best. In the first matchup with the Chiefs, the Texans managed to only sack Mahomes once.

Kansas City emphasized getting the ball out of their hands quickly.

“He does a good job of getting the ball out,” Ryans said. “They do a good job of getting all five eligibles out as well. And if check down is there, he’s not afraid to take the short pass and that’s what makes him very unique.”

To slow him, the Texans’ D-linemen know they’ll have to be on their A game.

Nicknames and all.