Texans Training Camp Thread

Quotes from yesterday's practice:

Head Coach Bill O’Brien

Spoiler

(on getting Brandon Brooks back) “You know, it’s always good to get everybody who’s been on the shelf a little bit back healthy. Brandon is no exception. He’s played a lot of football here in Houston. He came back with a little injury and he’s working his way through it and it was good to see him out here today.”

(on how Johnathan Joseph is doing now that he was back out at practice) “He’s doing well. He’s another guy who’s had a very good career in this league and anytime you have a corner of his ability--he’s working through some things. He’s able to come back out here today. It was a good thing for our team.”

(on what he thought about working with Denver) “It was good. You know, anytime you go against another team that obviously is a heck of a football team and they throw different looks at you, now you can go back to the meeting room and show our team some things that we need to work on and correct and things like that, and then some things that were good., I think it’s always good to go against another team and not just go against yourselves all the time.”

(on what this week means to the team) “I think it’s great. You know, you have a chance to be together as a team in the hotel. We have a great setup over there at Inverness. You know, training room, dining room, staff room, everybody’s got a position meeting room, it’s a good deal; meal room, obviously. We’re excited about this and we came out here today and got some good work. And we’ll get good work the next two days.”

(on Andre Johnson, Arian Foster and Brian Cushing ramping up their workload today) “Sure. Yeah. They did. They practiced more than they had and that’s a good sign for our football team.”

(on the advantage of doing a joint practice this late into training camp) “Yeah, as far as it being the third week of the preseason? Yeah, a little bit later than you would normally do it, but again, for our football team being the first year together with our staff and these players, I think it’s good for us to be able to go, come up here to Denver and measure ourselves against a team that was in the Super Bowl last year. No matter when you do, whether it is the third week or the fourth week or the second week or the first week, to me, it doesn’t matter. It’s about getting good work against a good team.”

(on Chris Myers getting a day off) “Yeah, just a day off.”

(on how he views the third preseason game) “I think every game is a step in the process. Preseason games, a step in the process headed towards the regular season. You know, you’re really trying to be at your best on Sept. 7. The third game versus the fourth game, the second game, all those things, I think each team has their own individual needs and problems that they need to fix. Each team has to determine how they’re going to play those games. We’re going to determine that later in the week because we’re going to get good work against Denver on the practice field for three days. We’ll determine how much we do in the third game with our starters and things like that later in the week.”

(on his plan with pads in practice) “We’ll be in full pads tomorrow and then we’ll be in shells again on Thursday. This was something we agreed on today because they just came off the San Francisco game a day later than us.”

(on weighing snaps for guys returning from injury) “You know, again, each guy is spoken to every day by me, and I ask them how they’re feeling, especially the veterans, the guys that have been through a lot of battles in this league. ‘Hey, where are you at? How much do you think you can do?’ We just kind of listen to them. Listen to our trainers, obviously. It was good to see a lot of those guys back on the field today.”

(on what he feels when talks to the guys coming back from injury) “I feel good. These guys are honest about where they’re at. They want to be out here. They know how important practice is, but they also know how important the health of the team is. And so I feel good about their, my conversations with them about their help.”

(on what a defense can learn from going against Peyton Manning in practice) “Well, I think anytime you have a chance defensively to go against a hall of fame quarterback, a guy that runs the operation at the line of scrimmage, a guy that recognizes things easily, he’s done it that way for 16, 17 years, that’s always going to help your defense. Whether it is disguising better or understanding their fits or their keys and things they’re looking for. Anytime you go against a guy the caliber of Peyton Manning, that’s going to help your defense.”

(on if he can see how smooth the Denver Broncos are) “Well again, this is a team like I said earlier, that is coming off of a Super Bowl year. To me, they look like the same type of team. This is a really good football team. Lot of depth, you know, some really proven veterans on both sides of the ball, and some good young players. To me, they look like a really good football team.”

(on what you can gain off the field spending a week together in a hotel on the road) “Well, I think it’s good for our team to be able to come together. They’re eating meals together, they’re meeting together, they’re staying on the same floors, things like that. There is a lot that can be gained from guys basically living in a dormitory together for a week, and it’s been that way in Houston. I think it adds to the chemistry and it adds to the guys getting to know each other, which helps the team in the long run.”

T Duane Brown

Spoiler

It was a good time, man. We got a lot of good work here going against a team that played in the Super Bowl last year. There was a lot of competition, new fronts, unfamiliar faces, so it was a lot of good work.”

(on last week’s practice with the Falcons building confidence and if he thinks this will continue to help build it) “I think so. I think every week we come out as a team we’re building, we’re getting better mentally and physically. Going against a team that has as much talent as this team has and being able to compete against them, I definitely think it will boost our confidence.”

(on whom he matched up with most today) “DeMarcus Ware, the majority of the day.”

(on the skill level of DeMarcus Ware) “Pretty good player. He’s a hall of fame caliber player. He didn’t make it easy on me today. We battled though, so it was great, great competition.”

(on his thoughts on the Denver weather) “It’s lovely. The altitude isn’t getting to me, so it’s been good.”

(on if he knew he was going to have Saturday’s game against the Falcons off) “No, I didn’t know, but it was a pleasant surprise.”

(on if he was frustrated that he suited up but didn’t play) “They had their idea of what they wanted to get accomplished and I’m not going to argue.”

G Brandon Brooks

Spoiler

(on his first day back on the field after passing his physical) “The biggest thing is to get out there with my brothers. My personal background, I’m an only child so I don’t know what it’s like to have brothers, but I would assume this is the closest thing to it. It’s just really good to one, get back healthy, and two, getting back out there with your brothers.”

(on what he found out about himself in his first day back) “The big thing is that I passed the conditioning test first, so I’m in condition. It’s just getting back out here and knocking some of the rust off.”

(on how he injured himself) “Just training hard. Now that it’s behind me I’m just looking forward.”

(on how much he has left to go to get to where he wants to be physically) “I’m just going to take it one rep, every day, at a time. I’m starting from square one and have got to play catch up, but at the same time after practice I got some extra reps today in different pass pro. Any chance I get to get an extra rep in any practice I can, I need to do it.”

(on how much mental reps have helped him throughout camp) “They’ve helped me tremendously, whether getting the call from the coaches and running it through my head or even just taking the steps in back.”

(on if he has ever had to overcome injury or time off and get back into football shape) “In college, I got hurt in the spring twice. At the same time, I think football is just as mental as it is physical. Just because you’re not physically out there, you can still take mental reps as if you were.”

(on how frustrated he was that he couldn’t come in and immediately build off of what he did last year due to the injury) “Yeah, it is frustrating, but like I said, I’ve been back here taking mental reps. At the end of the day, I do have some time before we need to get ready and I’m going to take it every play and every rep at a time and get as much extra (work) as I can.”

(on when he feels he can participate in a game) “I don’t know right now. Right now, I’m doing individual and I’ll leave that to the training staff to let me know when I can go full-go.”

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick

Spoiler

(on getting Arian Foster, Andre Johnson and Brandon Brooks back at practice) “It’s great to have everyone out there on the field. Just the different communication things that happens, whether in the huddle or on the field at the line, you know, between plays. It’s nice to have guys out there working in practice and it’s one of those things were I’ve got to be able to communicate with them. With Andre, a lot of it has been after series or whatever it is talking to him on the sideline. It’s nice to have him in the huddle.”

(on Andre Johnson or Arian Foster running routes with him being better than mental reps) “It’s nice to get everybody on the same page. A lot of that is getting out on the field and doing it.”

(on going against the Bronco’s secondary and trash talking) “Yeah, you know, I don’t really listen to the chatter all that much. But this is a good setting for competitive practices, and that’s what gets you better in the NFL is competing in practice.”

(on the veterans in the Denver secondary and if it is like an extra preseason game) “I think, you know, they’re got good personnel and we’re seeing a different scheme as well and seeing different looks. That really helps our guys in terms of the different routes that we’re running and why we’re running them, and being able to react on the fly.”

(on if he amps it up more against another team in practice) “Yeah, I think the competitive juices just naturally flow a little bit more. You want to come out here and do good things against a different opponent. For us, again, the Atlanta week was a positive I think because of some of those things and breaking up kind of monotony of camp, and this hopefully does the same thing.”

(on if he can still learn things from someone like Peyton Manning) “Yeah, of course. I think everybody can learn stuff from him. I’m constantly learning things from everybody whether it’s coaches or other players, whoever it is. Some of it is sitting there watching and some of it is talking to guys. Yeah, it’s a constant learning process.”

DeAndre Hopkins

Spoiler

(on what he thinks about going against Denver) “It was good going up against a defense that you’re going to see coming up at the end of the week. You kind of get familiar with the things you do and hopefully you execute when the game comes.”

(on if there was trash talking going on between the teams) “No, not much. You know, it’s football so there’s always going to be talking.”

(on going against Aqib Talib at the end of practice) “You know, it is just fun and games. I think they like to pick on guys that they know can beat them. So not going to sit there and talk to nobody that’s wasting their time.”

(on going against a guy like Aqib Talib who has a reputation of a trash talker) “I’m a grown man. I don’t back down from any challenge. It’s great when a guy like him comes out here and challenges me to get better.”

(on facing a guy like Aqib Talib on the field) “You know, he’s a great DB. He’s earned that reputation that he has. You know, so going against him is going to do nothing but make me better. Coming out here and going against a Pro Bowl caliber defender is good.”

(on if it feels more like the first team unit with Arian Foster and Andre Johnson out there) “Yeah, you know, it’s kind of a chemistry type thing when you’ve got all of your starters out there most of the game. Just to get that chemistry and to get that feel of each other, so yeah, it’s good.”

WR Andre Johnson

Spoiler

(on the change of weather and the altitude) “Well, I think this is not that bad for me. I’ve been out here, played a few times, so I think when you kind of know what to expect, you don’t really worry about it too much. You know, it is a little different but at the same time you just go out there and play.”

(on being more active today) “I did some team stuff, some 11-on-11 stuff, got a rep in one-on-ones and stuff like that. I’m feeling pretty good. Like I said before, I’ve been getting better day by day. The whole thing is just not to have any setbacks. So I’ll continue to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m pretty sure as time goes along I’ll do more and more.”

(on balancing the reality of the regular season versus the preseason) “I mean, you know, you’d like to be out there. But at the same time, we’re just taking it day by day. As the week goes along we’ll just see what happens.”

(on a lot of guys coming back from injury today) “Well, I mean, it’s good to have everybody out on the field. I mean, that’s what you want. You don’t want everybody on the sidelines or anything like that. You know, I think right now is the right time to get healthy. So I mean, I think that’s a good thing for us as a team.”

(on if he is starting to get a picture of what the offense can be when everyone is healthy) “Yeah, I think when you go out and we execute like we’re supposed to, we can be a very good football team. I think when you go out there and make the mistakes that we made in the Arizona game, you can see what can happen. You just put that stuff behind you and you just try to get better from what you did that day. So, we’ll try to get better from what we did today. We’ll watch it on film and come out here tomorrow and go back at it again.”

(on what he thought about the Denver defensive backs) “I think it’s just great going against another team and competing. So, you know, I think it’s great competition for us and for them. Sometimes you kind of tired going against your teammates, especially in training camp, so I think it makes practice fun and it’s a lot of competition.”

CB Johnathan Joseph

Spoiler

(on how it felt to be back out there) “It felt great just to be back out there with my teammates. You know, getting in and getting some good work. Just a blessing to be back out there.”

(on what part of practice he participated in) “Just individual drills for the most part. Couple of walk through drills. Didn’t do any team drills.”

(on how far he is from where he wants to be) “I don’t really have a percentage or a time table. I’m just working every day just trying to get myself where I’m in good enough shape to go all game.”

(on if he has an idea when he’ll play for the first time) “Not my call to make, you know. Just doing my job of being ready when my number is called. Like today I came out, worked on the small things, technique details.”

(on how he is progressing) “I’m progressing fine. I think I’m right where I need to be this point in time in training camp, just being smart about it.”

(on when he thinks he’ll start showing explosiveness) “I think I’m right around where I want to be, like I said earlier on. It’s about just being able to do it for a full game and being able to go out there and not worry about it at all.”

(on going against an offense of the caliber of Denver) “It’s great. Any time you have chance to go one week against Matt Ryan and the next week against Peyton Manning in a full practice setting, it’s just great because you can never get that type of work, even throughout the preseason. You don’t have that many plays where you play a full game, so we have a chance to come out here and practice and get a game type situation.”

(on spending a week together on the road with the team) “It’s good. You never want to leave home in training camp, but it’s good to build team comradery and team chemistry and things like that. To be in a different setting, you know, right there where you started a foundation and you build your team up.”

DE J.J. Watt

Spoiler

(on if he thinks his contract needs to get done before the season starts) “I think when you look around the league and a see a couple other guys from the 2011 draft class get contracts, I think it’s just nice to see the appreciation being shown. With the new CBA, I think one of the goals was to make guys earn their pay. No more big paydays upfront. Make guys go out there and play and show that they’ve earned it. So I think when a team gives a contract after the third year, I think they’re saying, ‘Listen, we think you’ve earned this.’ I don’t know if they feel that way or not but I sure hope I’ve put in all the work and I’ve put in everything I can do to hopefully earn it. I get paid to go after quarterbacks. There are people who get paid to decide how much I get paid to go after quarterbacks. I’ll let them all decide that. I can’t worry about it out here. All I can do is practice football.”

(on how important it is to have something done with his contract before the season starts) “Obviously, I think that would be great. But like I said, it does me no good to sit here and worry about it every single day. There are people who get paid to worry about that. I come out here and I play football to the best of my ability. I try and play with my teammates as well as I possibly can, help out the young guys and do everything that I can to be the best Houston Texan possible and then I let all of that take care of itself. No matter what, I will always try to put on the best face I can for this organization and I’ll always try and be the best ambassador I can be for the Houston Texans.”

(on if he has a personal philosophy on how he’s going to approach getting a new contract) “I think no matter what job you do, I don’t care what job it is, you want to outperform your contract. I feel like that’s how everybody should attack their job, at least. You should want people to think you’re underpaid because of how hard you work, because of how well you do your job, because of how you go about your business. That’s just personal pride and that’s the way that I was raised and that’s the way my parents taught me was if they give you $2 worth of wage, give them $3 worth of work.”

(on why he hasn’t exerted any leverage in getting a new contract) “Because that would cause me to miss time with my teammates and right now I want to practice. I want to be out here with these young guys. I want to teach them the things that I know. I want to better myself. It hasn’t really come to that. I want to be a Houston Texan. I want to play football. I want to be the best I can be and I can’t do that by sitting on my couch. So I want to come out here and practice and help the team.”

(on how he would characterize the talks between his people and the Texans) “I have no idea. I’m out here playing football. That’s all I can say. I let those people worry about those things.”

(on if he was surprised when Texans owner Bob McNair used the term ‘franchise tag’ in the media) “Like I said, the business side of things is the business side. Right now I’m in football mode so I worry about that. If the time comes where I really need to get involved in the business side, I will. But for the time being, I’m just trying to be the best teammate I can be right now and help my teammates out and be the best football player I can be because I sure as heck love this game.”

(on if he would like to be with the Texans as long as possible) “I sure would like to be. I love the fans that we have. I love the relationship that we have. The city is so great and the way that they treated myself and my family, I couldn’t ask for a better place to play. So I sure as heck hope that we can make something happen. Like I said, I hope that I’ve given the effort and everything they could want to hopefully show that appreciation.”

(on his post-practice tutorial with Jadeveon Clowney) “Every day we work a little something. As you’ve seen in the games, he’s a very talented player. I just try and teach him a couple of the things I’ve learned in my time in this league and ways that we can help each other because I really think it can be a lot of fun.”

(on how he is able to separate the business side of football from how he goes about preparing and playing) “I think that I realized that if I worry about the business side while I’m out here, I’m not going to get the best practice. I know that if I waste a day, that’s a day I can’t get back. That’s a rep I can’t get back. And if I waste that rep, somebody else didn’t waste that rep. I can’t afford to have that happen. I need every single rep. I need every single practice to get as good as I can possibly get. That’s why I don’t like practicing in no pads. I want to be in full pads because that’s football. I want to be out here practicing and ready to go full-board. Tomorrow is going to be a lot of fun because that’s when you get better as a player. But the business side, that’ll take care of itself. Like I said, if I need to get involved in that at some point, I will. But I really hope they can figure all that out.”

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...n-Denver/6b84ec90-9439-4934-8181-742f20a25d1f

 

Quotes from Wednesday's practice:

Head Coach Bill O’Brien

Spoiler

(on what he took away from the chippiness at the end of practice) “It was competition. I don’t really even know what you’re talking about. I really don’t. It was just a lot of good competition and I felt like it helped our team a lot, and I’m not speaking for the Broncos, but I know that competition helps everybody, so it was good.”

(on what happened with Jadeveon Clowney) “I don’t know yet. Yeah, I’m not sure. I was in the middle of practice so we’ll find out here.”

(on how Jadeveon Clowney was doing before he went out) “He was, you know, just again I thought we were playing aggressively and I thought he was a part of that. He was playing aggressively. I thought yesterday’s practice the defense had some good moments and looked like today was more of the same.”

(on Chris Myers having a second day off) “Yeah, you know, here’s a guy that’s played a lot of football in this league and we’re making sure that he’s ready to go on Sept. 7.”

(on if Chris Myers is hurt) “No.”

(on if he can tell what is going on with Jadeveon Clowney) “No.”

(on what he saw when things got a little chippy out there) “Again, I’m not sure what you saw, but what I saw was good competition, good two-minute drill. Everything went according to plan.”

(on what he saw from Ryan Fitzpatrick’s execution) “It was better, it was better; again, I don’t think it’s where it needs to be yet. But it’s, you have to give these guys a lot of credit on both sides of the ball, on special teams, because I believe their coming out there every day whether it’s in Houston or here in Denver or when we’re going against Atlanta, and their really working hard to get better every day, which is a good thing.”

(on the refs throwing the flags in the secondary and what advantages it gives the team) “Well I think that is exactly right. I think we have a chance to say or the referee has a chance to say to us what exactly was the foul, and so they can explain to us what they’re looking for and we can see it on tape and continue to coach it. I know that all 32 teams are dealing with the same things and we’re trying to coach it the right. And I know the officials are trying to call it the right way. So we’ll just continue to coach it and I think the officials out here for the past two days have done a really good job of explaining it to us.”

(on Andre Johnson back making plays he’s accustomed to making) “Well, he’s a big part of what we do here. You know, I’ve said that from the beginning. He’s a guy that has been with this franchise for a very long time. In my opinion, he’ll be a Hall of Fame receiver, and anytime you have a guy like that, that caliber a player out here on the field, it does nothing but help you as a team and it helps the younger players and it’s great to have him back out here.”

(on if Ryan Fitzpatrick looked really good today) “I thought Fitz (Fitzpatrick), you know, I was on the other field. We split the fields a little bit differently. John Fox went with their defense, but from what I could see in the periods that we were together I thought that Fitzy came out here and worked very well today.”

(on what kind of respect he would have as an offensive coach looking at J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney on defense) “A lot of respect. You know, and again, I think that has to do with a lot of guys on our defense. I believe when our defense goes out there, our front line defense is a good defense. They play well together. They communicate well together. We’ve got to really improve the depth of our defense, and that’s what we’re trying to do. But I believe that our top defenders went out there and have had a good couple days.”

(on how beneficial the combined practices are for working out kinks) “You can’t really simulate this when you go against each other. It’s just, the competition level rises, you see different schemes, you hear different communication on both sides of the ball, the coaches work together, we’re able to talk to Denver’s coaches and vice versa about some of the things their doing, what they’re looking for, what we’re looking for, and I thought that both teams worked very well together.”

(on the play of C.J. Fiedorowicz) “Yeah, he’s a guy that has improved daily. He’s a tough kid, he’s an instinctive player, he’s shown to have good hands, he’s a good young blocker and he’s going to get better and better because he works on it. You know, I can really say that about most of the rookies. That draft class, I believe, has come out here every day and worked hard to get better every day.”

(on if he said Chris Myers’s absence is not health related) “No, we’re just giving him a couple days off and making sure that he’s ready to go for future practices and games.”

(on if he anticipates Chris Myers playing in Saturday’s game) “I don’t know yet.”

(on if he picked the Broncos to practice with because they’ve been one of the league’s best teams) “When the preseason schedule came out, you know, it was something where we definitely wanted to do it with Atlanta and we saw that Denver was the third game, and I felt like here’s a team that was in the Super Bowl last year, here’s a good test for our team to come up here and see what a Super Bowl team looks like. And I think it’s really helped our team. Our guys have come out here and competed hard, and it’s been good for the Houston Texans.”

(on Jadeveon Clowney going against Ryan Clady and how he felt Clowney did) “Well, Clady is a great player and all that can do is help a young player when he goes up against a great offensive tackle like that. J.D. (Clowney) goes up against (Duane) Brown and (Derek) Newton every day in practice, and they’re two good tackles, too. Duane Brown is a Pro-Bowl tackle, and so that helps him too. Whenever you can go against guys like Sam Baker and then Clady and guys like that, it really helps a young player.”

(on if Jadeveon Clowney being in and out of practice the past few weeks make it harder for him in games) “No.”

(on what he’s seen from Max Bullough) “Here’s a guy that I think is a smart player. He’s a competitive kid. He’s a good communicator. He grew up in football family, so football, he sees things very well and for an undrafted guy he’s earned himself playing time here in training camp.”

(on where he thinks Louis Nix III is right now) “You know, I think Louis is progressing. It’s good to see him out here these last two days. That’s a good thing for our team. That’s a good thing for Louis, and so we’ll watch the film today and see how he did, but I think he’s progressing and we’re trying to ease him back into things.”

(on coordinating two teams at practice) “It’s kind of a fun challenge because we’re able to work together, John Fox and I, and talk on the phone and say, ‘OK, what do you want to do in this period? What do you want to do in that period?’ He’s a great guy to work with. He’s been in this league so long and I have a ton of respect for him, and it was a very good relationship as far as working together and working the practice plans well. I thought it went well."

ILB Brian Cushing

Spoiler

(on things getting competitive at the end of practice with the Broncos) “It’s football. Obviously these are two competitive teams just trying to get better. That’s the whole point of having the joint practices, coming out and competing against a very talented team, a very good team. That’s all we’re looking to do is just get better and compete.”

(on how he feels about the defense) “We feel good. We feel like we’re definitely growing and molding together. But at the same time, we still have some work to do and we have some time as well. What we are right now isn’t what we’re going to be September 7 but we definitely see ourselves on that path.”

(on how much work he expects to get on Saturday) “I’m not sure. For the most part, I’ve been practicing a good amount. I’m excited to be back out there. Any game-time situation obviously I want to play in and play a good amount but that’s not up to me. That’s up to the coaches.”

(on if he’ll be comfortable not playing leading up to the season opener) “Yeah. Football is football. But at the same time, you want to get out there, you want to get some game-time experience, especially against a very good football team. Whatever the situation is, I’m ready to play or what not.”

(on how much the joint practices with the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos are helping) “I think it’s very competitive. I think it’s a great opportunity to come out here and really practice against good teams and see some good stuff and go against Peyton (Manning) every day. It’s a challenge, but at the same time it’s going to make you better. If you want to be the best, you have to compete against the best. That’s just kind of the mindset we have. We’re not scared of competition. We want to go out and be the best team we can going into September 7.”

(on seeing what Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning does every day and how that helps the Texans) “It’s helping a lot. There’s a lot of different stuff he can do. He has a million checks and a million different looks and he’s an extremely smart football player so you have to try to match that as best as you can.”

(on how much he’s looking forward to making that first crushing hit) “I don’t know. I mean, I am. I’m just more excited to play, whatever the situation is, the hit or what not. I’m just excited to get into a game-time situation.”

(on if getting a big hit will help him mentally) “I had a couple today. I think it’s out of the way. I feel great. I’m excited about where I am physically and mentally, but we all know the game is stepped up just a little bit more. It’s a little faster, a little more intense. I’m excited but I’m excited but I’m excited for every day. I’m excited for every practice and for every game. I’m looking forward to all of it.”

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick

Spoiler

(on talking with Broncos QB Peyton Manning) “I’ve played against him a few times. I actually did the Manning Passing Academy back in the day, when I was in college. I guess that was where I first met him, not even that he really remembers that. He’s obviously a great quarterback, but a great guy too.”

(on how special it is to be part of the Manning Passing Academy and now opposing Peyton Manning as a fellow quarterback) “I was a college counselor, but I didn’t think at that point that the NFL was in my future. Looking back on it, it was just a really neat experience for me to go against some of the other college guys and kind of size myself up and meet the Manning family.”

(on what it means to be able to talk and reminisce with Peyton Manning) “Again, the NFL in general, I think quarterbacks in the NFL, it’s a brotherhood. We’ve all got our bond and we all go through similar ups and downs and all the same things. Some of us more than others, obviously, but it’s a nice thing that we share.”

(on how he felt he has practiced the last couple of days) “This was so good for us. Again, just like the Atlanta week and we talked about it yesterday, but we came out here today and had a great day of work. Things weren’t always exactly what we wanted and execution wasn’t always what we wanted, but in terms of getting it on film and getting guys running around and competing and going against a different team, it was good work for us.”

(on Bill O’Brien stating that Fitzpatrick was very good in practice today and the process of syncing up with his wide receivers) “Yeah, it’s all about practice and getting it done and just understanding a guy’s body language and his feel for the game and them knowing what I’m expecting from them. We had some good connections today with some of that stuff.”

(on if things got a little chippy today between the teams) “Yeah, but it wasn’t anything too big.”

(on if he talks with his receivers about the illegal contact emphasis they’re putting on defensive backs this season) “I think we pay attention each week in terms of flags and things we need to do to get better on offense. Also, as a team, we talk about defense and special teams and all that. Obviously there is a lot of noise in the media about it, more about the amount of flags being thrown. For us, we go out there and play and you don’t know if they’re going to call it or not, so you have to go out there and run your best route every time.”

WR Andre Johnson

Spoiler

(on the intensity level of practice) “I think that comes with competition. You have two competitive teams that are working. With this game of football, sometimes tempers get to flaring a little bit. Everybody was able to settle down and realize what we needed to do and that was get this good work that we needed as a team. We came in wanting to get some good work in this week. We’ve got another day tomorrow. We’ll just keep moving forward.”

(on what happened between the two teams at the end of practice) “I don’t know, man. Like I said, tempers just flared a little bit. Words got exchanged. Nothing more than that.”

(on how different it is now with illegal contact calls being emphasized) “For me, just watching the game last week against Atlanta, it kind of makes the game longer. It actually makes you hate it a little bit because every time you look around, there’s a flag on the ground. I mean, it’s football. It’s a contact sport. Everything’s not going to be perfect. You’re going to get bumped around a little bit. This is just my personal opinion, I don’t think it will be called as much in the regular season as it’s called right now.”

(on Texans WR Mike Thomas saying he enjoys the emphasized calls on illegal contact by defensive backs) “Yeah, it’s a great advantage. You can’t complain about it. Whatever they’re doing to change the game, as players we just have to adjust to it.”

(on if it’s important for him to get snaps against the Broncos on Saturday) “Like I’ve said before, I always want to play but Coach O’Brien has the final say-so. We’ll see what happens. Like I’ve said, we’ve just been progressing every day since I’ve been back on the field. I did more today than I did yesterday. Hopefully tomorrow I come back and do more than I did today. We’ll just see what happens. All in all, I’m feeling fine. I know that if I had to, I can go out and play.”

WR Travis Labhart

Spoiler

(on if he is trying to learn all the various wide receiver positions or focusing on a particular one) “As a receiver, an offensive guy or whatever you may be, you want to learn the offense as a big picture. You don’t want to look solely at one spot. I think, for me, knowledge is power and so the more you know the more value you are to the team, etc. I just think, for me, it’s important to know all the positions and I think I do. I just want to continue to learn and get better and follow those veteran leads and do what you can.”

(on maximizing his opportunity with the Texans) “Coaches hopefully just are beginning to trust me and players alike. That begins with the quarterbacks as well, because you don’t want to trick the quarterback. Then they’re not going to look your way if they can’t count on you. I think, like you said, maximizing those opportunities and when coaches give you an opportunity, you have to be ready. You have to put in the extra time off the field to be sure you’re ready on the field.”

(on if he gets any kind of a boost from making those catches out in practice) “Yeah, sure. You gain confidence with your successes. You can’t always tell how good practice was until you go back and look at the film, but making a catch and knowing you’re open and doing your assignment is definitely something that gives you confidence and your ability to move in the right direction and get better.”

(on looking back at all the progress he’s made) “The coaching is just phenomenal. I’ve learned so much. Every single level, it feels like from peewee, middle school, high school, college and then now in the NFL, it’s a whole new ballgame. It has opened my eyes to a whole lot of new things. I’m just learning more about the game and I think the coaching has been outstanding. Also, the veteran leadership with Andre Johnson, Mike Thomas and all those guys have been really helpful to me gaining confidence and getting better as a player.”

D.J. Swearinger

Spoiler

(on intercepting Peyton Manning on the two-minute drill at the end of practice) “He ran an over route, I picked it off, end of the game.”

(on what happened at the end of practice where there was a little skirmish) “Well, you know, we had some choice words at the end. The offense going against their defense, you know, it got a little chippy. And you know, it’s all football. Everybody competing, everybody having a good fun, but I think at the end of the days it’s just some people being mad, and it’s all good, it’s football.”

(on both teams going at it as much as they could without full contact) “Most definitely. You know, we want to stay clean out here. We’re not out here to start nothing with nobody. We’re out here to get work. Both teams got good work. You know, It got a little chippy at the end, but it’s all football, man. It’s a part of the game and we’ll settle it on Saturday.”

(on if it’s good to have chippy play when practicing with another team after not having it with Atlanta) “Well, we actually did have that against the Falcons. I had a little altercation last week, but it’s all good. It’s something, like I said, it’s football. At the end of the day we’re competing. We’re all competitors and we want to get the best out of each other, and at the end of the day that is what it is. Getting the best out of each other and competing.”

(on what started the skirmish at the end of practice) “Well, I actually got a pick. I picked him off. I picked off Peyton (Manning) today, and I guess that got them a little chippy. We ran, the offense did great, ran the ball down their throat. I mean, I would get mad, but that’s all it is, man. Players making plays and people getting mad, and that’s part of the game.”

(on what it means to get an interception off Peyton Manning, even if it is practice) “It’s great, bro. It’s great. Practice or not, you practice how you play. I wanted to get it. You don’t get these opportunities to practice against the greats, and it was great for me to get a pick against him.”

(on if he saw what happened to Jadeveon Clowney) “No, I didn’t. I didn’t at all.”

(on Elbert Mack’s interception and the guys’ celebration the same as the flag they received in the game against Atlanta) “Yes, we did get flagged for that. I don’t know why, but I guess we can’t do it in the game no more. We’ve got to come up with something else.”

(on doing celebrations in practice) “We’re going to do it practice. We’ve got to have fun. This game is about having fun. If you love what you’re doing, you’re going to have fun, and that’s what we’re doing.”

(on if he watched Hard Knocks last night) “I didn’t, man, but people told me about it.”

(on if he feels he is getting in some of his opponents’ heads) “Already, man. Already. That’s something that if they don’t like that’s cool. I’m going to play my game and if you let me get into your head, that’s your problem.”

(on if he thinks the talking helps him) “It helps me tremendously, tremendously, and I’ve been talking since I was five year’s old on the field. All my older cousins talk to me and push me around, so when I got to this area, I wanted to talk to. That is just a part of me and it doesn’t change my game at all. I think it changes other player’s games because they let me get inside their heads.”

(on the importance of the defense having swagger and toughness and if Bill O’Brien wants that) “Yeah, man, he wants some swagger, he wants some hard nose guys coming in there and making some big hits and making some plays. A lot of playmakers, they have a little savvy about them, have a little swagger about them. Today we got a good bit of that, and I’m glad.”

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