David Robinson was at practice today. Apparently he's turned into a fan. David Robinson @DavidtheAdmiral Had an awesome time and met some great guys @houstontexans practice today. Thx for having us. #GoTexans sorry @emmittsmith22 LOL at the emmitt comment.. Houston Texans @HoustonTexans From @DavidtheAdmiral on @Johnson80 "He's a stud, kind of a freak of nature...My son really looks up to him." #TexansTrainingCamp Houston Texans @HoustonTexans From @DavidtheAdmiral on why he's at #TexansTrainingCamp w/his son: "I'm trying to get my NFL team to root for this year...This is a blast." Spoiler
Quotes from Sunday's practice: Head Coach Gary Kubiak Spoiler (on if he has an update on WR Andre Johnson) “He was in a one-on-one drill and he tweaked his groin a little bit, so I told Kap (director of sports medicine/head athletic trainer Geoff Kaplan) to go ahead and take him in and let’s go get it looked at. I don’t think it’s anything significant. Obviously, Andre has worked so dang hard to get back on the field full-speed, so it’s disappointing. I don’t think we’re staring at anything significant. We’ll let you guys know more this afternoon.” (on if WR Andre Johnson has had issues with this groin in the past) “No, he made a couple plays down there and he went down for a ball and he felt it pull a little bit. He wanted to go some more. We’re the ones that pulled him out. We’ll be smart with him, but obviously we need him back out here as quick as possible.” (on the collective worry when something happens to WR Andre Johnson) “I could feel it on the team. We’re out there practicing and we had a pretty good practice today, not quite as enthusiastic as yesterday, but you could just feel the players looking over there wondering why Andre wasn’t out here. He’s a big piece of the puzzle and we all know that, but we’ll get him right. Like I said, I’m not too concerned right now from what I’m hearing.” (on how many practices WR Andre Johnson might miss) “I don’t know. He’s going to miss a few. He’s not coming right back out here tomorrow morning, I wouldn’t think. We’ll see. I’ll let y’all know more today.” (on if they are approaching WR Andre Johnson’s injury with a lot of caution) “Yeah, overly-cautious right now. The doctors looked at it and felt like it was fine. We’re going to go have it looked at to make sure. Hopefully, we’re talking about a few days. If it is a few days, we’ll be smart and make it a few more and he’ll be back out here.” (on basketball Hall of Famer and former San Antonio Spurs star David Robinson being out at practice) “It’s pretty cool. I met him a long time ago. It’s hard to talk to people that tall, you know? I met him a long time ago in a restaurant in San Antonio when I was a lot younger and he was too, but I have a great respect for him. What a great player, but what a tremendous human being. I think that speaks for itself.” (on how RT Rashad Butler is doing) “He’s doing good. He’s got competition. Newt (T Derek Newton) is right there breathing down his neck. They are splitting reps. It’s going to be a good battle. It’s time for him to prove he can be a starter in this league. It’s the greatest opportunity that he’ll ever have for he and (RG Antoine) Caldwell so we’ll see how they handle it.” (on if it was good news that WR Andre Johnson’s injury was not a hamstring) “I think the fact that it’s very mild, whatever it is, is good news. Like I said, I’ll wait and see this afternoon.” (on if he has high expectations from the defense even after losing key players) “No doubt. You lose (ILB) DeMeco (Ryans). You lose (OLB) Mario (Williams). We go out and spend our first round pick on (OLB) Whitney (Mercilus) and then we get (ILB) Bradie (James) coming in here. Our defense, I think they were great last year and I think they have a chance to improve dramatically just because it’s their second year with (defensive coordinator) Wade (Phillips) and its Wade’s second year with the guys. They are very well-coached. They play with a lot of confidence and have great speed. It’s a great challenge, offensively, to go against them every day. I’m very pleased with what I’ve seen so far and I think they’ll only get better.” (on rookie OLB Whitney Mercilus) “He’s looked very good. He’s got the speed and all those things that we know that he has. Now, we’ll see the competitive nature. We put the pads on starting tomorrow, so that’s what we need to see next. We haven’t seen that yet. He’s getting a ton of reps because we’re holding (OLB) Connor (Barwin) when we’re on the turf, so all those things add up to him playing very quickly.” (on how much better DE J.J. Watt has looked) “He’s been impressive. We’re just two days in, but he’s hard to block. He’s just very confident. The scheme is not a problem for J.J. anymore. He knows exactly what he’s doing, so he’s just out here cutting it loose and making plays. He’s ready for a big year.” (on CB Johnathan Joseph in his second season in the secondary) “He’s a shutdown corner. When you’re calling defenses like (defensive coordinator) Wade (Phillips) is, that’s a great comfort zone for you to have. It’s a great challenge for all of our offensive guys to go against him every day. He was a big addition to our team. He really raised the level of our play, he and (SS) Danieal Manning, no doubt about that. He’s a leader too, a fine young man.” (on second-year CBs Brandon Harris and Roc Carmichael) “The last five days of OTAs and the first couple days of camp, Brandon has been a little different player. Usually guys will make a big jump from year one to two, so we’ll see. Roc (Carmichael) is still in his rookie year. He missed all of last year and did not play with his injuries, so he’s probably behind Brandon right now, but we’re expecting big things for both of them.” Former San Antonio Spurs Center David Robinson Spoiler (on watching the Texans training camp practice) “It was great. Obviously they had a great year last year and really they just needed to get over the hump a little bit. It’s a great group of guys. Physically they look good. I think they’ll be just as strong as they were last year.” (on what brought him out to training camp) “My son is a football player, so I’m trying to get him some exposure to excellence, get him to see what it takes to be at this level and this was certainly an eye-opening day for him watching how these receivers and these d-backs go at it and how the game is played so tight.” (on Texans players lining up to take pictures with him after practice) “It makes me feel like the old guy. It’s phenomenal. It’s great. They were very respectful and great guys and to see that they think highly of me is a wonderful blessing.” (on if he’s a Texans fan) “Well, I’m trying to figure out what team I want to root for because my wife is from Chicago so she’s a Bears fan. So every year I’ve been picking different teams but this year I’m going to be a Texans (fan). I have a (David) Carr jersey at home from a couple years ago but now I’m going to have to get another jersey and be a Texans fan.” T Rashad Butler Spoiler (on continuity of the offensive line) “We’ve all been here together so we all had that unit whether we were starting or weren’t starting.” (on getting an opportunity to start) “Definitely, I look forward to it. The last opportunity I got, I took advantage of it. I look to do the same this opportunity.” (on his tenacity and drive to make the most of an opportunity) “That’s what the League is about. Some guys get the opportunity to come into the League and play right away and be successful. Other guys come into the League and battle to stay on the team. So you got to keep battling because when an opportunity comes, you’ve got to seize it.” (on what he focuses on) “I just try to be good at everything. Whether its run blocking, pass blocking, against high rushes, against speed, power rushes. So I try to be good at everything and then a guy can’t look at film and try to attack a certain area.” WR Lestar Jean Spoiler (on the difference between training camp this year and last year) “The best way to put it was I was just trying to impress the coaches (last year), but now they know what I can do and they expect me to do that every time.” (on the competition for the third wide receiver spot) “There’s definitely competition for that spot, a lot of guys trying to fight to make the team and stuff like that.” (on working out with the first team at practice) “Everybody’s got to step up and get into their roles. I just felt honored that the coaches felt comfortable with me and put me in that position.” (on how the three, four and five wide receiver spots have no NFL catches) “It’s definitely motivation to know that nobody’s ever had a catch. But that’s why we’re here, that’s why we play the game. Everybody had to get their first NFL catch, their first NFL touchdown. That’s part of the game.” (on his chances of getting the third WR spot) “I gotta work. My chance is like everybody else. We’re all going to get opportunities and I have to take advantage of mine.” FS Danieal Manning Spoiler (on team unity) “Camaraderie is there, piggy backing off of last year. Guys are eager to win. Guys want to step out and be not just contributors to the team but big stars on the team. There’s a lot of competition going on. It’s heated up out there. I’ve been in big fights with guys that are competing differently.” (on training camp competition setting a tone for the season) “You can’t underestimate that. That’s what guys don’t understand and what makes a team. We’re down here in the trenches and the game’s again on the line. We got somebody that’s helped you out so much. In competing, you know that they’ve got your back. The best man that’s working that year or that game is going to be the best man playing.” (on what to guard against in regards to high expectations, as he had experience with that when playing for the Chicago Bears) “I would say, from past experience, living in the hype. You can’t go off of that. It’s about what guys believe in the locker room. If you believe that we can make it to the Super Bowl and you work at that, it’s going to happen. If not, and you just live in the hype and say ‘they’re giving it to us’, nothing’s going to happen. And that’s what happened with the Bears. Some guys probably bought into it, and it never panned out for us.” (on if he thinks the Texans have the right mindset) “I do. It starts from the head, and head coach (Gary Kubiak) doesn’t cut slack for anyone. You can get a guy like Andre (Johnson) or a rookie coming in, and he stays on everybody the same. That’s what you need. Also you have players giving a lot of peer pressure. That’s the best pressure you can have. Guys not letting guys slack around or take plays off, things like that. So that’s a good thing.” WR DeVier Posey Spoiler (on what little things he’s working on after practice) “Just trying to work on getting in and out of my breaks faster, more mechanically and more fundamentally right and just working on some things over there.” (on if he sees how close he is to playing a big role) “For me, I’m just trying to take small steps, do my little work after practice and get better every day. As long as I keep working on those things and just be the best player that I can be, hopefully when my time has come, hopefully I’m ready.” (on the relationship between him and WR Andre Johnson) “We talk every day. I ask him questions. At first, I was really excited to meet him and now he’s just one of the teammates and one of the guys. You just admire his work ethic.” (on the learning curve coming out of college) “When you get here, you got to understand it’s the pros. There’s no room for error. The margin of error is really small and you just want to make sure you’re as consistent as possible.” (on his personal expectations) “Of course, I have high expectations for myself. I’m my biggest critic. Anybody can write anything about me. Anybody can say anything about me, but it won’t be worse than when I’m watching film and looking at myself. Until I’m pleased with myself, which I probably will never be, that’s when I’ll be satisfied.” (on what he’s learning the most about) “Just the game in general. You learn a lot more about the game. Your knowledge for the game becomes so much more broad than it was in college. In college, you have a certain scheme and you’re so narrow-minded, but when you get here, you have to know everything. You have to know the protections, know all this, all that, know motions and why you’re doing this on this kind of scheme. Just your knowledge becomes a lot bigger.” (on Head Coach Gary Kubiak) “I love Kubiak. He’s a great guy. He’s a players’ coach. He pushes you. He encourages you and then you understand when he’s yelling at you, you know it’s for a reason because he cares about his guys.” (on the veteran defensive backs) “We always talk about as an offense, if we can go against our defense and we can compete with those guys and keep up with those guys and win some against those guys, we can compete with anybody because they’re a really good group their selves. Our defense comes out every day and they work hard. They always have good pursuit angles. They pressure you hard. They’re out there every play trying to get better. If you can keep up to their level and sometimes match their intensity, you’re definitely going to get better.” (on if he’s seen anything from CB Johnathan Joseph that he didn’t see in college) “He’s a Pro Bowler. His patience is what separates him and his footwork and you know how fast he is. He’s a great player.” http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...practice/1ddaf15d-33cc-4299-b6bc-436a714c4e99
Here is the training camp press release. If you're a Texans junkie like I am, I think you will enjoy it.
Andre: My groin tightened up on me. After everything from last season, they wanted me to get an MRI. It just tightened up on me. I stretched out for a ball. Minor strain. Maybe a week or so and I'll be back out here. Nothing I'm not used to. It's frustrating but it happens. Just gonna keep working and try to get better. I'm fine. Not limping or anything. Just a strain. Working to get right back out here. Rather have it happen now than later. We'll be smart about it and see what happens. Gary: Mild groin strain. We'll be as smart as we can be. We're in a big work week right now. -He[Andre] wanted to go back out there so when he tells you that, you don't think it's bad. We're fortunate I guess but we need to get him out here working, him and Matt. He fell awkward. -Kareem has a hamstring. Could miss tomorrow's morning practice. -Sharpton had a setback in rehab. A hip issue. He was doing well. He's been through a lot. Setback this morning and we're evaluating. We're trying to get him to work with the team so we were pushing him hard. I feel bad for him. Hopefully not too bad. They're evaluating him now. -We bump everyone(WRs) up. Those 2 young kids need time. Trindon needs rep. All those guys gotta move up. We'll find the best 5. -Thoughts on Jean? Got a ways to go. Love his work habits. Has the tools. Lestar has to become a pro and be consistent. We've been impressed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Texans ILB Darryl Sharpton has setback while trying to return from last year's quad injury. He now has a hip issue & is being evaluated.</p>— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/229701533699289088" data-datetime="2012-07-29T22:14:47+00:00">July 29, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>The <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%2523Texans">#Texans</a> have signed former Iowa DE Mitch King (6-2, 280). He's on the field wearing No. 97</p>— Nick Scurfield (@NickScurfield) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickScurfield/status/229944628806307840" data-datetime="2012-07-30T14:20:46+00:00">July 30, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
That's pretty cool about Robinson. Figured he was going to be sucked into being a Cowboys fan like all the other San Antonio residents/Spurs fans. Now, kindly hand that MVP trophy over to Hakeem.
Quotes from Monday's practice: Morning Head Coach Gary Kubiak Spoiler (on practicing with pads on) “It’s our first day in pads, so I would say there were some very good parts of practice and some very poor parts of practice, but we’re just getting going here. It’s our first day to move around with all of the equipment so we’ve got to get better.” (on the battle to become the third receiver) “It’s going to be interesting because now we’re in a situation where Andre (Johnson) is going to miss time, so we bumped them all up. We kind of move them around each day. There’s a lot of young ability and I think there’s no telling who our five or six will be. I think they all have the ability to make this team, so we’re going to have to see how they hold up and who makes the plays and then Kevin (Walter) and them have their responsibilities to continue to get better and play well. Lestar (Jean) is getting a great opportunity. This morning the Jackson kid (Jerrell Jackson) made some nice plays. I think it’s going to be a very competitive situation.” (on if it’s important to have someone develop into that role) “Yeah, I think it’s huge. I think our whole team is kind of watching it too, because they know our identity is going to change at that position for the first time in a while around here. Players sense that, they really watch those battles closely. We’ll let them prove to their teammates that they’re the guy.” (on WR Lestar Jean’s upside) “I love his size. I like big guys in the league. I think it is an advantage. He’s very smart. He can play a lot of places. He did do some go things on special teams for (coordinator) Joe (Marciano). It’s a unique situation because he hasn’t played, but he’s still sitting here operating as a starter. He’s never even taken a snap. That kind of tells you where we’re at. He’s going to have to play big for us to be successful and keep moving forward so we’re counting on him.” (on WR Kevin Walter) “Kevin is a rock. You know what you’re going to get every day as a player. I think this is year 10 or 11. Kevin has been playing awhile. Kevin does a lot of dirty work for our offense in the run game and those types of things. We know we can count on Kevin. Like always, he’s having a good camp and he’s just a consistent player.” (on CB Kareem Jackson) “He’s doing fine. I think Kareem is probably a day or two away. I think he’s strictly day-to-day, but it gave some other guys a chance. Sherrick (McManis) had a great morning and made some great plays out there. Brice (McCain) moves up, Roc (Carmichael) and those guys, we can take a good look at them.” (on ILB Darryl Sharpton’s update) “The news is not good, but it’s not totally disappointing. He’s going to miss some time. He has a hip issue that he kind of developed in his rehab process. He had a problem yesterday. We did a MRI on it and he’s got a problem that will take a few weeks to heal. That’s not good news from that standpoint. Does it mean that could he still be ready for the start of the season? Yes, he could, so we’re going to keep our fingers crossed and put him back to work. It’s not a situation where you can go fix. I’m not a doctor to sit here and tell you all of that, but I know it’s not something that’s operable. It can heal on its own and we’re going to let it do that, just keep rehabbing.” (on his plan if ILB Darryl Sharpton is not ready to play) “It concerns me a little bit because Mister (Alexander) is holding up right now, that’s a good thing; you need to give Bradie (James) and (Brian) Cushing breaks here along the way. That’s always a battle in training camp; how do you find a way to keep groups healthy and sometimes you get hit harder in one spot than the other. Him missing some significant time now has got to make us alter some things a little bit.” (on if ILB Darryl Sharpton will need surgery) “No. It’s time to heal. It’s my understanding it’ll take a few weeks. There’s still a chance he’s ready to go for this season and we’re going to do everything we can to get him ready to go.” (on RB Justin Forsett making plays in practice) “It was impressive. I told the team. You guys see it. What a pro. He comes out here, he can go all day. Very impressive in his work habits, knows what we’re doing. Those are the kind of guys you’re looking for to make you better. He let everybody on this team know today he plans on being here. That was an impressive practice.” (on the first practice with padded shells on) “We were really good at times and really bad at times. You put the pads on for the first time, you get people all over the ground. You get a little sloppy. We had some center-exchange issues that we haven’t had but the game is played with pads. A lot of guys running around in shorts and stuff but you when you put that pads on you find out who’s going to be on your team. We’ve got to be a hell of a lot better than we were today.” (on any other health issues with the team) “We had a couple things today. (Greg) Williams, our young linebacker got a hamstring issue we’ve got to go evaluate. We had a heat issue with (another) linebacker (Rennie Moore).” (on the feeling that the offense can get better) “No doubt. We’re going to get younger offensively. Our offense has kind of been etched in stone for awhile. So were going to have changes on the right side of our offensive line, receiver; could have a new back or two on our team, a new fullback. We’re fixing to have change in our identity and with that Matt (Schaub) and them have to raise their level of play and those guys come in and we’ve got to get better. Always got to get better.” (on if any other players have stood out to him) “I was just impressed, you know, Sherrick (McManis) stood out to me this morning. The young receiver (Jerrell) Jackson continues to make some plays. We’re going to continue to give him more than what he’s doing. Other than that, like I said, there was some good, some bad. Typical practice.” T Duane Brown Spoiler (on why he played so well last year) “A number of factors played into last season for me. Number one, just an experience thing. The more plays I have, the more I face elite competition, the more I rise to the occasion. Also, preparation, just more film study. Just trying to perfect my craft as much as possible every day. And just maturity, just growing up more, knowing not just what it means to be a pro, but to be in the top tier at the tackle position in this League. Just a lot of things that played into it.” (on how he feels about people saying he’s the best left tackle in the NFL) “It’s a huge honor. Definitely, that’s my plan, to come out here and be the best that I can be and try to be one of the best in the League and one of the best ever to play the position. I strive to be that. At the same time, I recognize the talent that’s around this League and our conference in particular. In the AFC, there’s a lot of talent out here. It’s definitely an honor, but I feel like I have another level to reach.” (on if he agrees he’s the best left tackle in the NFL) “I’m not going to argue with it. I have to be confident enough in my ability to think that I’m one of the best. I feel like there are some guys out there that are a little bit better than me at this point, but I feel I have the talent and the drive to reach that level.” (on wanting to have his best season since this is the last year of his contract) “It’s a good year to do it just because number one, I had the best season of my career last year. Number two, it’s just that time. It’s my fifth year. There’s a lot of expectations put on me by the team, by myself, to be the best player in this League to help this team go where we want to go. That’s all I’m worried about.” (on weighing whether to sign before or after the season) “It’s not something I really worry about, to be honest with you. I let my agent handle that and see where they are when the season starts. I’m just out here trying to have a great camp, trying to put myself in a position to have a big season. If it happens before then, it happens then. If not, then I’m just going out there getting ready to have what I feel will be the best season of my career.” (on how he is as a run blocker) “I think I’m pretty good. You look at the numbers that our running backs have put up, I’m not the only piece of the puzzle, but I think that it’s something that I really hang my hat on. The pass protection at left tackle is the priority, but you also have to be a pretty good run blocker in this scheme, mainly on the backside trying to get those defensive tackles and those linebackers cut off. I think I’ve really progressed in that area.” TE Owen Daniels Spoiler (on Head Coach Gary Kubiak’s offense) “Ever since they were in Denver, they’ve incorporated their offense. We run the West Coast offense and fortunately for me and the other tight ends we have, it’s a fun position to play in Kubiak’s offense. We got a lot of opportunities to make plays. A lot is expected of us too. We’re not just in one spot. They’re moving us around. We’re around the line of scrimmage, in the slot, in the backfield, we’re out wide. It’s a lot to handle but we got guys who can handle it. And it’s just more opportunities to help the team out.” (on the importance of having QB Matt Schaub back) “T.J. (Yates) did a great job stepping in last year. He turned a lot of heads and surprised lots of people, but Matt’s our guy. We missed him definitely down the stretch a little bit. It’s great to have him back in a leadership role and back healthy. We need him if we’re going to do some big things this year.” (on QB Matt Schaub saying that T Duane Brown is the best left tackle in the NFL) “I’m not going to disagree with that. Duane has certainly got better over the years. He’s got to deal with (Robert) Mathis and (Dwight) Freeney twice a year and obviously there are other great defensive ends he has to deal with. He’s gotten better and better. I got to believe he’s one of the most physical, meanest in the League. I think he’s prided himself on being one of the best and earning that respect. It’s slowly coming. The respect for him is behind where his talent level is at and how much he means to our team.” RB Davin Meggett Spoiler (on not making a lot of mistakes to earn a spot on the team) “That’s with anything. You gotta do your best to play perfect football, execute to the best of your ability and handle what you can handle. Make plays when you can make plays.” (on what he needs to do to get the coaches’ attention) “I just need to focus and play the best football I can play. Coming out, you gotta do the best you can and let the dominos fall.” (on his abilities) “I play hard. I do a lot with the ball, I do a lot without the ball. I love the game of football. I’m pretty athletic so there’s a lot of things I can do, not a lot I can’t do. As camp progresses, hopefully I’ll be able to show all those things.” (on growing up in a football household) “It helps a lot. You’re able to adjust to being a pro a lot easier when you see a pro come home every day, when you see a pro develop. You actually develop as they did. And now it’s a lot easier for me to adjust. It’s a lot easier for me to be focused. It’s a lot easier for me to push things aside and focus of football.” QB Matt Schaub Spoiler (on how camp has gone so far for him) “Physically, I feel great. Everything is going really well. We’re just into camp mode. In between practices, its normal, you’re just trying to recover and be ready for the next one. Physically, I feel great.” (on some of the small tweaks to improve the offense) “We can always get better. There are little things that we can do, little minor things that we can just tweak and adjust, things that we try to disguise. But we have so many young guys that are going to have to step in and help us out that we’re trying to bring them up to speed on our core schemes, our core passes, our core concepts to where those are night and day with them. When it really hits the fan, that’s what we go to and rely on, our core stuff. We’re on day three here now, so we’re trying to, each day, install more and more and progressively get to the point where we can start to tweak and add things and figure out which direction we’re going.” (on if sitting out minicamp helped him in other ways) “There is part of that that is beneficial, but at the same time I wanted to be out there. As a competitor, when you feel like you can go do something, you want to go do it. In the long term, in hindsight, looking back, it was a good thing for me to just continue my rehab and focus on those things, getting all my footwork and everything down. Doing all the football drills on my feet, the different angles that you work on with your feet as a quarterback and just work on those things to get as strong as possible so I could peak at training camp, rather than having that time period just doing football and I lost track of rehab. Now, I feel great.” (on if he’s found himself on the same page as the receivers) “Absolutely, we’ve got a talented group of guys and mentally, they’re trying to do the best they can with everything that’s thrown at them. Each day, it’s a lot of information and they’re really handling it really well. Obviously, there are going to be growing pains as we go through practices here mentally, just working through everything. We ask our receivers to do a lot of adjustments with their routes and we do a lot of motioning and a lot of formation adjustments. It’s a lot for them, but they’re doing a great job handling it.” (on if any of the young receivers have stood out to him) “They’re all doing such a good job. There are so many things that each one of them bring. Lestar (Jean) is doing really well; he’s still a young guy. He’s really progressing nicely into a good veteran receiver for us. Keshawn Martin is doing a great job for us. He is really going to be able to help us. DeVier (Posey) is doing a great job learning everything. We’re asking him to do a lot from the outside perspective and from the inside and everything that he’s doing.” (on how long it takes for the receivers to get everything down) “I’ve said this before. On the offensive side of the ball, other than the quarterback position, I think receiver in our offense is one of the harder positions to learn in our offense because of how much we ask them to do formationally, motioning, knowing every position on the field because they could line up in any different position depending on the formation. There’s a lot that we ask of them and so it’s a lot on their plate, especially as we get—we’re in day three, once we get to day four, five, six installation, that’s the bulk of our plan and that can be a lot for those guys. They’re handling it really well.” Afternoon Head Coach Gary Kubiak Spoiler (on QB Case Keenum) “I thought he finished the OTAs very good. I think he kind of started over a little bit again coming into camp. Once you get in training camp, there are few reps to go around when you’re in that situation, so what you got to do is take advantage of them. He’s working very hard. He understands what we’re doing. I’m going to make sure he gets some good time in our preseason games. But it’s frustrating because you come out here and you get ten reps and four or five of them aren’t very good, you feel like you had a bad day. Where most guys get 40-50 reps a day, and they can get away with a few bad plays. But I like what he’s doing. I like how he’s working and we’ll make sure he gets an opportunity.” (on what QB Case Keenum needs to focus on most) “I think really just learning what we do and what we expect from him. As I said before, I think when Case learns all the spots of where everybody’s at in our offense–for his size and stuff, sometimes with these big linemen it’s hard to see–but if you know where all the spots are, you still get the ball there. He’s got the arm to do it. We’ve just got to keep bringing him along.” (on T Derek Newton and T Rashad Butler competing for a spot) “I think they’re neck and neck. They’re a little bit kind of two different players in a lot of ways. (T Derek) Newton is a big powerful guy, (T Rashad) Butler’s more of an athletic, wiry type of guy. It’s going to be a good battle, and the only way it’s going to get settled is when we play. Here in practice it kind of goes back and forth. But we’ll get it worked out.” (on any health updates) “(Greg) Williams, our young linebacker, it’s a hamstring pull. He’s going to miss some time. I’m not sure how much right now. Other than that, no.” (on what he likes about DE Mitch King) “We liked him coming out of college. Obviously, we don’t know much about him right now, here. He’s only been here a day, but we liked his effort. He’s a try-hard player. He reminded us a little bit of Tim Bulman, who we had here for a few years. The tough thing right now is the new PA rule where when you sign a guy, you’ve got to put him through a grace period. So it will be another day before we can actually have him out there banging with the players. But we’re glad to get him.” ILB Brian Cushing Spoiler (on this being his defense) “I think any time you play middle linebacker, a lot of eyes are on you, especially when you get old and you start making more plays. People look to you for those kinds of things. And that’s something I totally embrace. I feel good about it and ever since I’ve been playing at a young age – in high school, college and now – it always kind of has been my role.” (on his leadership role) “I’m okay with it. It comes with the position. It comes with the kind of attitude I play with. I like when people look at me for a big play.” (on leading by getting on someone if needed) “Yeah, if it’s necessary. This is a team though that’s really focused. Everyone has a level head and knows what they expect of each other. This is a hungry group and it’s always real fun when you got a bunch of guys on the same page. (on the difference between this year and last year) “Now being in day three, and if you compared day three of last year’s camp and this year, we’re leaps and bounds ahead of where we were. So we’re going to have a great rolling start going into our preseason games and try to catch our season really well.” (on expectations for himself) “There’s always room for improvement. I believe you can never stop improving physically and mentally. So I’m going to try to take it as far as I can and try to help this team win as best that I can.” (on how the defense has improved greatly in the past two years) “It is but if you look at Coach (Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips) coming in here and the personnel changes we’ve had, there’s a lot of things that have helped that. It’s amazing how much we’ve accomplished but at the same time, with the help we’ve had, it’s understandable.” (on how much the defense can improve from last season) “We can obviously get better. We feel that. We’re very excited. We’re just looking forward to it. And any time you have an opportunity like this to go into a season and improve upon what you did the year before, it’s going to be fun.” (on difference between playing MO linebacker instead of MIKE this season) “Not much, not much. It might be a little bit more active. I might blitz a little bit more. But that’s really going to be a first and second down defense, and I’ll still be the MIKE on third down.” (on the national attention from the media) “Every time I turn on SportsCenter, it’s the Jets, so I’m not sure how much national attention we’re getting. It’s something we ignore. We know how good we are, and that stays inside this bubble and stays inside these practice facilities. We’re going to be as good as we want to be. At the end of the day, we’ll be the judge of that.” (on the value of ILB Tim Dobbins to the linebacker core) “Very much so. He’s a guy that’s very talented. He plays linebacker great and on top of it, he’s an all-special teams player.” http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...practice/4495baac-8bdd-4efc-8b90-74c1cab1b300
Tuesday's quotes: MORNING Head Coach Gary Kubiak Spoiler “I tried to do some different things this morning, trying to get them going quicker in our team periods. I thought offensively, we responded really well in the early part of practice. I’m just trying to teach them that this is how you come out of the locker room, this is how you get ready to go - that type of stuff. There was some good and bad, but we’re battling and will keep working.” (on if there are any particular players that have jumped out to him out on the field thus far) “I tell you, it’s so early right now. I think (WR DeVier) Posey made a couple of nice plays this morning and continues to improve. I think our receivers continue to improve. I think (WR Keshawn) Martin has done some good things. Defensively, for some reason today I really noticed (OLB) Brooks (Reed) a lot. I thought he made a lot of plays. I thought (NT) Earl Mitchell has upped his game and (DE) Antonio (Smith)really made a lot of nice plays this morning. It’s a battle, and it’s somebody different every day, and that’s a good thing. That means you’re heading towards being a good team.” (on what expectations he has for WR DeVier Posey) “He has a lot of talent, a lot of ability. You could tell in OTAs and stuff that he had missed a lot of football, but I see him catching up. I like the way he works. He’s in very good shape and can go all day, so that’s what you’ve got to do in this league to play receiver. He’s on his way. He’s had a good week so far.” (on if he has liked the competition between the offense and defense) “Yeah, it’s very good. I told the team after practice today, when talking about some of the things I thought we were doing well, that I thought we were running the ball well and that’s something we do well as a team. We need to stop the run better than we are doing right now. Defensively, we’re really getting after the quarterback and doing well against the pass. We’ve got to throw the ball better with our young receivers in our group. You’ve got strengths and weaknesses and you’ve got to work through them and get as close to as consistent as we can be in everything we do.” (on the team practicing in pads today) “We need to thump a little bit more. It’s a fine line. You’re working in your pads and you want to be physical (but) you want people to stay up and stay healthy. We’ve got to continue to get more physical because we are a physical football team.” (on T Derek Newton and G Brandon Brooks) “I think there have been flashes. I think that Gump (RG Antoine Caldwell) has done some good things. (RT Rashad) Butler has done some good things. The young guard (Brooks) has the ability, he has big-time ability, but he has to catch up. You see flashes of what you’re looking for. I think Newton is still a young player, but he’s a physical player. It’ll be interesting. It’ll sort itself out in the games, probably not in practice.” (on C Chris Myers embracing his role as a leader) “Chris is a leader on the team now, he really is. I knew Chris, of course we drafted him in Denver. Talk about a guy that went from the bottom of the totem pole to working his way to the Pro Bowl, this guy has done it and he loves to play. Chris loves to play, loves to work and he is a leader on the team.” (on if there is a target date for WR Andre Johnson to return) “I would say next week. I would love to tell you that it’s Monday. I hope it’s Monday, but I would say next week.” (on what he sees in RB Justin Forsett) “First off, he understands what we’re doing. He kind of understands our system a little bit from Knapper (former Texans quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp) in Seattle. That’s been easy for him. He’s a well-conditioned guy who can do a little bit of everything. He catches the ball well and he should play special teams, so he has an excellent chance to help our team.” (on if this was one of WR DeVier Posey’s better practices) “I think he’s been doing some good stuff every day. You know, as a receiver, you don’t know how many times a ball is coming to you. He had a chance to make a couple of nice plays today and he made them. I’m watching his whole body of work and it’s been pretty consistent.” (on if there is any new injury news) “No, we’re good today. (CB) Brandon Harris rolled his ankle but jumped up and went back in, so we’re good today.” (on TE Owen Daniels not practicing today) “I sat (NT Shaun) Cody and Owen; that was strictly just me. Probably every third or fourth day, I’ll sit those two guys.” (on the fullback competition) “It’s an interesting dynamic. James (Casey) is our starting fullback, but we do a lot of different things with James. The young kid (Derrell) Smith has a lot of ability. I think he’s got a chance to be an excellent one, but he’s a former defensive player trying to learn to play offense, so that’s his struggle right now. Of course, the old man that we brought in (Moran Norris) - don’t tell him that - Norris has been playing a long time and he’s a banger. He’s a big banger. They’re all kind of different, so we’ve got to sort out who’s going to be the best special teams help. How do we set our roster? Two fullbacks? One fullback? What are we going to do?” (on FB James Casey’s versatility) “Yeah, he’s like my Jim Thorpe. He’s got to go do everything. I’m going to play him everywhere. He gives us a lot of versatility offensively and causes problems for people, so I’ve got to use James the right way. I’m starting to do it in training camp and not waiting until the season.” (on how much the competition on the right side of the offensive line picks up with them in pads) “It’s picking up. It’s very competitive. They’re going back and forth right now and what we do, one day one of them works with the ones. The next day the other one works with the ones. They’re split right down the middle. We’ll see who gets it done.” ILB Bradie James Spoiler (on teammates looking to him for leadership) “Well that’s my role and my role is to do that and be productive. I’m not trying to come in and step on anybody’s toes. I’m just trying to come in and fit in and have fun and bring whatever I can to make this team better. To say that is an overstatement but we have to work and earn everything that we have this year, so that’s what we’re working toward and that’s our goal.” (on his perspective of ILB Brian Cushing now compared to when he did not play with Cushing) “I didn’t know him. Now it’s great to be with one of the best inside linebackers in the NFL. I try to help him on fundamentals and doing all the right things. I think he’ll be as or more productive this year than he was last year.” (on what the veterans tell the rookies) “Staying consistent every day and working on something. Don’t take each period for granted. Each period you have to work on. One thing that coach is trying to get you to see and if you stack those good days up, you become the player that you want to be.” (on how good the defense can be) “Defensively, you have to earn everything you set out to do. Nobody is going to give you anything and this team is not under the radar anymore, so people will be shooting for us just like we’ll be shooting for them. It’s all about everybody playing well and doing the right things and being on the same page together. Defensively, you can’t have 10 men doing one thing and one guy doing another. Everybody has to be one the same page. The chemistry has to be there and then you can turn it loose. (on the linebacker unit’s identity) “This is a close knit group already. Coming in, these guys played together. I’m the only guy that wasn’t here last year, so the identity is these guys just run to the ball. They’re very tenacious. They have great chemistry. They love playing with one another. And now it’s getting to the point where guys are really holding each other accountable because everyone knows what’s going on. So I’m just trying to get in, fit in and keep everybody looking forward.” WR Lestar Jean Spoiler (on the opportunity to play more) “It makes me feel like the coaches see something in me and I just got to go out there and show them that when they put me in that role, I belong in that role.” (on what the coaches like in him) “My work habits, I understand the offense and know what I’m doing better.” (if he ever compares himself to RB Arian Foster because they’re both undrafted free agents) “I can’t compare myself to him because he’s a great running back. He’s definitely shown that the past two years. I haven’t done anything in the NFL. Once I establish myself and make some plays, then I could answer some questions.” (on what WRs Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter tell him) “They just tell me things to do that helped them get better. They just try to help me. Like today I was having a bad day and Kevin and Andre were just trying to lift my spirits up and stay positive because they’ve been through bad days before too.” (on the toughest part of the offense for a wide receiver) “Just knowing what to do every time because it varies on the defense you’re going against.” (on how he describes himself as a receiver) “Just go out there and play hard and try to play harder than the opponent. I feel like I can do everything. I feel like I can run routes…and I may not be running a 4.3 but I feel like I can down field if I have to.” FS Danieal Manning Spoiler (on what he needs to focus on in training camp) “Pretty much just being a better vocal leader out there, getting our guys in the best position to make the plays. That’s pretty much it. Last year I was learning myself. Now I feel like I got a year under my belt in this system, and I can only add on to it.” (on the next goal for the Texans) “Definitely getting into the playoffs. Well, number one, winning Week 1. Getting into the playoffs and playing for that appearance in the Super Bowl.” (on if he thinks the younger guys are coming along) “I do. We’re getting Roc (Carmichael) back, he seems healthier and B-Money, we call him, Brandon Harris, he’s going to play a lot. The guys that have been playing, Brice McCain, he’s been doing a great job with the nickel spot, and he’s getting some chances to play with the ones at corner. So guys are getting some great opportunities out here to show what they’re made of.” WR Keshawn Martin Spoiler (on the advice he gets from the veterans) “I feel like every time I make a good catch or I don’t do something right, a quarterback or receiver comes up to me and tells me what I need to do and stuff like that. Those are great guys, so I’m going to continue to listen to them and continue to get better.” (on if he has to make more of an adjustment receiving or returning in the NFL) “I would say the receiving part just because it is a faster game than college. Corners get on you faster. That’s just an adjustment I’ve got to make.” (on if he’s getting more reps with WR Andre Johnson out) “Yeah, definitely. A lot of the guys are getting more reps. We’ve just got to take advantage of our opportunities.” DE J.J. Watt Spoiler (on going through training camp a second time) “Oh, it’s awesome. I feel so much more confident. I understand the full concept of the playbook, so now I really get to just focus in on my game. (Defensive Coordinator) Coach Wade (Phillips) is such a genius. It’s fun to see his whole defense now where I’m not just focused in on my job. I can see everything.” (on talk of him being the star of the team) “I mean, I hear it. It’s extremely nice. My teammates are being very generous. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t happen if I don’t come out here and put the work in. It doesn’t happen if our defense isn’t great, if our team isn’t great. While I appreciate all those talks, I’m just going to come out here and work hard every single day to make sure that we stay with those sorts of talks.” (on how good the defense can be) “We can be great. It’s a lot of fun. We have great chemistry. Obviously, we’re playing for Coach Wade Phillips who’s phenomenal. The best part about defense is we fly around. Guys make plays, guys have fun and we’re enjoying ourselves. That’s what makes a good defense.” AFTERNOON Head Coach Gary Kubiak Spoiler (on any health updates) “From this morning, I rested Owen (Daniels) and rested Shaun Cody. But, other than that we’re fine. Kareem (Jackson) is still probably a day or two away, but, other than that, we’re okay.” (on QB Matt Schaub having to sit out of the playoffs due to injury) “Yeah, it was really difficult. The team was moving forward and good things were happening. I specifically remember the big win in Cincinnati and seeing him in the locker room, and Andre (Johnson) too, and obviously they were excited for their team, but when you’re hurt, you don’t feel like a part of it. That type of stuff makes it tough. But I think it makes you hungrier. So we need him to come back, stay healthy and continue to push this team to another level.” (on Special Teams Coordinator Joe Marciano and Running Backs Coach Chick Harris being original coaches) “They’ve been a part of the process from an expansion team throughout, what, 10 years now? Is this year 11 or is this year ten? Anyway, they’ve been doing it a long time. First off, they’re great coaches and I just really appreciate the fact that when I came here they stayed with me, and they’ve done a great job. To see all their hard work through the years and development of this organization, reap some awards last year was very great.” http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...practice/dc0a519e-3216-4c1e-95f7-6df6c1dba396
It really seems like the coaching staff is trying to make sure Lestar Jean is up to speed on what the offense is doing. It seems like he has a big inside track on that WR3 spot right now.
looks like duane brown injured his ankle this morning... really hope it's not serious. http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2012/08/duane-brown-leaves-practice-with-ankle-injury/
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Duane Brown's left ankle was getting iced. He was carted to Reliant Stadium for x rays.</p>— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/McClain_on_NFL/status/230663954723135488" data-datetime="2012-08-01T13:59:06+00:00">August 1, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Rashad Butler has moved from left to right tackle. Derek Newton is running first tram at right tackle.</p>— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/McClain_on_NFL/status/230665660877926401" data-datetime="2012-08-01T14:05:53+00:00">August 1, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Rookie K Randy Bullock just went 9-of-11 on FGs from 44-54 yds. Misses came from 44 (wide R) & 47 (wide L) <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23Texans"><s>#</s><b>Texans</b></a></p>— Nick Scurfield (@NickScurfield) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickScurfield/status/230666944674672640" data-datetime="2012-08-01T14:10:59+00:00">August 1, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>WR Lestar Jean is practicing w/ 2nd-team offense today. Rookie Keshawn Martin, vet Bryant Johnson getting 1st-team reps</p>— Nick Scurfield (@NickScurfield) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickScurfield/status/230663232359120896" data-datetime="2012-08-01T13:56:14+00:00">August 1, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
