2013 Training Camp

How's that? He was targeted more in Houston the last 2 years than he was in Baltimore and had less receptions too. Jacoby was given plenty of opportunities as a texan. The only place they could have used him more was kickoff return

 

No, unless Bonner shows up to be an incredible product, Martin is your slot receiver although Posey is likely to be the first one off the bench to spell either starting outside receivers.

 

Agree 100%. I had nearly written him off for the whole season; this is great news!

 

Quotes from Wednesday:

Head Coach Gary Kubiak

Spoiler

(on how the team looked today) “We weren’t very good offensively. Not really ready to practice. Sat some guys and didn’t respond very good. I thought we practiced pretty good defensively, but just pushing through, trying to get ready to play another preseason game. Gave some older guys their day off and we need to respond better than we did today.”

(on if there were any injuries today) “(G) Ben Jones is sick. He made it all the way through practice until the end. They took him in. Had a couple guys with heat, but other than that, we’re fine.”

(on if there is anything new with OLB Trevardo Williams) “No, Trevardo had a cyst drained; I think I told you guys that yesterday, off the bottom of his foot. We were hoping he could practice this morning. He came out, went through warm ups with the trainers and they said no. He’ll be day-to-day.”

(on how OLB Sam Montgomery has looked since he’s been back at practice) “He’s behind. It’s just he missed a lot of time, but he’s going hard, he’s a strong kid. He’s got some pass rush ability. We want to see him really play a lot of special teams this week. This is a big week for him. He’s going to play a lot of football. You can’t help the fact that he missed all those practices, but we’ve got to make up some ground.”

(on draft picks having a lot of health issues and if that’s frustrating) “Yeah, it is. It’s been frustrating with (T Brennan) Williams ever since he’s gotten here. (OLB) Sam (Montgomery’s) had some struggles. (WR Alan) Bonner, nothing you can do about a hamstring. Who’s the other one? There’s one more, (NT Chris) Jones. That’s tough because you’ve got to look at those guys all you can. That’s part of football, so we’ll get them healthy and get them back out here.”

(on NT Chris Jones’ injury) “It’s a day-to-day deal. He’s not going to play this week. I can tell you that for sure. We put him in a boot, so we’ll re-evaluate him as we get to the end of the week.”

(on what G Ben Jones’ situation is) “He’s just sick. Practiced sick for his team. Not many guys would have been out here the way he was feeling, but he found a way to get through it. Just hit the wall at the end.”

(on CB Kareem Jackson coming on more in practice the past few days) “I think he’s had a great camp. Kareem’s such a pro now. He’s lost weight. He’s really thinned up. J. Jo’s (CB Johnathan Joseph) has taught him so much, not just about playing, but about being a pro. Just really really proud of Kareem and how far he’s come. He’s hitting that point in his career, it’s really time to go big time and he’s done that the last couple of years with us, and now he’s right in the meat of his career. So expecting big things from him.”

(on how WR Lestar Jean has looked) “He’s doing good. Consistency catching the ball. That’s something that showed up the other night. He’s worked. He’s having a good camp. It’s a very competitive situation and should get (WR DeVier) Posey back here pretty quick, so it’s going to get even more competitive.”

(on if QB Matt Schaub showed the effects of having a couple of days off) “I don’t know. He went to practice. You hit some, we miss some. Looked like the same Matt to me.”

(on why he was disappointed in the offense today) “Oh, I just thought it was tempo, just being ready to go. A little tired, week three.”

(on practicing well yesterday and not today and if that’s just a part of training camp) “You’re right. That’s why we’re out here. That’s why you go to camp. If it was all perfect, we wouldn’t come out here. So got to get better this afternoon.”

(on WR DeVier Posey and if he’s turned a corner in his rehab) “Yes, he’s worked with the trainers. Running a lot of routes the last two days. Worked extremely hard. Looks like we’re very close to pulling off PUP after this game and hopefully he’s back out here working next week. So we’ll see.”

(on how big of a deal it is to get WR DeVier Posey back) “It’s huge. The thought process in the offseason was it probably wasn’t going to happen this early, but it sure looks like it’s got a chance. That would be a huge boost to our team.”

(on WR DeVier Posey’s work ethic in trying to come back) “He has not missed a day. He’s been down there every morning throughout the offseason. He came to me about a month-and-a-half after his surgery, he said, ‘Don’t count me out, I’ll make it to opening day.’ He’s holding up his end of the bargain. He’s done a great job.”

(on the decision to remove WR DeVier Posey form the PUP) “Obviously, you’ve got tough decisions coming in here in a couple of weeks with the PUP situation or putting him on the active roster. Let’s just say he’s putting a lot of pressure on us to activate him if he continues this process he’s been through.”

(on if there’s anything new on RB Arian Foster) “No, nothing new. Same stuff.”

(on what he likes about having a local team in University of Houston attending practice) “It’s pretty cool. I know (Head) Coach Tony (Levine). He does a great job. I know some coaches on the staff. I’m sure it’s good for their kids to come out here and watch us work, and I know it helps our guys too. We’re at the end of camp, we’ve got one more day really considered training camp and they’re worn out. So anybody that can come out here and try to juice them up a little bit, it helps. I appreciate them coming out.”

(on if he invited the University of Houston Head Coach Tony Levine out to practice) “We invite them out all of the time. I know Rice has come out here before. Probably just a good break for his team too, just to get out here.”

(on taking WR DeVier Posey off of PUP after this game) “The thought process is if he continues the rest of this week the way he has the last couple of days, that’s an option come Monday.”

(on if the situation with RB Arian Foster not being able to practice frustrates him) “It doesn’t frustrate me. I always think from the players’ perspective. I want everybody out here. My concerns are for players and me knowing what they’ve got to do to get to be their best. Arian’s a worker. He’s at his best when he’s working and on this field, and taking all of those reps. That’s my opinion. That’s the way he’s made his career. He came up the hard way. The more time we miss, yeah, there’s some concern on my part, but I think we’ve kind of settled down a target date and, if things go right this week, I know I said this maybe last week, we’re hoping that we’ve got plenty of time and he’s back out here real quick.”

(on if RB Arian Foster has to play in the preseason) “I don’t know if guys have to play in the preseason, but they have to work. They have to get to practice. They have to get their reps. Today was practice number 25 if I’m correct? That’s a lot of football, a lot of reps practiced and players need them to get ready.”

(on the update about QBs T.J. Yates and Case Keenum) “Well, like I said, my plan is to play Case second this week. That’s what I said yesterday, I’m going to play him second and T.J. will play third. They will come out of this preseason with equal reps. We’ll see what happens. That’s a great competition.”

(on how many series QB Matt Schaub will play this weekend) “I don’t know. I haven’t made a decision yet. Obviously, they’re going to play a good amount.”

(on how much he attributes missed tackles in the first preseason game to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement) “No, we can tackle if we want to. So it’s not the CBA’s fault. I’m not going to take guys to the ground out here. We missed a few, but we made some good ones too.”

(on big plays in the Minnesota game coming against zone coverage) “They came against what we call zone pressure, so we’re still in forms of man coverage in almost everything we do. No, we just missed some. (S) D.J. Swearinger’s a good tackler. He was overaggressive, missed one, made a big play. But that’s why you’re in camp. Hopefully, it gets better every week as we work toward opening day.”

(on how the team is preparing for noise coming from the new video boards and his message to fans about what they need to do for the home field advantage) “I want them to be as loud as they possibly can be. That’s why you play at home. As far as us a team, we always practice in noise. I don’t just do it when we play on the road. Y’all can see we did it today. I do it for concentration purposes as much as anything, but we welcome all the noise we can get. I understand it’s awesome. I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t seen it. I’m a little busy, but I’ve got to walk in there Saturday night, so I’ll get a chance to see it.”

QB Matt Schaub

Spoiler

(on getting back with the team after a couple days away) “Oh, it’s great to get back out here. This is a comfort zone out here on the football field. Get out here with the guys, continue to progress and work through training camp to get ready for our second game this weekend. It’s good to be back out here.”

(on personal and team goals for Saturday) “Just like we had last week, come out, start fast, make some first downs, move the football, get points out of our drives and our series. Just being crisp, being sharp with our personnel changes, our pre-snap procedure, and taking care of the football. Just all those things that are the key to winning.”

(on if he is concerned about the injuries on the offensive line) “No, I’m not concerned. We have a long way until week one and I know those guys, they will be ready to go. No, I’m not worried about it.”

(on how his approach changes with the addition of WR DeAndre Hopkins) “You know, it’s just more weapons. It’s nice to have that many tools at your disposal. It doesn’t change how I prepare, how I view the game, or go into it. Just knowing that we have many guys that can make plays for us. The more they make plays, the more confident they’re going to be in what they can do out there. They’re not going to be thinking as much, especially the young players, but it’s good for everyone to have that much talent across the board.”

(on pushing the tempo during practice) “You know, that’s our team. That’s how we like to operate. You saw last year we started to do a lot of stuff at the line of scrimmage and a lot of up-tempo stuff trying to keep the defense tired and off balance. That’s how we like to operate, fast with tempo and rhythm. Guys are really learning that, especially the young guys that come in here. When Dre (WR Andre Johnson) and (TE) Owen (Daniels) don’t practice, some of those young guys got to pick up the pace and the tempo because that’s how we like to operate in these games especially early in the season when it’s hot and we can tire people out.”

(on if he likes to play an up-tempo style) “Absolutely. If you look at those games when we were operating fast, whether it was a two-minute situation or just at the line of scrimmage working an up-tempo style, I feel like our offense was really clicking. You can get in a rhythm. You can get guys the football and let them make plays. Then those five-yard completions or three-yard runs turn into bigger plays.”

(on comparing former FB James Casey to FB Greg Jones) “I think the physicality of the position. The fullbacks we have, nothing against James, James did a heck of a job transitioning to being a blocking fullback, but James could really create a lot of mismatches in the passing game. Where the guys we have now, they’re going to catch the football, but more in traditional fullback type of routes. Those guys bring tenacity to that position and an aggressiveness. They’re going to be downhill and clear the way for our backs.”

(on Head Coach Gary Kubiak telling him to be more youthful and what he did when it comes to that this past offseason) “I don’t know. I don’t know if there’s something in the water here in Houston or what. Not having to rehab like last year with my foot injury played into it. I could get back in the gym, get back working out sooner, doing stuff, getting out here on the field, doing positional stuff, and just getting back into football shape in the offseason. Just working hard through it.”

(on how much he expects to play on Saturday) “I just go until he tells me to come out. I just go into it I’m going to play the game until he says I’m done. That’s how we’re going to approach it. We’re going to get ready as if it’s a regular season game and when Kub (Head Coach Gary Kubiak) says I’m done, I’ll be done.”

(on the backup quarterback battle) “Yeah, those guys are working extremely hard. As a group, we push each other. We challenge each other and stay competitive within our room and those guys are no different. They’re working extremely hard, taking advantage of opportunities, and just grasping our entire offense. (QB) T.J. (Yates) going into year three, that’s when you really notice guys really get command of everything that everyone’s doing in the huddle. (QB) Case (Keenum) has really worked hard to catch up and be at that point after one year.”

(on what he tells the other quarterbacks) “We need everyone on this team all hands on deck because we all help each other prepare for Sunday’s. They’re a support system for me when I’m out there, so we’re going to get it done together.”

(on the golf cart that came close to hitting him) “Yeah, good thing I have pretty nimble feet. That’s the youthfulness from the off-seasons coming through (joking). I was able to side step it.”

(on how important it is to have everyone contributing ) “Yeah, I mean, when you go through camp and when you go through a season, there’s so many ups and downs and trials and tribulations that you need those guys to understand what you go through as a quarterback you know, from a starting perspective because they were there at one point in their career. We all help each other. We are an extra set of eyes. We all try to watch the film in the same respect, see the field, and give each other tips. Just what guys are doing, what coverage’s are going on and just helping each other out because we’re all in this for one thing and that’s to win.”

(on what he wants to accomplish on Saturday with the offense) “Yeah, after last week, just a few plays especially for the one’s. We just want to continue where we left off, we want to get down there and move the football, score sevens. Whenever were out there we want to convert every third down. It won’t be perfect but we want to strive for that perfection. Completing all balls and executing our blocking schemes, no penalties, no mistakes with the ball and let’s go down and score points each drive.”

(on how Head Coach Gary Kubiak wasn’t pleased with the pace of practice today) “I mean, obviously I wasn’t here the last two days so I don’t know how those days went, but, coming out here, we got to start fast. We don’t spend a lot of time getting loose, and doing a lot of individual stuff. We have to get loose quick and be ready to go right from the start of practice and it took a little while for guys to get going this morning. It’s on us as leaders and veterans to show them the way and step up and pick up that pace and let them know how things are going to get done.”

(on DE J.J. Watt’s potential of being a tight end) “Yeah, he’s been ongoing around here. I mean, he’s a big target. I wouldn’t mind throwing it up and just letting him jump up and catch the ball. He can be a mismatch for us, but we will progress to that I think. We will see how it goes, but he’s definitely lobbying hard. I would definitely be all for it. It would just add to his legacy.”

(on DE J.J. Watt bringing up being a tight end when Matt Schaub was gone) “Yeah, I saw some highlights of him on the Jugs’ machine. We might need to turn the speed up. He looked a little shaky over there.”

(on who passed away in his family) “Yeah, my grandfather passed away last week on my mom’s side. So it’s a tough deal for our family, but we’re doing fine.”

(on what his grandfather meant to him) “My grandfather was one of my biggest fans. He was always there, always supportive. The first one I would talk to when I got home from games growing up or in high school and college. He would always be there to support. He was a special man.”

T David Quessenberry

Spoiler

(on playing first game in San Diego where he has family) “Yeah, I got a lot of family coming to that game. It’s exciting to be able to go back home to San Diego to play your first NFL game. It’s something that I’m looking forward to and have been looking forward to for a long time.”

(on his progress through training camp) “I think I’m light-years ahead of where I was. Basically, I’ve played a couple different positions and that’s helped me understand these concepts of the offense. Now, I’m pretty much locked into guard and I feel real comfortable out there. I feel good, especially when I get to work next to guys like (LT) Duane (Brown) and (C) Chris (Myers). They help me out and they’re about as good as it gets in this league.”

(on being inspired by working with the first string offense) “Yeah, absolutely, I think this offensive line is so talented. When a guy steps down, like when (G) Wade (Smith) went out and (G) Ben (Jones) stepped up. Ben can do it and, when Ben goes down, I can step-up. We just have so many talented guys on this offensive line that can play all over the place that it really helps us out.”

(on proving himself during Saturday’s preseason game) “Yeah, absolutely. Basically, the game is a football game. To me, it doesn’t matter preseason, regular season, or playoffs. I’m going out there, I’m going to win, I’m going to do my best to help this team win, and that’s what it’s about for me every day.”

(on his opportunity as a rookie) “You know, I think the coaching staff here, they really give great opportunities to all the rookies and me especially being a versatile offensive lineman. There’s been some shifting around the front and being able to fit in some roles has really helped me out.”

(on going against NT Earl Mitchell, DE J.J. Watt, and DE Antonio Smith as a rookie) “Oh yeah, I mean, I think we probably have the most talented defensive line in the league and practicing against those guys just makes you that much better. You get to play against Pro Bowlers and the Defensive Player of Year. As a rookie coming in getting to play against that, that really sets the tone for the rest of your career.”

Afternoon Practice

Head Coach Gary Kubiak

Spoiler

(on the responsibilities of G/T David Quessenberry right now) “Yeah, big opportunity for him. Obviously, battling with (G) Ben (Jones) with (G) Wade (Smith) missing his time. A lot of things going on there and then bringing (T) Nate (Menkin) back, and yet we’re still young with (G) Brandon (Brooks). A lot of things going on inside and competition over the next few weeks will be very important.”

(on if there are any updates as far as health) “No, nothing’s changed. (OLB) Trevardo (Williams) will check in tomorrow. Obviously, (G) Wade (Smith) will be missing until I tell you otherwise. Other than that, people making progress. (WR DeVier) Posey making progress and I rested some guys this morning.”

(on what DE Antonio Smith does for the team leadership-wise) “He’s really come a long way since he first came to us. He’s an effort player. Loves to play. Brings a lot of energy to our football team. Loves to have fun. You guys know that, y’all have been around him. Man, I’ll tell you he’s turned into something special. He’s done a really good job for us.”

(on if people don’t really appreciate what DE Antonio Smith does) “Well, I think around the league they do. I think the people that put on the film realize what type of player he is and obviously getting (DE) J.J. (Watt), they’ve fed off each other, which has really helped Antonio. We’re real proud of him and how far he’s come as a player ever since we got him from Arizona. He’s done a great job for us.”

(on if the team will game plan for Miami this week) “We game plan a little bit in the preseason, more so next week like we’re preparing for a regular season game. Yeah, you’re trying to test them a little bit mentally. How much you go do of that remains to be seen because you’re still going to play a lot of young players. We need to look at a lot of guys.”

(on if he’s decided how he’s going to handle the quarterbacks after QB Matt Schaub) “No, I just know (QB) Case Keenum will go next, but (QB) T.J. (Yates) will play too. That’ll be the order. Depending on how much Matt plays, they’ll split the rest of the game.”

(on having QB Case Keenum play with the second unit) “Yeah, well, he played with the two’s a lot last week too, so don’t read too much into that. Our second offensive line played probably two-and-a-half quarters of the game last week, so Case kind of played with both groups. We’ll just change it up this week.”

(on the rotation at running back behind RB Ben Tate and if it will change) “You know what, it could this week. We haven’t talked about it, but I would just say that 39 (RB Deji Karim) is really practicing well, so we want to see him more this week and obviously want to continue to see DJ (RB Dennis Johnson), (RB) Cierre (Wood) and then (RB Ray) Graham comes in and does a good job. I think one of the things about this week, we want to see Deji a little bit more. We want to take a look at him.”

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...ugust-14/41781c92-138e-42d1-957a-cdc5d503b570

 

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

Keo returning Punts? WTF? need explanation on this? No one on offense wants to return kicks

 

Probably to show his versatility and because they don't want to risk Martin getting injured. Although I figured that was one of the reason we drafted the WR Bonner, if he isn't doing it, I guess kid must be bad at returning punts. I can understand why they don't want to load up any of the RBs who might not even make the team at the spot but not to use the WR unless he hasn't shown he can actually make the roster for either his catching abilities nor his special teams skills.

 

Bonner is injured.

Not that I'm the biggest fan of Keo playing safety but isn't safety depth more important than WR depth at this point?

 

Deji Karim returned a kickoff for 101 yards against us last year? I wonder why he hasn't even been mentioned in any of the returner talk. It's not like we should be worried about losing our 4th string RB.

 

Ah, didn't know that.

The thing with Keo, is that while he is a good safety, his life line to this or any team is going to be special teams. If Reed, Manning and Swearinger are healthy he won't see much time on the field otherwise. Heck, he'd probably be gone like Troy Nolan was last season if he wasn't one of the few special team leaders they felt they could count on.

 

Because a return TD isn't exactly an accomplishment against our coverage team.

 

Keo has the smarts to play the position... he just lacks instincts and talents to excel at it. Pray for the pass rush to cover up this fact if he winds up starting, because I would choose undrafted 2nd year safety Pleasant over Keo but we all have to face the facts, Keo is going to get the chance unless he self destructs badly on the field.

 

True, but he averaged 25 yards per return his first two years and 36 last year in limited time (still averaged 28 not counting the TD against us). He averaged almost 31 yards per return his last year of college, albeit against FCS competition.

If we're giving guys (Dennis Johnson) the opportunity to improve their odds of making the team by seeing if they make a mark as a return man, then Karim deserves a shot since he's done it before.

Keo did return a couple of kickoffs in the preseason 2 years ago and was "meh". 3 returns, 18.6 yard average.

 

Thursday was the last day of training camp. Kubiak shifts into regular season mode next week. Practice and meetings will follow a schedule like they find during a normal week.

Quotes from Thursday:

Head Coach Gary Kubiak

Spoiler

(on the rookies singing him happy birthday and who initiated it) “I didn’t ask them to. That actually was the most creative song that they’ve had in a while, so they did a good job. I don’t know, it had a beat to it, wasn’t your traditional birthday song.”

(on veterans not letting him get away with the fact that it’s his birthday) “Yeah, that’s true. I’ve been celebrating my birthday in training camp as a player and a coach for a long, long time, but it was good. We had a good practice and looking forward to coming into our place and playing some football this weekend.”

(on if there are any plans about reps that he can share) “No, just that (QB) Case (Keenum) will go second in the game, like I told y’all before. Our starters will play probably close to a quarter of football and then we’ll go from there. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of guys to look at. We’ve got some players coming back that did not play last week. It’s exciting to get back in our stadium.”

(on how he would grade this birthday song) “That was the tops. That was a good one. That and the day (T) Ephraim Salaam threw a cake at me. They go hand-in-hand, but (OLB) Willie (Jefferson) seems to have a little beat. He keeps our rookies up; they’re a little different this year. I’ll tell you that.”

(on the Super Bowl being the goal for the team) “Well, never showed up for any camp not wanting to do that, so this year’s no different. I’m a guy that’s got to keep everybody focused on the work. A lot of people talk about those things this time of year. Everybody wants to play in that game and get to that game, but unless you work your tail off and understand that there are a lot of highs and lows throughout the course of a season, I’ve got to keep everybody grounded and get ready to play opening day against San Diego.”

(on breaking two-a-days) “You know what, it used to be a big deal. Since we’re home all the time, it’s not that big of a deal. In the old days, you were somewhere else and you got in your car and drove as fast as you could and go home. Nowadays, nothing really changes. But we’ve had a good camp. Today’s the last day, which they say it is, it’s been very good. We’ll get into our routine next week.”

(on what he wants to see out of QB Case Keenum) “I just think we continue. Obviously, he’s got another game plan that came at him this week. He’s got more to digest. Can he go handle that with the group like he did last week? He’s probably going to play against a little bit different level of competition from the standpoint of when he goes into the football game this week against Miami. You’re just looking for him to progress like any other player.”

(on how excited he is to have defensive players like DE J. Watt and ILB Brian Cushing back for the game) “Well, this week’s been good because they’ve all practiced together. Cush has been excellent. J.J.’s had a great camp. This will be kind of the first time we’ve had everybody available. We need to get to that same spot here offensively and get (RB) Arian (Foster) back, so we can work together.”

(on if there’s anything new on RB Arian Foster) “No, just he’s doing good. Hopefully, we have a clean weekend and we wake up Monday and we get back to work. So we’ll see where we’re at.”

(on DE J.J. Watt’s goal of 20 sacks, 20 pass deflections and 20 tackles for a loss) “Exactly right. That’s why he’s a great player. He has tremendous expectations, but he’s a tremendous worker too. I was asked before if I thought he could have a better year this year than he did last year, I think he can. You never know where the numbers are going to come from, but, as a player, I think he’s growing because he understands (defensive coordinator) Wade (Phillips’) scheme to the T now. He studies the players he plays against every week, even more so now. He’s been dominant in training camp.”

(on how much ILB Brian Cushing returning helps DE J.J. Watt) “Well, it get us back active inside. As I’ve told y’all before, when Cush is in there and we’re doing a lot of our inside stunts, it frees people up. We lost some of that last year when we lost Cush. It’s been back to business as usual.”

(on what kind of training camp FS Shiloh Keo had) “Oh, he’s having a really good camp. It’s still a long way to go, but he’s a much better player than he has been the past couple of years and I’m going to give him a chance to do some returning this week too.”

(on how far TE Garrett Graham has come these last two seasons) “He’s come a long way. He’s turned into a really fine player. I’m very confident if there’s something going on with OD (TE Owen Daniels). Really, the way we play, they both play as starters in a lot of ways. They both play a lot of plays when the day is said and done. I’ve got a lot of confidence in him.”

(on FS Shiloh Keo getting more returns this game) “I’m going to let him return punts this week. He’ll be the first guy to return punts. He’s done it before and he’s showed some good signs of doing it. We’ll give him a chance to help out a little bit more.”

(on the growth of SS Eddie Pleasant) “Yeah, just more confident. I’d say the same thing I say about (QB) Case (Keenum). He’s more confident. He knows what we’re doing, so his instincts are taking over. He still had some mistakes the other day, but Eddie has a chance to make big plays. He gives you a lot of speed on special teams.”

(on what position he wants G/T David Quessenberry to focus on) “No, actually Quess and (G/C Ben) Jones are splitting reps. It’s a competitive situation with (G) Wade (Smith) out. We’ll see what happens, but Ben’s been having a very good camp. Quess has probably come as far as a young offensive linemen as we’ve had in a while, so it’s going to be a competitive situation over the next few weeks.”

(on G/T David Quessenberry saying he was a walk-on in college and that fueling him to make it this far) “He’s very mature. You can tell a very hungry young man. There were some questions of his size and stuff and, as a former tight end, but, boy, it has not been an issue at all and he’s really picked up what we do. I don’t know, these offensive linemen all kind of seem to fit the same mold when it’s all said and done and, boy, he’s fit right in with them.”

(on the main thing he’s looking for out of preseason game two) “Just we’ve got to continue to look at a lot of young guys. I want our older guys to get more snaps as they work toward opening day, but just continue to gain confidence in these young players that are going to be a part of our team.”

WR DeAndre Hopkins

Spoiler

(on how much of a grind it has been to get to this point) “Oh it’s been a grind. You know, (WR) Andre (Johnson) has been helping me through it along with all of the wide receivers. It’s been great coming out here and working with guys like this.”

(on the biggest takeaway from this time of year) “The biggest takeaway was just take care of your body off the field because if you don’t do that, you’re not going to come out here and be at your full potential. It’s a grind off the field as well.”

(on following up on the last game performance) “If I graded myself, I’d give myself a D honestly. I’ve got a lot I can improve on and I can come back and do a lot better than I did.”

S Shiloh Keo

Spoiler

(on how he has done this training camp) “I think I’ve been doing well. You know, there’s always room for improvement. I’ve got to continue to get better and just get ready for the season opener.”

(on if he is excited about the opportunity to return punts) “Oh definitely, whenever I get the ball in my hands I’m looking to do something with it. I came up short last week with that pick and I was a little frustrated with that, so this is going to be another opportunity for me.”

(on the difference between his rookie year and now) “Oh definitely, I was telling her earlier that I’m just way more comfortable. There’s more camaraderie, at least for me, with the other guys on the field. Just having those couple years under my belt, I’m able to relax and be calm out there.”

T David Quessenberry

Spoiler

(on if he expected to be elevated this quickly.) “You know, I knew as soon as I got an opportunity to show my stuff, someone would be impressed. And luckily here, they gave me that opportunity and they drafted me. In OTAs and in camp they let me show my skills and there’s still a lot of football to play but I feel like I’ve been doing my job so far.”

(on who has helped him the most since he’s been here) “I think we have great coaches. It’s a great coaching staff down here who have helped me out a lot. I think the veterans have been helping me out too. (G) Wade Smith, (C) Chris Myers, (T) Duane Brown, just being able to watch them and learn from them has helped me out tremendously. And then the second year guys; the guys who were rookies last year and know what it’s like to be a rookie and transition into the NFL they’ve been great too like (G/C) Ben Jonesand (G) Brandon Brooks.”

(on the difficulty of playing two different positions and the added workload that comes with it) “Yeah, I mean it’s adding to the workload, but at the same time I think it’s helping me. When you learn multiple positions, it helps you understand concepts of the playbook and I think that’s the biggest thing. The playbook is so much more complicated and the defenses in the NFL are just so much more complex and you see so many more different looks, that if you understand what we’re trying to accomplish with each play, that’s going to help you out.”

(on if he feels more comfortable playing guard or tackle) “No, I feel the most comfortable on the offensive line. Anywhere on that offensive line, that’s where I want to be put to help this team win.”

DE Antonio Smith

Spoiler

(on today being the last day of training camp) “Hey man, I love it. You can’t complain about that. You know what I’m saying? No more two-a-days, just regular work days. Don’t have to get up all early and do all that extra stuff. I think that’s what every player looks forward to about this time of year: getting that last week of true camp out. You still got some work to do because you got preseason games, but nobody likes two-a-days man, nobody.”

(on the rain today) “It’s about the coolest it’s been the whole time. That’s nothing but a blessing man. Thank you, Lord.”

(on singing happy birthday to head coach Gary Kubiak) “No, we made the rookies do it. (QB Matt) Schaub called the rookies out. They sounded magnificent. They got all into it. They didn’t even get into it that good on their rookie show. They wanted to impress the head coach. They were really singing to him.”

(on how excited he is to see OLB Sam Montgomery playing Saturday) “Yeah I definitely am, so I can see where we’re at and what else I need to work on him with. I think that he’s a raw talent. Somebody is going to have to take the time out and sit and work with him. Give him a little love and he’ll be alright.”

(on OLB Willie Jefferson) “Willie surprised everybody because there have been a lot of guys I have seen come into the league with the swag and the confidence, but he’s one of the one’s that you’ve seen it from day one. When the swag and confidence got out here on the field, it showed the same thing. Once you can believe what you can do out there, it makes you a great player.”

DE J.J. Watt

Spoiler

(on his expectations for this year) “I mean, that’s what I was trying for last year and I didn’t get it, so that’s the goal. Trying to do things that people don’t think you can do, that don’t think you should be able to do, do things that people would ever be done, so I’m always trying to set the bar a little bit higher and a little bit higher.”

(on embracing setting high expectations) “Yeah, why not? Why not create high expectations? Nobody sets the bar low and loves jumping over it. I mean, I’m trying to strive for high bar. There’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t embrace high expectations. What am I going to do, be scared of them? I have no interest in being scared. I have no interest in mediocrity, I have no interest in average, I have no interest in being an OK player. I want to be great. I want to be the best, so that’s why I set the bar extremely high.”

(on Texans owner Bob McNair’s expectations for the season) “Expectations are extremely high and that’s the way they should be. You should every single day, attack it like the highest of the highest expectation. You should expect to be great. If you’re coming out here just for a decent season, then you’re coming out here for the wrong reasons.”

(on two-a-days) “Awesome. It’s nice. It’s kind of nice to be done. It was a great time. We got a lot of work in. We got a lot better. It’s nice to be able, because being done with two-a day’s means we are that much closer to the regular season. And were ready and I’m excited. I can’t wait to get out there and play.”

(on making it to the Super Bowl) “You don’t want to go to the dance and sit on the sideline. You want to get out there and move a little bit. I mean, I’m looking towards San Diego. There are lots of big goals down the road but it all starts on 9/9 in San Diego.”

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...ugust-15/d13a3eed-94be-4525-9c7a-722e497d32fc

 

Couple of interesting snippets from Rick Smith's brother Frankie.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/PatDStat">@PatDStat</a> He was...lol then there was a veto</p>&mdash; Frankie Smith (@flsnupe) <a href="https://twitter.com/flsnupe/statuses/368805388637847553">August 17, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/PatDStat">@PatDStat</a> He and Rick came close to working in Tampa Bay prior to Houston...</p>&mdash; Frankie Smith (@flsnupe) <a href="https://twitter.com/flsnupe/statuses/368806167717236736">August 17, 2013</a></blockquote>
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