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2013 Training Camp

Discussion in 'Houston Texans' started by J.R., Jul 22, 2013.

  1. Pringles

    Pringles Member

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    But but Matt Schaub can't throw over thirty yards! ;)


    Then again... Brandon Harris was the defensive back on that play.... :eek:
     
  2. sugrlndkid

    sugrlndkid Member

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    W(hhh)a-tt???...;)
     
  3. Phillyrocket

    Phillyrocket Member

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    Am I the only one anticipating a HUGE impact from Hopkins this year? It really sucks about Posey's injury. With him coming on towards the end of last year, Martin supposedly looking really improved in camp, and Hopkins creating buzz like Watt did in last year's camp, this WR core could be amazing.
     
  4. solid

    solid Member

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    Yeah, it doesn't feel quite the same. Two late season collapses in a row, especially last season. Losing the nationally televised games was a downer. I really hope we don't end up with the Bengals again in the first round. I am hoping for a defensive rebound. I think that would give the offense a boost. A break out player or two would be nice.
     
  5. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Texans ILB Darryl Sharpton comes off the active/non-football injury list (groin) and is going thru his 1st workout.</p>&mdash; Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/statuses/364018269100851201">August 4, 2013</a></blockquote>
    <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Kubiak on Cushing:&quot;He's basically a full-time participant now.We're going2keep him out of certain drills where we're doing a lot of contact&quot;</p>&mdash; Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/statuses/364087414546903040">August 4, 2013</a></blockquote>
    <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>JJ Watt sat out practice with a sore elbow. Says he wil wear his brace oin the elbow for good, games too</p>&mdash; Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/statuses/364037257306447872">August 4, 2013</a></blockquote>
    <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Gary Kubiak says Arian Foster's calf is fine. He didn't work today because of a sore back.</p>&mdash; Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/statuses/364038113871396864">August 4, 2013</a></blockquote>
    <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Gary Kubiak on CB Brandon Harris: &quot;He has a little infection on his leg from a cut or something. So we have (cont) <a href="http://t.co/yDAzik6FG9">http://t.co/yDAzik6FG9</a></p>&mdash; Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/statuses/364126817512615936">August 4, 2013</a></blockquote>
    <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>OLB Brooks Reed sat out afternoon walk thru after he banged knees w/someone in AM. &quot;I'm going 2 see how(knee)feels. It's a day 2 day thing&quot;</p>&mdash; Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/statuses/364129159078887424">August 4, 2013</a></blockquote>
    <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
     
    #185 J.R., Aug 4, 2013
    Last edited: Aug 4, 2013
  6. jayhow92

    jayhow92 Member

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    Harris had good coverage on that catch, but Hopkins made a better play. It was impressive. Yates on the other hand looked pretty bad again. He missed his recivers and threw an ill-advised passed into triple coverage and got picked off by Brice McCain. Don't be surprised if Keenan jumps him as the #2 qb on the depth chart.
     
  7. clutch citizen

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    How's Case Keenum been looking? Pretty high remarks from Kubes in the beginning of the offseason activities.
     
  8. jayhow92

    jayhow92 Member

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    He's making smart choices with the ball compared to TJ right now. I kinda zoned out a bit when he was in so I can't give a better breakdown of what he did.
     
  9. Jet Blast

    Jet Blast Member

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    Quotes from Day 9 of training camp:

    Head Coach Gary Kubiak
    (on DE J.J. Watt’s status) “His elbow’s just sore. We brought him out here to practice today, wanted to keep him out of contact. As y’all could see, the majority of practice was contact. He’ll be out here tomorrow, whether we limit his contact tomorrow. He just had a sore elbow.”

    (on if DE J.J. Watt’s elbow injury is not really a concern) “No, it go screwed up on him, what was it Thursday? So we rested him Friday. He went through his treatment and still a little sore today, so it’s probably a precaution.”

    (on ILB Darryl Sharpton back practicing today) “Sharpton’s back to work. He brought some intensity in practice. That’s what Sharp is. He’s a banger and it’s just great to have him out here. If this kid can stay in one piece, boy he’s a heck of a player and he can really help this team. Got our fingers crossed we keep going in the right direction.”

    (on G Brandon Brooks walking off from practice at one point) “Yeah, he banged knees with somebody and got sore, so Kap (Head Athletic Trainer Geoff Kaplan) pulled him out. So we’ll go check this afternoon.”

    (on ILB Brian Cushing receiving more reps this morning) “Yeah, he’s basically a full-time participant now. We’re going to keep him out of certain drills where we’re doing a lot of contact. For the most part, he’s a full-time participant.”
    (on how important it is for ILB Brian Cushing to continue to receive more reps) “It’s really important. He knows he needs the reps to get ready to play. We’ll still keep our process going where we want to be in a few weeks, but for us to be able to keep him totally involved is a good thing.”

    (on if he was expecting RB Arian Foster to be practicing today) “Yeah, I was. I was expecting him out. Guys, his calf is fine. His back is sore. Hey, keep going day-to-day.”

    (on if he knows when RB Arian Foster will be back out there) “No. Like I said, I expected him today and it didn’t happen. I’ll tell you what though, those four young backs are doing some really good stuff. You guys are watching practice, I told them a few minutes ago, there’s nobody complaining about reps and opportunity.”

    (on how RB Ben Tate is doing) “Ben’s fine. He’s just coming off the groin soreness. Hopefully, he’s back tomorrow or the next day.”

    (on if the undrafted rookie running backs are going to see a lot of time in the Minnesota game coming up) “I think there’s a pretty darn good chance you’re going to see them. Yeah, it’s a really good group. There are four young men, they haven’t missed a day. They’re a lot alike in a lot of ways. They’re all handling pass protection, which is impressive to me. We’re going to find us another back out of this deal. What an opportunity for them.”

    (on if RB Arian Foster’s back injury is somehow related to his calf injury) “No, I don’t think so. No, he’s working on his calf. His back was bothering him a little bit, a little soreness a couple of weeks ago. But no, I don’t think there’s any relationship.”

    (on what LT Duane Brown means to the team) “Everything. First off, he’s a tremendous worker. Big respect as a player from what you see. Duane is respected around the league, but yet everyone watches him work as hard as he possibly can work. Very proud of Duane. Great player, but great man too and a big part. Very important.”

    (on how much game planning he’ll do for the first preseason game) “The most important thing is we do what the young kids know, so they can go compete. That’s about as far as we get with this particular game and obviously we’re going to have a lot of young guys playing on Friday. It’ll be good to see somebody else.”

    (on T Derek Newton receiving a lot of reps with the first team and if he’s grabbed ahold of that starting spot) “There’s no doubt. He’s establishing himself every day. He’s a better player than he was last year. He’s healthier than he was at the end of last year and it shows every day.”

    (on if the competition is over at right tackle because of the way T Derek Newton is playing) “I don’t think it’s ever over. We’re always in competition, but I think Derek has taken the bull by the horns and said you guys can count on me, and he’s doing that every day.”

    (on QB Case Keenum’s training camp so far) “It’s been good. He has some days that he’s got to be a lot better, which all players do. I think the thing that’s exciting is he has a command of what we’re doing offensively and now I need to go see him play a bunch. But a fine young man, he’s come a long way. Great battle between him and (QB) T.J. (Yates) right now. We’ll see how it works out.”

    ILB Darryl Sharpton
    (on how it feels to be back out today) “It feels great. Anytime you’re on the football field it’s a blessing and it feels good to be out here.”

    (on toughest adjustment) “Nothing really, I have been in this system for a while. It’s just back out here doing what I do best.”

    (on whether he was injured swimming with dolphins in Bahamas) “No, it’s not true. It was just training and working out.”

    (on missing camp during the heat) “From what I know, Houston has the hottest training camp in the NFL. I remember from my first training camp out here it was over 100 (degrees) for seven days in a row. It’s brutal out here, but I love it. I love playing in the heat and competing and battling.”

    (on first practice back) “It’s great. I think I’m a pretty good competitor. I love fighting through the heat, getting on these pads, smashing, banging and running. I love playing football and I’m just so happy to be back out here.”

    (on ILB Brian Cushing) “Cush is an unbelievable athlete. He is a great leader on this team and it’s good to be playing with Cush again.”

    (on feeling behind) “Not really. Like I said, I have been in this defense and been in every meeting, so I have been taking mental reps. I feel like I haven’t lost a step.”

    (on getting all the linebackers healthy) “This is a very dangerous sport, I can attest to that. We had a couple nicks and bruises, but we always find a way to get through it and we have good depth.”

    (on how the defense can improve from years past) “Every year you have to take your standard to another level. We’ve been in the top of the league ever since Coach Wade Phillips came here. Every year we are getting more and more comfortable with his system and our expectations grow every year.”

    DE J.J. Watt
    (on why he was practicing on the side-field) “Just resting up a little bit. Camp is a grind; just resting up a little bit.”

    (on having his elbow brace back on) “Elbow is a little sore so the brace is back. It’s just precaution. I just want to be smart with it. I put it through a lot of work over the last week. It’s done a lot of work without the brace for the first time in a long time, so I’m bringing the brace back just as kind of a security measure, you know, to make sure it stays secure and it stays safe.”

    (on why he has his elbow brace back on) “It just got a little sore. I worked it a lot and I worked it really hard so that’s kind of why I gave it a little bit of a break here lately.”

    (on his work ethic in regards to working on the side-field as an individual) “No, it has nothing to do with an individual at all. We’re just trying to give my elbow a little bit of rest here and that’s all it is.”

    (on how the fans treat him) “The most important thing to me, is my play because none of these people aren’t out here cheering for me if I don’t play well so that’s why putting in the work, putting in the time, putting in the effort is the most important part. But then, when I have a chance, after practice when I’m on break to say hello and to sign autographs and to take pictures. I mean these are the people who are out there buying 99 jerseys. These are the people that are supporting my foundation. These are the people that are showing me so much love so I feel like they show me so much love, I want to show that love right back. I’m very, very fortunate. I mean, walking out here every single day is crazy. It’s the stuff you dream about as a kid and I really it enjoy it but like you said, at the exact same time I need to make sure I’m putting the best product on the field for them so that’s what I’m focused on every day.”

    (on his work ethic and where his motivation comes from) “It’s all self-motivated but it does nothing but help. I mean, when I’m working out by myself, in the off season when you’re working out by yourself, when you don’t want to put in a workout. When you have those feelings of, ‘Man I’d rather just sleep’, you’re self-motivated, but then you also think about all for these fans. All of these people who come to watch, all of these people that turn on their TVs every Sunday and want to see you play well, makes it that much easier to get into the gym and put in your work.”

    (on his Yahoo! commercials)”It’s been great, man. I’m glad people like those. They’re pretty funny. They were fun to film and I get a lot of people enjoying them so that’s great.”

    (on how important it is to have ILB Darryl Sharpton back out on the field) “It’s nice to have him out there. He delivered quite a blow today on one play at least and he’s fun to watch. He’s fun to watch; the guy can lay some hits.”

    (on Coach Bill Kollar being an asset to the team) “Coach Kollar is a fiery guy, but he’s really, really smart. Coach Kollar really knows his stuff. In the meeting room especially, I mean, he points things out. He’s really good at picking things out of other teams and tendencies and things like that that you can use. His experience, he’s been around for so long, he’s a great asset for our team.”

    (on how many different moves he utilizes at the line of scrimmage) “I don’t even really classify them as moves per se, because I just go with the flow. You kind of feel what the offensive lineman is doing and sometimes it’s a combination of moves, sometimes it’s one move. As long as it works, I don’t care how many moves I have or how I get back there. As long as I get to the quarterback, that’s all that matters.”

    (on the freedom Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips gives him) “Absolutely, I love playing for Wade because he understands. I trust him and he trusts me. He puts us in position to have success and in turn he gives his trust to me. I try and use it as freely as I can while still being smart and never hurting the team. I take some chances here and there, but they are always very calculated risks and risks that are going to give me an advantage.”

    (on the brace effecting him last year) “No, like I said last year, it didn’t really bother me a whole lot. Cosmetically, I’m just not a huge fan of the way it looks but it never really bothered me from a playing standpoint so I don’t see it being an issue whatsoever. It’s just something I have to play with and that’s it.”

    (on whether not having specific moves is unique) “If you watch the film, you can see a move here and you can see how you can classify things as moves, but it’s not like I line up and I’m saying, ‘Okay, I’m going to swim move on this player’ or ‘okay, I’m going to rip on this play.’ It’s all based on the guy I’m playing against, what he has been giving me all game, and what I have been setting up. That’s why I say you can’t really classify it because I don’t just sit there and say, ‘From the jump, okay, this is going to be a swim move.” It’s all feel and all just going with the flow.”




    Afternoon practice

    Head Coach Gary Kubiak
    (on if he’s secretly glad DE J.J. Watt is wearing the elbow brace) “I don’t know. I think it’s probably smart. If his elbow is going to get sore on him, it’s smart to wear it at least for a week or so until he gets the soreness out of it, but I think he’s fine.”

    (on DE J.J. Watt playing well last season wearing the elbow brace) “Yeah, if it’s good luck, he needs to put it back on anyways (joking).”

    (on DE J.J. Watt saying he’s going to wear the brace full-time) “Yeah, I think probably a confidence thing for him or at least until the soreness gets out of his elbow. Yeah, if we can have that same production we got out of him last year with that brace, then let’s put it back on.”

    (on if there is any new update with RB Arian Foster) “No, just his back is sore, stiff. We’ve actually got him inside this afternoon. He was out here for a few minutes and we sent him back inside. We’ll see. He’s day-to-day.”

    (on if RB Arian Foster not practicing is getting frustrating to him at all) “I’m sure it is for him. Obviously, I want everybody out here because you want everything coming together and guys working together, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do too. We’re just listening to Kap (Head Athletic Trainer Geoff Kaplan) and get him back here the right way. Right now, we’ve got a big focus on four young running backs and getting them ready to play. What an opportunity for them and obviously history says you never know when those guys are going to have to step in there and go, so we’ve got to really make sure we’re doing a good job with them.”

    (on how he’s going to divide reps up among the running backs on Friday) “I don’t know. I haven’t even thought about it. I probably won’t make that decision until Wednesday.”

    (on if he’s determined the reps for anyone on Friday) “No, done nothing yet. I’ll make that decision. We’re going to push here and work against ourselves through Tuesday and then probably do a little Viking work Wednesday and Thursday morning and go play.”

    (on if there are any other health issues) “No, (OLB) Brooks Reed banged his knee. Him and OD (TE Owen Daniels) had a collision this morning. We kept him out this afternoon. We think he’s fine and expect him to be there in the morning, we’ll see.”

    (on how ILB Darryl Sharpton’s first day back went) “Really good. He brings an edge when he plays. He’s a physical player. Just hopefully we can keep Sharp upright. He’s got some work to do to catch up with the team. At the same time, we try to do everything we can because, when Sharp hits, he gets beat up because he loves to hit. We’re trying to get him ready, trying to protect him at the same time.”

    (on if he has to tell ILB Darryl Sharpton to tone it down at all) “You can’t do that. What we try to do is (LBs Coach) Reggie (Herring) tries to keep an eye on his reps and what he’s doing. We’ll get to a point, we’ve got a couple of more days in pads here this week and then we’ll calm down for a few days. It’s kind of a measured situation. How many reps does he take? But he needs to bang too because he’s getting ready to play. Obviously, you don’t want him going out there and taking 100 reps either.”

    (on if RB Arian Foster is really missing anything right now) “Arian’s not missing anything he doesn’t know. Just like anything else, players need to prepare to get ready for the season and there’s nothing he can do right now, but we do have plenty of time, so hopefully we do get him back here pretty quick.”

    (on if there’s anything new on FS Ed Reed) “No, he’s doing great. He’s coming along as scheduled. He’s doing fine.”

    (on if the new rules have an impact on the way the game is played) “Yeah, it has an impact as far as all of the ways of tackling, launching of your head, the placement of your hips and stuff. So I think that has changed for players, but I think players have adapted to it pretty darn well. That’s a big change. There are a couple of special teams changes and things like that. I just think some of the illegal hits guys are having to change their aiming point when they tackle and stuff like that, so that’s a difference.”

    (on if there is much discussion among coaches and team members about the new rules) “Oh no, we talk about what to do. When you’re rushing the passer, where you go on the quarterback. You can’t go below his knees. You can’t go to his head. You better have any aiming point somewhere at the waist line. Yeah, we talk about those things all the time.”

    (on not practicing live tackling and being concerned that players are ready to tackle) “That’s always the biggest concern, how you tackle when you get going because we’re not going to take each other to the ground in camp, and you can see what we go through not taking guys to the ground as far as injuries and stuff. That is always the biggest concern, but (Defensive Coordinator) Wade (Phillips) and them do a good job emphasizing individual drills and those type of things, but there’s nothing better than playing.”

    ILB Brian Cushing
    (on how it felt being back out there today) “Good, good. You know I’ve been kind of doing some stuff here and there. Today was probably the most I’ve done as far as work load. It just feels great to be back out there.”

    (on if he noticed a change in the style of playing due to the rule changes set by the NFL) “No, I don’t think so. I think those rules have kind of, you know, are just pretty necessary and pretty obvious things that you shouldn’t do. As far as style of playing and everything, I think guys are still aggressive playing hard. I don’t really think it’s going to alter the game too much.”

    (on if the style of playing will still stay the same this year even with the new rules set by the NFL) “Yeah, I think so because it’s an instinctive game. Guys are going to be playing the same way and I think any of the rule changes are pretty necessary things that guys shouldn’t be doing in the first place.”

    (on how his first hit felt today) “Well, you know, like I said, it’s been a couple of days I’ve been doing some things so you know, I’ve hit, I’ve covered. I’ve pretty much done everything and I re-enacted every scenario I’d have on a football field. I’ve covered all my grounds as far as that. Now it’s just continuing to get better and continuing to work my craft and progress more and more every single day and just take one day at a time.”

    (on starting practice with a knee brace on and then taking it off) “No I kind of went back and forth with it just to see how I felt. The biggest thing is contact period to keep it on just in case I got rolled into, but it’s not going to make any difference just running around. It’s really just based on a comfort level now whether I’ll wear it or not.”

    http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...mp-Day-9/f6219e41-d8fa-4a69-a980-d5c8afafd4ee
     
    1 person likes this.
  10. ubigred

    ubigred Member

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    This offseason is much quieter than last season....I wonder why?

    I don't hear the words 'Super Bowl contenders' tossed around all willy nilly like last offseason.
     
  11. Fyreball

    Fyreball Member

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    For this team now, what they do between September and December isn't as important anymore. It's all about January and February now. This team is still very much a Super Bowl contender still.....but they had their teeth kicked in by New England last season, and that bitterness is not going to go away anytime soon. They have a lot to prove in the playoffs, so talking about the regular season doesn't do a whole lot to assuage that.
     
  12. SWTsig

    SWTsig Member

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    i think it's understood around the league that this team is a legit super bowl contender. schaub is schaub, but this team - if healthy - is as stacked as any in the league.
     
  13. jbasket

    jbasket Member

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    Did we get worse than last year? No: we were contenders before, and are still contenders now. Do people just forget that we were 12-4 last year and didn't lose any key FA (mayyybe GQ exception)?
     
  14. Pete the Cheat

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    Act like you been there son. Get your head in the ****in game
     
  15. DonkeyMagic

    DonkeyMagic Member
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    Because it is already understood that they are Super Bowl contenders.
     
  16. Jet Blast

    Jet Blast Member

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    Quotes from Day 10:

    Head Coach Gary Kubiak
    (on the health situation with the team) “(ILB Tim) Dobbins got nicked up, got his shoulder, back. We’re getting him looked at right now, but other than that, we’re kind of right where we were yesterday.”

    (on WR DeAndre Hopkins) “He’s doing a heck of a job for a young player. He doesn’t look like a very young player out here. He understands what we’re doing. He’s making a lot of plays every day. He’s a worker and, as a coach, that’s probably the greatest gift you can get when you get a draft choice and they come in. You know they’re good players or you wouldn’t draft them, but when they’ve got these tremendous work habits, it adds to what you’ve already got on your team.”

    (on if WR DeAndre Hopkins reminds him of any other players he’s coached at that age) “I don’t know. He moves a little bit like (WR) Rod Smith to me, a player that I had a bunch who made a lot of contested plays. I think they’re all different. The biggest thing with him is he’s a very competitive kid. When it’s him and a DB (defensive back) and a lot of bumping and grinding going on, he finds a way to make a play. In our league, you’re going to get covered. There are good people in this league, so you’ve got to make contested plays.”

    (on if it’s exciting to see how WR DeAndre Hopkins will transition from practices to games) “Yeah and then that’s the next step for him. I think probably the thing I’m most excited about is the fact of how well he’s kept up with what we’re doing. We’ve thrown it all at him. He’s worked as a starter every rep. He’s handled himself very, very good, so (WRs Coach) Larry (Kirksey) and (Asst. WRs Coach) Marc (Lubick) have done a really good job with him.”

    (on WR Andre Johnson saying WR DeAndre Hopkins is not thinking any more) “Well, that’s what happens. I’ve said to you guys, you’ve got decisions to make when you’ve got a top-notch rookie like that. Do I bring him along slow? And our process here has always been we drafted him to play. So he went through a tough OTAs, had a lot of rough days out here, but it looks like it’s paid off because he’s way ahead.”

    (on throwing rookies right into the fire and if it’s harder when they struggle because of that) “I think some portion of struggle is a given coming into this league. I think if anything, if you’ve got the right guy, it makes them tougher. It makes them appreciate because they’ve been pretty successful where they’ve been and they realize how hard it is in this league and it settles them down to what the next 10 years are going to be like. I think it’s about a response and the good ones always respond.”

    (on when he will make a decision on quarterback reps for the Minnesota game) “I probably won’t even talk about that until Wednesday. We’ll wait and see. We’ve got some serious health situations, especially at linebacker right now. I’ve got to get them to Friday right now and get them ready to play. We’ll make those decision later.”

    (on if he has any plans to have QB Matt Schaub take days off) “He is not taking any reps when we go inside. I let the other guys do that. Of course, that’s jog-through stuff, but I think he needs the work. I made him get his weight down a little bit this year and go back to some of his youth. I want to keep it there and I think he’s responded and had a good camp.”

    (on the health at linebacker and who is his biggest concern) “Well, my biggest concern is we’ve got 15 of them and I think seven of them are practicing. That’s my biggest concern.”

    (on if there is one linebacker who is of particular concern not practicing) “No, we need them all back. We need the (OLB Sam) Montgomery kid; we’ve got to figure out what he’s made of. We’ve got to get him back. We need them all. (ILB Cameron) Collins is having a good camp and now he’s missing time. Tough situation when it seems like you get beat up in one spot.”

    (on if RB Dennis Johnson has had a good training camp) “Yeah, he has. He’s been impressive and he’s kept up. He’s operated as the starter the last two days and he continues to make plays. A real worker, that goes kind of with what I just said, but he’s been a nice surprise and hopefully he keeps going.”

    (on if it’s too soon for RB Dennis Johnson to be starting as an undrafted free agent) “Yeah, it’s way too soon for him to be starting, but you get caught in situations and that’s usually how you find guys. He’s getting a great opportunity.”

    QB Matt Schaub
    (on how many snaps he will take during Friday’s preseason game) “I don’t know. I can gauge it just based on what we’ve done in the past, but it’s up to the coach. We got to be ready to go out and play a football game. It’s going to be nice to end the week going against somebody different other than just hitting on ourselves and competing against ourselves, so we’re excited to move through this week and get ourselves ready to go play a game.”

    (on the competition between QB T.J Yates and QB Case Keenum) “Oh, it’s been great. We all compete with one another and it’s great for the group. They’re both working extremely hard, they’re in their book, and they understand the offense: the reads, the progressions, and seeing the defense. It’s great to compete against our defense because from top to bottom, ones to the threes, everyone is competing. The receivers are competing with the DBs and they're tough throws in there. Those guys are working hard.”

    (on chemistry with WR DeAndre Hopkins) “It’s going great. We are getting a lot of balls thrown to him based on the coverage’s we’re getting, but we’re trying to get him involved with everything we’re doing just so he’s ready to go when we get to week one. He’s really showing some growth as we get into week two here of camp and we just got to keep working.”

    (on if WR DeAndre Hopkins is ahead of schedule) “Yeah, based on where he started when he first walked in the door, yeah he’s right on pace. He’s ahead of schedule, but it’s hard to gauge that until we get in a game. You can do it out here in practice when you get rep after rep, but when it comes to crunch time in a game, that’s when you really got to do it. We’ve just got to get to the first preseason game and see how far he has come and then progress from there.”

    (on improving red zone efficiency) “Absolutely, because the field’s shorter, there’s less area for the defense to defend, and we’ve got to be crisp in our timing and our reads. Everything, the windows are smaller and knowing when our guys are getting open. Them understanding red zone coverage’s because they are different than you see in the field. We’ve got to run the football well down there to put ourselves in manageable third downs then we’ve got to be able to convert.”

    (on the intensity of these practices) “Oh, it’s big time. It’s not quite the game and you try to simulate the game as much as possible, but it’s hard to do that in practice especially when maybe the pads are taken off or something like that. We try to play fast. We try to simulate the game as much as possible and our defense really makes it tough on us as we do them. It’s great competition back and forth, but anytime we get out here we try and simulate the game situations and the game environment as much as we can.”

    (on what he expects from the young receivers) “I think if you look just at the offensive side, I’m anxious to see (WR) DeAndre (Hopkins) get out there in a game when the lights are on. I’m excited to see (WR) Keshawn Martin get out there after his rookie year last year. He’s coming into year two and really understanding the offense, getting open, exploding through routes, and creating separation. I’m excited to get Keshawn out there and get some balls thrown his way. Our young backs are getting a lot of reps, so let’s see them in a game environment, control their emotions, work their reads, stay patient in the run game and their pass protection. I’m excited to see them get out and work, too.”

    (on losing weight this offseason) “I feel great. I feel great. The offseason was good. It was nice not having to rehab like I was last year for my foot injury. I feel great and I’m ready to get going.”

    (on how hard it is to build chemistry within the offense) “It’s not hard at all. That’s our job, that’s what we’re here to do and it’s my job throwing to them and make sure those guys are working and understanding their routes. The combinations of when the ball is going to come to them so they’re open at the point of a catch and still those guys are (inaudible due to wind). You know, I’m excited to get going because we’ve spent a lot of time working on that chemistry and that route timing.”

    (on what attracted the coaches to WR DeAndre Hopkins) “Well yeah, that was what the guys upstairs and the coaching staff and the scouting department saw in him when he was playing. When I saw a tape of him after we drafted him, I realized we had a kid that had size, had speed, had exceptional catching radius. Go up and get the football and he’s demonstrated day-in and day-out out here so I’m excited to get him in a game environment when the defense doesn’t know what he’s going to be doing in his routes where as our defense kind has an idea of how we run our offense so I’m excited about that.”

    http://www.houstontexans.com/news/a...p-Day-10/399a39ba-15fd-4eba-bd75-dcbcdb71a831
     
  17. Jet Blast

    Jet Blast Member

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    FYI, Chronicle writer Tania Ganguli has left the paper and gone over to the dark side to write for ESPN. ESPN wants to have bloggers for all 32 teams and Ganguli will continue to write about the Texans, just not with the Chronicle.
     
  18. Verbal Christ

    Verbal Christ Member

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    I found the Deion Sanders 'education' was interesting. I'm not too sure that I was all pumped up by the way he was talking to our players, almost like they didn't know anything. Who the hell was that beanpole asking all those simpleton ass questions? Primetime did what he did ... "that ball is meant for you" ... "a play don't care who make it, so you make it". I would think at this level of football that pep talks from former players aren't as necessary, but its The Network and you play along I guess.
     
  19. conquistador#11

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    neon went through the teams, paraphrasing, 'Ravens lost too many players. Patriots have their own issues. Colts are even keel, bengals meh. Texans are the class of the AFC."

    granted, neon probably will tell the broncos the same thing. but that;s why they play the game.

    our writer of books,ubigred, is already in midseason form:p
     
  20. the shark

    the shark Member

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    I agree with you on Hopkins.
    With 'Dre and Hopkins I look for Daniels to have a big season.
     

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