Houston Texans Off Season News

[eagle eye]

Draft-shmaft. It's been an intense couple of weeks and with summer right around the corner I though this video from Texans.com featuring a look at the cheerleaders in Puerto Rico for their calendar shoot. It's only a minute or so long but I guarantee you it'll be the best minute of your day!

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/HTC-on-beaches-of-Puerto-Rico/10de0219-a9fe-491a-ad49-051b28f816c7

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With rookie mini camp in the books and OTAs about to begin we can take a look at Houston's 10 draft picks. Looking at the picks from round 7 back to the number one pick Jadeveon Clowney. We'll look at each via the segment on Texans.com called The Briefing. Many of you may have checked this out but if not--enjoy.

 

Rd 7 final pick - S Lonnie Ballentine from Memphis

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/The-Briefing-S-Lonnie-Ballentine/9377b190-a0d4-47f1-85aa-df3fa7322e70

 

Rd 7 - CB Andre Hal from Vanderbilt

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/The_Briefing_CB_Andre_Hal/4ff8c796-4988-44c4-8339-d6344bceeef0

 

Rd 6 - FB Jay Prosch from Auburn

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/The_Briefing_FB_Jay_Prosch/199c2bbd-5871-4dcc-b4f0-01880b740dab

 

Rd 6 - RB Alfred Blue from LSU

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/The_Briefing_RB_Alfred_Blue/e60ac3c1-0a80-43bf-a2a4-26d4a0b3bc04

 

Rd 6 - DE Jeoffery Pagan from Alabama

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/The_Briefing_DE_Jeoffrey_Pagan/59fe3fb9-8ae6-4e2d-b56e-56a1e83a21cf

 

Rd 4 - QB Tom Savage from Pitt

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/The_Briefing_QB_Tom_Savage/ba432487-1418-4136-a409-9218295a30c8

 

Rd 3 - NT Louis Nix III from Notre Dame

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/The_Briefing_NT_Louis_Nix_III/426cd01d-430b-4457-ba49-534225e30f8a

 

Rd 3 - TE C J Fiedorowicz from Iowa

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/The_Briefing_TE_CJ_Fiedorowicz/b8f997a3-ff7d-462c-a653-959b0aa9b426

 

Rd 2 - G Xavier Su'a-Filo from UCLA

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/The_Briefing_OG_Xavier_SuaFilo/4a7e89b0-2565-4213-9b8b-9a8d0ea4a713

 

Rd 1/No 1 pick in the 2014 draft - DE/LB - Jadeveon Clowney from South Carolina

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/The_Briefing_OLB_Jadeveon_Clowney/968f4f0f-d219-4a61-aebd-a00f72f5ac45

[eagle eye]

Not much to talk about with the Texans. Business as usual. No drama like losing their best defensive player to a freakish injury. Nobody raising hell over his contract......well that's not exactly true. Andre Johnson has been a no-show at OTA's thus far sitting on his indecision over whether he wants to remain in Houston. Some folks are thinking Johnson is just trolling for more money. Some understand that he's too old to go through a rebuilding process again and he wants to go to a contender for a chance at a Super Bowl ring. Either way, he should know the Texans can't afford to trade him or release him because the salary cap hit would hurt the team too much. Heck, they just kind of got out of salary cap prison and there's no reason to believe the Texans want to go through that again.

I think if he's trying to milk more money out of the Texans he will have to understand that ship has sailed. They just redid his contract a couple of years ago and he's a top five guy salary-wise and there is no reason to adjust his salary again. Especially not for a guy on the downhill side of his career. Maybe he should take a look at Tom Savage and Ryan Fitzpatrick before he assumes the Texans have no chance to improve last year's 2-14 record and yes, even have a chance to get back to the playoffs. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, to use an old cliché, but it seems to apply here. Dre needs to get involved in these OTAs because you have a new coach, a new system, new terminology and new QBs and it takes a while to develop some chemistry. It just does. So if Johnson waits until mandatory mini camp commences later this month he's not just hurting himself, he's hurting the team. Wake up Andre and smell the coffee and get your butt back to work.

 

Houston has OTA practices every week for the next 3 weeks ending the week of June 16 with the Texans mandatory mini camp on June 17, 18 and 19.

[eagle eye]

The Texans have signed their top draft pick Jadeveon Clowney to a contract. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. You would think that would be it wouldn't you? Nope, not that simple it seems. 2nd round pick, Xavier Su'a-Filo is the only remaining draft pick left to sign. Since there is a rookie salary cap and the money is pretty much decided the only explanation is wording of the contract. Many NFL teams are wanting a sort of rebate if a player is hurt and can't play to protect themselves financially. Obviously, players want guaranteed deals over the life of the contract which, for rookies, is 4 or 5 years. That may be a sticking point too. The Texans may want a 5 year deal while Su'a-Filo may want a 4 year deal. Either way, I don't see it as an issue. I feel like he'll be signed and ready to go by training camp next month.

 

The Texans celebrated Father's Day a little early yesterday by sponsoring an annual event called First Down Dads Field Day. Here's an article about from Texans.com written by community writer Kara Cook.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Texans-celebrate-Fathers-Day-with-First-Down-Dads/6c358dc6-47d1-415e-81d3-7ac48f55f5d0

 

I'm posting a link to an article about free agent signee Kendrick Lewis written by Texans beat writer John Harris. I'll let you be the judge of this article. But, weighing the title of the article vs the content, I'll have to admit I'm a little confused.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/His-Story-S-Kendrick-Lewis-journey/fc260828-ad6d-414a-8c4b-52e5eee76778

 

This next link is not confusing at all. Parts I and II of an interview with star defensive end JJ Watt aptly titled, "Blood Sport".

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/1-on-1-with-JJ-Watt--Part-1/78015760-298a-4e68-8ba7-9102e67fb5f3

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/1on1_with_JJ_Watt_Part_2/b5e7ffee-15d8-41da-826a-c2b4cbd250d6

 

 

[eagle eye]

I almost forgot. I saw this video on Texans.com and I thought that it was a very interesting chat between new Texans QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and Texans Huddle host Patti Smith.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/1-on-1-QB-Ryan-Fitzpatrick/124c8e17-e081-465f-80ea-49790241b93f

 

I know a lot of people who rolled their eyes when Houston signed Fitzpatrick but I didn't. I saw a guy who played pretty darn well in Buffalo until all this wide receivers went down with injuries. He was still leading that team pretty well but a porous defense and the loss of Freddie Jackson was the end of any hope in Buffalo. Fair or unfair the QB shoulders the blame most of the time and gets more than his fair share of credit when they win. I just never thought Fitzpatrick got the credit he deserved when Buffalo was doing well and people didn't take into account the injuries to the Bills offensive weapons when the blame game started in Buffalo. He signed with the Tennessee Titans for the 2013 season and the Titans under former head coach Mike Munchak weren't very good. Fitzpatrick played in 11 games, starting 9, and was 3-6 as a starter but he led the Titans to victory in the final two games of the season over Jacksonville and Houston. In my opinion, Houston has better weapons that the Bills did when Fitzpatrick had most of his success. He's a pocket passer which is right up Bill O'Brien's alley and he has proven he can get the job done. I believe he will do a good job for Houston. Certainly a much better job than some of my friends think he will do. The Texans have another new QB they got in the draft named Tom Savage and many around the Texans camp believe he may become the starter for Houston at some point this season. That may be true but if Fitzpatrick does what I believe he can do it might be hard to move Savage into the starting role. So, here I am. I'm saying it right now. Barring injuries to his weapons or O-line I believe Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the staring QB for all 16 games this season and, yes, even a playoff game or two. It's on record. I can't deny it if it doesn't come to be. I'm good with Fitz under center and I believe you will be too.

[eagle eye]

In the 'WTF' category today during Bill O'Brien's press conference he said that the reason Jadeveon Clowney was not at yesterday and today's OTA practices because he has been in Philadelphia getting a sports hernia surgery. O'Brien indicated that JD was having trouble with his groin and the team sent him to a specialist in Philly and the next thing you know--surgery. Not to worry though because O'Brien said that, although he will miss next week's mandatory mini camp he will be back in time for training camp next Month. If this has been a lingering problem for a while it may explain a bit about his lack of production at South Carolina last season. You never know.

 

There's a video with an interview with LB Whitney Mercilus and headline reads, "Whitney Mercilus on his role". My first notion was that his role should be one where he makes a few plays. I have thought that the impact I believed Mercilus would have has not lived up to my expectations. I'll bet I'm not the only one to think this way. Maybe Romeo Crennel's version of the 3-4 is a better fit for Mercilus. That and with Brian Cushing coming back, the addition of Louis Nix III at nose tackle and of course Jadeveon Clowney should make life easier on him. Let's listen to what Mercilus thinks.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/Whitney-Mercilus-on-his-role/86fe5db1-4003-43c1-b27c-36011400a40e

[eagle eye]

Houston has had to place 2nd year OT David Quessenberry on the Non-Football Injury list because after a persistant cough and fatigue that was plagueing was diagnosed as non-hodgekins lymphoma---cancer. Q is 23 years old and he has begun cancer treatments. We should keep Q in our prayers and hope for a full recovery. Quessenberry got some words of support from a fan last week. Pretty touching stuff.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/7-yr-old-has-tips-for-David-Quessenberry/9c2f2e9f-ce63-430e-a4fa-d3e12b97c561

 

David Newton has been the starting right tackle for the Texans the past two years and nothing has changed according to Bill O'Brien. O'Brien lauded Newton for his work this off season. He said Newtron was there when he came to Houston and went April 7th came, which the first official day players could work with training staff, Newton was there. O'Brien said he has been at the Texans facility every single day and he's worked hard and practiced well. Maybe Newton will be the guy who gets significantly better and helps a much maligned group, the O-line, get back some respect.

[eagle eye]

The Texans began their mandatory mini camp today and their No 1 WR Andre Johnson was not at practice. Johnson has boycotted the Texans OTA practices presumably based on his desire to go to a contending team that came out in an interview with Johnson this off season at a charitable event in Houston. He said at the time he wasn't sure he still wanted to be in Houston because he didn't have time in his career for Houston to go through another rebuilding. To many, this is just a ploy by Johnson to milk more money out of Houston. It doesn't matter what his reason is the fact is he should have been in OTAs and he should be at this mini camp because the Texans offense is new under a new coaching staff. Dre needs to be there learning with the rest of his teammates. It's not like it's a veteran who doesn't want to go through another off season and training camp and can get away with it because he's familiar with the system. I'm disappointed with Johnson as a fan of the team. I never considered him a diva or your typical prima dona WR but I'm changing my mind very quickly.

 

Bill O'Brien has named Ryan Fitzpatrick the starting QB. Bill O'Brien informed the team today before it's first mini camp practice. O'Brien praised all four of his QBs but he said that Ryan has been practicing well and deserved to be #1 on the depth chart.

[eagle eye]

OTAs and mini camp are over. Next time we will see the Texans on the playing field when training camp in a month. By then we should see Jadeveon Clowney fully recovered from his sports hernia surgery and ready to go. The Texans are, by all accounts, healthy and ready to go. Hopefully, this month off will allow the team to relax (while working out, of course) and get ready for the grind that's coming.

 

One guy that won't be going to training camp, which is at the Texans practice facility across from Reliant Stadium, is QB T J Yates. Yates, from North Carolina University, was drafted in the 5th round of the 2011 draft and he became the backup to Matt Schaub in his rookie year when then backup Matt Leinart went down with an injury. Yates will forever be in the Texans record books as the QB who led Houston to it's first ever playoff appearance. He was the first ever rookie QB to lead his team to a playoff victory which was against the Cincinnati Bengals. They lost the next week to the Ravens who went on to win the Super Bowl that year. In 2013 Yates lost his backup job to U of H and Houston fave Case Keenum. Earlier this month head coach Bill O'Brien said he didn't see that were enough snaps for four QBs which is what was then the case. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Keenum, Yates and 2014 draftee out of Pittsburgh Tom Savage. This past week the Texans traded Yates to the Atlanta Falcons for former Georgia Bulldogs LB Akeem Dent. Dent was drafted in 2011 by Atlanta and he was named to the 2011 Pro Football Weekly All Rookie Team.

 

Don't listen to the two most jaded people I've ever listened to on the radio or TV. Who might that be? A J Hoffman and Fred Faour on ESPN's afternoon show The Blitz. I have never heard those guys say one positive thing about any Houston pro team. They will, on occasion, give credit where credit is due but they are so negative and defeatist in their commentary of Houston sports I wonder why they bother. Of course most of their shows are about talking about their favorite TV shows and gambling to get to any discussion of Houston sports unless it's to rag on ESPN newsman David Dilotti (sp?) who is a homer for Houston sports. They'll tell you not to expect Houston to challenge for a playoff spot and they have already awarded the AFC South to the Indianapolis Colts. I'm here to tell you that, as long as they can stay relatively healthy, have a good chance to get back to the playoffs. Foster is healthy, Johnson will be back for training camp, the defense will be a ton better and Ryan Fitzpatrick will surprise a lot of people with his ability to led the offense. It's a long month and I disagree with the notion that August are the dog days of summer. It's the month before the start of NFL training camps.

[eagle eye]

The Texans prize draft choice Jadeveon Clowney is excited about the move to OLB in the Texans 3-4. He's getting some serious help from former Patriot Mike Vrabel who is the Texans LB coach. Here's an article and related video about Clowney. Right now he's only getting mental reps as he rehabs from the sports hernia surgery he had a couple of weeks ago.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Jadeveon-Clowneys-favorite-part-about-playing-OLB-/befe0410-4488-4c85-bb55-dd0b24d169b2

 

Here's an article from the Texans Breakfast With the Bulls feature. This week it's the top 11 football movie characters. Kinda fun and I wonder if you agree or have a better choice.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/BWTB-Top-11-Football-Movie-Characters/c5340b77-c456-42c3-a51c-6b14ea76ab22

[eagle eye]

One of the big question Houston will need to answer in training camp is who will be the backup, or swing, tackle? The already know that Duane Brown and Derek Newton will start at left and right tackle respectively but the question is still up in the air as to who will provide that needed depth behind them. Here's a link to a Texans.com article about the possibilities from the voice of the Texans Marc Vandermeer in the Texans.com feature Breakfast With The Bulls (BWTB).

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/BWTB-Tackle-Depth-A-Concern/8368731c-28d4-4996-9fbf-3a84794d5c2e

 

In another BWTB article Drew Dougherty interview HOF RB Eric Dickerson in which Dickerson says he sees a lot of himself in Houston RB Arian Foster.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/BWTB-Eric-Dickerson-sees-self-in-Arian-Foster/c99c1270-6f3e-42e6-a518-89d8bbfb4abc

 

In NFL Channel's Top 100 of 2014 Andre Johnson was named #21 player on the list. Here's a video of Johnson's announcement.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/Top-100-of-2014-Andre-Johnson/4382e1b2-0a67-40e2-bfd8-66c205513e10

 

 

[eagle eye]

Here's an article by Texans.com beat writer Deepi Sidhu about LB Brooks Reed and the challenge of his move to inside linebacker in new defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel's 3-4 scheme.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Brooks-Reed-on-moving-inside-%E2%80%9CIt%E2%80%99s-totally-different%E2%80%9D/d7fb16a3-36a4-4f2e-b7fb-015d15ea0be3

 

Here's Sidhu's look at how free agent signee NT Jerrell Powe fits into the nose tackle position and how he is totally familiar with Romeo Crennel's expectations since he played for him for two years in Kansas City.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Playing-NT-in-Crennels-defense/64695fc6-dd2a-42dc-81bf-83b3e133540f

[eagle eye]

In a Breakfast With The Bulls article on Texans.com from writer Eric Sanlnocencio he discusses an poll of the projected 32 QBs in the NFL. In it we find out the guy doing the rankings had Texans QB Ryan Fitzpatrick ranked number 30. I agree with the writer that Fitzpatrick is VERY underrated which is a good thing when Houston begins to kick ass through their schedule this fall.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/BWTB-Ranking-the-QBs/2bd2deae-3b2f-4216-bbf4-f28274860bec

 

In other news Deepi Sidhu of Texans.com recounts an interview with JC (Jadeveon Clowney) at the rookie symposium held recently in which Clowney talked about his goals for the coming season. It's a little lame and he sort of gives a cliched answer but Houston ESPN radio didn't much care for his main goal of sacking Andrew Luck. Much ado about nothing.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Clowney-talks-NFL-goals-rookie-goals/46b270bb-64a0-4a87-b5fe-04b6f170dc60

[eagle eye]

This Andre Johnson thing is getting tiresome isn't it? Before OTAs in May Johnson he wasn't sure Houston was the place for him to be inferring that he was too far along to go through another rebuilding of the team.

When off season officially began Dre was a no-show. When the manditory mini camp began 3 weeks ago, again, no Andre Johnson to be seen.

Then, on Tuesday in an article on NFL.com Johnson said he was "hopefully" going to be at Texans training camp but nothing was finalized as yet. He did say he has had conversations with the Texans front office about his future.

Today on ESPN's Mike and Mike it was reported Johnson has flat said he wants out of the Houston.

Yesterday NFL.com had reported four teams, New England, Cleveland, Seattle and Carolina, have interest in doing a deal for Johnson. Cleveland and Carolina in particular could use a WR like Johnson.

Today, NFL.com is reporting that Houston Chronicle Texans beat writer John McClain is saying that the Texans will not be dealing Johnson. McClain also goes on to say that the Texans understand this just business for Johnson and they bear no hard feelings toward Johnson. As reported before the Texans simply can't deal Johnson because they would end up with over $11 mm in dead money if they did. If Johnson decides to do what Carson Palmer did when he was wanting out of Cincinnati Johnson would be walking away from $10 mm. On the Chronicle web site McClain posted in a video that he guaranteed that Johnson would be on the field in a Texans uniform on Week 1 vs the Redskins.

I'm sure all Texans fans hope Dre comes to his senses and goes to training camp. The missed out on a lot of the installation of the new Bill O'Brien offense when he decided he wasn't going to attend off season work which makes training camp a must if he expects to play against the Redskins. Crap. Why does everything seem to be so hard?

[eagle eye]

The Texans don't just have home games they have to have themes. Huh? Anyway, the Texans announced the home game themes for the 2014 season yesterday. Here's the list of game themes from Texans.com.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Texans-announce-2014-home-game-themes/deff24af-d07e-4cac-ad17-8dcf5fb3cdd3

 

In the Thursday Breakfast With The Bulls article beat writer Kara Cook talks about the 2014 Texans Yearbook that will be available around the 2nd week of training camp from the Go Texans Store and online at HoustonTexans.com. But Kara tells it better so......................

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/BWTB-Texans-Yearbook-preview/34f70675-e76b-4080-a054-ce082365719f

[eagle eye]

Here's a little football 1-oh-1 from Texans analyst John Harris who will explain the 3-4 defense. He also goes into a bit of the difference between Wade Phillips version and the version the Texans will use with new defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel. A video that goes a couple of minutes and isn't defensive rocket science but okay for a off season filler.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/index.html

 

Here's the list of Texans training camp dates when practices are open to the public. May be a nice way to kill a couple of hours and it's not like you have to go to California to watch.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Texans-announce-open-Training-Camp-dates/40c00c89-a708-4dba-8d6f-d09f30733d48

[eagle eye]

Think you know about your Texans? In the link below you get the chance to test your knowledge of Texans history. The voice of the Texans radio broadcasts, Marc Vandermeer, tests just how well you know the team. I admit it, I was only 5 of 10. The answers are at the bottom of the test----don't cheat!

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/BWTB-Test-Your-Texans-IQ/e74d0298-c0a7-4a27-bf43-67f86337b45a

 

 

There's a TV program that is scheduled to air on Sunday night at 11 PM titled, "Texans Reloaded: A New Era". Unfortunately, it is being aired on ABC-13 in Houston. Hopefully a station in the Golden Triangle will pick it up or it will air on FoxSportsSouthwest so we can all enjoy it. The show is an overview of the last seven months with the hiring of Bill O'Brien all the way through OTAs and mini camp. It's a look at what we might expect from the team in 2014 as Houston heads into the Bill O'Brien era.

[eagle eye]

The Texans have officially begun their 2014 march to what all Texans fans is a berth in the Super Bowl next February. The have begun without star linebacker Brian Cushing on the field. He is joined by rookie NT Louis Nix III and Trevardo Williams. All three begin training camp on the Active/PUP list.

 

Houston has waived two players, FB Brad Smelly and DL Tim Jackson. Offensive tackle Dan Quessenberry was placed on the Active/Non-football injury list as he continues to take treatments for cancer. G Brandon Brooks and RB Jonathan Grimes are also on A/N-FI list.

 

Andre Johnson is in camp and working hard on the field and off as he tries to catch up with his teammates learning the new offense. I think the Texans did the right thing not giving into Dre's demands and I think Dre showed some maturity by showing up at camp. Win-win.

 

Yesterday Houston gave it's offensive line a shot in the arm by signing former Pro Bowl guard Tyson Clabo. Clabo, 32, will be playing his 11th season in the NFL. He is a quality player who can add much needed depth to the O-line and he could actually challenge right guard Derek Newton for a starting spot.

[eagle eye]

The Texans first day of camp was good. Andre Johnson was there and so was Jadeveon Clowney, although he's limited after having sports hernia surgery a month ago. Check out the link on Texans.com for Bill O'Brien's press conference. The guy won't single people out as much as the media tried to get him to do so but, he is obviously a no-nonsense guy when it comes to his team.

Check out this link below for a list of 25 training camp observations on the first day of camp by Texans.com analyst John Harris.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/25-Training-Camp-Observations-Day-1/61ccf4b1-cc22-488f-99a4-683d1f6933ed

[eagle eye]

The Texans finished Day 2 of 2014 training camp and Texans analyst John Harris gives us 21 observations from yesterdays practice. The article also has several videos of Bill O'Brien, Jonathan Joseph, practice highlights and an NFL 1-on-1 with Andre Johnson.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/21-Training-Camp-Observations-Day-2/4d0f3558-4e1f-4a1d-a899-ed4cf9dd7530

[eagle eye]

I think of Jadeveon Clowney as a physical beast and he is but on the NFL Channel today I saw an interview former NFL linebacker Willie McGinest had with Clowney and I was a bit shocked. McGinest, in his playing days, went 6'5", 270 lbs. and if you look at Clowney's measureables of 6'6", 266 lbs then you could assume both men are roughly the same stature but in the interview McGinest, who still looks like he could strap it up and play, was obviously more developed than Clowney. All I could see was their heads to their waists but at that McGinest was so much thicker than Clowney from his neck down through his shoulders and his chest it was more than obvious who the stronger of the two men were. So, it's okay to expect a lot from Clowney but don't be surprised if he's overpowered some this season. The work he's put in and will put in during training camp and the regular season will help but if you take a mental picture of Clowney now and this time next year you will see just what one full off season of work will do for him. Don't try to say I'm not comparing apples to apples but I am. Both are roughly the same size and both play the same position in the NFL. Both were highly touted players coming out of college and both were 1st round draft picks. Check out the interview later on NFL.com or possibly on Texans.com as McGinest is in Houston for the NFL Channel covering training camp today. Look at each man apart from the other and you don't really see the difference but in the interview the difference is dramatic.

 

Here's the interview I referenced above from Texans.com.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/NFL-Network-1-on-1-Clowney-with-McGinest/14b06b26-1ab3-40b8-8778-c4f0c54ab4f2

Edited July 30, 2014 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

Houston got back to work today after an off day yesterday. I'm sure it was a welcome break from practicing in the brutal heat and humidity that has plaguing southeast Texas lately.

A new face joined the team too. Today Houston signed free agent WR Joe Adams. Adams was a 4th round pick by Carolina in 2012 and he spent some time with the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL earlier this year. At 5'11" and 185 pounds Adams brings speed and kick return ability to the table. Special teams is key if Adams hopes to make the team. He said he enjoyed his first practice as a Texan today. “The first day went great for me," Adams said on Friday after practice. "I didn’t put any balls on the ground. I made sure that I knew what I was doing when I was out there. I’m learning on the fly.”

People have been marveling at the strong arm of QB Tom Savage. Besides having an awesome name for an NFL QB he has some game to go with it. Reports are that Savage's arm is impressive but they also acknowledge that he still has a long way to go. If Ryan Fitzpatrick is what I think he is Savage will have the ability to learn how to be an NFL QB over the next couple of years as a backup and by then he should be ready to step in for the next 10 to 15 years.

Bill O'Brien has said he's not going to rush Andre Johnson back into the lineup since he tweaked his hammy diving for a catch last weekend. Johnson hasn't practiced since last Sunday. Since his holdout in OTAs and mini camp Johnson returned to the fold when training camp began and he's been all in since.

[eagle eye]

The Texans square off against the Saturday night at 7:30 in Arizona. Andre Johnson and Arian Foster won't be in the lineup due to some nagging injuries. Both guys are vets and the 1/2 quarter of work they get won't matter that much. It will be a nice test for the start of the Bill O'Brien era in Houston. He'll be sending Ryan Fitzpatrick out to lead the revamped offense. I will be very interested to see some players in the first look at many of them. Guys like Jadeveon Clowney and Alfred Blue come to mind. I wanted to see NT Louis Nix III but that isn't going to happen this week. I also want to see how DeAndre Hopkins does. He's really been turning heads in camp. I also want to see TE C J Fiedorowicz and Garrett Graham. I will really just enjoy watching NFL games again and the Texans in particular. The one thing is don't want to see is JJ Watt playing more than a series at most.

[eagle eye]

The Texans start tonight in just a little bit and it will be great to see the team in action for the first time this season. Among some of the players I am anxious to see will be new QB Tom Savage. I have heard a lot about his arm strength and his pocket presence so it will be good to see play first hand. Unfortunately, he will probably be playing with the 3rd stringers in the 4th quarter but he could get in the game earlier. I want to see how Ryan Fitzpatrick does but I don't expect more than a series or two. The WR's not named Andre Johnson are of interest. Reports are that DeAndre Hopkins has been superior in training camp and both Keshawn Martin and DeVier Posey have also been very good. Hopkins is one of those guys who don't go through the 3-4 year learning curve most WR's have to go through when going from college to the pros. Martin and Posey are both entering their 3rd year in the league and both should be poised for a breakout. Of course there's the Jadeveon Clowney watch. That will be nice to see him in action but the defense, that was so bad last season, should be back to, or close to, 2012 form. We won't see Brian Cushing but that's okay as long as he's ready to go the first week of September. In case you didn't know the game starts in about 10 minutes on local channel 12. Edited August 10, 2014 by eagle eye

[Big T]

Yes this is just pre season game number one. Yes, this is just the first quarter.... Holy shit the secondary looks terrible!