Texans34Life
08-01-2007, 07:09 PM
http://blogs.chron.com/sportsupdate/archives/2007/08/bumps_bruises_a.html
Knocked around
The number of Texans were forced to the sidelines as the first week of training camp comes to a close.
Mario Williams sat out part of practice because of his hamstring. Keenan McCardell strained his quadriceps. Brandon Frye is still sidelined with his ankle injury. Shawn Barber was battling a sore knee.
Abbate making impression
Jon Abbate switched to offense at the start of training camp and has emerged as one of the biggest surprises. The 5-foot-11 rookie out of Wake Forest may just emerge as a natural and threaten to beat out Jameel Cook for the backup job behind Vonta Leach. Cook is currently on the PUP list with a knee injury.
"He can play in this league at fullback," coach Gary Kubiak said. "I know one thing, our team knows he'll hit somebody, and that counts for a lot. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes, and we'll see how the preseason goes, but the kid's made a lot of ground."
Part of the reason the transition has been so smooth is because Abbate knows the game so well.
"Jon's a very smart kid," Kubiak said. "We knew that, or we wouldn't have done that to him. When you ask kids to make that switch, it's about their attitude. This kid said, 'Hey, you think I can help the team playing there, I'll go.' So he has had his blinders on, and he's positive in his approach, and it shows."
Apple didn't fall far from tree
Coach Gary Kubiak, offensive coordinator Mike Sherman and offensive line coach John Benton want their linemen to be mentally and physically tough. That's why they like rookie guard Kasey Studdard.
Studdard, a sixth-round pick from the University of Texas, has known Kubiak since he was a kid. His father, David Studdard, played 10 years with Denver, including the last six when Kubiak was John Elway's backup.
"He's always going to play hard," Kubiak said. "He's going to play nasty. He just loves to play. He's got to get his technique down. He's got to understand the game. When he does that, he's got the capability to play in this league a long time."
Just like his father, who also had a nasty streak and played hard all the time. Right now, Studdard is running second team at guard. At the least, he should make the practice squad. At best, he might sneak on to the team.
Knocked around
The number of Texans were forced to the sidelines as the first week of training camp comes to a close.
Mario Williams sat out part of practice because of his hamstring. Keenan McCardell strained his quadriceps. Brandon Frye is still sidelined with his ankle injury. Shawn Barber was battling a sore knee.
Abbate making impression
Jon Abbate switched to offense at the start of training camp and has emerged as one of the biggest surprises. The 5-foot-11 rookie out of Wake Forest may just emerge as a natural and threaten to beat out Jameel Cook for the backup job behind Vonta Leach. Cook is currently on the PUP list with a knee injury.
"He can play in this league at fullback," coach Gary Kubiak said. "I know one thing, our team knows he'll hit somebody, and that counts for a lot. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes, and we'll see how the preseason goes, but the kid's made a lot of ground."
Part of the reason the transition has been so smooth is because Abbate knows the game so well.
"Jon's a very smart kid," Kubiak said. "We knew that, or we wouldn't have done that to him. When you ask kids to make that switch, it's about their attitude. This kid said, 'Hey, you think I can help the team playing there, I'll go.' So he has had his blinders on, and he's positive in his approach, and it shows."
Apple didn't fall far from tree
Coach Gary Kubiak, offensive coordinator Mike Sherman and offensive line coach John Benton want their linemen to be mentally and physically tough. That's why they like rookie guard Kasey Studdard.
Studdard, a sixth-round pick from the University of Texas, has known Kubiak since he was a kid. His father, David Studdard, played 10 years with Denver, including the last six when Kubiak was John Elway's backup.
"He's always going to play hard," Kubiak said. "He's going to play nasty. He just loves to play. He's got to get his technique down. He's got to understand the game. When he does that, he's got the capability to play in this league a long time."
Just like his father, who also had a nasty streak and played hard all the time. Right now, Studdard is running second team at guard. At the least, he should make the practice squad. At best, he might sneak on to the team.