Ben Tate practicing yet?

[drs23]

Has anyone heard if Ben's getting any reps yet? Would hate to see him miss all the OTAs. I know Dennison said it's no big deal but that's time he can never make up.

[HOU-TEX]

Today was his first day out there. Although, it doesn't sound like they did a whole lot.

http://www.houstontexans.com/tv/inde...30&play_clip=y

[CloakNNNdagger]

Still doesn't look like he has done much. But it's at least good to see him out there. Though his hammy will not be truly tested until TC since there will be no contact/resistance until then. Hopefully, it stands up to the task.

Rookie RB Tate gets first full practice in with Texans after hamstring injury
By Kristie Rieken (CP) – 11 hours ago

HOUSTON — Ben Tate spent most of his first 11 practices with the Houston Texans sitting on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.

So on Tuesday, in his first full practice since being drafted, the rookie running back could barely contain his excitement. The second-round pick from Auburn dashed on and off the field with a smile as he ran plays with the offence, including a few snaps with the first team.

"It felt good," Tate said. "This game is fun to me. I love it and it's really good to get back out there and go live with everyone else."

The Texans were hoping he wouldn't be too far behind after missing most of their off-season practices. He seemed to fit in well Tuesday and said he was able to keep up because he spent his time out studying the playbook.

"You've got to stay in the playbook, even when you're not playing," he said. "That's an important part of the game, stay in my playbook and making sure I know what's going on so I can start playing the game fast."

Tate spent much of his time between plays standing and talking with running backs coach Chick Harris and kept discussing plays with the coach as the team left the field.

"I know what's going on. I know the plays," Tate said. "It's just the matter of getting out there is different. You can look at the paper and know exactly what to do on paper, but when you get out there and things start moving it's a little different."

Coach Gary Kubiak joked that Tate was the fastest player at practice on Tuesday because he had fresh legs from sitting out while the rest of the team is a bit worn out from working for several weeks. He also liked the rookie's effort.

"The thing I was impressed with is that he's obviously been paying attention and knew what he was doing," Kubiak said. "We were actually doing some tough stuff on them today as far as no scripting, just calling stuff and seeing how guys react and turning the noise on. So it was good to see him come out here and get going."

[otisbean]

He'll be fine. If he can sprint during OTAs, TC shouldn't be much different.

[b0ng]

I'm going to pay much more attention to coaches comments about his pass blocking much more than anything that's said about him knowing where to run. Pass Blocking is the big hurdle he'll have to overcome in order to get on the field when the bullets are live.

[drs23]

Good news, sounds promising. b0ng, I agree, GK has always put a premium on RB pass protection. I'm just glad it's not in the form of #22 any longer.

On another note... How long before they clean the roster slate of all the unrestricted free agents? I'm so tired of seeing them still listed. Does it happen around the time of the first cuts?

[otisbean]

Originally Posted by b0ng

I'm going to pay much more attention to coaches comments about his pass blocking much more than anything that's said about him knowing where to run. Pass Blocking is the big hurdle he'll have to overcome in order to get on the field when the bullets are live.

I can't speak to his knowing assignments, BUT if I remember correctly, he performed well in pass blocking drills at the Senior Bowl.

[CloakNNNdagger]

Tate running behind

After missing the first three weeks with a hamstring injury, rookie running back Ben Tate looked winded for much of the team's practice. While absent, Tate spent most of his time with strength and conditioning coach Cedric Smith, but coach Gary Kubiak said it didn't appear to be enough.

“I can tell by his condition level today because his speed dropped off,” Kubiak said. “He was very quick (Tuesday), but these guys have 10 or 11 practices ahead of them, so we'll catch him up a little bit next week.”