Short review of things I noticed at today's (8/2) open practice:
Defense:
Brian Cushing - Moves around very well for a big LB. That was very evident on a particular punt coverage, when he beat everyone to the returner. He looks like the starter in the nickel D, as well as the base defense. Cush seems well coached and doesn't take a lot of false steps (something I noticed Ryans had trouble with as a rookie). I was impressed.
D-Line - Mario was a beast, whether he lined up on the right or left side. You can tell that he really enjoys playing football. Okoye was running 1st team, but went MIA about half way through practice. Don't know if he was just getting limited reps or if something came up, injury wise. After Okoye left, Robinson, Okam, and Cody ran some with the 1st team. Cody looks nothing like the undersized DT that came out of USC. Barwin was running 1st team in the nickel defense, but playing LDE as Smith moved inside next to Mario. My overall impression was that the D-Line outplayed the O-line, today. Was #70 Jamison? Looked like he was out of his league.
Linebackers - Ryans looked quicker than he has been the last couple of seasons, even jumped a route and picked off Schaub. Diles seems to be running 1st team over Adibi at Will. But, Adibi was very active with the 2nd unit and could still win this job. Didn't notice much from anyone else, and wouldn't be surprised if the starters were Cushing-Ryans-Adibi in the season opener, with Diles backing up every LB spot.
Secondary - Ferguson and Wilson were starting at the safety spots. No surprise. Harrison seemed more active, but still takes some bad angles to the ball. He did knock Boomer on his can on a sweep to the right. McCain (who seems very small) was tested early on a deep route to AD, and had solid coverage. Parsons also madea good play on the ball, running with the 3rd team.
Offense:
Quarterback - Schaub did not look sharp today. He missed some open receivers early, and was forced to eat the ball once during 7 on 7. Orlovsky ran the offense smartly, and put some zip on the ball when necessary. Found Anderson on a curl when he looked to be covered up in a zone. Grossman was the most intriguing QB. Saw the good Rex (nice touch on a deep fly to Martinez; hit Jones on a corner rollout under pressure). And the bad Rex (forcing throws over the middle, throwing late on the outs). My general feeling regarding the backup QB spot is that if the Texans had a lead or were close, I'd want Dan-O. If they needed to rally from behind, I'd want Rex. And hope I got Good Rex.
Running Back - I didn't really notice that Slaton had gotten bigger. I guess he carries it well. Still looks like Slaton to me, and that's a good thing. Chris Brown ran hard up the middle. Not surprising. Can Brown answer the bell for 16 games? That would be surprising. Foster looks and moves like a NFL RB. I expect good things from this rookie. Johnson looks small and unimpressive, to me (he fumbled late in the practice). But, I thought the same about Domanick Davis the 1st time I saw him in practice. Moats was solid, and I think he will make this team due to his versatility. Leach did not practice. Grigsby looks much smaller than I thought he would be.
Wide Receiver - Andre ran away from Reeves on a crossing route, early. He's a total mismatch against any Texan corner. Walter got open easily, as well. Anderson looked quick on the short routes. Jones looked good ( on a quick slant and later a WR screen). Not so good when he dropped an excellent pass from Grossman on the sideline. Oddly, Jones did not field punts, today. Glenn Martinez did return punts, and looked good doing so. Very crisp with his cuts and can get downfield quickly. Also was able to beat a corner (Parsons?) on a double move and hauled in a Grossman TD pass.
Tight End - Didn't see Hill, despite being removed from the PUP list. Daniels looked a little shaky with the ball. Still, he can get open at will. Dreessen made a couple of good catches in traffic. Casey mad a nice catch and turned upfield quickly. His ability to make yards after the catch should be valuable. But, he did drop an easy ball on a crossing route. Clark needs to make this team as a snapper.
O-Line - No Pitts. Studdard was the starter at LG. Duane Brown looks muck quicker than a year ago. Rashad Butler got out to the edge very quickly on a sweep and knocked a DB on his can. Didn't notice much from the young linemen, other than Washburn picking up a couple of false starts. There was one play during 11 on 11 nickel where Brisiel lined up at Center, with Myers at RG. Did anyone else see that? I hope there is a photo of this.
OK, it wasn't that short of a review.
