Perhaps someone can link, but the Chronicle this morning has a report on Jaelen Strong by Aaron Wilson. He "changed his diet and work habits" and he's now down to 198 lbs, from his rookie reporting weight of 230. He's been working with his trainer Rischad Whitfield. Has also been working with Wes Welker.
Texans' Jaelen Strong lighter, quicker heading into pivotal season
By
Aaron Wilson
July 23, 2017
A change in his diet and work habits have Texans wide receiver Jaelen Strong feeling better than ever as training camp nears.
Jaelen Strong tapped his cleats across the artificial turf in rapid fashion, moving with ease and confidence during a ladder drill before breaking into a short pass pattern to haul in a spiral.
The Texans wide receiver was noticeably leaner and quicker than he was in the past, sharply changing directions during a Saturday morning workout conducted by his trainer, Rischad Whitfield, "The Footwork King."
Changing his diet and work habits dramatically since reporting overweight as a rookie three years ago, Strong says he's down to 198 pounds heading into training camp at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia.
"I feel good," Strong said. "I feel ready. I've learned how to take care of my body."
Strong is squeezing in a few extra workouts prior to the Texans' mandatory conditioning test Tuesday, which consists of a series of timed runs for each position group.
Strong isn't worried about passing the test per se, but he wants to be ultra-prepared. And he has no intentions of being sidelined until the test is passed, or facing the stigma of being unprepared for the start of the season.
"For sure, you don't want to be that guy," Strong said. "That guy doesn't practice. He misses out on reps."
Strong has been through those tough times before after being drafted in the third round out of Arizona State.
As a rookie, a poor diet that included Philly cheese steaks for the Philadelphia native and sluggish workouts had a negative impact on the start of Strong's NFL career. He showed up for a minicamp tipping the scales at 230 pounds. Although Strong promptly lost the weight, it didn't make for a good first impression on his new team.
Since then, Strong has improved his conditioning each year. This offseason, he's taken it to a different level. And Strong credits Whitfield for helping him to achieve his goals.
"A lot, actually," Strong said. "I've been working with him since my rookie year. He's been a big service to me. He's helped me a lot getting in and out of my breaks, explosiveness. He's played a huge part in helping me get better."
Thoughts of Improvement have consumed Strong after being supplanted on the depth chart last season by draft picks Will Fuller and Braxton Miller.
Strong caught 14 passes for 131 yards and no touchdowns before being placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Strong caught the exact amount of passes as a rookie the previous year and had 161 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
This shapes up as a critical year for Strong as he battles for more playing time.
"It definitely is as well as a pivotal season for the Houston Texans," said Strong, a former All-Pac-12 selection who caught 75 passes for 1,122 yards and seven touchdowns in his final college season. "I'm just excited. Everybody's excited. I'm excited to get back to work.
"100 percent every game, going in there, blocking, catching third-down passes. Being a gunner on special teams, whatever it is, just doing a good job with everything."
Texans receivers coach John Perry has been impressed with Strong's dedicated approach. He envisions Strong operating as a red-zone threat and in using his size and leaping ability in jump-ball situations.
"He has really approached this offseason, come in for a lot of extra help, watched a lot of extra film," Perry said. "He's taken ownership of what his future is. I think he knows whatever his future holds is going to be a product of what he's done.
"I've been really impressed by what he's done. He's a bigger guy. That's what he has to do . The guy where you put the ball up as a bigger receiver and have him go up there and get it. I see him doing that for us."
With Texans coach Bill O'Brien now operating as the offensive coordinator after the team parted ways with offensive coordinator George Godsey, Strong is looking forward to working closely with O'Brien.
"Yeah, it's been great," Strong said. "Coach O'Brien is a great guy. He keeps us in high spirits, always ready to compete. I wouldn't have anybody else take charge of our offense."
Strong has been learning a lot from new assistant Wes Welker, a former Pro Bowl receiver with the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos.
"Wes is a really good guy," Strong said. "He can relate to us. He's older than us, but he's young. Him being in the room with us gives us a lot. We can lean on him."
