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Texans Training Camp Preview 2023

Texans_Chick said:
I am not in a corner personally. I don't think anyone else is tbh.
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I came here for CJ but I've learned to love the players. I think they're all good people and it's easy to root for them. It's also easy to love DeMeco Ryans. The infusion of young talent over the past two years has me excited for the future of this team. Thank you for sharing your insights.
 
Number19 said:
Everyone going ga-ga over Stroud, but is a 50% completion rate acceptable?
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Not usually but the thing he must avoid is turning the ball over. Would it be acceptable if the QB NEVER turned it over but only completed half of his passes? That might be acceptable IF the team can run the ball AND the defense is really good.
 
https://twitter.com/x/status/1689087856541601792
And, all of it was extremely fun and constructive. So, let's dive into my Harris Hits for the last time before the preseason game against the Patriots (and, yes, I'll have plenty of them every day from here on to the end of the preseason, but this one closes the book on this chapter of the preseason).


On the first play of the first team period, the Texans ran play action and as QB C.J. Stroud wheeled back around and fired, the ball slipped out of his hands and nearly into the hands of DB Jimmie Ward. Stroud has proven to be so accurate with the ball to this point that when something like that throw takes place, it's clear what happened. I thought to myself, man, oh boy, is that a bad omen for this practice?

Um, not at all. Stroud started slicing and dicing a few plays later.

First, though, I saw second year OL Kenyon Green doing an excellent job in the run game against a guy who has really dominated camp DL Maliek Collins. Green just wouldn't allow Collins to get across his face as he pursued down the line of scrimmage on a run play. I just happened to follow the flow of the football to see that block by Kenyon. That was where we'd like to see Kenyon be at all times.

On the next play, Stroud, off of similar play action as the first play, ripped a throw into the belly of WR Noah Brownon an interior route. That ball had some serious SAUCE on it as Brown crossed the field. I guess my possible bad omen theory went up in smoke.

RB Devin Singletary showed the juice on the next play, slicing through the front and some openings for a solid gain. Without truly being able to see OL blocking from the much needed EZ view, I can tell when Singletary has the blocking because he hits the gas so fast from point A to point B, winding between the OL easily and smoothly.


Then, the first one asterisk play of the day. QB Davis Millsdropped and got pressure so it looked like he was perhaps trying to throw one away. He seemed to fade backwards and lofted one to the sideline, hoping for rookie WR Xavier Hutchinson to arrive for a catch. Lo and behold, he DID! Hutchinson snagged the pass before taking a hit while getting both feet in bounds. That was a tremendous effort by the rookie, showing the concentration and body control, to make that catch.

I don't know what's going on with TE Dalton Schultz and the LB and DBs but every time he runs a route in the secondary, there's a TON of talking coming from the defenders. It's all in good fun, but at the start of the second team period, Schultz ran down the seam as Stroud attempted to put one on him. It was a great throw, but the coverage by LB Christian Harris was EVEN better.

He knocked it away and then started letting his feelings known to anyone who would listen. That was a two asterisk play by Harris, followed up by another one the very next play.

Stroud threw to RB Dameon Pierce on a flat route and it looked like Harris would make a solid tackle as Pierce snatched the pass. But, Harris did more than that. As they neared the ground, Harris ripped it out to force an incompletion. Harris has been all that and a bag of chips in this training camp.

DB Jalen Pitre wanted in on the fun as he knocked away a pass for WR Robert Woods in the secondary on the very next play.

But, Stroud got rolling again with an excellent read and throw to Woods over the middle of the formation for a first down on the next play. I loved the design of that play and hope that we'll see more of that as the movement of the offense helped get Woods open easily.


Man, the next throw from Stroud was, well, it could make your legs jelly. He dropped back and had WR John Metchie III on a sail route to the opposite sideline. It appeared as if DB Desmond King II was in perfect position to take away ANY throw from Stroud. He could undercut a short throw. He could knock away an inside, inaccurate throw. But, Stroud had enough velo, enough air on it and threw it to the exact perfect place for ONLY Metchie III to make a play on it and get his feet in bounds. That was a three asterisk play from the rookie QB and Metchie III to snag it and get his feet in bounds.

When it was time for third down work, Stroud did an excellent job scanning for open receivers, quickly, finding RB Dameon Pierce open to catch and run for a first down.

Then, Davis Mills found Metchie III breaking out into the open for another completion and first down.

Stroud came back and threw a strike to Woods on an inside route for another first down.

!! I think the fans LOVE to see Houston Cougar QB Case Keenum to Houston Cougar WR Tank Dell. Those two linked up on a deep out on the far sideline. Dell slid into the catch for a first down.

On the next third down play, Stroud slid up in the pocket with the rush all around him and RIPPED a fast ball on a deep intermediate in route to Nico Collins. That ball left a vapor trail as it stuck into the chest of Collins.

A few plays later, Mills attempted to throw deep to WR Johnny Johnson III, but he couldn't quite get it out there far enough. As such, DB Grayland Arnold came from his opposite safety spot to run under it and make the interception.

The linebackers have been excellent in coverage, for the most part, in this camp and LB Garret Wallow broke up a pass from Mills to rookie RB Xazavian Valladay down the near sideline.

Remember those talking defenders?
Man, they were chirping as Stroud had to scramble on a pass play. I could just hear a bunch of high pitched voices talking. A lot! I loved it.

But, Stroud got his on the next play. Woods ran a snag route and circled up between THREE Texans defenders.

There was space on all sides, but that's still a route I've seen MANY QBs turn down. Stroud reached back and fired his best 99 mph fastball right into the chest of Woods for a first down. It was, not surprisingly, quiet on the defensive side of the ball after that throw. I had that as a two asterisk throw from Stroud for sure.

A few plays later, Stroud hit his guy Schultz down the seam as the big TE got a love tap from DB Jimmie Ward.
Mills came in and immediately hit Hutchinson on a crosser that Xavier juggled but hung onto as he turned up the field for a nice gain. Then, Mills drilled one to Metchie III on boot action and then hit TE Nick Vannett in the flat on a scramble AFTER drawing the defense offsides.

But, the one thing I've noticed, even amongst the talking and jawing, both sides of the ball have a ton of respect for one another. Saw C.J. and Jerry Hughes dapping each other up before finishing up a team period. We can all feel the positive vibes, even in the searing heat.

On the very first play of the next team drill, my goodness Will Anderson Jr.! He just completely destroyed a run play his way. I don't know what exactly he did to the blockers on that play as it was on the other side, but I'm sure it was not pretty. That was the Terminator in action. That was a three asterisk play that had some people just flat out giggling on our sideline because of how nasty that was. Wow.
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Texans_Chick said:
I am not in a corner personally. I don't think anyone else is tbh.

By my eye, Stroud has earned the chance to be 1. Particularly enjoy how much they have tested the players quickly, how much of their practices are spent doing detailed football things/situational football versus drills. Putting the players under stress during practice. After this heat, the games will probably feel easy.

I like how all the QBs are conducting themselves. C.J. and Mills have got a ton of reps. Keenum far less. Mills is putting himself in a position to make money given how many teams run Shan offense. I don't think we need to talk about the competition as a bad thing or pick sides. They don't think in those terms, long season to stay healthy.
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Lol. I appreciate getting quoted as I feel famous now!

Media is a broad classification and I didn’t mean to lump you in with them. When I think of media I think of McClain, 610, and other Twitter (X?) reporters(not to knock anyone) They can sugar coat or create controversy when there isn’t any there.

When I, as a well as others I hope, read your posts/articles there are just facts that aren’t biased and without agenda. Blind trust is what you have.

I am on the Stroud Cloud, but still know he is a rookie and will make mistakes. It’s not about W or Ls this year but just his development and the rest of the team including coaches. The last week there has been a noticeable change in tone about the reports coming out about him. It is much more upbeat in my opinion. A little too upbeat…Maybe it’s because he is with the first team and everyone doesn’t want to leave doubt about him starting. It doesn’t matter to me who starts as long as Stroud is out in a place to succeed. With this coaching staff, Caserio, and ownership I feel like Stroud will get that.
 
badboy said:
What is your good objective question that wasn't answered objectively?

Seriously.
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The quote from my post that Number19 asked. Is 50% completion something to get excited about? It was a fair question that was answered in an unfair way. The answer that he got was classic. All of a sudden he was 100% on Mills train and wanted to see him start just for asking the question.

Sometimes I think people are too quick with the “Either you are with us or against us” mentality.

It’s OK to notice things Stroud isn’t doing well or needs to work on.

Lucky brought up the report that the balls he was throwing were a little wobbly compared to Keenum and Mills. Something to watch. That’s fair. That’s stuff that we should be able to bring up and discuss without being labeled an enemy of the state.

Just my thoughts.
 
Buckeye Homer said:
Not usually but the thing he must avoid is turning the ball over. Would it be acceptable if the QB NEVER turned it over but only completed half of his passes? That might be acceptable IF the team can run the ball AND the defense is really good.
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Short to intermediate, high percentage, passes, 50% should never be acceptable. A large number of deep passes, yes, your percentage will go down.
 
TexansBull said:
The quote from my post that Number19 asked. Is 50% completion something to get excited about? It was a fair question that was answered in an unfair way. The answer that he got was classic. All of a sudden he was 100% on Mills train and wanted to see him start just for asking the question.

Sometimes I think people are too quick with the “Either you are with us or against us” mentality.

It’s OK to notice things Stroud isn’t doing well or needs to work on.

Lucky brought up the report that the balls he was throwing were a little wobbly compared to Keenum and Mills. Something to watch. That’s fair. That’s stuff that we should be able to bring up and discuss without being labeled an enemy of the state.

Just my thoughts.
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3 days ago it was reported that Mills was out performing Stroud. Yesterday Stroud took all of the snaps with the 1's. What happened in a practice or two that made things change?

The media in this town has been known to push whatever narrative the McNair's want them to push. (Not referring to TC ) I ask this as a guy who thinks Stroud should be starting day one.
 
steelbtexan said:
3 days ago it was reported that Mills was out performing Stroud. Yesterday Stroud took all of the snaps with the 1's. What happened in a practice or two that made things change?

The media in this town has been known to push whatever narrative the McNair's want them to push. (Not referring to TC ) I ask this as a guy who thinks Stroud should be starting day one.
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Could it be possible that we’re trying to bulk up Mill’s trade value?
 
NitroGSXR said:
Could it be possible that we’re trying to bulk up Mill’s trade value?
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I think it is because from the beginning they said Stroud would have to earn it and not be given anything. I think that message has been delivered to other positions as well. Energy on the field is evident.

What would you reasonably get for Mills? Someone would have to have a desperate QB situation. If you are in that desperate of a situation your season is probably already lost. Might as well plan for next year.
 
steelbtexan said:
3 days ago it was reported that Mills was out performing Stroud. Yesterday Stroud took all of the snaps with the 1's. What happened in a practice or two that made things change?

The media in this town has been known to push whatever narrative the McNair's want them to push. (Not referring to TC ) I ask this as a guy who thinks Stroud should be starting day one.
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There was speculation on 610 the other day that there may have been some closed door discussion and pressure to begin the transition, although their opinion was that Stroud had not clearly out performed or distanced himself from Mills. Both QBs have been up and down.
 
Number19 said:
There was speculation on 610 the other day that there may have been some closed door discussion and pressure to begin the transition, although their opinion was that Stroud had not clearly out performed or distanced himself from Mills. Both QBs have been up and down.
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Ownership

SMH
 
Number19 said:
There was speculation on 610 the other day that there may have been some closed door discussion and pressure to begin the transition, although their opinion was that Stroud had not clearly out performed or distanced himself from Mills. Both QBs have been up and down.
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Mills has been a starter for two years in the league. Stroud hasn't played a real down in the league yet. I would think the onus would be on Mills as a veteran to outperform and distance himself from Stroud, not the other way around. IMHO, if there is no distancing from either you go with the highly touted rookie.
 
I thought I was excited to watch the Texans again last season…turns out I actually wasn’t. I did catch a bit more of the games than I had the previous couple of seasons but I still couldn’t muster enough care.

But tomorrow Texans football is back and I’m legit excited for this new era. I’m actually pumped to hear Spencer Tillman but I’m sure that won’t last long.
 
xtruroyaltyx said:
I thought I was excited to watch the Texans again last season…turns out I actually wasn’t. I did catch a bit more of the games than I had the previous couple of seasons but I still couldn’t muster enough care.

But tomorrow Texans football is back and I’m legit excited for this new era. I’m actually pumped to hear Spencer Tillman but I’m sure that won’t last long.
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I thought I heard that Spencer is out and ND Kalu in. Could be wrong. Can anyone confirm?
 
There's conflicting opinions going around. Some are saying there’s no real competition. Some are saying Stroud clearly had the better camp. Some are saying they’re pretty much even/Stroud hasn’t put that much distance between the two. That’s the media for you. Now what did the coaches say? None of the above. Coach Ryan did say Stroud will start and Mills will get some playing time too. And that’s all that matters.
 
If Stroud isn't starting right away then the Texans are doing it wrong. And don't come back with Mahomes sat blah, blah, blah. Totally different circumstances. 1) KC was a playoff team 2 years straight before Mahomes got there, 2) they had a competent playoff caliber QB who got them to the playoffs a 3rd straight year after Mahomes was drafted. The Texans don't have any of that. It makes no sense to go with Mills at all, unless CJ was stinking the joint up in camp, which so far appears to not be the case.

And honestly, I don't care for the fact that it appears Mills may be QB2, or that if the Texans did decide to sit CJ the first few games that he'd be the starter. There's no f'ing way he's a better option than Case.
 
Lucky said:
I think you would prefer the fight song the Texans rolled out in the 2003 preseason:

Houston Texans - Red, White and Blue
Houston Texans - We cheer for you
Houston Texans - Living the dream
We are Texas' Team
T-E-X-A-N-S
Texans, Texans, Texans!
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Did an elementary school win a contest? Because that’s usually how you get stuff like that.
 
TexansBull said:
giphy.gif


Lol. I appreciate getting quoted as I feel famous now!

Media is a broad classification and I didn’t mean to lump you in with them. When I think of media I think of McClain, 610, and other Twitter (X?) reporters(not to knock anyone) They can sugar coat or create controversy when there isn’t any there.

When I, as a well as others I hope, read your posts/articles there are just facts that aren’t biased and without agenda. Blind trust is what you have.

I am on the Stroud Cloud, but still know he is a rookie and will make mistakes. It’s not about W or Ls this year but just his development and the rest of the team including coaches. The last week there has been a noticeable change in tone about the reports coming out about him. It is much more upbeat in my opinion. A little too upbeat…Maybe it’s because he is with the first team and everyone doesn’t want to leave doubt about him starting. It doesn’t matter to me who starts as long as Stroud is out in a place to succeed. With this coaching staff, Caserio, and ownership I feel like Stroud will get that.
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what’s with the topless circus bearded lady? Wow.
 
TexansBull said:
Lol. I appreciate getting quoted as I feel famous now!

Media is a broad classification and I didn’t mean to lump you in with them. When I think of media I think of McClain, 610, and other Twitter (X?) reporters(not to knock anyone) They can sugar coat or create controversy when there isn’t any there.

When I, as a well as others I hope, read your posts/articles there are just facts that aren’t biased and without agenda. Blind trust is what you have.

I am on the Stroud Cloud, but still know he is a rookie and will make mistakes. It’s not about W or Ls this year but just his development and the rest of the team including coaches. The last week there has been a noticeable change in tone about the reports coming out about him. It is much more upbeat in my opinion. A little too upbeat…Maybe it’s because he is with the first team and everyone doesn’t want to leave doubt about him starting. It doesn’t matter to me who starts as long as Stroud is out in a place to succeed. With this coaching staff, Caserio, and ownership I feel like Stroud will get that.
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Really, I don't think anyone is doing an "agenda" - and watching football by anyone is not just facts, it is seeing things and doing analysis.

Will tell you that you can SEE the progress. Everyone can. They are putting guys under stress, installing different things, and Stroud very much looks like a gamer.
 
Lucky said:
I think you would prefer the fight song the Texans rolled out in the 2003 preseason:

Houston Texans - Red, White and Blue
Houston Texans - We cheer for you
Houston Texans - Living the dream
We are Texas' Team
T-E-X-A-N-S
Texans, Texans, Texans!
Click to expand...
Made my ears bleed!!!!!!!!! Talent isn't a trait the creator seems to possess! Music by the scratching on the blackboard.
 
NitroGSXR said:
Could it be possible that we’re trying to bulk up Mill’s trade value?
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Not a good move. Mills is more valuable as an inexpensive backup than a trade chip at this time. Mills could be here for another 2 seasons on RD3 rookie contract money. The only way I'd even consider a trade is if the team wanting him brings a RD3 to the table....otherwise I'll keep him b/c it just makes too much ducking sense.
 
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Porky said:
Ok I was right - found confirmation. Sorry to disappoint the Spencer fans, but It looks like Ole' Spence was given an apple and a road map, and he left - like smoke through a keyhole.

www.houstontexans.com

ND Kalu Joins Preseason TV Broadcast Crew

Texans Legend ND Kalu will provide commentary alongside play-by-play announcer Kevin Kugler and sideline reporter Drew Dougherty.
www.houstontexans.com www.houstontexans.com
.
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Wonder if he’ll leave ND a copy of his thesaurus…
 
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