2017 Houston Texans Official OTA's, Minicamp, and Training Camp Thread

[DocBar]

What will you guys think if Savage has similar numbers to Tom Brady in his 1st season starting (due to injury)? I'd be ok with the end results.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BradTo00.htm

 

[DocBar]

Encouraging news going into the season. I hope we don't have to turn to Watson before he's ready. The preseason should give us a pretty good gauge of where he is. I'm glad Savage is looking good as well, I can't wait for the season to start!

I'm not sure that I'm excited about FG attempts in OTA's. Those need to be TDs.

 

[Scooter]

What will you guys think if Savage has similar numbers to Tom Brady in his 1st season?

I'll think the same as David Carr having similar numbers to Troy Aikman

 

[Mangler]

I'm not sure that I'm excited about FG attempts in OTA's. Those need to be TDs.

What field goal attempts? The article clearly reads that Watson made throws on all levels of the field and capped it off with a deep pass to Fuller for a TD.

 

[Seegara]

patrick‏Verified account@PatDStat


.@JaelenStrong doing work today at OTAs. #Texans

Looks like he made a heroic catch, but who slang the ball so wildly?

 

[FuzzyLogic]

What field goal attempts? The article clearly reads that Watson made throws on all levels of the field and capped it off with a deep pass to Fuller for a TD.

From the article...

15. The team worked on two-minute situations for the first time and it was highly effective. Savage and Weeden led the team to field goal attempts at the horn to set up potential victories.

 

[Mangler]

From the article...

15. The team worked on two-minute situations for the first time and it was highly effective. Savage and Weeden led the team to field goal attempts at the horn to set up potential victories.

My bad, I assumed we were talking about Watson. Looks like Novak will be our offensive captain once again, lol. I pray Watson is a quick learner because the crowd will be calling for Savage's head once we start losing games back to back.

 

[banned1976]

My bad, I assumed we were talking about Watson. Looks like Novak will be our offensive captain once again, lol. I pray Watson is a quick learner because the crowd will be calling for Savage's head once we start losing games back to back.

O'Brien's response - "Hey, it was a field goal. It's not like we didn't score. I just need to coach better. But it's not like we have a losing record. We're still in the thick of this thing. We're tied for first place. I'm tired of people saying the Texans don't have a QB." What did I miss?

 

[badboy]

O'Brien's response - "Hey, it was a field goal. It's not like we didn't score. I just need to coach better. But it's not like we have a losing record. We're still in the thick of this thing. We're tied for first place. I'm tired of people saying the Texans don't have a QB." What did I miss?

so..how did his coaching on that play result in field goal instead of TD? Did he call wrong play?

 

[TheMatrix31]

Bouye was arguably our best defensive player last year. It's a big loss regardless of his position on the depth chart. Not to mention Joseph is old as dirt and quite frankly not very reliable anymore and Kareem Jackson plays shitty way too frequently, and Bouye would basically be #2 IMO. Also letting him go to Jacksonville factors in.

It was bad. But it had to happen because he was getting too much money. Oh well. It happens.

 

[TheKDog]

patrick‏Verified account @PatDStat 2h2 hours ago

*Deshaun Watson is progressing with the arrow pointing up. Every practice he has come out and gotten better. Today was clearly his best day.

*Watson has plenty to work on as a NFL quarterback but can see the vast improvement since rookie mini-camp. So much more to do.

*Also, Tom Savage threw the ball with purpose today. 1st team reps are helping his game as a player. Clearly the top option at this point.


It is going to be Tom Savage unless something falls off the rails.

Well I'm glad Watson is progressing with the arrow point up.

If it was with the arrow point down or sideways I'd be seriously confused.

Looks like Savage is the best QB in camp so far.

 

[TheRealJoker]

John Harris and Pat Starr had a difference of opinion in their Ota writeups

From Harris:

14. Tight end Stephen Anderson can seemingly get open in a phone booth. He can even get free from corners in coverage. It’s clear that these QBs love to throw to him because he can get separation so quickly.

From Starr:

If there is one thing we are waiting for, it is for tight end Stephen Anderson to show what he did last off-season after his arrival as a rookie. Last offseason, Anderson was catching every football in his area but that has not been the case to this point with him. There have been only three practices that have been open to the media but as of today, Anderson is struggling to get open and catch the football. There has been an eye-test jump with other second-year players on the roster but that has not been the case with Anderson. When we discuss jump, we are looking for a level of comfort in the role going into the second year and giving clear indications on how good the player can be. That feeling has not been trending upward with what Anderson has done to this point, but luckily training camp still lies ahead so he will have his opportunity to make his mark.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Cushing, Mercilus, Fiedorowicz, Griffin, cornerback, Kevin Johnson, Dillon and Eddie Pleasant still have not seen the practice field. Clowney was at practice but did not participate. O'Brien says that there is no problem.......he is just giving him a break here and there. With no hitting allowed, I find it curious.

 

[JB]

John Harris and Pat Starr had a difference of opinion in their Ota writeups

From Harris:

14. Tight end Stephen Anderson can seemingly get open in a phone booth. He can even get free from corners in coverage. It’s clear that these QBs love to throw to him because he can get separation so quickly.

From Starr:

If there is one thing we are waiting for, it is for tight end Stephen Anderson to show what he did last off-season after his arrival as a rookie. Last offseason, Anderson was catching every football in his area but that has not been the case to this point with him. There have been only three practices that have been open to the media but as of today, Anderson is struggling to get open and catch the football. There has been an eye-test jump with other second-year players on the roster but that has not been the case with Anderson. When we discuss jump, we are looking for a level of comfort in the role going into the second year and giving clear indications on how good the player can be. That feeling has not been trending upward with what Anderson has done to this point, but luckily training camp still lies ahead so he will have his opportunity to make his mark.

It's all about the closed practices man

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

It's all about the closed practices man

You always have to be suspect of reporting coming out of a direct salaried employee of the Texans. But Harris has proved himself to be quite honest and on spot over the years. He played receiver, tight end linebacker and safety in high school and then in college, he moved into the secondary, playing cornerback and safety. Out of college, he coached high school football for a while before pursuing a college football analyst position for radio and the website College Football News. He worked his way up in Houston from a radio sports analyst to the position he holds with the Texans. I would in general much more readily accept his takes over the other so-called reporters covering the Texans that seem to be much more interested in clicks than substance.

 

[TheRealJoker]

You always have to be suspect of reporting coming out of a direct salaried employee of the Texans. But Harris has proved himself to be quite honest and on spot over the years. He played receiver, tight end linebacker and safety in high school and then in college, he moved into the secondary, playing cornerback and safety. Out of college, he coached high school football for a while before pursuing a college football analyst position for radio and the website College Football News. He worked his way up in Houston from a radio sports analyst to the position he holds with the Texans. I would in general much more readily accept his takes over the other so-called reporters covering the Texans that seem to be much more interested in clicks than substance.

Guess we'll have to wait until preseason to see what some of these guys truly look like. The QB takes have been generally the same.

 

[zshawn10]

DeAndre Hopkins said Texans have a 'very good vibes' at practice, lot of excitement about upcoming season

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 7, 2017


DeAndre Hopkins on future with Texans, contract, says talks between team and his agent 'The city has embraced me. I love being here'

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 7, 2017


DeAndre Hopkins 'I love playing for this team'

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 7, 2017

 

[cuppacoffee]

Cushing, Mercilus, Fiedorowicz, Griffin, cornerback, Kevin Johnson, Dillon and Eddie Pleasant still have not seen the practice field. Clowney was at practice but did not participate. O'Brien says that there is no problem.......he is just giving him a break here and there. With no hitting allowed, I find it curious.

Could just be that the coaches want to give a real good long look, and plenty of attention, to the newcomers.

Not leave any stone un-turned so to speak.

That's all I got.

 

[Texian]

DeAndre Hopkins said Texans have a 'very good vibes' at practice, lot of excitement about upcoming season

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 7, 2017


DeAndre Hopkins on future with Texans, contract, says talks between team and his agent 'The city has embraced me. I love being here'

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 7, 2017


DeAndre Hopkins 'I love playing for this team'

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 7, 2017

Hopkins appears to better coached off the field than on.

 

[zshawn10]

Projected Compensatory Picks

Texans


Projected compensatory picks: Three -- Round 3 / Two picks in Round 6
Key free-agent losses: A.J. Bouye (Jaguars), Quintin Demps (Bears), John Simon (Colts)
Key free-agent additions: None
Skinny: The loss of Bouye should result in a third-round compensatory pick for the Texans, while the losses of Demps and Simon should bring sixth-rounders based on their salaries and expected usage.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...jecting-compensatory-picks-for-2018-nfl-draft

 

[amazing80]

Looks like he made a heroic catch, but who slang the ball so wildly?

Weeden

 

[DocBar]

Weeden

The report I read said that Weeden placed the ball where only Strong could catch it or the pass would've been out of bounds, so maybe it wasn't slung quite as wildly as the pic makes it look.

 

[xtruroyaltyx]

That doesn't look like anyone was guarding him there.

I don't think that is the Weeden throw that JH was talking about.

 

[DocBar]

That doesn't look like anyone was guarding him there.

I don't think that is the Weeden throw that JH was talking about.

Kinda like how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie-pop, the world may never know.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Aaron Wilson‏Verified account@AaronWilson_NFL 6h6 hours ago

Texans assistant Wes Welker 'I believe in this offense. I believe in coach O'Brien. It's been good. It's been like being a rookie again'

Texans line coach Mike Devlin said right guard Jeff Allen has returned like he has 'a point to prove' after injury-plagued season

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

patrick‏Verified account@PatDStat 6h6 hours ago

Early thoughts on the Texans wide receivers after seeing them through OTAs. Top four are in house with Hopkins, Strong, Fuller and Braxton.

Wendall Williams is ahead of the pack from the second group working for a roster spot. Not convinced, yet, that the answer is here.

Perry does a good job with the receiver group. Seems like there is way more work going on with the position group than before.

 

[Brisco_County]

Pat Starr's response to a tweet saying "Seems like the entire offense has a lot more going on...":

patrick‏Verified account@PatDSta
because Godsey is gone if we are being honest.

 

[infantrycak]

So OB was sitting around picking his nose letting Godsey screw up his O for 3 years?

 

[JB]

So OB was sitting around picking his nose letting Godsey screw up his O for 3 years?

Sounds like it. He let personal friendship outweigh professional standards... much like Kubiak did with Frank Bush and Richard Smith

 

[infantrycak]

Sounds like it. He let personal friendship outweigh professional standards... much like Kubiak did with Frank Bush and Richard Smith

See I understand that failure better because it's the other side of the ball. But you didn't see Kubiak let anyone screw up his O.

 

[JB]

See I understand that failure better because it's the other side of the ball. But you didn't see Kubiak let anyone screw up his O.

But Kubiak was comfortable with his O and thought his friends could handle the D

OB thought he could teach and knew that RAC could handle the D. OB obviously thought that he and Godsey together could install the offense, but G was inept. And it took OB 3 years to realize that G just wasn't progressing

 

[TheRealJoker]

Kubes was much more experienced than OB coming into his HC role than OB. Sure he wasn't a HC in college but he was a coordinator for at least 10 years prior to becoming HC if I remember correctly.

Plus, more importantly, he had a larger more experienced coaching tree to pull from than OB for his offensive assistants. Add in his offense is more simple and defined than OB's it's no surprise that Kubiak had more success with his offense and a "coordinator" than OB has had.

Hopefully now that OB is coaching the offense his way from the beginning of the offseason we will see marked improvements.

 

[corytx8]

Kubes was much more experienced than OB coming into his HC role than OB. Sure he wasn't a HC in college but he was a coordinator for at least 10 years prior to becoming HC if I remember correctly.

Plus, more importantly, he had a larger more experienced coaching tree to pull from than OB for his offensive assistants. Add in his offense is more simple and defined than OB's it's no surprise that Kubiak had more success with his offense and a "coordinator" than OB has had.

Hopefully now that OB is coaching the offense his way from the beginning of the offseason we will see marked improvements.

Well keep in mind, Kubiak downfall was a lack of Defense until he was forced to hired Wade. Kubiak had the same issues as OB coaching wise with friends. Just it was the Defense.


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[TheKDog]

Well keep in mind, Kubiak downfall was a lack of Defense until he was forced to hired Wade. Kubiak had the same issues as OB coaching wise with friends. Just it was the Defense.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

So Kubiak was competent, but his friends weren't.

OBrien's friends are competent, but he himself isn't.

 

[TheRealJoker]

So Kubiak was competent, but his friends weren't.

OBrien's friends are competent, but he himself isn't.

OB is having a similar time as Brian Billick. Both got HC jobs due to their work on offense. But achieved success as HCs due to their stellar defense (2000 Baltimore Ravens for example...)

 

[thunderkyss]

See I understand that failure better because it's the other side of the ball. But you didn't see Kubiak let anyone screw up his O.

I'm with you. I doubt "everything" was Godsey's fault. It's not like O'b had to concern himself with the defense.

I imagine there was a lot of giving Godsey the room to make his own mistakes.

But O'b was on the field a lot this time last season as well. Whatever was going on, he didn't stop it. & whatever wasn't gping on, he didn't make it happen.

 

[TheRealJoker]

I'm with you. I doubt "everything" was Godsey's fault. It's not like O'b had to concern himself with the defense.

I imagine there was a lot of giving Godsey the room to make his own mistakes.

But O'b was on the field a lot this time last season as well. Whatever was going on, he didn't stop it. & whatever wasn't gping on, he didn't make it happen.

Last season was a perfect storm of issues.

You add a brand new QB,RB, 2 WRs and C/RG to the offense. Then your OL gets hit with injuries throughout the year. It's going to be hard for that offense to gel even if you made the right call at QB (which we clearly did not). Now we've got the same young talent we were excited about last season. A brand new shiny QB to be excited about. And a QB that OB has had going into his 4th season. It will be hard not to exceed expectations on offense this season assuming we have reasonably good health.

 

[thunderkyss]

Kubes was much more experienced than OB coming into his HC role than OB. Sure he wasn't a HC in college but he was a coordinator for at least 10 years prior to becoming HC if I remember correctly.

Plus, more importantly, he had a larger more experienced coaching tree to pull from than OB for his offensive assistants. Add in his offense is more simple and defined than OB's it's no surprise that Kubiak had more success with his offense and a "coordinator" than OB has had.

Hopefully now that OB is coaching the offense his way from the beginning of the offseason we will see marked improvements.

I'll agree Kubiak had more NFL coaching experience, but O'b coached for 14 years before taking an assistant position with the Patriots.

I also don't think O'bs system is more complicated. More complicated for the QB, sure because he controls more. But Kubiak's system required the same reads & adjustments before & after the snap.

There's supposed to be more to O'bs system, but we haven't seen it yet. All we've seen is "year 1" again & again, & again. I imagine we're going to see Savage year 1 in 2017, then Watson year 1 in 2018.

Now... Kubiak had Mike Sherman year one & that wasn't all that great of a year. He also had Carr & other dead weight... But the offense really took off when he got Dennison, who he worked with for years in pretty much the same capacity.

O'b coached Godsey at Georgia tech. While he worked his way through the ranks in New England, Godsey was doing the same at UCF. O'b brought Godsey to New England the one year he was OC. Godsey stayed in New England while O'b went to Penn State. Then they both came to Houston. Godsey never made it past TE coach in New England. He was our QB coach, then OC...

I think Godsey was very raw as a coach, moreso as an OC. O'b was working on making him a better coach while we struggled with QB after QB. I think it could've worked out for them, they just ran out of time.

 

[thunderkyss]

Last season was a perfect storm of issues.

You add a brand new QB,RB, 2 WRs and C/RG to the offense. Then your OL gets hit with injuries throughout the year. It's going to be hard for that offense to gel even if you made the right call at QB (which we clearly did not). Now we've got the same young talent we were excited about last season. A brand new shiny QB to be excited about. And a QB that OB has had going into his 4th season. It will be hard not to exceed expectations on offense this season assuming we have reasonably good health.

Our expectations are always high for the Texans. We don't say it, but it's obvious around here we expect Super Bowl or fire everybody.

I get what you're saying though. If I were McNair I'd demand to see a top 16 offense with Savage before I let O'b put Watson on the field.

 

[76Texan]

I'll agree Kubiak had more NFL coaching experience, but O'b coached for 14 years before taking an assistant position with the Patriots.

I also don't think O'bs system is more complicated. More complicated for the QB, sure because he controls more. But Kubiak's system required the same reads & adjustments before & after the snap.

There's supposed to be more to O'bs system, but we haven't seen it yet. All we've seen is "year 1" again & again, & again. I imagine we're going to see Savage year 1 in 2017, then Watson year 1 in 2018.

Now... Kubiak had Mike Sherman year one & that wasn't all that great of a year. He also had Carr & other dead weight... But the offense really took off when he got Dennison, who he worked with for years in pretty much the same capacity.

O'b coached Godsey at Georgia tech. While he worked his way through the ranks in New England, Godsey was doing the same at UCF. O'b brought Godsey to New England the one year he was OC. Godsey stayed in New England while O'b went to Penn State. Then they both came to Houston. Godsey never made it past TE coach in New England. He was our QB coach, then OC...

I think Godsey was very raw as a coach, moreso as an OC. O'b was working on making him a better coach while we struggled with QB after QB. I think it could've worked out for them, they just ran out of time.

No freaking ìdea how complicated the system was, just that it regressed every year.

All the while, the QB position was supposed to be upgraded.

 

[Texansballer74]

Our expectations are always high for the Texans. We don't say it, but it's obvious around here we expect Super Bowl or fire everybody.

I get what you're saying though. If I were McNair I'd demand to see a top 16 offense with Savage before I let O'b put Watson on the field.

Fanside has our offense ranked 18. Not too bad huh?

18. Houston Texans

So the Houston Texans have another new quarterback on the roster. What else is new?

In three seasons with head coach Bill O’Brien at the helm, the team has used eight different starting signal-callers. The results have been three consecutive 9-7 showing and a pair of AFC South titles. A year ago, the team signed former Denver Broncos product Brock Osweiler to a four-year, $72 million contract sight unseen. Roughly a year later, they dealt him to the Cleveland Browns to alleviate some salary cap room and apparently a behind-the-scenes issues.

It was another deal with the Browns that enabled Houston to grab Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson with the 12th overall pick in April. He joins a mix that includes three-year pro Tom Savage and veteran Brandon Weeden. Regardless of who starts the season, you can expect a lot of handoffs to workhorse running back Lamar Miller. And if former Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins can get on the same page as his quarterback (an issue with Osweiler this past season), fellow wideouts Will Fuller, Braxton Miller and Jaelen Strong become a lot more dangerous.

In 2016, the Houston Texans’ offensive unit scored just 23 touchdowns – three more than Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (20). Meanwhile, the team turned over the football 24 times. Cutting back on the mistakes is a must and that mean more efficient play from everyone on this unit. Just don’t bet against O’Brien getting this fixed sooner than later.

 

[Texansballer74]

Our expectations are always high for the Texans. We don't say it, but it's obvious around here we expect Super Bowl or fire everybody.

I get what you're saying though. If I were McNair I'd demand to see a top 16 offense with Savage before I let O'b put Watson on the field.

Fanside has our offense ranked 18. Not too bad huh?
http://fansided.com/2017/06/08/nfl-power-rankings-steelers-raiders-packers-patriots-cowboys/15/

18. Houston Texans

So the Houston Texans have another new quarterback on the roster. What else is new?

In three seasons with head coach Bill O’Brien at the helm, the team has used eight different starting signal-callers. The results have been three consecutive 9-7 showing and a pair of AFC South titles. A year ago, the team signed former Denver Broncos product Brock Osweiler to a four-year, $72 million contract sight unseen. Roughly a year later, they dealt him to the Cleveland Browns to alleviate some salary cap room and apparently a behind-the-scenes issues.

It was another deal with the Browns that enabled Houston to grab Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson with the 12th overall pick in April. He joins a mix that includes three-year pro Tom Savage and veteran Brandon Weeden. Regardless of who starts the season, you can expect a lot of handoffs to workhorse running back Lamar Miller. And if former Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins can get on the same page as his quarterback (an issue with Osweiler this past season), fellow wideouts Will Fuller, Braxton Miller and Jaelen Strong become a lot more dangerous.

In 2016, the Houston Texans’ offensive unit scored just 23 touchdowns – three more than Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (20). Meanwhile, the team turned over the football 24 times. Cutting back on the mistakes is a must and that mean more efficient play from everyone on this unit. Just don’t bet against O’Brien getting this fixed sooner than later.

 

[Texansballer74]

No freaking ìdea how complicated the system was, just that it regressed every year.

All the while, the QB position was supposed to be upgraded.

Yes sir it regressed big time. And I've been trying to see how complicated it really was but it was more of a basic and simplified version. I was like are we still vanilla.

 

[Brisco_County]

So OB was sitting around picking his nose letting Godsey screw up his O for 3 years?

I'm on the fence, but maybe. We've seen O'Brien allow personal biases to interfere with his decisions despite reality. Hoyer is the obvious example.

And Godsey made some bad calls last season. If I see no improvement in play calling this year, then my judgement on Godsey is inconclusive.

 

[76Texan]

I'll agree Kubiak had more NFL coaching experience, but O'b coached for 14 years before taking an assistant position with the Patriots.

I also don't think O'bs system is more complicated. More complicated for the QB, sure because he controls more. But Kubiak's system required the same reads & adjustments before & after the snap.

There's supposed to be more to O'bs system, but we haven't seen it yet. All we've seen is "year 1" again & again, & again. I imagine we're going to see Savage year 1 in 2017, then Watson year 1 in 2018.

Now... Kubiak had Mike Sherman year one & that wasn't all that great of a year. He also had Carr & other dead weight... But the offense really took off when he got Dennison, who he worked with for years in pretty much the same capacity.

O'b coached Godsey at Georgia tech. While he worked his way through the ranks in New England, Godsey was doing the same at UCF. O'b brought Godsey to New England the one year he was OC. Godsey stayed in New England while O'b went to Penn State. Then they both came to Houston. Godsey never made it past TE coach in New England. He was our QB coach, then OC...

I think Godsey was very raw as a coach, moreso as an OC. O'b was working on making him a better coach while we struggled with QB after QB. I think it could've worked out for them, they just ran out of time.

No freaking ìdea how complicated the system was, just that it regressed every year.

All the while, the QB position was supposed to be upgraded.

I'm on the fence, but maybe. We've seen O'Brien allow personal biases to interfere with his decisions despite reality. Hoyer is the obvious example.

And Godsey made some bad calls last season. If I see no improvement in play calling this year, then my judgement on Godsey is inconclusive.

Supposedly, 3 games into the season, O' Brien took over play calling duty.


https://www.google.com/amp/abcnews....fensive-play-calling-duties/story?id=42474563

 

[76Texan]

The second week after O'Brien allegedly took over play calling duties, the Texans lost to the Vikings 13-31.

Two weeks later, they lost to Denver 9-27.

The freaking Osweiler-less Broncos.

 

[Uncle Rico]

Kubiak Offense >>>>>>>> O'Brien Offense

 

[TheKDog]

Next time I do a crappy job, I'm going to explain to my boss that my strategy is too complicated for my co-workers

 

[OptimisticTexan]

See I understand that failure better because it's the other side of the ball. But you didn't see Kubiak let anyone screw up his O.

Actually, he allowed Schaub to screw it up pretty good. He left him out there to run the team when the offense had lost faith in their QB. To me, that's about on the same level as letting your OC continue to call plays when the offense had completely lost faith in his abilities.

 

[infantrycak]

Actually, he allowed Schaub to screw it up pretty good. He left him out there to run the team when the offense had lost faith in their QB. To me, that's about on the same level as letting your OC continue to call plays when the offense had completely lost faith in his abilities.

Debatable narrative aside, a few games during one season is not close to equal to 3 seasons of decline.