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Texans 2014 Training Camp

wait and see. Newton does not need help every opponent nor even every play. wait and see. Occasionally, Fiedo will line up to block and slip into a passing area and a RB will nick any rush. wait and see.
Careful.
That sounds an awful lot like a Kubiak favorite.
:)
 
I'd make that selection every time. Sua-Filo was Lance Zierlein's 4th best O'lineman on the board at any position. Run mauler who needs technique work in pass protection. Missed OTAs to graduate, so he's behind.
Not taking anything away from the X-man here because I know he's a valuable addition to our team and from I read about him he definitely was not over-drafted at 33rd overall, even for an OG. However a team has got to protect its edge first when it comes to the OLine, that's where the most intense pass-rush comes from and where the highest risk is to the teams QB.
I doubt that they were that confidant about Brennan Williams becoming a contributor, but one couldn't blame Billy for expecting some help from DQ, who's fateful diagnoses didn't happen until post-Draft. Still, Billy didn't really cover his azz at RT, and now he's furiously scrambling to get atleast a reliable backup for Newt.
 
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Mark Berman @MarkBermanFox26
Texans coach Bill O'Brien on safety DJ Swearinger: "I love watching that guy practice. He does things in the box that are good."

Bill O'Brien says Ryan Fitzpatrick will start preseason opener gainst Arizona. Fitzpatrick's # of plays will depend on how things go early.

Texans rookie running back Tim Cornett said when he was at UNLV before games he used to watch video of Arian Foster. Has yet to tell him.
Houston Texans @HoustonTexans
"It'll be a whirlwind for him when he gets out there. All the rookies. It'll be a whole different game." O'Brien on Savage's 1st NFL game.

O'Brien on preseason Wk 1: "We want to play a good, sound, fundamental game." Not focusing on strategic game planning for Saturday.

O'Brien says he's happiest with work ethic this camp. "We've got a lot of good guys in that locker room." #Texans #NFLTrainingCamp

O'Brien: "We'll sit down as a staff on Wednesday and talk about how much each unit will play." Fitzpatrick will start preseason game on Sat.

James Palmer @JPalmerCSN
O'Brien said Texans won't have extensive game plan for Arizona. Focus is on fundamentals and mistake free football. #texanstrainingcamp

Brandon Brooks is getting healthier according to Bill O'Brien. Said he's not in football shape with the time he's missed & that's a concern

Swearinger said DBs are not happy about the enforcement of illegal hands past 5 yds Said NFL is trying to make it harder on DBs. Passing league.

Swearinger said he does have an endzone dance in his head for when he returns his first pick. He's had 3 picks this camp already.

Swearinger said he has to clean up his trash talk but won't stop talking. Always will be a trash talker. Knows when he gets in a WR head

DJ Swearinger said he grew up playing LB. Said he's been playing dime LB at the line of scrimmage a lot
Deepi Sidhu ‏@DeepSlant
Duane Brown says he really enjoys working the hurry-up during situational football drills. #Texans

Dave Zangaro @DZangaro
Swearinger says DBs are concerned that league is focusing on defensive holding but have to just play within the rules. #Texans
Will Grubb @GrubbReport
Su'A-Filo had a busy day lining up at every position on the offensive line except for center. #Texans

Foster, Cushing, Joseph, Andre, and Clowney did not practice. #Texans
Brian T. Smith ‏@ChronBrianSmith
#Texans' Arian Foster signed autographs for about five minutes today. Was smiling, engaging and joking around. #NFL
How detail oriented is O'Brien? He's noodling around with the nutrition the players are getting in the cafeteria... asking the players what they'd like to eat... maybe even redesigning the cafeteria to make it more efficient.
bad-idea-014.gif
 
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How detail oriented is O'Brien? He's noodling around with the nutrition the players are getting in the cafeteria... asking the players what they'd like to eat... maybe even redesigning the cafeteria to make it more efficient.
bad-idea-014.gif
well, he did stay at a Holiday Inn last night
 
How detail oriented is O'Brien? He's noodling around with the nutrition the players are getting in the cafeteria... asking the players what they'd like to eat... maybe even redesigning the cafeteria to make it more efficient.
bad-idea-014.gif

Is that detail oriented or micro managing? I guess it all depends on if you are winning or not.
 
Lance Zierlein ‏@LanceZierlein
(2/2) CB AJ Bouye relentlessly attacks the ball. Sits on routes and wants to make big plays. Brandon Harris will have to work to keep a job

Quick Texans practice notes: Tom Savage looked poised and accurate in red zone work. Derek Newton continues to play w/ lower pad level (1/2)

14 Training Camp Observations: Day 9
John Harris|Texans Analyst


Camp Confidential: Day Nine -- Will Grubb


DeAndre Hopkins having strong camp -- CSN


Q&A on the 2014 Football Outsiders’ Texans projections
August 1, 2014 | By Stephanie Stradley



Now in control, Ligashesky making mark on ST


Duane Brown 1-on-1 : HT.com


10 observations from Day 9 of Texans camp -- Zangaro


Texans Training Camp: Day Nine -- SOTT
 
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And point and retract, and point and retract... 10 reps, each index finger.

Jayson Braddock @JaysonBraddock
Eddie Pleasant recorded a would be sack off a delayed blitz.

Best part of the Labhart TD, was Rick Smith standing right next to it & giving the TD symbol after watching Labhart tap his feet in. #Texans

He followed that up with a pass to the back of the endzone to Travis Labhart, over the head of Lawrence Sidbury. Travis tapped 2 feet in.

Savage's throw of the day was a redzone throw that he dropped over Marcus Williams to Dennis Johnson, before Starling could get there. TD

UDFA CB Marcus Williams almost had a pick 6 on a Tom Savage ball that was meant for Lacoltan Bester.

Jeoffrey Pagan destroyed Mike Farrell for a TFL

Really enjoyed XSF's block to seal off Justin Tuggle on an inside run, today.

DJ Swearinger continued to shine with coverage inside the box. Jumped Keenum pass to Martin & ran it all the way back.

Chris Clemons flashed today. Mostly with his quick response to screens, but showed some hops in situational drills.

Paul Dunn continues to toy with the OL to find out what limits or lack thereof several individuals have. You should see on Saturday. #Texans

Xavier Su'a-Filo's strength is his pull block. It's dangerous and he'll run the defense over. Run pro isn't an issue for XSF.

Rico batted at least 1 more pass today, but it was Jared Crick who had back to back batted balls at practice. #Texans

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum and Tom Savage all struggled today, but Savage showed promise at the end of the day w/ 2 awesome touch passes.

Duane Brown & Derek Newton really seemed to have Brooks Reed & Whitney Mercilus' number today. #Texans

That's exactly what the #Texans did. Farrell was shifted outside to RT.

Mentioned yesterday that the #Texans listed Mike Farrell as an OT, but had only played OG since arriving & that he may shift to OT, now.

cont'd...Johnathan Joseph, Akeem Dent, Jay Prosch, Lonnie Ballentine, Kofi Hughes, Anthony McClung, Will Yeatman, Conor Boffeli & Louis Nix

#Texans players out today: Arian Foster, Jadeveon Clowney, Brian Cushing, Kendrick Lewis, Brandon Brooks, Andre Johnson, Tyson Clabo..cont'd
 
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It's good to hear X had a good day today. I know he's not a first rounder so I really shouldn't expect him to start, but it'd be nice if he did. That LG spot is, ahem, fluid at best.
 
It's good to hear X had a good day today. I know he's not a first rounder so I really shouldn't expect him to start, but it'd be nice if he did. That LG spot is, ahem, fluid at best.

He was pick #33 may as well be a first rounder.
 
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Deepi Sidhu @DeepSlant
Mathews said Lechler probably went easy on us but he didn't have any doubts he would make the catch. #Texans

NT Ricardo Mathews catches a punt from Lechler. The prize? Players get the rest of the day off. #Texans
James Palmer ‏@JPalmerCSN
Bill O'Brien thought his team's intensity was lacking. So he put the ball at the 10 & let them go at it. Most physical part of camp so far.

"He talks trash all day. We'll be at the house and he's still talking trash." #Texans safety Eddie Pleasant on D.J. Swearinger.

"He's a lot more than I expected. I've been around some freaks in a locker room, but @JJWatt is truly one of a kind." - DL Ricardo Mathews.

Kendrick Lewis was back on the field In full pads. Said he had a little hip flexor issue
Dave Zangaro ‏@DZangaro
O'Brien said the team hasn't ruled anyone out for Saturday's game yet. #Texans

Bill O'Brien said Kareem Jackson had a rest day. #Texans

Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, Cushing and Clowney didn't practice again today.
Brian T. Smith ‏@ChronBrianSmith
Tom Savage asked for permission to call Ryan Fitzpatrick "Uncle Fitz." Sounds like he got the OK. #Texans
Will Grubb ‏@GrubbReport
Kendrick Lewis started practice on the side but later rejoined the team and finished practice. #Texans
Dale Robertson ‏@sportywineguy
BOB: Mathews fielded the punt that got the guys the afternoon off. If he dropped it, "we'll be here 'til midnight."

BOB: Tim Jamison, Ricardo Mathews can play inside, outside in the line.

BOB: Case Keenum is a student of the game. When he makes a mistake it really weighs on him. Guys like him are really fun to coach.

BOB on DBs: They're fun guys. They have a lot of fun in there.

BOB: Practice began badly but finished strong. "Got to know when to back off and to push." Went live on goal line and got juices going.
AdamWexlerCSN ‏@awexler
#Texans RB Jonathan Grimes on what he wants to show/do on Sat.-”I just want to be mental mistake free. I just want to be on top of things.”
Safety position is very competitive down the line. Seeing improvement from the lower guys.
 
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I'm cracking up at JJ working on his hands. Wouldn't be surprising at all to see him turn some of those bats into INTs. That's a smart dedicated player right there, trying to add another tool to the toolbox.
 
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--houstontexans.com
 
I'm cracking up at JJ working on his hands. Wouldn't be surprising at all to see him turn some of those bats into INTs. That's a smart dedicated player right there, trying to add another tool to the toolbox.

I'd put the over/under for JJ Watt interceptions at 0.5 and heavily bet the under.

Personally I think it is a giant waste of time, especially if he is taking time that people who actually need to catch the ball could be using.
 
I'd put the over/under for JJ Watt interceptions at 0.5 and heavily bet the under.

Personally I think it is a giant waste of time, especially if he is taking time that people who actually need to catch the ball could be using.

Hand eye coordination is important for about every position. From hand placement to beat blocks, batting passes, and yes the rare chance to catch a pick.

With all the batted balls he gets, it definitely wouldn't hurt if more of them could become int's.

And actually, if I'm not mistaken watt was hitting the JM since last year. Possibly since his rookie year.
 
I'd put the over/under for JJ Watt interceptions at 0.5 and heavily bet the under.

Personally I think it is a giant waste of time, especially if he is taking time that people who actually need to catch the ball could be using.
That's a very good point. He can stay extra late and practice on the JM after the WR's, TE's, RB's and DB's are done using it. If one of those guys walk up, he should get out of their way. I do like the fact that he's thinking about it and always looking for an edge. Like Cak said, that's one smart, dedicated football player. Talk about leading by example.

Hand eye coordination is important for about every position. From hand placement to beat blocks, batting passes, and yes the rare chance to catch a pick.

With all the batted balls he gets, it definitely wouldn't hurt if more of them could become int's.

And actually, if I'm not mistaken watt was hitting the JM since last year. Possibly since his rookie year.
I agree with this, but not if he's taking time away from players that actually catch or defend passes for a living. Yes, I know he bats a lot of balls down.
 
I'm cracking up at JJ working on his hands. Wouldn't be surprising at all to see him turn some of those bats into INTs. That's a smart dedicated player right there, trying to add another tool to the toolbox.

How close is he standing to the machine?

LOS distance?
 
I'd put the over/under for JJ Watt interceptions at 0.5 and heavily bet the under.

Personally I think it is a giant waste of time, especially if he is taking time that people who actually need to catch the ball could be using.

I would hope the Texans own more than one Jugs machine.

Unless.....Bob McNair is cheap!

DUN DUN DUN!:swatter:
 
That's a very good point. He can stay extra late and practice on the JM after the WR's, TE's, RB's and DB's are done using it. If one of those guys walk up, he should get out of their way. I do like the fact that he's thinking about it and always looking for an edge. Like Cak said, that's one smart, dedicated football player. Talk about leading by example.

I agree with this, but not if he's taking time away from players that actually catch or defend passes for a living. Yes, I know he bats a lot of balls down.


Pretty sure the texans can purchase more jm's if it's an issue.
 
I'm sure they could, too. The point still stands, though. JJ should defer to the other positions if they walk up.

Nah. Get there before him. Or...I dunno...take turns...

Posey bought his own jugs machine.

It's extra time after practice. Players can use the facility how they see fit. Not like they have to stand around and watch him. Go do something else. It's jj watt. He can use the JM after practice if he wants and no one is going to tell him otherwise. Especially since this is a routine hes already established.
 
Nah. Get there before him. Or...I dunno...take turns...

Posey bought his own jugs machine.

It's extra time after practice. Players can use the facility how they see fit. Not like they have to stand around and watch him. Go do something else. It's jj watt. He can use the JM after practice if he wants and no one is going to tell him otherwise. Especially since this is a routine hes already established.
Point noted. Opinions vary.
 
I can never see Playoff's pic posts on my phone....argh!!!!

Hmmm... I can see them on my iPhone.

Only time I can't see a pic I post is a Twitter/Facebook picture in my Chrome browser on my workstation, which I have locked down tight for security. Why I post a link below those.
 
I'd put the over/under for JJ Watt interceptions at 0.5 and heavily bet the under.

Personally I think it is a giant waste of time, especially if he is taking time that people who actually need to catch the ball could be using.

JJ's actually been doing this for at least the last 2 preseasons. He was catching one-handed in 2012 TC because he'd dislocated his elbow and could only use one arm. I don't know if he'd done it before that preseason or not.

Given the two seasons JJ's had since then, I'm guessing he's not going to quit doing it now, and I'm positive nobody is going to tell him he should.
 
I'd put the over/under for JJ Watt interceptions at 0.5 and heavily bet the under.

Personally I think it is a giant waste of time, especially if he is taking time that people who actually need to catch the ball could be using.

Do you really think you know more about how to train than JJ and his coaches? If so, why on earth are you not coaching an NFL team?

Just because he's not a receiver doesn't mean he will never touch a football. In fact, there have been more than a few games where he's touched the ball more times than some of those wide-outs. Maybe he likes to get the look and feel of a ball in flight so he can get to more throws or, yes, possibly intercept a couple.

Do you really want to downplay the possibility of him doing something. Haven't you learned your lesson?

Do you really think if the coaches were concerned about the receivers getting enough time on the machine they wouldn't say something, or go get another machine? Really?

I don't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for the combination of arrogance and ignorance.
 
Nice rant bro.

I feel privileged that you'd use one of the few posts you make each year to point out my inadequate football expertise.
 
Hmmm... I can see them on my iPhone.

Only time I can't see a pic I post is a Twitter/Facebook picture in my Chrome browser on my workstation, which I have locked down tight for security. Why I post a link below those.
I can't see them on any of my devices but it's probably tapatalk not liking the resize tag.
 
I dunno but it looks like Billy has made Mercilus a bench-warmer because he's got him on the DC as a second-teamer behind JD.
 
I dunno but it looks like Billy has made Mercilus a bench-warmer because he's got him on the DC as a second-teamer behind JD.

I never thought merciless would start with clowney. They bring the same skill set to the table but clowney is much, much better.

Merciless was not going to be able to play over the strong side and the staff probably figured that out pretty quickly once the pads came on.

I really disliked that pick. But oh well, can only root for the guy to figure it out now.
 
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The only rookies on the first team are guys who have had some injury concerns. I wonder if the plan was to make them first team so as to limit their snaps. I like the idea of rookies being second teamers for pre-season for the opposite reason, they need as many snaps as possible to get acclimated to the NFL.

I only see two rookies starting...Clowney and Prosch...

And I'm pretty sure it's because they're better than their alternatives.
 
The only rookies on the first team are guys who have had some injury concerns. I wonder if the plan was to make them first team so as to limit their snaps. I like the idea of rookies being second teamers for pre-season for the opposite reason, they need as many snaps as possible to get acclimated to the NFL.

They don't literally pull the whole 1st string at once. Really they only pull the zero doubt guys. Anyone who needs work or a longer look they leave in with the 2s.
 
From Playoff's quote a couple of days ago:
Player of the day from any of the teams made up of "2s" had to be Ricardo "Rico" Mathews. 3 pass breakups, all against the 1s. #Texans
This was a big reason I wasn't head-over-heels impressed with Fitzpatrick. At least two of those came in the "out of our own endzone" drill.

:toropalm:
 
I never thought merciless would start with clowney. They bring the same skill set to the table but clowney is much, much better.

Merciless was not going to be able to play over the strong side and the staff probably figured that out pretty quickly once the pads came on.

I really disliked that pick. But oh well, can only root for the guy to figure it out now.

Agreed about Mercilus and the SAM role. He doesn't have the skillset or instincts. I'm pretty sure that Mercilus best role would be as a situational pass rusher.

You called it on Mercilus he's a borderline 1st rd bust and certainly has fallen way short of expectations. If he cant fill the situational pass rush role then he will officially be a bust. Maybe RAC and Vrabel can help him reach his potential.
 
Oh my word.

That OL.

:headhurts:

:choke:

:panic:

Yeah.

We need some guys to "get it" and "get it" really, really good or we're in for a long season with that OL.

I posted a question about the O-line in Steph's blog yesterday. Here's the response.

Although coach O'Brien has declared Newton to be the starting RT, I saw eight guys listed as OTs when I checked the HT.com roster yesterday (although it's been a few minutes so they may have signed another one). Compare that to only seven names listed as centers or guards. Is Newton's job really secure? From what you've seen, should it be??
Thanks.
I think the Texans are in trouble for their offense line. The Texans have so many injuries and question marks at both guard and tackle, Newton at right tackle may end up being the least of their problems. Real test is the games, but physically he looks better. Free-agent addition Tyson Clabo looks like he can barely walk. There really isn't true competition at the right tackle spot. Newton gets named the starting job because there is no real competitors.
Feel better now?
 
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