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Texans Training Camp Preview

Texans_Chick

Utopian Dreamer
Hi friends. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to this season. Very stoked. Was stoked last year, stoked this year too.

This is my training camp preview from last July 12th:

Texans Training Camp Preview: Will Houston Turn the Corner in 2023

"The short summary: I am unreservedly enthusiastic about the football direction of the Houston Texans based on what I have seen and heard."

That's how it started. We saw how it ended.

Anyway, I have thoughts about the 2024 Texans. But I am coming back here--to the people who encouraged me to find out info and write for the paper back in 2006--to see what sorts of things you want me to talk about.

Like I have some ideas of what I want to write, but as long as I am doing it, I want to make it something you want to read. Give me topics you want me to crush. Some might go into a training camp preview, some I might write on separately in other posts.

Please put your thoughts here, or DM me if there is stuff you don't feel comfortable saying around friends and strangers.

As for what is happening in my Texans life:

1. I am planning on going to the Andre Johnson Pro Football Hall of Fame induction and hang out with tons of people who are football hardos like me on the topic of AJ. I promised myself I wouldn't go until Andre was in, and the timing is good. It is wrong that all the great guys that played for Houston are in the weirdo part of the hall, but what can you do when weirdos made decisions in the 90s about that stuff? I will be in Ohio from Tuesday to Monday. It's not too late to go, I published my PFHOF guide for the early planners. Would love to see y'all if you can make it because we lived through prime Andre putting the city on his back again and again.

2. I attended OTAs and Minicamp. Plan on being your eyes for Training Camp too. Man, I love seeing how DeMeco puts camp together. Such game-specific training and urgency, I love it. Sometimes after public days, we meet up at Taco Cabana on Main just to hang out and talk about whatever. Usually people @ me on Facebook or Twitter about meetup stuff like that.

3. Tailgate stuff. If you want to swing by our tailgate, we still doing. Platinum Lot (marked as blue on the light poles), front row, near the northeast corner. How is it? Well, each tailgate is different depending on who shows up. We eat good, we drink good, we share football joy. Hope y'all show. Some of you I haven't seen since the early early days.

4. Texans fan stuff. I am on the Texans Fan Council still, dabble in some Traveling Texans, though I would like to travel more. Think I am going to do the Dallas game along with a bunch of Texans.

5. My goal for 2024. Have as much football fun as I can possibly have with my pals. That's it. We deserve it. You are a part of making that happen. Sports isn't what happens to you, it is what happens with you, and I want to have a blast with all eras of Texans everywhere.

LFG,
Steph

:texans chick::fans::gotexans1:texan::inneganned:texanpride:ymca::fieldgoal
 
Steph, you along with the majority of us went through the troublesome times of Cal McNair and Jack Easterby and Bill O'Brien. We had the death of Bob and then the turmoil recently with Cary McNair going to court to try to force control from his mom. It seems to have been handled inside the family with the most recent event , but are you aware of any filtering down through coaching staff or to players? Usually, players and coaches are focused only on the field but we have had issues in the past with Watson and the alleged baby mama talk of DeAndre Hopkins.

I think Demeco Ryans would shut that down quickly.

I also think that Hannah McNair is working behind the scenes to keep ownership issues out of the public view. Your thoughts?
 
Since you asked,

I'm expecting the defense to really change from what we saw last year. Some of that is going to be the personnel of course, but I'm also expecting DeMeco to be coming more into his own. He's The Man now, he's calling the shots in a way I doubt he did in SF. So if you could, help us to see where DeMeco is taking this thing. What did he see last year that he liked/didn't like, what does he think is the ideal, how far are we from that?

& what's going on with Pierce? Does it look like "they" think he's part of the future, or is he just a body now?
 
Steph, you along with the majority of us went through the troublesome times of Cal McNair and Jack Easterby and Bill O'Brien. We had the death of Bob and then the turmoil recently with Cary McNair going to court to try to force control from his mom. It seems to have been handled inside the family with the most recent event , but are you aware of any filtering down through coaching staff or to players? Usually, players and coaches are focused only on the field but we have had issues in the past with Watson and the alleged baby mama talk of DeAndre Hopkins.

I think Demeco Ryans would shut that down quickly.

I also think that Hannah McNair is working behind the scenes to keep ownership issues out of the public view. Your thoughts?
Eh, I try not to get too much in the weeds with any kind of gossip because it is often unfair and maybe viewpoint dependent. I've found most of the ownership gossip to be sort of weird to laughable tbqh.

What I know is that pretty much everybody on the football side of the organization says that the team gives them all the resources they want to compete. That is consistent with how things were under Bob McNair. That there was not going to be any competitive issues based on money things. And over the years, there's been plenty of things that may not have been made public, where ownership supported getting football everything they need.

Football drives the football bus.
 
Since you asked,

I'm expecting the defense to really change from what we saw last year. Some of that is going to be the personnel of course, but I'm also expecting DeMeco to be coming more into his own. He's The Man now, he's calling the shots in a way I doubt he did in SF. So if you could, help us to see where DeMeco is taking this thing. What did he see last year that he liked/didn't like, what does he think is the ideal, how far are we from that?

& what's going on with Pierce? Does it look like "they" think he's part of the future, or is he just a body now?

LOL DEMECO HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE MAN. EVEN BEFORE HE WAS BORN. SUPERMAN WEARS DEMECO RYANS PAJAMAS. He is an honest, kind, direct person when it comes to football. He and Caserio get to football together as peers, and it is cool.

Like when you are working with adults, you can just communicate for the common goal without even a concept of "calling the shots." Think DeMeco and Caserio have been very transparent with their preferences without having to read much into things. They don't want to be overconfident judging things that are inherently uncertain and fluid, particularly at this point in the season.

Think DeMeco is pretty transparent about his thinking and nobody needs to read much into it. Last year's roster wasn't fully his own, and this one is more so. He wasn't going to use that as an excuse. DeMeco was the man last year, really, it was mostly about getting people up to speed quickly, and he did a beyond remarkable job. Like some of the general football biases and things that I assume--about changing systems/transitions/developing rookie QBs/dealing with injuries--he far exceeded those expectations.

So really the question is how much can this be improved with the players they have? Like I know what is real, and I know what is aspirational. Some of it depends on things outside of control, but even so, they are staying on top of things.

If you look up and down the roster, he has a ton of guys that are just really competitive in their own ways. And he has identified some people he projects to do well in the offense and with the people already on the roster. Training camp is going to be about performance and injuries and seeing if they can improve by snaking guys from other rosters after camp.

He is definitely an each year is its own thing guy. Most good head coaches are. You got solid guys leaving, you acquired projected solid guys, some guys have another year of understanding and physical conditioning good and bad in them. So how does that mesh? Obviously it makes sense to a ton of people, particularly after a taste of last season.

To me, with what I see of these guys, I couldn't be any more excited to see what they can do together. I don't even know what their ceiling is. Like really dig into this roster to who people are, what kind of competitors they are, what great guys and badasses they are. Like are they going to be a crush fools team? They have the potential to be a crush fools team for sure. It's crazy.

As for Pierce, I think what they are saying publicly is what they mean. It is just what you saw. Same guy who had a peak rookie year, had a set back year 2 with moments of shine and great attitude. He had very high expectations last season for himself. Very high. And he should have.

Without saying for certain but just by observation, I am just curious to see what Year 2 looks for Pierce. The offense is very precise, is best when guys know it well. Running back needs to be a credible threat to catch the ball so it doesn't signal run and that the defense has to defend against that. Running back needs to protect the QB. There are a lot of details. Sometimes we don't know everything phycially going on, or how well a guy knows a playbook to just play freely and effectively. This team keeps their private business in-house, as it should be. They are transparent in what support they need from people.

If Mixon - Pierce end up being the main thing, I like how physically they complement each other. (It's interesting to me to see the different body type RBs they have on the roster).

Will note that the new kickoff rules may increase Pierce's value to the team.

Anyway, I think the what about Pierce question is nobody knows, I mostly just framed what has happened on this here tv show to date. I am really rooting for him, he is an easy guy to root for. It is a competitive roster, injuries happen, make few assumptions, keep your powder dry, dance when you can, keep living big, tipping bigger.
 
Last year's roster wasn't fully his own, and this one is more so.

So really the question is how much can this be improved with the players they have?
I'd just like to know there's more to the defense than "SWARM"

We know he wasn't thrilled with our secondary last season, I'd like to hear more reporting about how that's shaping up.
 
I'd just like to know there's more to the defense than "SWARM"

We know he wasn't thrilled with our secondary last season, I'd like to hear more reporting about how that's shaping up.
Probably the best discussion I saw about the Texans defense and what they intend to do with it is in a YouTube last year by Seth Payne. How the defensive line and linebackers work together. Think I linked it in my July of last year post. Obviously, more pressure, easier on the secondary to make plays.

It's interesting to look at the roster of guys they are testing out in the secondary. Lots of different backgrounds and abilities, letting them compete, see what they have. In way way way too early discussions, Kamari Lassiter stuck out in a positive way during minicamp.

I think the secondary is going to be tested a lot between facing good quarterbacks and opponents knowing they will likely have to throw and take more risks because they are facing C.J. Stroud. If the Texans can be the team they want to be on offense, opponents will have to take risks to keep up. A lot of offenses that put up points have bad secondary stats because opponents get in throw mode game scripts. Now if the Texans can play decent defense that is when you can put the whooping on opponents. It's really hard to play good defense in the modern era because the game rules favor offenses.
 
Here's a YouTube that was released today that has more of a fantasy football focus, shares some of my current views of the team based on known information. Also a giant Racer X painting and my daughter's cat, Caspian wandering into the office.

 
LOL DEMECO HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE MAN. EVEN BEFORE HE WAS BORN. SUPERMAN WEARS DEMECO RYANS PAJAMAS. He is an honest, kind, direct person when it comes to football. He and Caserio get to football together as peers, and it is cool.

Like when you are working with adults, you can just communicate for the common goal without even a concept of "calling the shots." Think DeMeco and Caserio have been very transparent with their preferences without having to read much into things. They don't want to be overconfident judging things that are inherently uncertain and fluid, particularly at this point in the season.

Think DeMeco is pretty transparent about his thinking and nobody needs to read much into it. Last year's roster wasn't fully his own, and this one is more so. He wasn't going to use that as an excuse. DeMeco was the man last year, really, it was mostly about getting people up to speed quickly, and he did a beyond remarkable job. Like some of the general football biases and things that I assume--about changing systems/transitions/developing rookie QBs/dealing with injuries--he far exceeded those expectations.

So really the question is how much can this be improved with the players they have? Like I know what is real, and I know what is aspirational. Some of it depends on things outside of control, but even so, they are staying on top of things.

If you look up and down the roster, he has a ton of guys that are just really competitive in their own ways. And he has identified some people he projects to do well in the offense and with the people already on the roster. Training camp is going to be about performance and injuries and seeing if they can improve by snaking guys from other rosters after camp.



As for Pierce, I think what they are saying publicly is what they mean. It is just what you saw. Same guy who had a peak rookie year, had a set back year 2 with moments of shine and great attitude. He had very high expectations last season for himself. Very high. And he should have.

Without saying for certain but just by observation, I am just curious to see what Year 3 looks for Pierce. The offense is very precise, is best when guys know it well. Running back needs to be a credible threat to catch the ball so it doesn't signal run and that the defense has to defend against that. Running back needs to protect the QB. There are a lot of details. Sometimes we don't know everything phycially going on, or how well a guy knows a playbook to just play freely and effectively. This team keeps their private business in-house, as it should be. They are transparent in what support they need from people.

If Mixon - Pierce end up being the main thing, I like how physically they complement each other. (It's interesting to me to see the different body type RBs they have on the roster).

Will note that the new kickoff rules may increase Pierce's value to the team.

Anyway, I think the what about Pierce question is nobody knows, I mostly just framed what has happened on this here tv show to date. I am really rooting for him, he is an easy guy to root for. It is a competitive roster, injuries happen, make few assumptions, keep your powder dry, dance when you can, keep living big, tipping bigger.
With Pierce, it's going to be about improving his vision and being able to hit the hole instead of the OL. I wish he could train and watch film with AF. AF had incredible vision and that one cut and go ability that was amazing.
I'm not sure about how coachable it is.
 
With Pierce, it's going to be about improving his vision and being able to hit the hole instead of the OL. I wish he could train and watch film with AF. AF had incredible vision and that one cut and go ability that was amazing.
I'm not sure about how coachable it is.

I don't think it is very coachable, otherwise you'd see a lot more RBs improve in that regard. Trent Richardson would have dominated if so
 
You might want to go to those press conferences and ask him yourself. Lol

It’s just a mentality.


I've seen all that. Steph asked what we'd like to see her report on. That's what I'm saying, I'd like her to report more of the way the defense is shaping up, in her opinion, from what she's seeing out there in training camp.
 

LOOK: Texans QB C.J. Stroud Working Out in Miami With Teammates Before Training Camp


With players now taking things under their wings, starting Stroud is getting the band back together to practice on their own after being spotted in Miami, Florida, working out with some of his fellow Texans' teammates.

At first glance, it is easy to pick out that wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell are in attendance, but it is hard to gather who else is joining them despite the fact there was a good showing.

Either way, Stroud getting his guys all together in an effort to foster their togetherness should only continue to promote success within the Texans' franchise.
 
I've seen all that. Steph asked what we'd like to see her report on. That's what I'm saying, I'd like her to report more of the way the defense is shaping up, in her opinion, from what she's seeing out there in training camp.

Idk who Steph is, but is she able to give an accurate idea of what she's seeing lol? Some reporters are just there for viewership and looks (men and women both)
 
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Hi friends. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to this season. Very stoked. Was stoked last year, stoked this year too.

This is my training camp preview from last July 12th:

Texans Training Camp Preview: Will Houston Turn the Corner in 2023

"The short summary: I am unreservedly enthusiastic about the football direction of the Houston Texans based on what I have seen and heard."

That's how it started. We saw how it ended.

Anyway, I have thoughts about the 2024 Texans. But I am coming back here--to the people who encouraged me to find out info and write for the paper back in 2006--to see what sorts of things you want me to talk about.

Like I have some ideas of what I want to write, but as long as I am doing it, I want to make it something you want to read. Give me topics you want me to crush. Some might go into a training camp preview, some I might write on separately in other posts.

Please put your thoughts here, or DM me if there is stuff you don't feel comfortable saying around friends and strangers.

As for what is happening in my Texans life:

1. I am planning on going to the Andre Johnson Pro Football Hall of Fame induction and hang out with tons of people who are football hardos like me on the topic of AJ. I promised myself I wouldn't go until Andre was in, and the timing is good. It is wrong that all the great guys that played for Houston are in the weirdo part of the hall, but what can you do when weirdos made decisions in the 90s about that stuff? I will be in Ohio from Tuesday to Monday. It's not too late to go, I published my PFHOF guide for the early planners. Would love to see y'all if you can make it because we lived through prime Andre putting the city on his back again and again.

2. I attended OTAs and Minicamp. Plan on being your eyes for Training Camp too. Man, I love seeing how DeMeco puts camp together. Such game-specific training and urgency, I love it. Sometimes after public days, we meet up at Taco Cabana on Main just to hang out and talk about whatever. Usually people @ me on Facebook or Twitter about meetup stuff like that.

3. Tailgate stuff. If you want to swing by our tailgate, we still doing. Platinum Lot (marked as blue on the light poles), front row, near the northeast corner. How is it? Well, each tailgate is different depending on who shows up. We eat good, we drink good, we share football joy. Hope y'all show. Some of you I haven't seen since the early early days.

4. Texans fan stuff. I am on the Texans Fan Council still, dabble in some Traveling Texans, though I would like to travel more. Think I am going to do the Dallas game along with a bunch of Texans.

5. My goal for 2024. Have as much football fun as I can possibly have with my pals. That's it. We deserve it. You are a part of making that happen. Sports isn't what happens to you, it is what happens with you, and I want to have a blast with all eras of Texans everywhere.

LFG,
Steph

:texans chick::fans::gotexans1:texan::inneganned:texanpride:ymca::fieldgoal
Steph,
Here are some things I'm interested in:

1- What are they working on (personnel, philosophy, scheme) regarding the new kick return rules.

2-WR competition- particularly, who will be WR4, WR5, Wr6?- will Noah Brown and/or Robert Woods be cut? How do they look relative to Metchie and some of the other youth.

3- RT- How does Howard look? Are they preparing Fisher to start? Who is getting work as swing tackle-/etc..

4- DL depth and rotation- Are they using Autry, Edwards primarily as DEs?.. or DTs? What are the DL packages on passing downs? What are they doing in short yardage/run situations?

5- I am worried about LB depth. How does the LBs look beyond the starters?

6- How do the position coaches and coordinators work together in training camp? For instance, does Matt Birk "run" the defense with Demeco overseeing everything, or is Demeco focused on the defense during the practices... What about Slowik and Johnson? How hands on is Johnson with Stroud, relative to Slowik and Stroud... etc... Does Johnson look like a viable replacement for Slowik, should he leave next year?
 
Steph,
Here are some things I'm interested in:

1- What are they working on (personnel, philosophy, scheme) regarding the new kick return rules.

2-WR competition- particularly, who will be WR4, WR5, Wr6?- will Noah Brown and/or Robert Woods be cut? How do they look relative to Metchie and some of the other youth.

3- RT- How does Howard look? Are they preparing Fisher to start? Who is getting work as swing tackle-/etc..

4- DL depth and rotation- Are they using Autry, Edwards primarily as DEs?.. or DTs? What are the DL packages on passing downs? What are they doing in short yardage/run situations?

5- I am worried about LB depth. How does the LBs look beyond the starters?

6- How do the position coaches and coordinators work together in training camp? For instance, does Matt Birk "run" the defense with Demeco overseeing everything, or is Demeco focused on the defense during the practices... What about Slowik and Johnson? How hands on is Johnson with Stroud, relative to Slowik and Stroud... etc... Does Johnson look like a viable replacement for Slowik, should he leave next year?
You will have to wait until the season starts. No one knows how these players are looking right now. We will see all that unfold maybe after the first or second preseason game.
 
Idk who Steph is, but is she able to give an accurate idea of what she's seeing lol? Some reporters are just there for viewership and looks (men and women both)
I really mean no disrespect, I'm really just trying to understand people, you in particular at this moment.

As you thumbed through this thread, did you happen to click on the videos provided, this one in particular.

The title: Houston Texans NFL preview w/Stephanie Stradley... should answer the "who is Steph" question.

What did you think of the OP of this thread?

Signed, "LFG, Steph"

Was that too cryptic for you?
 
I really mean no disrespect, I'm really just trying to understand people, you in particular at this moment.

As you thumbed through this thread, did you happen to click on the videos provided, this one in particular.

The title: Houston Texans NFL preview w/Stephanie Stradley... should answer the "who is Steph" question.

What did you think of the OP of this thread?

Signed, "LFG, Steph"

Was that too cryptic for you?

Nah I didn't click on the video nor did I bother to read the entire long post at the top. Again my apologies
 
Idk who Steph is, but is she able to give an accurate idea of what she's seeing lol? Some reporters are just there for viewership and looks (men and women both)
Steph,
Here are some things I'm interested in:

1- What are they working on (personnel, philosophy, scheme) regarding the new kick return rules.

2-WR competition- particularly, who will be WR4, WR5, Wr6?- will Noah Brown and/or Robert Woods be cut? How do they look relative to Metchie and some of the other youth.

3- RT- How does Howard look? Are they preparing Fisher to start? Who is getting work as swing tackle-/etc..

4- DL depth and rotation- Are they using Autry, Edwards primarily as DEs?.. or DTs? What are the DL packages on passing downs? What are they doing in short yardage/run situations?

5- I am worried about LB depth. How does the LBs look beyond the starters?

6- How do the position coaches and coordinators work together in training camp? For instance, does Matt Birk "run" the defense with Demeco overseeing everything, or is Demeco focused on the defense during the practices... What about Slowik and Johnson? How hands on is Johnson with Stroud, relative to Slowik and Stroud... etc... Does Johnson look like a viable replacement for Slowik, should he leave next year?

1. This is what I am interested in watching the most in camp. We are not supposed to spill too many beans. I've been super impressed with ST coach Frank Ross since before DeMeco got here. Just a well-coached group. Their time spent on special teams seems very organized, they try a lot of people and things out.

2. I like the entire WR group including guys who are not usually mentioned. It is gonna come down to special teams and who is staying healthy and complementing the rest of the roster/positional needs. What each of them can do, who they can stash. It's like what coaches said, they all have solid hands, pushing each other, knowing the playbook--it's gonna be good players going elsewhere.

Just so great seeing professional wide receivers work with purpose in a scheme. Last year was just so refreshing. I wanted to do cartwheels but I don't do cartwheels. They looked better in early camp last year than previous years looked in late camp, with some of the same guys, mostly due to scheme/coaching. Best WR looking camp since Kubiak times in terms of professionalism--that you got to practice as you play, can't have dropped balls, need to run crisp routes, precision.

3. Physically, everybody who was out there looked fine. They kept some vets out because they can. Can't always say that because I've seen some walking dead limping linemen during times of the OB era. Can't tell a lot early because no pads--they are trying lots of guys out in positions just due to who was sitting out. They are going to have to settle in a little more in training camp proper because the first game will come soon.

4-5. Pre-training camp, Dline is working through a lot of technique stuff/get off/stunts. Also too early. DeMeco will get short with people (by his standards which is barely at all) who think they can't stop the run fwiw. LB it is too early to tell on a lot of stuff because no pads.

6. Man I love this staff of coordinators and position coaches. Very sharp staff. Hard to tell from the sidelines who is doing what, but you have really sharp guys who professionals and teachers and work really well together. If you look at the whole roster of players, they have a lot of sharp competitors. Like I know y'all look at the roster past the obvious names because y'all are football hardos. Look at who these guys are. It explains a lot of what you see on the field, how fast they are able to take new stuff on board. So it is great that they have a full professional staff that is easy to respect. Guys that the players want to learn from.

When you are working with professionals it really becomes very present, very focused on the now and near future with no bs. I really like Johnson so we will see what we see at the end of the season.

On both the offense and defense, early offseason is about repping details to the degree they become second nature. So we may not know a lot of who is doing what quite yet, but the best part of camp is not seeing a ton of drop off between starters and backups within the scheme. Some years, there are a few guys who really don't look like they belong out there, and we aren't seeing much of that.
 
1. This is what I am interested in watching the most in camp. We are not supposed to spill too many beans. I've been super impressed with ST coach Frank Ross since before DeMeco got here. Just a well-coached group. Their time spent on special teams seems very organized, they try a lot of people and things out.

2. I like the entire WR group including guys who are not usually mentioned. It is gonna come down to special teams and who is staying healthy and complementing the rest of the roster/positional needs. What each of them can do, who they can stash. It's like what coaches said, they all have solid hands, pushing each other, knowing the playbook--it's gonna be good players going elsewhere.

Just so great seeing professional wide receivers work with purpose in a scheme. Last year was just so refreshing. I wanted to do cartwheels but I don't do cartwheels. They looked better in early camp last year than previous years looked in late camp, with some of the same guys, mostly due to scheme/coaching. Best WR looking camp since Kubiak times in terms of professionalism--that you got to practice as you play, can't have dropped balls, need to run crisp routes, precision.

3. Physically, everybody who was out there looked fine. They kept some vets out because they can. Can't always say that because I've seen some walking dead limping linemen during times of the OB era. Can't tell a lot early because no pads--they are trying lots of guys out in positions just due to who was sitting out. They are going to have to settle in a little more in training camp proper because the first game will come soon.

4-5. Pre-training camp, Dline is working through a lot of technique stuff/get off/stunts. Also too early. DeMeco will get short with people (by his standards which is barely at all) who think they can't stop the run fwiw. LB it is too early to tell on a lot of stuff because no pads.

6. Man I love this staff of coordinators and position coaches. Very sharp staff. Hard to tell from the sidelines who is doing what, but you have really sharp guys who professionals and teachers and work really well together. If you look at the whole roster of players, they have a lot of sharp competitors. Like I know y'all look at the roster past the obvious names because y'all are football hardos. Look at who these guys are. It explains a lot of what you see on the field, how fast they are able to take new stuff on board. So it is great that they have a full professional staff that is easy to respect. Guys that the players want to learn from.

When you are working with professionals it really becomes very present, very focused on the now and near future with no bs. I really like Johnson so we will see what we see at the end of the season.

On both the offense and defense, early offseason is about repping details to the degree they become second nature. So we may not know a lot of who is doing what quite yet, but the best part of camp is not seeing a ton of drop off between starters and backups within the scheme. Some years, there are a few guys who really don't look like they belong out there, and we aren't seeing much of that.

I love this analysis. It's obvious you are A1 material. You rock
 
1. This is what I am interested in watching the most in camp. We are not supposed to spill too many beans. I've been super impressed with ST coach Frank Ross since before DeMeco got here. Just a well-coached group. Their time spent on special teams seems very organized, they try a lot of people and things out.

2. I like the entire WR group including guys who are not usually mentioned. It is gonna come down to special teams and who is staying healthy and complementing the rest of the roster/positional needs. What each of them can do, who they can stash. It's like what coaches said, they all have solid hands, pushing each other, knowing the playbook--it's gonna be good players going elsewhere.

Just so great seeing professional wide receivers work with purpose in a scheme. Last year was just so refreshing. I wanted to do cartwheels but I don't do cartwheels. They looked better in early camp last year than previous years looked in late camp, with some of the same guys, mostly due to scheme/coaching. Best WR looking camp since Kubiak times in terms of professionalism--that you got to practice as you play, can't have dropped balls, need to run crisp routes, precision.

3. Physically, everybody who was out there looked fine. They kept some vets out because they can. Can't always say that because I've seen some walking dead limping linemen during times of the OB era. Can't tell a lot early because no pads--they are trying lots of guys out in positions just due to who was sitting out. They are going to have to settle in a little more in training camp proper because the first game will come soon.

4-5. Pre-training camp, Dline is working through a lot of technique stuff/get off/stunts. Also too early. DeMeco will get short with people (by his standards which is barely at all) who think they can't stop the run fwiw. LB it is too early to tell on a lot of stuff because no pads.

6. Man I love this staff of coordinators and position coaches. Very sharp staff. Hard to tell from the sidelines who is doing what, but you have really sharp guys who professionals and teachers and work really well together. If you look at the whole roster of players, they have a lot of sharp competitors. Like I know y'all look at the roster past the obvious names because y'all are football hardos. Look at who these guys are. It explains a lot of what you see on the field, how fast they are able to take new stuff on board. So it is great that they have a full professional staff that is easy to respect. Guys that the players want to learn from.

When you are working with professionals it really becomes very present, very focused on the now and near future with no bs. I really like Johnson so we will see what we see at the end of the season.

On both the offense and defense, early offseason is about repping details to the degree they become second nature. So we may not know a lot of who is doing what quite yet, but the best part of camp is not seeing a ton of drop off between starters and backups within the scheme. Some years, there are a few guys who really don't look like they belong out there, and we aren't seeing much of that.
Awesome! Thanks.
 
Here's a YouTube that was released today that has more of a fantasy football focus, shares some of my current views of the team based on known information. Also a giant Racer X painting and my daughter's cat, Caspian wandering into the office.

Anyone that hasn't yet, put your TV on mute for an hour and watch/listen to this. I love the 'He's a ball delivery system' and the 'It's okay to have fun' and all the info imparted here.
 
1. This is what I am interested in watching the most in camp. We are not supposed to spill too many beans. I've been super impressed with ST coach Frank Ross since before DeMeco got here. Just a well-coached group. Their time spent on special teams seems very organized, they try a lot of people and things out.
The Texans struck gold with Frank Ross. I don’t know/care who gets the credit for finding/hiring him (Caserio, Culley, Hanna) but I am happy he’s a Texan! Best ST coach in the league. I am surprised a team hasn’t brought him in for an HC interview. Next John Harbaugh imo.
 
Steph, with the depth at wide receiver, I think that one perhaps two could be 'stored' on a injury list for 2 to 3 games. I know that there will be nicks and bruises on several players even at other positions that will allow us to carry perhaps an extra WR. Do you agree?
 
Anyone that hasn't yet, put your TV on mute for an hour and watch/listen to this. I love the 'He's a ball delivery system' and the 'It's okay to have fun' and all the info imparted here.
Glad you enjoyed it JB. It's been amazing seeing what DeMeco is putting together, and how he put it together, and then seeing it happen. It is what the ancients foretold. If you name a team Texans, that is the standard, then it is getting all the football badasses together and doing Texas badass thing. The best of us.
 
Steph, with the depth at wide receiver, I think that one perhaps two could be 'stored' on a injury list for 2 to 3 games. I know that there will be nicks and bruises on several players even at other positions that will allow us to carry perhaps an extra WR. Do you agree?
I think some of them like maybe a Ben Skowronek may be asked to be Swiss Army Knives. Look at the end of the roster WRs--you got some fast big bodies. So that is handy for special teams, also handy if you need a guy to fill in different spots, give defenses unfamiliar looks. Also under this offense, blocking WR is a big deal. Like I know it became sort of a joke during the Kubiak years about a guy's ability to block but it is real. Also, some of the best TEs in this scheme have been more hybrid TE/WR bodies.

Really at all positions, they are seeing what guys can do, and then put the best collection together. Like a ton of guys who are not "named guys" are really remarkable competitors, and you could see how they might be able to help if they have some luck and make their own. Roster building is so much easier when the head coach and positions coaches are guys that players know they can learn from and have already had some success in the league.

Also practice squads used to be just noob players. They changed the rules partially due to Covid but also if you really want guys sitting out for concussions and health reasons, its good to expand eligibility, to be able to stash experienced players there and maintain quality of play. Now if they are too good, they will find ways to be on other team's game day roster.
 
Glad you enjoyed it JB. It's been amazing seeing what DeMeco is putting together, and how he put it together, and then seeing it happen. It is what the ancients foretold. If you name a team Texans, that is the standard, then it is getting all the football badasses together and doing Texas badass thing. The best of us.
"It is what the ancients foretold!" Now that's classic right there.
😃
 
Probably the best discussion I saw about the Texans defense and what they intend to do with it is in a YouTube last year by Seth Payne. How the defensive line and linebackers work together. Think I linked it in my July of last year post. Obviously, more pressure, easier on the secondary to make plays.

It's interesting to look at the roster of guys they are testing out in the secondary. Lots of different backgrounds and abilities, letting them compete, see what they have. In way way way too early discussions, Kamari Lassiter stuck out in a positive way during minicamp.

I think the secondary is going to be tested a lot between facing good quarterbacks and opponents knowing they will likely have to throw and take more risks because they are facing C.J. Stroud. If the Texans can be the team they want to be on offense, opponents will have to take risks to keep up. A lot of offenses that put up points have bad secondary stats because opponents get in throw mode game scripts. Now if the Texans can play decent defense that is when you can put the whooping on opponents. It's really hard to play good defense in the modern era because the game rules favor offenses.
It's interesting that the Texans went more towards man coverage than zone coverage players in 2024. That makes me kind of cringe because I'm still stuck on wanting Gardner over Stingley Jr. in 2022. Gardner is a helluva man CB. Hopefully Stingley Jr. can stay healthy for a full season and do his thing. Health is my main concern.
 
It's interesting that the Texans went more towards man coverage than zone coverage players in 2024. That makes me kind of cringe because I'm still stuck on wanting Gardner over Stingley Jr. in 2022. Gardner is a helluva man CB. Hopefully Stingley Jr. can stay healthy for a full season and do his thing. Health is my main concern.
Sting will do well in man...
If his leg holds out..
 
Who’s everyone looking forward to hearing about most in training camp?

I personally hope to see Lassiter continue his performance from OTA’s.

Plus I know it’s a little later down the road but the joint practices with the Rams will be a lot of fun to hear about.
Noah Brown, Xavier Hutchinson, candidates for corner opposite Stingley, Tytus Howard, both Greens, Scruggs and Patterson .
Blake Fisher, Derek Barnett and SS MJ Stewart.
 
I think some of them like maybe a Ben Skowronek may be asked to be Swiss Army Knives. Look at the end of the roster WRs--you got some fast big bodies. So that is handy for special teams, also handy if you need a guy to fill in different spots, give defenses unfamiliar looks. Also under this offense, blocking WR is a big deal. Like I know it became sort of a joke during the Kubiak years about a guy's ability to block but it is real. Also, some of the best TEs in this scheme have been more hybrid TE/WR bodies.

Really at all positions, they are seeing what guys can do, and then put the best collection together. Like a ton of guys who are not "named guys" are really remarkable competitors, and you could see how they might be able to help if they have some luck and make their own. Roster building is so much easier when the head coach and positions coaches are guys that players know they can learn from and have already had some success in the league.

Also practice squads used to be just noob players. They changed the rules partially due to Covid but also if you really want guys sitting out for concussions and health reasons, its good to expand eligibility, to be able to stash experienced players there and maintain quality of play. Now if they are too good, they will find ways to be on other team's game day roster.
Hopefully the Texans keep the guys that show it on the field and not in their draft status.
 
Hopefully the Texans keep the guys that show it on the field and not in their draft status.
I feel confident that Ryans will keep the best players and politics wont play a part in his decision making. Caserio wont be playing a part in making these decisions. A big change from the way the org has been run in the past.
 
It was reported when he was hired. Remember when we had discussions over who was running the team, Caserio or Ryans? The control of the 53 man roster was one of the reasons why.
BO'b had the same thing, but we saw him defer to Smith on the 53... there was a video about which DB tokeep or something like that.
 
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