Thursday (8/3) Night Camp

[jerek]

Consisted of team drills. No pads. The steady breeze and sunset made a remarkable difference. Kubiak let the practice out 15 minutes early.

Toward the end, they ran a two-minute drill; the closest thing to "live play" I've seen so far. Carr scored on a slant to Moulds with six seconds remaining (I've said it before but it's worth repeating; that slant is going to be absolutely deadly this year.) He looked a little choppy at times in the drill, but made it happen. Threw some beautiful balls but mostly worked on simple short routes. Some moron fan yelled "good job David" when Carr threw a floater out of bounds, and I secretly hoped security escorted him out for a backroom beating. It's not that I like Carr; don't bring that junk to training camp, of all places, for any player. I sure as hell wouldn't be out there dissing Travis Johnson.

Somewhat to my surprise, on the next possession, Rosenfels owned the first team D, but Kubiak called off the drill before he could score. I am still borderline ecstatic to see kind of plays we are calling offensively. We are sending 4 receivers on just about every play and I like route selection.

Morency, Lundy, and Taylor took a lot of kick return reps.

DeMeco is taking most of the first-team reps at MLB. Travis Johnson saw a lot of second team action. Seth Wand took some first team reps, splitting them with Spencer.

First team players took very limited reps throughout the first 60 minutes or so of practice, but there was a lot of Carr, Andre, and Moulds to be had for the remainder. Moulds is going to be special for us; let alone the veteran angle that Kubiak has been talking about, he is still a very sharp player. He was making our corners look silly a few times. Morency and Smith are taking most of the first team reps at RB, after ...

My boy Chris Taylor sat out most of practice after he fumbled early on. Come on, Chris ... we need you buddy.

Saw D-Rob after practice. He said he'll be back tomorrow (today).

I've slept since and I'm pretty tired today any way (was really tired last night), so I apologize for lack of additional information. Hope this is something for all of you who couldn't make it.

 

[tulexan]

How are the battles against Mario going? Is the OL catching up or is he widening the gap?

 

[Pigskin Porkers]

Consisted of team drills. No pads. The steady breeze and sunset made a remarkable difference. Kubiak let the practice out 15 minutes early.

Toward the end, they ran a two-minute drill; the closest thing to "live play" I've seen so far. Carr scored on a slant to Moulds with six seconds remaining (I've said it before but it's worth repeating; that slant is going to be absolutely deadly this year.) He looked a little choppy at times in the drill, but made it happen. Threw some beautiful balls but mostly worked on simple short routes. Some moron fan yelled "good job David" when Carr threw a floater out of bounds, and I secretly hoped security escorted him out for a backroom beating. It's not that I like Carr; don't bring that junk to training camp, of all places, for any player. I sure as hell wouldn't be out there dissing Travis Johnson.

Somewhat to my surprise, on the next possession, Rosenfels owned the first team D, but Kubiak called off the drill before he could score. I am still borderline ecstatic to see kind of plays we are calling offensively. We are sending 4 receivers on just about every play and I like route selection.

Morency, Lundy, and Taylor took a lot of kick return reps.

DeMeco is taking most of the first-team reps at MLB. Travis Johnson saw a lot of second team action. Seth Wand took some first team reps, splitting them with Spencer.

First team players took very limited reps throughout the first 60 minutes or so of practice, but there was a lot of Carr, Andre, and Moulds to be had for the remainder. Moulds is going to be special for us; let alone the veteran angle that Kubiak has been talking about, he is still a very sharp player. He was making our corners look silly a few times. Morency and Smith are taking most of the first team reps at RB, after ...

My boy Chris Taylor sat out most of practice after he fumbled early on. Come on, Chris ... we need you buddy.

Saw D-Rob after practice. He said he'll be back tomorrow (today).

I've slept since and I'm pretty tired today any way (was really tired last night), so I apologize for lack of additional information. Hope this is something for all of you who couldn't make it.

Thanks, I am in Maine.......you all are my only source for info.... Thanks again.

 

[jerek]

How are the battles against Mario going? Is the OL catching up or is he widening the gap?

Last night didn't involve pads so it is a bit difficult to watch and determine how that will translate to full speed with pads, but for the most part Mario is still dominating with ease. They brought out a crew of refs who simply blew the whistle to end the play when the "tackle" was made, but during drills there were a number of times where the QB was sacked within 2 seconds.

Mario's the real deal I can see him notching 10+ sacks this year and challenging for (Kearse? Peppers?) rookie record. Weaver, Payne, and Babin/Peek will keep opposing O-lines honest and should themselves benefit from any extra attention given to Mario, let alone when we send a blitz. I also think Kalu and possibly Alfred Malone will see a lot of reps.

What I like best about Mario is that he is plainly listening to Karm and the coaching staff and wants to be better. No, I'm not going to get into that "he looks angry when he screws up, he's a real winner" argument again, but suffice it to say the guy wants to better. He's working hard and isn't content to beat up on the average skill level he is facing off against now; he wants to be the best and it shows.

That said, I think our O-line is getting better. I don't know how much closer they are to resolving the battle for LT but for the most part they appear to be gelling out there.

 

[wrestler4life]

How did TJ look with the second team?

 

[tulexan]

Last night didn't involve pads so it is a bit difficult to watch and determine how that will translate to full speed with pads, but for the most part Mario is still dominating with ease. They brought out a crew of refs who simply blew the whistle to end the play when the "tackle" was made, but during drills there were a number of times where the QB was sacked within 2 seconds.

Mario's the real deal I can see him notching 10+ sacks this year and challenging for (Kearse? Peppers?) rookie record. Weaver, Payne, and Babin/Peek will keep opposing O-lines honest and should themselves benefit from any extra attention given to Mario, let alone when we send a blitz. I also think Kalu and possibly Alfred Malone will see a lot of reps.

What I like best about Mario is that he is plainly listening to Karm and the coaching staff and wants to be better. No, I'm not going to get into that "he looks angry when he screws up, he's a real winner" argument again, but suffice it to say the guy wants to better. He's working hard and isn't content to beat up on the average skill level he is facing off against now; he wants to be the best and it shows.

That said, I think our O-line is getting better. I don't know how much closer they are to resolving the battle for LT but for the most part they appear to be gelling out there.

I think the real question that we all want to know is, Does Mario have "it"?

 

[jerek]

How did TJ look with the second team?

Ehh ... I didn't notice him make many plays one way or the other. I know I've said that before but he didn't catch my eye; positively or negatively. He is an inferior athlete at this point (Mario, Weaver, Payne, Kalu, Babin, Peek, and probably even Malone and Robaire) and I just hope he is working hard to improve his conditioning and become a playmaker. At his current pace he will see time on special teams, goalline, and occasional spelling of someone else at DT. At this point he still has time to move up the depth chart, but he needs to get it in gear.

He and Robaire and Malone split most of the second team reps at DT.

 

[jerek]

I think the real question that we all want to know is, Does Mario have "it"?

As he has not single handedly led his team to victory in the national championship, I think we can safely say he does not have "it."

 

[santo]

Hey Jerek, thanks for the info...

I just wondering, how are the running backs doing?

I know you mentioned Taylor fumbling, but how are the rest of the backs doing?

 

[Ibar_Harry]

In years past I have often commented it was hard to judge the offensive line, because our defensive line was a lot weaker than we thought. We simply weren't going to get better because of the style of practice. Now, I believe if you see improvement in the offensive line you can say that's good. I think we are going to find we have one of the best defensive lines this year. They are going to press and impress everyone they play.

I think our offensive line is going to surprise more than a few. I also believe that despite what everyone thinks we are going to use the passing game far more than most believe. The reason is simple. Kubiak is no dummy and has said he will adapt to what the team does best. Right now, the running game is not our best offensive weapon. We are loaded at the receiver positions and Kubiak knows it. We will use the receivers like a running game. Moulds, AJ, Walters are big time receivers who are fast and can catch the ball. They are big targets. Add to that what we have at TE and you are a very formidable offense from a passing prospective.

Yes, we have to run and will run. Remember, the 49ers used the passing game to set up the running game and Kubiak was an assistant during that era. Kubiak wants to run, knows he has to run, but he also knows his running game is suspect right now. If he can set up the run like the 49ers did he can be effective with the young players we have now. The difference this year will be that we can score on any play at any time. Our offense will have the home run threat that hasn't been present very much in the past.

 

[tulexan]

As he has not single handedly led his team to victory in the national championship, I think we can safely say he does not have "it."

I guess we are screwed then

 

[jerek]

I guess we are screwed then

Forgot to mention he didn't go to high school here in Houston. What were we thinking about when we drafted this guy?

 

[titan hater]

I guess we are screwed then

lol...

 

[jerek]

Hey Jerek, thanks for the info...

I just wondering, how are the running backs doing?

I know you mentioned Taylor fumbling, but how are the rest of the backs doing?

Morency continues to look better. He is making better cuts and is dancing less. Lundy is a hard judgment call for me. He hasn't really stuck out one way or the other. I think he will make the team but remain on practice squad. Smith is a freakishly big back but is so slooow. Great for short yardage but I suspect he will end taking less carries than our featured back (Davis if healthy, if not him then Morency or possibly Taylor).

 

[tulexan]

I wonder if Mario will ever see some time with the red zone offense. I remember seeing Julius Peppers playing some tight end around the goal line last year a few times because of his size and athleticism. I would think that it would be pretty much impossible to stop someone who is 6'7 with a 40" vertical.

 

[RTP2110]

Coach Sherman kept Seth Wand after practice and had a long talk with him about something or another. Wand doesn't look happy. Excuse the pic quality...

 

[JDizzle]

Thank you for the review. It is really nice to have this kind of information relayed to us as the local media does a bad job of it.

 

[Trapped]

I wonder if Mario will ever see some time with the red zone offense. I remember seeing Julius Peppers playing some tight end around the goal line last year a few times because of his size and athleticism. I would think that it would be pretty much impossible to stop someone who is 6'7 with a 40" vertical.

It's becuase Julius Peppers has underrated basketball skills. Played at UNC as a forward. Basketball players make great wr's.

 

[valleytexfan]

Thanks Jerek. I'm in South Texas and this is my source for anything Texan. Great observations!!

 

[Señor Stan]

OMG!!!1! Wand looks pouty in this shot.

 

[chuckm]

Thanks Jerek .... it's much appreciated

 

[WWX]

Thanks for the information jerek. Too bad they weren’t in full pads though. Taylor never fumbled in college so he should be able to hold onto the ball. Are the coaches losing interest in Taylor or do they continue to work with him, if it’s possible to know? It’s good to see Spencer, DeMeco, and Mario working hard, getting smarter, better, ect… Those guys seem to have genuine devotion to being good players and helping the team. Looks as if this years draft brought in the right talent unlike others in the past. I guess TJ is content playing on special teams now?

 

[jerek]

Caoch Sherman kept Seth Wand after practice and had a long talk with him about something or another. Wand doesn't look happy. Excuse the pic quality...

Crazy ... I didn't notice this. I was out in the parking lot and when I came back onfield, they weren't there.

 

[jerek]

Thanks for the information jerek. Too bad they weren’t in full pads though. Taylor never fumbled in college so he should be able to hold onto the ball. Are the coaches losing interest in Taylor or do they continue to work with him, if it’s possible to know? It’s good to see Spencer, DeMeco, and Mario working hard, getting smarter, better, ect… Those guys seem to have genuine devotion to being good players and helping the team. Looks as if this years draft brought in the right talent unlike others in the past. I guess TJ is content playing on special teams now?

As far as Taylor sitting out, I would guess that it's just punishment for fumbling. A&M was notorious for this and I suspect many programs do it as well; it's done to emphasize the importance of not fumbling the ball. The stupid thing is that the play was more or less over and he made a spin move and just got it poked out; bad time/play to be fumbling.

To my knowledge he has received increased reps throughout the week and is really catching the coaches' eye. I still like him as a darkhorse pick and I think he stands to do very well.

 

[tulexan]

I wonder what he is saying...

Sherman: Son, I don't care what Pendry told you, but your job is to protect the QB.

Wand: But, Joe said...

Sherman: I don't want to hear it. Now hit the showers.

Wand: Yes sir... (head hung low)

 

[Porky]

I suspect from what I am hearing that Spencer will be starting sooner rather than later, maybe even on opening day. All laughs aside, it does appear he is getting a talking too. Maybe he was giving him the bad news that his starting job is slipping away, and he better turn it up a notch or two.

 

[WWX]

To my knowledge he has received increased reps throughout the week and is really catching the coaches' eye. I still like him as a darkhorse pick and I think he stands to do very well.

Thank you again. TexanFan881 posted the following article on another thread, which contains little info on Taylor. With the info received from this forum my opinion is set. So I’m going to shut up about this and wait for KC.

Chris Taylor, RB, Indiana: Many considered it a travesty that Taylor was not invited to the combine after a terrific senior season. At 5-11 and possessing 4.4 speed, he'll produce at the next level once he adds a little polish to his game.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/nfl/specials/draft/2006/04/28/hidden.gems/index.html

 

[Wharton]

Thank you for the review. It is really nice to have this kind of information relayed to us as the local media does a bad job of it.

I'm with you on this one Jack. I've relied more on what Jerek and other on this board say about the practices then what the media has been printing. IMHO, Its a little more strait forward & honest.

How did TJ look with the second team? Ehh ... I didn't notice him make many plays one way or the other. .

Can’t get much more strait forward then that.

Sometimes its hard to tell who was actually at practice and who is spouting off, but its still good info.

Thanks to all those taking time to keep the rest of us informed.

 

[nunusguy]

Maybe he was giving him the bad news that his starting job is slipping away, and he better turn it up a notch or two.

I wouldn't be surprised if that's what that conversation was about. I was at
TC last night, and stayed after practice and witnessed this scene and believe
me they were there for awhile, way more than a couple minutes, though I wasn't timing it. But from the looks of it, it might have seemed like an eternity
to Wand.

 

[Runner]

I wouldn't be surprised if that's what that conversation was about. I was at
TC last night, and stayed after practice and witnessed this scene and believe
me they were there for awhile, way more than a couple minutes, though I wasn't timing it. But from the looks of it, it might have seemed like an eternity
to Wand.

Or since Wand is anything but a quitter, maybe he'll take the advice to heart.

 

[Reddevil63]

I wonder what he is saying...

Sherman: Son, I don't care what Pendry told you, but your job is to protect the QB.

Wand: But, Joe said...

Sherman: I don't want to hear it. Now hit the showers.

Wand: Yes sir... (head hung low)

From my take, it looked like Wand was asking Sherman, not Sherman getting on Wand. They were working on some footwork and things of that nature.

 

[phan1]

I wonder if Mario will ever see some time with the red zone offense. I remember seeing Julius Peppers playing some tight end around the goal line last year a few times because of his size and athleticism. I would think that it would be pretty much impossible to stop someone who is 6'7 with a 40" vertical.

Yeah I remember that. He just towered over the defenders and the defender had no choice but to take the holding penalty. I remember reading how Mario did play TE in high school and he also played BB. But I also remember reading how he didn't have a great pair of hands, which is why he's a football player and not a basketball player. :-P

 

[bayoudreamn]

Somewhat to my surprise, on the next possession, Rosenfels owned the first team D, but Kubiak called off the drill before he could score. I am still borderline ecstatic to see kind of plays we are calling offensively. We are sending 4 receivers on just about every play and I like route selection.
.

Wasn't Rosenfels with Richard Smith last year? He would have practiced against that defensive scheme all year and could be expected to know it better than our defense at this point.

 

[bayoudreamn]

Last night didn't involve pads so it is a bit difficult to watch and determine how that will translate to full speed with pads, but for the most part Mario is still dominating with ease. They brought out a crew of refs who simply blew the whistle to end the play when the "tackle" was made, but during drills there were a number of times where the QB was sacked within 2 seconds.

Mario's the real deal I can see him notching 10+ sacks this year and challenging for (Kearse? Peppers?) rookie record. Weaver, Payne, and Babin/Peek will keep opposing O-lines honest and should themselves benefit from any extra attention given to Mario, let alone when we send a blitz. I also think Kalu and possibly Alfred Malone will see a lot of reps.

What I like best about Mario is that he is plainly listening to Karm and the coaching staff and wants to be better. No, I'm not going to get into that "he looks angry when he screws up, he's a real winner" argument again, but suffice it to say the guy wants to better. He's working hard and isn't content to beat up on the average skill level he is facing off against now; he wants to be the best and it shows.

That said, I think our O-line is getting better. I don't know how much closer they are to resolving the battle for LT but for the most part they appear to be gelling out there.

I noticed in a Michael Smith article I was reading earlier that quoted Moulds, I think, saying that Mario had been soliciting alot of information from him about Bruce Smith's play.... Mario is hungry. I thinks that's becoming more and more clear every day and stuff like this just proves that he's feeding that hunger. IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR LUNCH!!!!

 

[bayoudreamn]

I wonder what he is saying...

Sherman: Son, I don't care what Pendry told you, but your job is to protect the QB.

Wand: But, Joe said...

Sherman: I don't want to hear it. Now hit the showers.

Wand: Yes sir... (head hung low)

Sherman:...and another thing I wanted to discuss with you...

Wand: Yes sir....

Sherman: I want you to stop taking private lessons in bullfighting. I don't think it's helping your technique.

 

[Lucky]

Somewhat to my surprise, on the next possession, Rosenfels owned the first team D, but Kubiak called off the drill before he could score.

I think the 2nd team ran out of downs on that last drive. On 3rd down, Rosenfels made a big mistake throwing the ball away when he had room to run (and 2 time outs). On 4th down, the defense deflected a Rosenfels pass and the drive was over. Still, Rosenfels looked to be a big improvement over the previous backup.

The player I was pleasantly surprised by was Owen Daniels. He has the knack of finding holes in the coverage and making plays downfield with his speed. I can see Daniels on the field plenty in 3rd down situations this season.

 

[Mysteryhunt]

it's almost cruel to post this stuff. makes the wait for the real deal seem unbearable...and i'm in stinking LA this year so not more texans games for me

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

I noticed in a Michael Smith article I was reading earlier that quoted Moulds, I think, saying that Mario had been soliciting alot of information from him about Bruce Smith's play.... Mario is hungry. I thinks that's becoming more and more clear every day and stuff like this just proves that he's feeding that hunger. IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR LUNCH!!!!

Mario's ready to "stick a fork in it."

 

[Wolf]

I wonder what he is saying...

Sherman: Son, I don't care what Pendry told you, but your job is to protect the QB.

Wand: But, Joe said...

Sherman: I don't want to hear it. Now hit the showers.

Wand: Yes sir... (head hung low)

Sherman:Wand, don't make me demote you, Pendry never told you what happened to your father
Wand:He told me enough, he told me you killed him
Sherman:No, I am your father
Wand:That's not true, That's impossible...NOOOOOO!

 

[cap1]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to jerek again.

and Wolf your killing me with the Star Wars stuff.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to wolf again.

 

[The Pencil Neck]

Forgot to mention he didn't go to high school here in Houston. What were we thinking about when we drafted this guy?

We thought we were drafting second or third or something and all the good players were gone.

 

[cap1]

I was at the Thursday practice too. I was at the endzone between fields 1 & 2. When the Kick off and kick return teams started I noticed that #65 Mike Brisiel was playing right guard with the first team. Sherman had all the O lineman in front of us and was running with some drills. He also had Wand - Pitts- Flanagan- Brisiel - Salam as the first team group. If someone tells me how to post pictures on here I will show off my pictures I took from the practice.

 

[The Pencil Neck]

it's almost cruel to post this stuff. makes the wait for the real deal seem unbearable...and i'm in stinking LA this year so not more texans games for me

I was in Calabasas a couple of years ago and Dallas since then. I see all the Texans games.

NFL ticket rawks.

EDIT: Oh, and in LA there's also a few Yankee Doodle's. They have all the games playing on screens scattered around the bar. When we first moved there, that was where we spent our Sundays.

 

[Wolf]

http://www.houstonprofootball.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=6402

lucky over there has a rundown also on was seen

 

[Wolf]

and Wolf your killing me with the Star Wars stuff.

I get lucky sometimes.