[OFFICIAL] Texans training camp/pre-season thread

Uprising · Aug 3, 2011

ima_drummer2k said: ↑

Just found out I get to attend Texans practice Saturday morning! I will take lots of pics and try to post them here on Monday.
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I'll be there too! And on the 13!

rcoleman15 · Aug 3, 2011

Texan Tv is live again and they are about to begin their post afternoon practice interviews:

Link:
http://www.houstontexans.com/tv-media/videos/LIVE-Texans-Training-Camp-PM-practice-Day-3/6b5a2711-e625-4e93-9633-5f6f200722a5#?id=6b5a2711-e625-4e93-9633-5f6f200722a5

rcoleman15 · Aug 3, 2011

Link:
http://texans.studiotigaapps.net/transcripts/august-3,-2011-pm-practice.aspx

Houston Texans Transcripts
Training Camp Practice #6 (Afternoon)
Wednesday August 3, 2011

Head Coach Gary Kubiak:

(on signing FB Lawrence Vickers) "It's a good opportunity for him with our football team. I think he fits what we do. It will be a great competition between him, James (Casey) and these young guys we got in here. We're excited to get him. It gives us some avenues as an offensive football team since we lost Vonta (Leach)."

(on if there's going to be a competition between TE James Casey and FB Lawrence Vickers) "No, James (Casey) is our starting fullback and (Lawrence) Vickers is coming here to compete with him. James gives us a lot of options as a football team, so that's the good thing, but it will be a heck of a competition."

(on what he likes about FB Lawrence Vickers) "He's very athletic. He's a high-spirited player, very emotional player on the field when you watch him play. He loves to hit. We're looking for guys from an iso standpoint and he's played good special teams in this league. When you've got a fullback or two fullbacks on your roster and they're playing special teams, that's a good thing. I just think he's a good fit and I think this offense is kind of tailor-made to him too with his athletic ability."

(on getting key players back on the field tomorrow) "Well that's still up in the air, believe it or not, so I'm going to go in there and see what's going on. We hope to get them back on the field. As of now, we're not sure. It could be later tomorrow afternoon, so things could change. We're hoping that they do come back tomorrow."

(on how he makes adjustments for the players that haven't been on the field yet) "Every day is different. Every practice we sit down there and talk about what we've got to get done. The bottom line, at some point here in the next four or five days, we've got to have the football team all in the same position physically, so there will be some things to work through right there, but I just hope we get them back out here. We can figure that out. We can bring them along a little bit slower than these guys, but we've got to get them all to the same point here pretty quickly."

(on which players are holding the team back the most by having to sit out) "None of them are losing ground. They're all key players. They're all guys that have been very big contributors to this football team and in battles for jobs obviously. I feel bad for them. They're upset. They want to practice. They want to play, but there's nothing we can do. They've been sitting here trying to learn everything they can learn and when we turn them loose, I'm sure they'll be eager to get going. I've got to be smart with them too and know that these guys are now four days ahead of them."

(on the transition with the new defense) "Well the new pieces haven't practiced yet, but the teaching and everything we're doing is going fine and hopefully we'll get the two new pieces out here as quickly as possible."
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Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line Coach Bill Kollar:

(on if any player has surprised him in training camp) "I'd say Earl Mitchell has looked real good, even though it's the first day in pads, but he's been a pretty good surprise. As a rookie and for his first time, J.J. (Watt) has been doing a pretty good job also."

(on if the 3-4 defense is a better fit for DE Antonio Smith) "When he played in Arizona he was really in a 3-4 defense and he played more inside than he did outside. He wasn't really a true defensive end, so really this move for him really ends up helping him out. I think more than ever he's going to be a productive player even though he's been a productive force in the past two years. I think he'll be even better for us this year."

(on how his defensive line meetings are different) "It turns out to be the same, it's just different because like you said, we have three guys instead of four guys like last night when we went to our nickel defense and all the outside linebackers came in, Mario (Williams), (Connor) Barwin and all those guys were back in and we had about a 20-minute meeting for the nickel but, really it doesn't change much."

(on if DE Tim Bulman and OLB Jesse Nading will be a fit in the 3-4 defense) "Oh yeah, I see it. Jesse Nading is playing outside linebacker, so he's with the outside linebackers but (Tim) Bulman is a real good player and he gives good effort. Again, in this defense we told him to put a little bit of weight on to help him out and stuff and we've got Damione Lewis, you know, guys who have played. Damione can play all three spots and we're going to play Bulman at either end, so I think really both of those guys are going to end up being pretty productive in the defense."
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WR Andre Johnson:

(on the heat at practice) "Just approach it, just do what you have to do while you're out there. You can't really worry about it. Just go out and practice hard. They have the things that you need, the ice towels and stuff like that. After you take your reps or whatever, come in, come back and get your ice towel or something and cool off for a few minutes, then go back at it."

(on this being the hottest training camp) "It definitely has you in shape. Like I said, we all know that it's hot out there but at the same time we have to deal with it. We're here in Texas. Guys don't really like being inside. We don't like being on the turf so we'll deal with the heat outside."
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QB Matt Leinart:

(on what it takes to win individual games and a championship) "A lot goes into winning a championship; preparation. That's what we all strive to do as a team. As a quarterback, it's just week in and week out, leading your team and being prepared, making right decisions and putting your team in the best chance to win games. Obviously, it's hard to get to the Super Bowl. It takes a little bit of luck, it takes timing, it takes everything to get there. Few have done it and it's what we all strive to do. We all strive to be Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, teams, whatever. That's the number one goal for every team."

(on what he can learn without being on the field) "It's huge. It's frustrating that we want to get out there and especially myself to get the reps. Fortunately, I was here last year and was able to learn the offense. Everything's coming a lot easier to me now. I think I'll be ready to go when this thing gets all settled and I can get out there and practice and just move around. I just want to play. I'm anxious, but it's been important for me to just stay focused, which I've done, and study, take mental reps with both other quarterbacks every play and just be prepared when I get to practice."

(on the positives from last year) "I felt last year was kind of a bizarre year for me. Coming here, it was great for me. It built my confidence back up and I really love this offense. I felt like just with the mental reps last year, like this is an offense I feel like I can be successful in given an opportunity to play in it. This offseason I wasn't sure what was going to happen if I was going to be back or somewhere else, but the way things kind of happened, I figured what was best for me was to be a Texan again and to keep learning and getting better as a quarterback. I'm still young and obviously my goal is always to be a starter and play, but things happen, I'm here and I'm excited about it. I'm excited the coaches believe in me. They believe that if anything were to happen to No. 8 (Matt Schaub), I could come in there and run the offense."
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FS Danieal Manning:

(on waiting to start practice) "We'll get out there when the time is right. I can't wait to get out there though and get some of this rust off me."

(on if he's heard anything about when he can practice) "I really don't know. Right now I'm just doing what they asked us to and just try to get me some work outs in whenever I can, wherever I can. I can't do anything here, not at all. I can't do anything here."

(on sticking next to Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips to learn the defense) "Doing that, looking at Wade (Phillips), it's a little different because we're in the classroom all the time, we're on the field, of course they're practicing, and we're trying to see exactly what we want to do. It's a new defense. We don't have a lot on these guys with this defense so we try to watch film of practice. That could be a little hard sometimes. It's just different getting in here trying to get that done. It's a whole new defense."

(on what he's watching on film) "We'll watch a few Dallas (Cowboys) tapes and things like that, but for the most part once we get the scheme in, it's pretty much the same thing we just have to know how to make our adjustments."

(on if Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips has told him which spot he is playing at) "Well right now it's been free safety. I think the safeties here are interchangeable. We can run one coverage one way and another coverage another way."
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OLB Brooks Reed:

(on what is easiest for him in the 3-4 defense) "Just the rushing part, rushing the QB. We got a few packages there, we've got a 4-3 (defense) look and 3-4 so I've got to know both and there are lots of different coverages, but I like pass rushing. That's my strength and those are the sets I like."

(on the attention to detail he has to pay to all the different sets) "There's all kinds of different nuances of every little call that you will see in the playbook that you have to pick up every day and make sure you're listening and watching when you're on the sideline watching your guy do it and that's the only way you're going to get it."
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WR Kevin Walter:

(on QB T.J. Yates) "Not just T.J. (Yates) but the whole rookie class coming in, without going through OTAs, they know how to line up and they know what to do. It's impressive, very impressive."

(on how much the veterans needed OTAs and minicamp) "OTAs are good though, we were still working out, a lot of guys were working out at Rice and still continuing to run our routes and stuff. We were still doing the same stuff we would be doing in OTAs but missing OTAs hurt. It hurt some guys coming trying to learn the system, it hurt guys who want improve and keep working hard and it hurt trying to install our new defense. Overall, we're playing catch-up right now and I think we're doing a good job."

(on the new defense and the differences he sees in it) "There's a lot of playmakers on that side of the ball, I tell you what. Those new guys we're bringing in are going to make plays and defend. It's going to be exciting to watch. So far these past few days going against them, they've done some great things and it's going to be fun to watch them."

(on who takes over as the locker room comedian) "I can tell you that, that's easy. That's Jacoby (Jones). Jacoby still plays that role. Jacoby is still going to be the comedian; he's still out there dancing this morning, so I'd say Jacoby for sure."

(on CB Johnathan Joseph) "I've played against (Johnathan) Joseph for years. He's a great talent. I'm glad we have him on our team. He's going to be a big help. He's going to continue to work hard and he's going to make me better, he's going to make me work. We've got a lot of good corners here, we've got a lot of playmakers."
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and a vid from ABC 13 on today's events:
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Mark Schlereth on Texans offseason moves. Fast forward to 3:23.
<script src="http://player.espn.com/player.js?pcode=1kNG061cgaoolOncv54OAO1ceO-I&width=576&height=324&externalId=espn:6830106&thruParam_espn-ui[autoPlay]=false&thruParam_espn-ui[playRelatedExternally]=true"></script>

Two Sandwiches · Aug 4, 2011

I've been saying it all offseason, Earl Mitchell and Doin Dickerson are going to surprise a lot of people this year. Mitchell will make us forget Ty Warren, and I think Dickerson could be a legitimate number two by September 2012.

rcoleman15 · Aug 4, 2011

Here are today's news items:

First up an AP article on James Casey and his move to FB.

Source:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-texans-whosthefullback

James Casey making case for fullback job

HOUSTON (AP)—After a college career as a defensive end at Rice—where he once played seven positions in a single game—Casey has spent the past two years with the Texans shifting between tight end and fullback.

Casey opened training camp this week as the starting fullback, replacing Pro Bowler Vonta Leach(notes), who moved on to the Baltimore Ravens. It appeared that finally, Casey might zero in on one spot in the lineup.

However.

The Texans signed free agent fullback Lawrence Vickers(notes) prior to Wednesday afternoon’s practice. Casey is still the starting fullback, but for how long? It will be a battle of experience versus youth.

“He fits what we do,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “It will be a great competition between him and James and these young guys.

We’re excited to get him. It gives us more avenues as a football team since we lost Vonta.”

During his career in Cleveland, Vickers was the lead blocker for three 1,000-yard rushers. Last season he blocked for Peyton Hillis(notes), who amassed 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns.

At least for now, Casey’s main focus is fullback.

“Right now, it looks like the best spot for me to get on the field is at fullback,” Casey said.

Casey says he’s not bothered by his fluid situation with the team.

“I’m not mad about it,” he said. “It’s not like I want to be a tight end and I’m going after the coaches every day and saying, `Hey, I want to play tight end.’ I’m fine playing fullback. I can still do a lot of stuff in our offense playing fullback.”

Leach was a menace to opposing linebackers as a blocker and that was his main function for the Texans. Arian Foster(notes) led the NFL in rushing with Leach plowing a path for him.

Casey does not have the blocking ability that Leach possessed. Still, Casey could add a new dimension.

He caught eight passes for 98 yards at tight end last season and served as backup for Leach.

“Right now it’s just getting used to the fullback position, learning how to be the lead blocker,” Casey said. “I’ve been going through the plays the first two years, but now it’s just getting comfortable back there with everything that’s going on.”

Leach was a vocal presence in the Texans locker room. He promoted himself with his slogan: “Send Leach to the Beach.” He had t-shirts printed with the slogan and gave them to teammates.

“I’m not planning a slogan in the near future,” Casey said. “I’m just trying to learn my position and when preseason starts show my coaches and teammates I can handle the job.”

Casey spent the offseason in the weight room, adding muscle for his chance to earn a starting position.

“I bulked up a little bit, about 10-15 pounds,” Casey said.

“When you’re bigger you can handle more punishment and you are more durable. You can move guys better. That was the main thing.”

Kubiak sees the possibilities for expanding the fullback position with Casey as the starter.

“There’s some things we can do with James that maybe we didn’t do with Vonta,” Kubiak said. “We could be built a little different when it’s all said and done, but we don’t need to get in a hurry here.

“James is very athletic. He’s a tight end with great hands, very athletic, smart, can handle a big load. He could give us some flexibility, but right now I want him to settle down, learn the position and we’ll go from there.”

Quarterback Matt Schaub(notes) is confident the Texans can move forward without Leach.

“I don’t worry about that too much because it’s not just one guy leading the way through,” Schaub said. “The offensive line did a heck of a job and the receivers do a heck of a job blocking. So we have guys who can step in and do that as well.

“The fullback position only plays so many snaps. There’s a lot of snaps where we’re not even with a fullback. I’m confident that we have the personnel that we have to get it done.”

Vickers has appeared in 76 games with 36 starts in his five-year career with the Browns. He has gained 271 yards (6.6 avg.) on 41 receptions for three touchdowns and has rushed for 87 yards (2.6 avg.) on 33 attempts.
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Second an article by Sean Pendergast on what he thinks the 53 man roster will turn out to look like.

Source:
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2011/08/houston_texans_my_way_too_earl.php

Houston Texans: My Way Too Early Guess At The 53-Man Roster

By Sean Pendergast
Wed., Aug. 3 2011 at 5:41 PM

We all have that friend who not only loves to be right, but also loves to point out that they're right and then continuously remind you that he (or she -- yeah, ladies, you're guilty, too!) is right.

They'll text, they'll tweet, they'll take screen shots of Sporcle quizzes that they score 100 percent on. In short, "Reminds You He's Right" Guy sucks.

(Oh, what's Sporcle? Well, just go to www.sporcle.com and then kill me later.)

Well, I'm that guy.

So in the spirit of setting myself up to remind you that I was right about six weeks from now, I am going to give you a quick prediction on the Texans 53-man roster come September 11 when the Texans play the Colts. Also in the spirit of setting myself up to remind you when I'm right, rest assured that if I am significantly off on these predictions, I will erase this post from the website and pretend it never happened. (As "go to" moves go, this is the skyhook of "Remind You He's Right" Guy.)

So without further ado...

THE LOCKS (32 Total):
Let's get the easy ones out of the way. These are the veteran players who are clear cut contributors and/or had contracts extended or redone this off-season, and as a result have zero chance of being cut.

QB - Matt Schaub
QB - Matt Leinart
RB - Arian Foster
RB - Ben Tate
RB - Derrick Ward
TE - Owen Daniels
TE - Joel Dreessen
TE/FB - James Casey
WR - Andre Johnson
WR - Kevin Walter
WR - Jacoby Jones
T - Eric Winston
T - Duane Brown
T - Rashad Butler
G - Wade Smith
G - Mike Briesel
C - Chris Myers
DT - Shaun Cody
DT - Earl Mitchell
DE - Antonio Smith
OLB - Mario Williams
OLB - Connor Barwin
ILB - DeMeco Ryans
ILB - Brian Cushing
ILB - Darryl Sharpton
S - Danieal Manning
S - Glover Quin
CB - Kareem Jackson (yes, he's still a lock)
CB - Johnathan Joseph
CB - Jason Allen
K - Neil Rackers
P - Brad Maynard (I realize Maynard himself isn't a lock, but there will be a punter, so I'll say Maynard)

THE DRAFTEES (5 total):
History tells us that every single one of these guys will at least make the practice squad, and most of them will make the 53-man roster. If you don't believe me, just check out the Texans draft history from the last few years. Here are the ones that I think make the cut for sure:

DE - J.J. Watt (1st round)
OLB - Brooks Reed (2nd round)
CB - Brandon Harris (2nd round)
CB - Rock Carmichael (4th round)
S - Shiloh Keo (5th round)

So now we have 16 spots left. By my count, the Texans MUST HAVE another fullback (Casey hybrid role has to be a luxury, not a necessity), two more wide receivers, another interior offensive lineman or two, at least two more defensive linemen, at least two more linebackers (probably three), and another safety.

So let's add the following "need" guys:

FB - Lawrence Vickers (signed today)
WR - Dorin Dickerson
WR - Terrence Tolliver (realizing that one of the undrafted free agent wideouts -- Tolliver, Jeff Maehl -- will probably make this team in Dickerson's spot from last year, with Dickerson moving into the regular rotation)
G/C -- Antoine Caldwell (probably should be a lock, with ability to play multiple o-line spots)
DT - Damione Lewis
DE - Tim Bulman
OLB - Jesse Nading (although it's tempting to put Cheta Ozougwu in here)
ILB - Xavier Adibi (Good gawd, the linebacking corps feels thin)
S - Troy Nolan

That gets us to 46, so if we needed to trot a team out for opening day, conveniently the league has expended the game day rosters to 46, so there you go.

Here's our position breakdown heading into the last seven spots:

QB: 2
RB: 3
FB: 2 (counting Casey as a FB as long as he's working there)
TE: 2
WR: 5
OL: 7
Specialists: 2
DL: 6
LB: 8
DB: 9

Let's get this one out of the way:

47. Jon Weeks, Long Snapper. As valuable as coaches make roster spots out to be, it floors me that guys get a full time job doing this, but whatever. One fun game to play at Texans games -- the "Focus On Jon Weeks" game. Imagine your beer-drinkingest buddy running down and chasing on special teams. That's this game. It's fun, trust me.

Okay, final six spots:

48. Garrett Graham, Tight End. They carried him on the roster last year, but with all the tight ends fully healthy, who knows. My guess is Casey's reps at fullback may necessitate similar tight end depth as last year.

49. T.J. Yates, Quarterback. A Kubiak Special pick, he gushed about him on draft day. My guess is they'll play it safe and put him on the roster. (Especially considering how hard a time I'm having filling out the last few spots.

Looking for another, offensive lineman, another defensive lineman and a couple guys who can contribute on special teams at this point. Let's go with:

50. Shelley Smith, Guard (Colorado State rule)
51. Tim Jamison, Defensive End
52. Cheta Ozougwu, Linebacker
53. Sherrick McMannis, Cornerback

Set a reminder for first week of September when "Reminds You He's Right" Guy gets back with you on this!
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Third an article by chron.com's Jeffrey Martin on Kareem Jackson

Source:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/7682660.html

Creating good vibes
After a year to forget, Kareem Jackson forges ahead, buoyed by a new coach who accentuates the positive

By JEFFREY MARTIN
Aug. 3, 2011, 10:31PM

Kareem Jackson squared up in front of Kevin Walter, mirroring the wide receiver's short burst of steps off the line of scrimmage with a quick backpedal of his own. When Walter broke right on the slant route, Jackson dug his feet into the turf and drove forward.

The pass was incomplete.

"That's beautiful, K-Jack! Beautiful," Texans first-year secondary coach Vance Joseph said.

Just as quickly, though, Jackson resembled the rookie cornerback who was victimized so often last year. Undrafted rookie free agent Jeff Maehl, a productive player during collegiate days at Oregon, unleashed a hitch-and-go pattern so convincing that Jackson bit, stumbled and never really recovered, beaten badly for a long touchdown.

This, seen too many times during the 2010 season, was familiar. But the reaction was not.

"Great route, man," Joseph said to Maehl as Jackson ran by. "Great route."

Welcome to the attitude readjustment portion of Texans training camp, where Jackson and the rest of the defensive backs are receiving extra attention. Blamed for most of the defense's ills, the secondary could use some positive reinforcement — which Joseph is all too happy to provide.

"When you coach defensive backs, confidence is everything," he said. "Even if they're not doing something right, you always want to find something positive to give them because it's a hard job.

"I want to be positive so I can give him confidence. He can play well for us."

But Jackson hasn't.

Not yet, anyway.

It's telling that Jackson, when asked about the criticism and the chatter about his uneven play last year, didn't turn defensive Wednesday.

"Regardless of what you do in this world, everybody is going to have something to say about it," Jackson said. "This is the job I chose."

He left Alabama following his junior year, drafted by the Texans with the 20th overall pick.

But Jackson's rookie season wasn't remotely close to what he expected. He admitted that everything was a blur last year. But this year has been better so far because the scheme is similar to what he learned at Alabama.

The game has slowed, and maybe last year was an aberration. He didn't seem too concerned Wednesday.

"I never doubted myself. ... I know I can play this game, so I just come out every day and work," he said.

Asked what he tweaked this summer, when he said he watched film and worked out on his own, Jackson said, "I just corrected little things in my press technique. ... Hand placement, late in games getting tired, so running and working on my wind, and that's about it."

That's the confidence Joseph needs to see from his second-year cornerback, who, after the free-agent signings of cornerback Johnathan Joseph and safety Danieal Manning and the shift of Glover Quin to safety, represents the unit's largest question mark.

But the secondary coach craves even more.

"He's doing well and he knows what to do, but he has to do it better from a technique perspective," Joseph said. "He has to want to be the best. That's the key with great corners. In this league, it's not about height, ability or speed. It's guys who want to be the best.

"Once he gets that, he's going to be fine."
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Fourth an article by Craig Malveaux on T.J.Yates

Source:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/7682677.html

Under the gun
With Matt Leinhart unable to practice, Texans have put rookie QB T.J. Yates on an accelerated learning curve

By CRAIG MALVEAUX
Aug. 3, 2011, 10:39PM

T.J.Yates dropped five steps into the pocket, scanning the field of receivers who cut across the hash marks. Seeing the separation between Terrence Toliver and his defender, Yates adjusted his shoulders and released a crisp pass toward the sideline.

The football, however, was underthrown, allowing cornerback Sherrick McManis to recover and make the interception.

On the next play, Yates fumbled a routine handoff to the running back. The rookie quarterback gathered himself and strung together a series of consecutive completions.

"T.J. has shown some very good signs of short-term memory out there," said quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp. "In this business, every quarterback is going to have some tough times, but you have to fight through them and bounce back, and he's done that so far."

Yates, 24, has been placed in a tough position in camp. There's no time for him to dwell on mistakes. He's too busy processing large volumes of information and taking two-thirds of the snaps thanks to NFL regulations preventing Matt Leinart from practicing until today.

The last three days have been mentally grueling for Yates, who just received the playbook last week. But he isn't complaining.

"I don't even know what day of the week it is," he said with a smile. "I've been extremely lucky to get this many reps as a rookie this early in camp, so I'm taking it one day at a time and working with Coach (Gary) Kubiak and Coach Knapp to get better. It's been awesome."

As expected, the NFL's learning curve — especially at quarterback — is steep for him. Reading the defense, understanding the progressions, improving footwork in the pocket and making smarter decisions with the football are all things Yates is learning daily.

"He's taking two steps forward and a step backward, which we expect because he's going to make mistakes," Knapp said. "But we're seeing good progress. T.J. is a smart kid that has managed a lot of information very well in a short amount of time."

Yates said familiarity has been instrumental in his improvement.

"Half of the verbiage within the offense is the same as North Carolina," he said of his alma mater. "There are a lot of the same concepts so being able to memorize them and the formations has def-initely made the transition a lot easier."

Kubiak praised Yates' growth following Tuesday's practice.

"If you want to pick out a guy that's made the most improvement from practice one to two, it was him," Kubiak said.

Watching starting quarterback Matt Schaub has been helpful.

"I'm learning the little things about how to work cadences and how he kind of approaches things in the huddle," Yates said. "You have to mimic his exact cadence, you have to say the exact same things that he says in the huddle so when you get in the huddle with his guys there's no dropoff."
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Up next some podcasts from 610am

First Arian Foster on Vickers and why he didn't think holding out would have been helpful:

Source:
http://houston.cbslocal.com/?podcast_url=http%3A%2F%2Fcbshouston.files.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2Farian-foster-8-3-11.mp3&podcast_name=Arian+Foster&podcast_artist=Ben+Nance&station_id=&audio_link=true&config_file=config.xml&dcid=CBS.HOUSTON

Next an interview with Matt Bowen, of the National Football Post and his thoughts on the Texan's secondary:

Source:
http://houston.cbslocal.com/?podcast_url=http%3A%2F%2Fcbshouston.files.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fmatt-bowen-8-3-11.mp3&podcast_name=Matt+Bowen&podcast_artist=Ben+Nance&station_id=&audio_link=true&config_file=config.xml&dcid=CBS.HOUSTON

Third James Casey's reaction to the Vickers signing:

Source:
http://houston.cbslocal.com/?podcast_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.podtrac.com%2Fpts%2Fredirect.mp3%2Fnyc.podcast.play.it%2Fmedia%2Fd0%2Fd0%2Fd0%2FdY%2FdC%2FdP%2FdV%2FYCPV_3.MP3&podcast_name=James+Casey&podcast_artist=Vandermeer+and+Lopez&station_id=63&audio_link=true&config_file=config.xml&dcid=CBS.HOUSTON

and finally Glover Quin discusses his transition to safety:

Source:
http://houston.cbslocal.com/?podcast_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.podtrac.com%2Fpts%2Fredirect.mp3%2Fnyc.podcast.play.it%2Fmedia%2Fd0%2Fd0%2Fd0%2FdY%2FdC%2FdP%2FdZ%2FYCPZ_3.MP3&podcast_name=Glover+Quinn&podcast_artist=Vandermeer+and+Lopez&station_id=63&audio_link=true&config_file=config.xml&dcid=CBS.HOUSTON

spankyou · Aug 4, 2011

What do you guys think?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/773892-17-big-name-rookies-sure-to-bust/page/13

Behad · Aug 4, 2011

spankyou said: ↑

What do you guys think?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/773892-17-big-name-rookies-sure-to-bust/page/13
Click to expand...

Well, since it comes from the Bleacher Report, and they never get anything right, then I'm happy they made that prediction.

Scarface281 · Aug 4, 2011

rcoleman15 said: ↑

and a vid from ABC 13 on today's events:
<object id="otvPlayer" width="400" height="268"><param name="movie" value="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=&station=ktrk&section=&mediaId=8287409&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&configPath=/util/&site=" ></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed id="otvPlayer" width="400" height="268" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true" src="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=&station=ktrk&section=&mediaId=8287409&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&configPath=/util/&site="></embed></object>
Click to expand...

I didn't know Reliant Park was in Southwest Houston. LMAO at the ABC 13 location fail.

djohn2o12 · Aug 4, 2011

Scarface281 said: ↑

I didn't know Reliant Park was in Southwest Houston. LMAO at the ABC 13 location fail.
Click to expand...

Umm, it IS in Southwest Houston. You fail

Scarface281 · Aug 4, 2011

djohn2o12 said: ↑

Umm, it IS in Southwest Houston. You fail
Click to expand...

How is Reliant Park SW Houston djohn (same djohn from SpursTalk)? I thought it was Central Houston...

DonnyMost · Aug 4, 2011

djohn2o12 said: ↑

Umm, it IS in Southwest Houston. You fail
Click to expand...

Going by the actual city boundaries, not so much.

Maybe if you were judging by it's placement within the 610 loop exclusively.

bobrek · Aug 4, 2011

Scarface281 said: ↑

How is Reliant Park SW Houston djohn (same djohn from SpursTalk)? I thought it was Central Houston...
Click to expand...

Based on loop 610 it is in southwest Houston. based onthe tollway it is in "central" southwest houston.

conundrum · Aug 4, 2011

rcoleman15 said: ↑

Mark Schlereth on Texans offseason moves. Fast forward to 3:23.
<script src="http://player.espn.com/player.js?pcode=1kNG061cgaoolOncv54OAO1ceO-I&width=576&height=324&externalId=espn:6830106&thruParam_espn-ui[autoPlay]=false&thruParam_espn-ui[playRelatedExternally]=true"></script>
Click to expand...

Lol at Skip and loving the Bears moves, just I said "what!" Mark chimes in. Not surprising Skip loves Cutler and he loves the 'Boys. Still those moves left most people shocked or dumb founded.

weslinder · Aug 4, 2011

rcoleman15 said: ↑

Second an article by Sean Pendergast on what he thinks the 53 man roster will turn out to look like.
Click to expand...

Wow, I didn't realize how thin the interior O-Line was. The starters are great, but the Texnas need to get at least one more good back-up. Linemen get hurt. It's a fact of life. You have to be prepared for that.

djohn2o12 · Aug 4, 2011

Scarface281 said: ↑

How is Reliant Park SW Houston djohn (same djohn from SpursTalk)? I thought it was Central Houston...
Click to expand...

Who? Umm no. It is considered Southwest Houston.

Texasboy1978 · Aug 4, 2011

I had a dream last night. One of those dreams where you wake up and you just know your day is gonna go right. One of those dreams where you wake up and you still have the good feeling and excitement that you had from the dream.

However, when I first woke up, it took me a second to remember what the dream was, but after further contemplation, I finally remembered what it was! The Texans got through the first half of the season last year sitting at 7-1!

Hey, one can dream right? I just hope it was more of a premonition!!

I am beyond excited for the upcoming season. I've been excited before, as a fan should be, but this year something seems different. Last year, it seemed if we just got a good place kicker, we would dominate. With the addition of Rackers, we were set to take the south! Not so fast, only the blind faith homerism of a fan in me could not see the huge holes in the secondary.

Admittedly, like many of you, the excitement didn't really build until after week one when we started the season off with an impressive victory over our nemesis, the Peyton Mannings.....then the Cowboys showed up and we gave them their only win in the first 7 weeks.

This year, it is completely different, and I had reservations. I keep telling myself, hold on, there's got to be something. The holes we have though aren't much different than the holes anyone has. If certain teams lose certain players they're done. We addressed the secondary and we have 3 or 4 guys that we can try out at the #2 CB spot which seems to be everyone's biggest concern. DT also is understandibly a concern for most, but I think between Earl Mitchell and Cody, we can get the job done.

So tell me, ol pessimists, where are the holes at that I'm missing this year besides what I've just addressed. Taking into consideration that we were last in Defense last year and hung in almost every game, do you not believe returninig almost the identical offense, albeit slow starting, with a much improved defense with most of their starters back that we won't be VASTLY improved?

I mean, we were a last vs the pass, yards allowed and I think we were about 13 vs the run (according to our team page on ESPN). We are bringing Demeco back, though not 100%, but he's the team leader on D and that has an ENORMOUS impact on the mentality of the D. Mario is healthy, JJ Watt looks great! Barwin is back and he was exciting before his injury. Brooks Reed should be a solid contributor backing up the LB's. Sharpton looked good as well last year towards the end. I think moving Quinn to safety over the top given that he was our best cover man last year will help a lot with the #2 CB position. The additions of Manning and Joseph won't hurt either. I think Harris and Carmichael also contribute from seeing them in college. (I saw KJ in college too and I was very confused by the pick...)

What am I missing? Is it too much to expect at least 11 wins this year? I don't think it will take that long to learn the 3-4, It has been said time and again to be an easy system to learn, so we should have it down by week 1 or 2. I think the starters play more on D in the preseason this year just to get the D going.

I think this is the year that we Texans fans can finally have some realistic optimism, not just blind faith. Let's go TEXANS!!!

DonnyMost · Aug 4, 2011

Texasboy1978 said: ↑

The Texans got through the first half of the season last year sitting at 7-1!
Click to expand...

We may end the year 7-1, but I expect our start to be more like 3-5.

Early schedule is just brutal.

Texasboy1978 · Aug 4, 2011

DonnyMost said: ↑

We may end the year 7-1, but I expect our start to be more like 3-5.

Early schedule is just brutal.
Click to expand...

I hear you, and in years before I would guess a 3-5 start would be about right. This year, just feels different. I don't feel like there's any team we absolutely have not chance against this year. We hung in most games last year, even after Meco went out, even falling behind so fast becaus of our albatross defense. This year could very well be the year that things are different. It's more than hope this year. More than optimism. It feels like we have a legitimate shot!

Rockets34Legend · Aug 4, 2011

JaysonBraddock Jayson Braddock
Spoiler alert: Mr Irrelevant may not be that irrelevant in the long run for the #Texans

DonnyMost · Aug 4, 2011

Texasboy1978 said: ↑

I hear you, and in years before I would guess a 3-5 start would be about right. This year, just feels different. I don't feel like there's any team we absolutely have not chance against this year. We hung in most games last year, even after Meco went out, even falling behind so fast becaus of our albatross defense. This year could very well be the year that things are different. It's more than hope this year. More than optimism. It feels like we have a legitimate shot!
Click to expand...

What worries me is that none of the first 6 teams we face are dealing with any amount of change or turnover from last year compared to this year.

They're all fairly stable franchises with the same key components intact.

Meanwhile, our defense is as green as they come. Lots of new faces and a new scheme.

After that, things get significantly easier. Our final 10 games includes a bye week, 5 home games, and a whopping 8 games against teams that I think will have losing records this year.

Early in the year, we're going to have to hope our offense can carry the load while the defense gets on more solid footing.

I expect we end the year very, very strongly. Hopefully strong enough to earn a playoff berth, and even make some noise when there.

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