OTA: Day 3

Sorry about getting this to ya'll a day late, but it's filled with football-y goodness.  OTA: Day 3 has a lot of good stuff.  It's even brought to you by Walgreens .

Gary Kubiak

(on anything new with the team) "Nothing new today. Chester (Pitts) missed today because his shoulder was bothering him a little bit. So he didn’t practice today, but it was good for (Kaesy) Studdard, (Chris) White and those guys. They needs those reps. But that was the only thing that was different."

This is one time of the year not to worry about injuries like Chester Pitts'.  If this were the regular season,  I don't think we'd even hear about his shoulder.  Kinda interesting that Studdard and White took snaps at LG.  Swing guard?

It makes me wonder what it must be like to be a sports trainer or a spouse (e.g., people who see players every day and are in a position to evaluate their health). Does Chester's shoulder worry you at all?  Do you cringe when you watch him make contact knowing his shoulder has been acting up?  I wonder where the line is when you start to genuinely worry.

(on if everybody was at practice) "Everybody is here today. We’ll be missing one tomorrow. We have a young man graduating from Rutgers University, (Derrick) Roberson. So we are really proud of him. We’ll give him a day to go get his diploma and he’ll be right back. But we are real proud of him."

Does this guy seriously have a chance of making the 53 man roster?  You've got Robinson, Bennett, Molden, Reeves, Faggins and Fletcher all out there to compete against.  Yes, Dunta will start the year on PUP, but when he comes back what happens to Roberson, assuming he gets a spot?  Practice squad?

(on WR Andre Johnson)  "He’s going to be out through OTAs because he had his knee scoped. Watching him practice during the mini-camp, it was hard to believe that he needed his scoped, but that’s the great player that he it. We know what we are going to get when he is back, and he’ll be healthy at camp. The great thing is that you are watching Kevin Walter, André Davis, Jacoby, David Anderson – man, they are getting better every day so that’s important for our team."

Guess that makes Anderson the 5th WR.  So what are the other WRs battling for?  It's great to know that we have a solid WR corps; I guess this is the silver lining.  We all know that if AJ is healthy at training camp, preseason, and on through Pittsburgh, he's going to be awesome.  So seeing what Davis and Jacoby can do from AJ's spot and seeing what Anderson can do on the field can only help.

(on the role of DE Anthony Weaver) "I think it could actually pick up for him because he’s healthy. He’s going through the offseason and he’s feeling as good as he’s ever felt. You always have to rotate D-linemen. I think maybe we’ll get a little more out of Anthony than last year just because we’re getting a good offseason out of him."

(on if Weaver will get into more of a three-technique) "We’ll continue to bounce him around, especially from a pass-rush mode of going inside. We’ll wait and see how those things work out. Right now, I just really want to see how he works at the left end spot and get that down pat, and we’ll move from there."

What to do with Weaver?  If I were to envision his ideal role, I'd want him to be Trevor Pryce. 

Having an oversized LDE that could actually get to the QB, or at least collapse the pocket. would make the Texans front four nasty.  So is he there?  No.  Can he be?  Yes.

(on how LT Duane Brown has preformed so far) "For a young guy and what we are asking him to do, I think he looked very good. What a starting left tackle has to do has to do in this league, he still has a long way to go. We know that. The thing that’s impressive is he’s a very quiet kid, just an all-business kid, always on his feet, never on the ground and very athletic. So when you’ve got all those things to work with, hopefully you can do a good job with him."

If you didn't love him as a draft pick, here's a reason to love him now.  Duane Brown has work ethic.  He doesn't stop in practice, and I'll bet he doesn't stop on the field when they're keeping score.  Hearing that a player is "always on his feet" is awesome.

(on C Chris Myers) "He’s doing a heck of a job. First off, he knows what we’re doing, so that’s an easy transition. It’s a great opportunity for him in his career because he’s a leader of a group from day one when he walked in here and he’s taken command of that. and I think it’s been good that he’s had some buddies on that group that helped him jump in there right away, some guys that he’s played with before. You think that (Rashad) Butler, (Eric) Winston and him all played together. So we are very pleased with where he is right now."

We did an interview about Chris Myers.  I was happy that we were getting a center in who could take over McKinney's leadership role on the line, and all for a 6th round pick.

Great centers can make a great line.  The Titans have Kevin Mawae, but can you name anyone else on the Titans line?  The Colts have Jeff Saturday, but can you name anyone else on the Colts line?  Chris Myers is going to be our Tom Nalen, a stud zone blocking center.

Andre Johnson

(on if he got his prescription filled at Wal-Mart) "(Laughs) No, it was at Walgreens."

Frank Okam

(on his impressions of the NFL so far) “You know, the thing that’s probably impressed me the most is the level of quarterback play. I see a lot of our defensive guys being right on players; you think it’s good coverage and you’re sitting there watching it, and he completes the ball somehow. He just puts it where the defense can’t get it. And as a pass-rusher, you just have to try to negate that, get hands in the quarterback’s face, but every lineman you go up against in this next level has very good technique, (is) very sound and disciplined. If you don’t do it right, you won’t get there. And so I think the level of competition, the technique and the consistency you’ve got to bring every play, has been the big difference from college to the NFL.”

Frank Okam seems to have a professional's level of maturity and a keen intelligence. These Texans now have a defensive tackle who was is whiz in the classroom and a monster on the field.  That demeanor just oozes from quotes like this.  We may have our Stroud and Henderson in Okoye and Okam.  This is what you get when you build teams with high character: Brilliance.  You'll see it on the field.

DeMeco Ryans

(on if the team is ready to take next step) “We are. We’re still working. We’re still working. We’re going to see where it gets us. Hard works pays off, so we’re in work mode right now. (We’ll) see where it goes."

I've been seeing quotes like this from different players all through minicamp and through the OTAs.  There's something humming in the Texans' minds and hearts right now.  Kind of a quiet optimism.