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Before we begin, let me link you to an article by Stephanie Stradley. She talks about how the human mind deals with uncertainty and ambiguity and how quickly it seeks plausible solutions for them. Here's a snip, but the full article is worth reading (as is the New Yorker article she references).
1. There’s a bunch of uncertainty inherent in every NFL season for every team. Some teams have more uncertainty than others with coaching and personnel changes. A team like the Colts with their changes have more uncertainty than a team with the same coaches like the Texans.
2. Fans want to know how the rookies will fit with the team and how they will perform. We can extrapolate from camp, but never get it quite right because camp obviously is not games, or the games over an entire season. And players learn or wear down. (J.J. Watt looked beastly as a rookie but no one imagined Reggie White kind of beastly. I think there was some wishful thinking by some in talking about last year’s rookie wide receivers).
3. Fans tend to have preset opinions on rookies and veterans. There may be some drafted players that fans wanted over others, and once some fans have a view of a particular player, it is hard for them to shake it, even if evidence says otherwise.
With that in mind, onward to the desperate, rampant speculation!
First, sports blogging heartthrob Tania Ganguli of the Chronicle sums up what went down yesterday:
There were 56 players on the field Friday including nine draft choices, 23 undrafted rookie free agents, 11 rookie tryouts, six veteran tryouts and seven of the Texans’ 2012 practice-squad players, who were eligible to participate because they never were activated last season.
Sadly, kicker Randy Bullock, who missed the entire season on injured reserve, is not allowed to participate. The 2012 season counted despite him not playing at all. Ain't that a kick in the head?
More from Ganguli:
Kubiak very impressed with DeAndre Hopkins. Also singled out Bonner. Said they know what they want to do w/ball before catching it. #Texans
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) May 10, 2013
From the mothership, Nick Scurfield's list of articles can be found here. They also provide a nice video montage of action underneath the dome of the Methodist Training Center. DeAndre Hopkins' one-handed catch on a poorly-thrown ball is the definite highlight, but James Palmer of Comcast Sports Houston remarks that it wasn't even his best showing:
To put it bluntly #texans 1st rd pick, @nukdabomb is everything as advertised.
— James Palmer (@JPalmerCSN) May 10, 2013
Stradley describes it a little better:
One Hopkins catch looked like sure interception downfield on misthrown ball. Surprised he grabbed it. Also got one-hand catch behind him.
— Stephanie Stradley (@StephStradley) May 10, 2013
Palmer sums up what he learned from day one here. He's very impressed with second-round pick D.J. Swearinger, who he calls "confident, poised, [and] comfortable anywhere on the field." In the video, he says that Hopkins has already had lengthy conversations with Andre Johnson and has peppered him with question after question. Awesome.
These notes from CBS Houston are chock full of Kubiak quotes. Practice deciphering his coach-speak.
With all these sources, you should be plenty knowledgeable about what went down during day one of the Texans' rookie mini-camp. Hopkins and Swearinger are already turning heads. Are you excited? Or are you taking Stradley's advice to temper your expectations? Let's talk in the comments.