2013 Houston Texans Training Camp: Notable Quotes From Day Six

As is the style of the times, here's a link to the full transcript of post-practice quotes from Day Six of 2013 Houston Texans Training Camp. If you're wondering what jumped out at me, keep reading.

Gary Kubiak:

(on if he has any update on T Brennan Williams’ status) "His knee swelled up on him. We drained his knee yesterday. It looks fine. We’re going to calm him down here for a day or two, so I don’t know if that means he comes back after we take our break this weekend or not. He’s up and at ‘em today, but we’ll have to settle it back down and see where we’re at."

(on WR DeAndre Hopkins having one of his better practices today) "Yeah, he had a really good practice. I understand he had a great one-on-one. He’s getting better every day. Rolled his ankle a little bit, but kept going. That shows some toughness as a player. He’s made of the right stuff. It’s fun to watch his development right now."

(on if G Brandon Brooks came into training camp differently this year) "He knows what we’re doing, so he doesn’t have to grind all night on how to run 19-Force. He’s run about a couple hundred of them by now. The game gets easier for him. His talents are taking over."

(on if he had a chance to watch ILB Joe Mays today) "I watched him a little bit. First off, his conditioning is good to come out here in this heat. He held up the whole practice. I think it helped with us going in shorts today and not banging with him right away. He’ll be a good addition to our team."

(on what he will talk to the team about today) "None of your business. It’s top secret. I don’t even remember half the time. I was just talking about the schedule."

(on working a lot on down-and-distance situations and struggling a little bit on third-down last season) "Yeah, the game is played situational all of the time. So you’re trying to remind them of situations. You don’t just practice to practice. Why are we doing this? What’s the situation? We were a pretty good third-down team for a good portion of the year on both sides of the ball. Again, at the end, it wasn’t as good. I think, offensively, the thing that surprised me is we weren’t a good third-and-short team and, the way we run the ball, we should really be good. That was probably what we did the poorest and then, defensively, when you’ve got somebody third-and-15-plus, you should get off the field and I think we gave up three touchdowns of 70-plus yards on third-and-15. So a couple of glaring things going on there with our team that we have to address."

(on still looking like he can throw the football) "No, I promise you I can’t. Those days are over."

Brian Cushing:

(on the guy on the other inside linebackers) "I think that’s what we just addressed in getting (ILB) Joe Mays and he’s an excellent football player and I think that he’ll definitely cover that for us."

(on ILB Joe Mays coming to the team) "It’s exciting bring him in. I think he’s a tremendous football player and he adds a lot to the team. Anytime you add a play maker like that it only makes you better."

DeAndre Hopkins:

(on the wide receivers catching tennis balls being shot out of a machine to improve their hands) "It’s been an experience. That was my first time catching (the tennis balls). You just work on your hand-eye coordination and it’s just a smaller ball. It’s coming out so you’ve got to be on it."

(on how he feels physically at this point in camp) "I feel great physically. I’m following Andre’s (Johnson) routine off the field. He’s been in it for as long as he can so hopefully I’m just following in his footsteps."

Andre Johnson:

(on how he teaches WR DeAndre Hopkins) "Yeah, me and him sit next to each other in the meeting room. Any time we are watching film or I see something, I just tell him like, ‘hey do this like this or change this up a little bit" and stuff like that. He’s willing to learn and he wants to be a great player and that’s what I love about him because he wants to be great. You know, you can’t ask for more than that. He comes out here, he works hard and that’s all you can ask for."

(on his off-field routine that WR DeAndre Hopkins has been following) "It’s kind of weird because I was in the hot tub one morning and he came in there and was like, ‘You do this every morning?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah.’ So every morning now, even this morning he beat me here in the hot tub, so I came in and he was already in there. It’s just little things like that. He’ll see me doing little exercises. He’s always wanting to know what is everything for. He’ll see me doing exercises and he’ll be like, ‘What does that do?’ or ‘What does this do?’ He’s willing to learn. He wants to learn. He wants to know what makes him better and that’s a great thing. That’s what I love about him. He’s willing to work and he wants to know how to be great."

(on what he’s seen in WR Keshawn Martin’s progression) "He’s comfortable. He’s very comfortable. When I saw him the first two days, that’s the first thing I said. I was like, ‘He looks so comfortable how in what he’s doing.’ I think he’s confident in what he’s doing. You can tell in his play and the plays that he’s making. I think he’s going to help us out a whole lot."

Keshawn Martin:

(on his biggest jump on the field being from his mental growth rather than anything physical ) "It’s a lot, mentally. Just coming out here every day and working hard, it’s a mental grind, more than physically. Some guys, mentally, they don’t have it. That’s why some guys don’t stay in this league that long. Mentally, I just try to stay level-headed, stay even-keel, and just work."

(on the mental preparation of the offseason) "Being real disciplined, catching those extra balls, running routes. I was just trying to get everything down pat before I came out here for camp. Once I came out here, I just continued to work and continued to get those extra balls after practice and do as much as I can."

Joe Mays:

(on talking to QB Matt Schaub) "We talked, man. It’s over with. I’m just glad to hear that everything is okay. Hopefully the fans can accept me. I know how mad they was about it and believe me I was upset too."

(on fans accepting him when makes big hits) "I think they will be alright once I do that, so I just got to go out there and play my butt off and do whatever I can for the team."

(on his chances to start) "Yeah, I like my chances. If it’s open as they say it is, and I think it is, I like my chances."

(on Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips saying he feels better after adding him) "It makes me feel good, man. I’m glad and I’m happy that they view me as a guy that can come in and help. Now, it’s my end. I got to hold up my end of the bargain: come out, perform, and do whatever I can."

(on the Texans interest in him after last year’s incident) "I wasn’t worried about the players. It was more the fans. I read blogs and all that stuff. My wife does, too. She went on the internet and see all that stuff about they wanted to kill me and all types of stuff. I was just laughing, but I think I was more worried about the fans and how they would respond to me coming here. Hopefully, it’s a good one."

(on wife finding a blog that said fans wanted to kill him) "Yeah, somewhere along the lines, but I don’t think it was serious. I think they were just mad that they thought I took a cheap shot on (QB Matt) Schaub. That’s rightfully so that they feel the way that they felt. Hopefully they feel a little bit different about me now."

(on wife’s reaction to signing with Texans) "She was worried about how (QB Matt) Schaub was going to react. She was happy, but at the same time she was hoping that I didn’t get jumped in the locker room."

While I don't think anyone at BRB suggested murdering Joe Mays last year, allow me to say for the record: Welcome to Houston, Mr. and Mrs. Mays. We're thrilled you're with us.