Houston Texans News: May 2, 2014

Houston Texans News

Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith knows who the team will draft if it keeps first pick - ESPN
Texans general manager Rick Smith said he knows which player he would take with the first overall pick -- he just isn't sure Houston will be picking there.

Ultimate Texans " Texans’ J.J. Watt, mother honored for charity efforts
Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and his mother, Connie, were honored Thursday during a luncheon at a Houston-area golf course.

RTC: First unsure, Texans won over NRG - Houston Texans Blog - ESPN
Reading the coverage of the Houston Texans ... Reliant Stadium is transitioning to NRG Stadium, a partnership that NRG wasn't initially sure would...

2014 NFL Draft: Texans GM says he knows who he wants at No. 1 - NFL - Sporting News
Get the latest NFL news, video updates, scores, schedules, standings and more on Sporting News.

GM Rick Smith: Texans "open" to trading pick
Texans general manager Rick Smith met with the Houston media Thursday and said the team is open to trading the 1st overall pick.

Texans' Smith has No. 1's identity in mind - Houston Chronicle
General manager Rick Smith knows who he wants if the Texans keep the first overall pick in next week's NFL draft.

Texans OL Draft Board
A look at the Texans' offensive line draft board.

Ultimate Texans " Chester Pitts to announce Texans’ second-round pick
Chester Pitts, who played eight of his nine NFL seasons with the Texans, will announce the team’s second-round draft pick (33rd overall) next week.

The Rick Smith translation machine - Houston Texans Blog - ESPN
Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith did his pre-draft press conference Thursday. He answered some questions clearly, some vaguely and...

Around the League

Vince Young gets another shot in the NFL - SBNation.com
Vince Young's NFL road will continue at least a little longer with his next shot coming in Cleveland.

The development of Derek Carr: The personal struggle that turned him from an immature freshman to a top tier NFL prospect - SBNation.com
The personal struggle that turned him from an immature freshman to a top tier NFL prospect.

Buying stock in a professional athlete is a great idea with virtually no downside* - SBNation.com
Vernon Davis had his IPO last week. E.J. Manuel and Arian Foster are set to hit the market soon. This is an insanely risky thing to invest in.

NFL Draft 2014: What do you watch when evaluating edge rushers? - SBNation.com
What kind of things will teams be looking for among the prospects in this year's draft? Danny Kelly walks us through the traits scouts look for when evaluating pass rushing defensive ends and outside linebackers.

NFL Draft rumors 2014: Eagles looking at receivers, Browns want to pass on a QB - SBNation.com
The Philadelphia Eagles are desperate for wide receivers. The Browns are (somehow) not too desperate for a quarterback. Those rumors, plus more on Mike Glennon trade talks, AJ McCarron's first-round prospects and the Rams looking at quarterbacks.

Ray Rice offered plea deal in aggravated assault case - SBNation.com
Ray Rice should avoid jail time after being charged with aggravated assault against his then-fiancee Janay Palmer, but he may not be able to escape suspension from the NFL.

Houston & Collegiate Sports

Astros news: Tony Sipp asks for release from Padres to sign with Houston - The Crawfish Boxes
The left-handed reliever asked out of San Diego's Triple-A club and will sign with the Astros.

Thoughts on Changing Defensive Schemes From Week to Week - Viva The Matadors
How realistic or plausible is it for a defense to change defensive schemes from week to week and how would Texas Tech's personnel change?

Art Briles up to #11 in SportingNews Top 128 CFB Coaches - Our Daily Bears
Baylor Head Coach Art Briles is now the King of Texas coaching according to SportingNews' latest yearly ranking.

Aggies Add JUCO Safety Justin Evans - Good Bull Hunting
#YESSIR

#TTTQ Tweet of the Night

Last night's question from @battleredblog was - The 2014 NFL Draft is a week away.  What will the #Texans do with the No. 1 pick? #TTTQ

@battleredblog Smith, passes to O'Brien, back to Smith ... holds it ... holds it ... holds it.

— Rivers McCown (@FO_RiversMcCown) May 2, 2014

Ah, yes. Rivers hit the nail on the head. The Texans' front office learned it's draft strategy from the Rockets - stand around for 20 seconds and hand the ball off to James Harden.