OTAs

[Nconroe]

Seems third phase of OTA began this week. Phase 3 is still no contact but can have helmets on and team drills. Learning the playbook and get in shape.

Still positive, no negative news.

Looking at WR group, 10 in camp listed on 90 man roster.
Looks like 3 of them are 4.3 for 40 yd. Speedsters.

There are also several tall 6'2" and 6'3" WR, so we shall see how this ends up on 53 man roster .

[Nconroe]

The Chronic had an article with Hopkins talking about fastest guys on the team.

"
Texans wide receiver Wendall Williams runs onto the practice field during rookie minicamp. Williams weaved his way through three junior colleges and the University of the Cumberlands to gain a tryout with the Read Full Caption

Wendall Williams was a football and track star at the University of the Cumberlands who created an instant reputation for his explosiveness prior to the NFL draft.

Williams ran the 40-yard dash in 4.19 seconds unofficially while running for NFL scouts. His official time was a 4.32, which is still incredibly fast. He also posted a 45-inch vertical leap.


Now, Williams is proving to be a quick study since joining the Texans as an undrafted rookie free agent.

"Yeah, he has," Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins said of the 25-year-old New York native who scored 15 touchdowns last season and was an All-American in the 100 meters, 200 meters and a champion long jumper. "I'm not sure what the guy ran, a 4.1 or 4.2, but it definitely relays over to the football field."

Hopkins ranked Williams as the fastest Texans on the 90-man offseason roster in front of cornerback Robert Nelson, who ran in the 4.4 range coming out of Arizona State, first-round wide receiver Will Fuller, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.32 seconds at the NFL scouting combine and improved his time to 4.28 seconds at the Notre Dame Pro Day workout along with running back Akeem Hunt.

Out of Purdue, Hunt ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds.
"
Also seems Will Fuller and Jalen Strong getting to work with Osweiller and looking good so far.

Now, are the TEs going to look better this year?

[Nconroe]

And UPI had this article on WR and RB so far

"
Lining up on the perimeter of the defense, Houston Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins quickly gets cornerbacks back on their heels with the explosiveness in his patterns.

While Hopkins is an established commodity after a career breakthrough season last year in which he caught 111 passes for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns, the Texans are breaking in several new wide receivers to work in tandem with him.

"It's interesting," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said. "When you think about that, you have different guys. Some guys like Hopkins who have been in our system now going on three years that know where to line up at every position."

Jaelen Strong has impressed with his upgraded conditioning after his rookie season.

First-round pick Will Fuller has flashed his trademark speed, and caught the football crisply while absorbing the playbook.

Third-round wide receiver Braxton Miller is adapting well to his new position after converting from quarterback while playing for Ohio State.

Cecil Shorts is healthy again after catching 42 passes for 484 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games and four starts last season.

And the Texans have seen good things from wide receivers Keith Mumphery and undrafted rookie Wendall Williams, one of the fastest players on the roster with a 4.32 time in the 40-yard dash.

"You have those guys like Mumphery and Jaelen that are going into year two, that are really bright receivers and you can use them in different ways, too," O'Brien said. "Then you have your rookies in Will (Fuller) and Braxton (Miller), and a guy like Wendall Williams, who has been out there doing some good things. There are kind of three different groups of guys. Cecil Shorts is going into year two, but he's a veteran player and knows our system really well.

"There are different standards in the fact that we don't expect Will Fuller and Braxton Miller to know where to lineup and run the exact route at every single position. But we do expect them to know the positions that we're starting them out in. They're doing a good job with that. Whereas Hopkins, there is a very, very high standard for him and moving him around and asking him to do a lot of different things. That's what we're trying to do. So different strokes for different folks a little bit at that position."

--Running back Akeem Hunt displayed his trademark burst during the Texans' organized team activity, scooting upfield away from pursuit.

It was a familiar sequence for one of the fastest players on the roster.

The Texans have identified progress from Hunt after a rookie season in which he flashed skill and versatility, albeit in spot action.

"He's a lot farther along than he was last year," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said. "We brought him in a little bit later on. He's got really good speed. He's a very hard worker. He's guy that we used a little bit in the passing game last year. He's helping us.

"You can see where he's trying to contribute more on special teams. He's got a little role that were trying to use him in on offense as far as being a receiving back, but also being able to run the football, too."

Hunt is hoping to upgrade his role after playing in seven games with one start last season, when he rushed for 96 yards on 17 carries and caught six passes for 39 yards.

"I feel very positive about everything I did this year," Hunt said. "I learned a lot from everyone and just focused on improving. I'm excited about my future here."

The Texans promoted Hunt to the active roster from the practice squad on Nov. 21 after he was signed initially on Nov. 2 after previous stints with the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens.

With 4.37 speed in the 40-yard dash, a 37.5-inch vertical leap, a 3.96 short shuttle and a 10-2 broad jump, Hunt's athleticism provided a change of pace to the Texans' offense.

Hunt finished his Purdue career with more than 4,600 all-purpose yards, rushing for 949 yards and catching 48 passes in his final season for the Boilermakers.

The Texans primarily used Hunt on sweeps and swing passes.

"They found ways to get me in space," said Hunt, who is under contract for this season with a $525,000 base salary. "I just want to keep their trust. It was fun. I just want to have a great offseason, keep getting strong and do more and more."

Between Hunt, new starter Lamar Miller and backups Alfred Blue and Jonathan Grimes, the Texans like the way the running back position is shaping up.

"I think our backfield situation is a pretty good one right now as far as different types of players there all having different types of skill sets from Lamar, Alfred, Grimes. You've got Akeem. You've got Kenny Hilliard. You have a lot of different types of backs there and Akeem is doing a good .
"

[Nconroe]

And one more review of OTAs covering a few different WR and TE from Houston texans.com
"


The first day after the weekend provided us the opportunity to watch another Texans OTA practice. Again, no pads and no contact, yet competitive in nearly all aspects. Here are my observations from the day's workout.

1. J.J. Watt noted last week that he hoped that he could get back on the field for practice some time before the end of this phase of the offseason. Monday was that day as Watt made his return to get some on the field work done.

Watt on his return, fun-filled weekend, more
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2. On his very first rep of the day, Watt knocked down a pass as he has done so often in his career. He doesn't really need to announce his presence with authority as Nuke LaLoosh once noted in Bull Durham so many years ago, but he did. Again.

3. Brock Osweiler continued to show how much more comfortable he is with this offense and leading that group on Monday. As we only see every third workout, it's quite evident the work that he's put in to make sure he's on top of things. When he was decisive with his reads and made quick decisions, he got this offense flowing. He threw some darts. He threw with touch. It's not perfect and he'll tell you, as he did to the assembled media after practice, that there's still a ton to work on before the season. But, the work he's already done is paying dividends.

4. At one point during a goal line passing drill, Osweiler threw three straight touchdowns to three different pass catchers to end his reps during that drill.

5. Although it still takes a second seeing him in No. 21 (as opposed to No. 34), cornerback A.J. Bouye had one of the defense's picks to end an early drill in practice.

6. In his press conference after practice, head coach Bill O'Brien noted the progress that Tom Savage has made and the difference in him year over year over year. That's been clear watching Savage during OTAs. He appears to be so much more at ease than I can ever remember seeing him. The ball is coming out of his hand hot and on time. The level of comfort, to the untrained eye, seems much higher than it's been since he's been here "on campus."

7. He hit wide receiver Jaelen Strong a number of times during practice on various types of throws. Savage is spinning it extremely well and Strong was a beneficiary throughout the workout.


8. There comes a point with all first year players when you can see the light start to go on. Things aren't just a blur on a daily basis. As such, it definitely seems there's a flicker of a light going on with Will Fuller. At Notre Dame, he made a living on deep throws and short catch and run screens. But, he's showing much more than just that each and every day. He made an excellent catch for a touchdown in the far corner and followed that up with a catch at the back of the end zone for another touchdown on consecutive plays. Progress...that's all you want from a rookie and he's making it.

Texans Huddle: OTAs chatter
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9. Another rookie that continued making an impression was F-TE Stephen Anderson. He's gotten a ton of reps with a couple of tight ends out due to injury. With every single rep, he continued to shine in the passing game. What's been consistent from the time I first watched film on him at Cal through today's workout is his ability to get separation in the passing game. He has glue sticks for hands and comfortably catches the ball out away from his body. He might have the best hands on the team for a pass catcher not named DeAndre Hopkins. For rookies, though, it's about consistency all the way throughout. When the pads come on, he's got to prove he can continue to get open and make catches at the same rate. If he does that, he's going to find a way to impact this offense in 2016.

10. The defense didn't get a ton of turnovers in practice, but the coverage in team and 7-on-7 drills forced the Texans quarterbacks to scramble and throw the ball away a number of times. Considering the fact that there's really no pass rush, the second and third level coverages have to be completely on point, and were, to be able to do just that.

11. One player's progress that intrigues me is former Michigan State star safety Kurtis Drummond. As with most second and third year players, he's much more comfortable in the defense and that shows when he's out on the field. He always seems to be in the right spot in coverage and we've seen how physical he can be when he's attacking the run from his safety spot. He's going to be a player to definitely watch during training camp later in July.

12. I mentioned rookie wideout Tevin Joneslast week and he made another couple of touchdown catches on Monday during the workout. Over the weekend, I just happened to have a couple of Memphis games on my watching calendar, including the win over Tulsa, in which he had four receptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns. Like Fuller, he's more and more comfortable with each rep in practice.

13. Keith Mumphery held on for a tremendous catch in the back of the end zone on a throw from Brandon Weeden. The former Oklahoma State star signal caller also hit Anthony Denham a couple of times for catches.

The only thing better than seeing an OTA practice is seeing a second OTA practice this week. We'll be back on Friday with more from the final OTA workout of 2016. Then, it's on to minicamp,

"

[Nconroe]

Looks like Texans will hold off season joint practice with San Francisco. Perhaps near the pre season game
With San Fran Aug. 14.

Maybe we will then get to see if Texans pace on plays will speedup and how are faster players might do.

[HPF Bob]

All these glowing words about the wide receivers and I ask (again) "Gee maybe we didn't need to spend two of our first three choices on wide receivers."

[barrett]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

All these glowing words about the wide receivers and I ask (again) "Gee maybe we didn't need to spend two of our first three choices on wide receivers."

I agree Bob. The good report from Texans.com OTA proves we didn't need WRs.

I found some other great nuggets from the first day of OTAs

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/ar...6-002732075947

Louis Nix looked great, Clowney is set to dominate, Feidoriwitz looked good, the QBs are the best ever in Houston, and ***the WRs look great***

Obviously that was from last year Bob. The OTA reports always look great no matter how bad the players are. You can continue your stance about not needing WRs, but don't pretend that OTAs are proof of anything either way.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

All these glowing words about the wide receivers and I ask (again) "Gee maybe we didn't need to spend two of our first three choices on wide receivers."

I was really hoping they might take an OT in the first round this year, atleast in the first couple rounds and then not to draft one at all seemed real puzzling. There's lots of uncertainty with Duane Browns recovery and return from injury last season and Newt is on his best day only an average OT.
And so why was a center such a high priority in this Draft and an OT apparently no priority at all ?

[Nconroe]

All good questions.

Texans prioritized speed and WR for this draft. Time will tell if they made the right choices. Be positive this time of year, that's the pattern for sure for all teams, not just Texans.

They have quite a few OL in camp, some off practice squad, and overall they gave adequate protection to QB and run game last year. Always concerns, but they lost starting center and guard to free agency, so those were the priority to replace.

I was hoping maybe for a TE or DE early in draft, but time will tell. If Oswriller is very good, should be a reasonable year for Texans.

[Nconroe]

And news that Texans will host New Orleans for joint team workouts prior to their Aug. 20 preseason game.

I suppose the more practice you can get against other teams, the better. Helps break the routine and keeps things interesting, and build the team feeling.

[chuck]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

All these glowing words about the wide receivers and I ask (again) "Gee maybe we didn't need to spend two of our first three choices on wide receivers."

Who TF is 'we,' by the way?

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by Nconroe

All good questions.

Texans prioritized speed and WR for this draft. Time will tell if they made the right choices. Be positive this time of year, that's the pattern for sure for all teams, not just Texans.

They have quite a few OL in camp, some off practice squad, and overall they gave adequate protection to QB and run game last year. Always concerns, but they lost starting center and guard to free agency, so those were the priority to replace.

I was hoping maybe for a TE or DE early in draft, but time will tell. If Oswriller is very good, should be a reasonable year for Texans.

To your point about drafting a center after we lost our starter (Ben Jones) in FA and the same applies for the DE and they didn't even feel like using one of the thier 5th round picks on a replacement for Crick. Of course they also lost Bandon Brooks in FA but replaced him with another guard they acquired in free agency who they paid serious money for signing.

[Nconroe]

Today was last day of OTAs. Next week 3 day mini camp. Then wait till July for full practices.

There is an interesting comment below that Osweiller is quickest QB Texans have had. Good to hear that encouraging observation, gotta see it ourselves of course.

Update from Texans site
"
The last OTA session of 2016 took place on Friday morning. Considering it was about 9,000 degrees at 10 am, though, that was a fantastic thing. Nothing beats a little summer weather for rookie acclimation at the end of OTAs. The Texans have a three-day mandatory minicamp next week but it’ll be much of the same out on the field - no contact, a lot of passing game work and 90 degrees.

Then, it’s *crickets* until late July. That’s going to stink but every day that passes is one closer to the start of training camp. Before it goes completely silent, here are my observations from OTA on Friday morning.


1. With a number of defensive backs not able to practice, former Texas Longhorns rookie corner Duke Thomas has gotten a ton of reps throughout the three-week session. Typically, a rookie getting a ton of reps can be a bad thing, but Thomas has truly progressed well with those reps. He’s confident and has covered extremely well. I wrote his name in my notebook a few times with pass breakups, plural, throughout the day. The reality is that cornerback might be the deepest position on the team, but Thomas stepped up with some good football and seemed to make an impression.

2. Another cornerback that continued to shine was A.J Bouye. The offense challenged him deep at one point and he went up, high pointed the pass and nearly picked it off. If there’s anyone that has consistently made plays in all of the OTA workouts that we’ve had the chance to see, it’s Bouye.

3. When the Texans signed former Chiefs lineman Jeff Allen, I was thrilled. One of the main reasons I fell in love for the former Illinois star was his nasty demeanor out on the field. Trust me, that’s going to be a good thing. Just. Trust. Me.

4. During the offseason prior to the conditioning and OTAs, I ran into second year wide receiver Keith Mumphery a number of different times. He was consistently in the building working on his game or working out. He went to Arizona with Brock Osweiler and the guys there. His hard work has been paying off little by little and culminated today with a strong workout. He made a number of contested catches, even though he didn’t get the last one of the day. Mumph has put in the work to improve and make a contribution to this offense in 2016 and beyond.

5. Last Monday, rookie Will Fullercaught a number of impactful passes during the workout but on Friday, it was rookie Braxton Miller’s turn. The Texans quarterbacks sought Miller numerous times in the passing game. He caught a number of different routes, including a pair of them for touchdowns. That success seemed to increase his confidence throughout the practice. I’ve said it before and will say it again, he just needs time to learn this position. When he does, look out.

6. Once Miller has the ball in his hands, that’s when the magic happens. He’s going to improve catching the football, getting open on time and finding separation, but one area where not much improvement is needed is toting the rock. That guy can make people miss in a phone booth. Wow.

7. Safety Kurtis Drummond took a fumble to the house, led by a team of blockers that included linebackers coach Mike Vrabel. I will say, though, that seeing #23 running with the football down the field made me do a double take. Luckily, he was in a white jersey or I’d have thought I was seeing the ghost of Arian Foster.

8. Brandon Weeden led a solid drive during one of the team drills during practice. A few of us joked “just like he did it in Indianapolis.” But, he’s getting more comfortable in this scheme too after spending just half the season or less with this playbook.

9. Weeden’s best throw of the day was an on-the-run completion to Mumphery for a first down during that drill.


10. Speaking of on the run, Osweiler is much quicker and faster than any other quarterback that’s played in Houston. Tall quarterbacks are typically tree sloths on the run, for the most part, but Osweiler is far from that. I will admit, though, that I hope he doesn’t do a ton of scrambling this season.

11. Safety Quintin Demps ended up with a pick during a team drill off a deflection from fellow safety Andre Hal. The best part was that Hal tipped the pass and without looking back just started yelling for someone to come up with the pick. Demps obliged with the turnover.

12. Remember the slow motion video of Jaelen Strong making the end zone catch out in Arizona? Well, that happened again today for a touchdown, except this time it was in full motion. Strong has stood out throughout all phases of the off-season and it’s exciting to think about what he can do once training camp commences in July/August.

13. Sometimes we can’t entirely see what’s happening on the field as it takes place way down the field. But, it’s not all that difficult to figure out what did happen when you see players take a lap in front of us. “Oh, well I guess the defense jumped offsides” as a white shirted player jogs his lap near us.

14. Coach O’Brien confirmed reports that the Texans will have joint practices with the 49ers and the Saints prior to both of the first two preseason contests. He noted that it breaks up the monotony of a long training camp and gives them the opportunity to face different players and different schemes. These joint practices are some of the most fun to cover and it does break up the routine a bit, if not create a camaraderie amongst the players, especially on the road.

That trip to San Francisco/Santa Clara seems well off in the distance, but will be here before we know it. That’s a good thing. Three minicamp practices are all that stand in the way of the team’s break before training camp. We’ll be there for all of them, starting on Tuesday. See ya then!

"

[barrett]

That's why I said the OTA reports are useless. You have a 'writer' who is paid by the Texans making patently false statements about Osweiller being the quickest Texans QB ever. He's not even close to as quick as David Carr, and maybe not Fitzpatrick either. The same idiot 'writer' said Hoyer had the best arm of any Texans QB ever last year.

The Chronicle puts out the same mouthpiece drivel. Likewise with ESPN and their Texans beat 'reporter' Gangiulli. The media that covers this team is a joke. You never see a single piece of fair journalism about this team, let alone a piece you would call hard journalism. Just puff pieces from PR people who are afraid to lose access to the team.

It makes it very hard to care about and follow this team.

[chuck]

I have no idea how good these guys are. We'll see when they put the pads on. But I do know that Houston media is a joke and that the necks in Houston get exactly what they deserve as far as media coverage goes.

[Nconroe]

I guess the reporting doesn't bother me too much. I'd rather hear positive and hope at this time than already thinking it's hopeless. There are other sources so u ou can get pros and cons on the players and team in general.

Of course, the real results of how players perform and team results, we all can speculate and not know for sure.

We can all have different opinions and complaints, so that is interesting too.

Maybe fair and unbiased would be possible, maybe we need a negative reporter, but team likely would not like that, maybe we wouldn't either.

Thinking about it, the best one can do this time of year is build some suspense about the team.

I tend to see some reasonably well informed Houstonites, even in just the casual fans.

I doubt anyone's believes Osweiler is that fast , but now you get to speculate. Maybe generating discussion is the goal for now.

[Nconroe]

http://www.battleredblog.com/2016/6/...texans-broncos

This film study of Osweiler seems unbiased and shows pros and cons of what we might see, as a starting point

[Nconroe]

Here are some reviews of Osweiler when he took over for Manning in Denver. When he was still their guy.

http://www.denverpost.com/2015/11/24...rock-osweiler/

[barrett]

Originally Posted by Nconroe

I guess the reporting doesn't bother me too much. I'd rather hear positive and hope at this time than already thinking it's hopeless. There are other sources so u ou can get pros and cons on the players and team in general.

Of course, the real results of how players perform and team results, we all can speculate and not know for sure.

We can all have different opinions and complaints, so that is interesting too.

Maybe fair and unbiased would be possible, maybe we need a negative reporter, but team likely would not like that, maybe we wouldn't either.

Thinking about it, the best one can do this time of year is build some suspense about the team.

I tend to see some reasonably well informed Houstonites, even in just the casual fans.

I doubt anyone's believes Osweiler is that fast , but now you get to speculate. Maybe generating discussion is the goal for now.

I'm not looking for negative. I'm pretty optimistic about the team and the upcoming season. But I think it is sad that most of the word coming out of OTAs comes from a team paid source. Then you have blog guys who just watch video and comment (similar to all of us, but with more or less put into it). I guess it's just hard for me to believe that there isn't a single beat writer with access to the team that truly covers the football and asks hard questions. Obviously if one guy started doing it he'd get denied access, but if we had multiple people doing it, then the team would no longer control their own media output. It's just a sign of bad reporting when the writer's pay check comes from the source he's covering.

I mean I wouldn't buy stock in a company because the company newsletter says they have a smart CEO, but that is basically what the Texans.com stuff is.

[Nconroe]

Here is another review of Texans offense and defense at end of OTAs from local stateofTexans or scout.com. Includes a short clip if O'Brien talking about Osweiler.

http://www.scout.com/nfl/texans/stor...on-texans-otas