Houston Texans – Blog

Johnson, Watt named grand marshals of rodeo parade

Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson and defensive end J.J. Watt will be the grand marshals of the upcoming Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Downtown Parade, as reported by the Houston Chronicle.

The parade is on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 10 a.m.

“We are thrilled to have Andre and J.J. represent the Texans in the Rodeo Parade,” Texans president Jamey Rootes said. “The Rodeo has been a great partner since before we even started playing in 2002, and to have two of our stars lead the parade is truly an honor and a great way to cap off a fantastic season for us.”

The Texans’ 2011 season was the best in franchise history, with the team posting a 10-6 record in the regular season and winning the AFC South title. The 2012 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo features a series of nightly concerts at Reliant Stadium from Feb. 28-March 18.

“There is no better way to celebrate the kickoff of the Show than to have two of Houston’s very own star athletes leading the way,” RodeoHouston president Skip Wagner said. “The Show and the Texans share a very special relationship, and to have Andre and J. J. start the parade is definitely a testament to that partnership and each organization’s devotion to the city.”

Reports: Texans hire Dorrell as QB coach

The Texans have hired Karl Dorrell as their new quarterbacks coach, according to reports from the Houston Chronicle and KRIV-TV FOX 26 Sports. Nothing official has been announced by the Texans at this time.

Dorrell, 48, was rumored to be a candidate for the job last week after Greg Knapp left to become offensive coordinator of the Oakland Raiders. He spent the last four seasons with the Miami Dolphins, working as quarterbacks coach last season. He was the head coach at UCLA from 2003-07 and an offensive coordinator on the college level for seven seasons.

Dorrell worked with Texans head coach Gary Kubiak and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison from 2000-02 in Denver, where he served as the Broncos’ wide receivers coach.

Brisiel hopes to re-sign with Texans

Like Arian Foster, Texans right guard Mike Brisiel will be a free agent this offseason. Unlike Foster, Brisiel will be unrestricted – meaning he’ll be free to sign with any team with no restrictions.

Also like Foster, however, Brisiel says he would like to remain with the Texans.

“Especially a place like this, you always want to stick with the team that you’ve had success with,” Brisiel said. “I think this team’s so hungry, and nobody’s taken this last season for granted. We want more. Everybody saw how close we were, and we know what it’s gonna take to get over that hump. It’s gonna be a fun thing to be a part of. I hope I’ll get a chance.”

Brisiel, a key cog in the Texans’ offensive line and the captain of this year’s USA Today All-Joe Team, is entering his fifth full season in the NFL. He signed a one-year contract last July as a restricted free agent.

Undrafted in 2006, Brisiel has started 43 games over the last four seasons while missing 19 due to injury. He played through a broken fibula against the Bengals this season, then had surgery a day later and missed only three games before returning to the lineup for the playoffs. He’s currently rehabbing from postseason arthroscopic surgery on his ankle, a minor procedure that was done to clean up a minor past injury.

“I honestly don’t know what’s in store for me because I’m a free agent this year,” Brisiel said, “but however that goes, I’ll be ready to go.”

Foster says he wants to stay in Houston

Texans running back Arian Foster will be a restricted free agent this offseason. The 2010 NFL rushing champion, who made his second consecutive Pro Bowl in 2011, was asked about his contract situation on Thursday afternoon during an interview with SportsRadio 610 from Radio Row in Indianapolis.

“It’s out of my hands,” Foster said. “It’s not under my control. The Texans are going to make the best move for their organization and their team, and if I happen to be a part of that, that’s a wonderful thing because I want to be a part of it. But if not, I have to continue living my life and they’ll do that with theirs. But I want to – they’ve expressed interest that they want to, and they already know that I want to stay in Houston. I’m just looking for that day. Hopefully, I can. Hopefully, they can make my dream come true, because I just love the city of Houston, man. I really do.”

Foster is entering his fourth season in the league. As a restricted free agent, he can sign an offer sheet with another team after free agency begins, but the Texans will have the right to match it. The Texans can place as high as a first-round tender on Foster, meaning if another team signs him to an offer sheet and the Texans elect not to match it, they would get a first-round draft pick in return.

An undrafted free agent in 2009, Foster played last season on a one-year contract. He didn’t raise any issues with his contract in the media or miss any of training camp. He went on to finish fifth in the NFL with 1,224 rushing yards despite missing three-and-a-half games.

“I think that’s the kind of stuff that only happens during the offseason,” Foster said on how much he thinks about his contract. “During the season, I’m trying to win ballgames and I’m trying to be the best running back I can for my team. And I think that if you get too caught up in the business end of it, you’ll forget that you actually have to play the game. I just try to play the game, and I’m a firm believer that if you take care of this game and you treat this game and respect it how it’s supposed to be played, I think that eventually it’ll take care of you, and so that’s kind of how I live.”

Pollack reportedly joining Knapp in Oakland

Texans quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp was hired as the Oakland Raiders’ offensive coordinator on Wednesday. It appears he’s taking at least one Texans assistant with him.

According to Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times, Frank Pollack is the new Raiders offensive line coach. Pollack has been the Texans’ assistant offensive line coach under John Benton since 2007.

Pollack, 44, has roots in the Bay Area. He played tackle for the San Francisco 49ers from 1990-91 and 1994-98, winning a Super Bowl title in 1994.

Pollack and Knapp are two of the more affable people I’ve come across in this business. Congratulations and best of luck to them both; the opportunities have been well-earned.

Reports: Knapp hired as Raiders offensive coordinator

Texans quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp has been hired as the offensive coordinator of the Oakland Raiders, according to multiple reports.

Jason La Canfora of NFL Network broke the news via Twitter on Tuesday morning. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday afternoon that he received confirmation of Knapp’s move to Oakland from Texans head coach Gary Kubiak. Nothing official has been announced by the Texans or Raiders at this time.

Knapp, 48, was an NFL offensive coordinator for nine seasons before joining the Texans’ staff in 2010. He was the Raiders’ offensive coordinator from 2007-08. New Raiders head coach Dennis Allen coached with Knapp in Atlanta from 2004-05.

Knapp received high praise from Kubiak this season for his work with rookie quarterback T.J. Yates following injuries to quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart. He also spent countless hours with late-season veteran additions Jake Delhomme and Jeff Garcia to get them up to speed on the Texans’ playbook. The Texans used four different quarterbacks and had six on the roster in 2011.

Joseph gets Pro Bowl INT, plenty of grief

HONOLULU — Cornerback Johnathan Joseph provided the Texans’ highlight of the 2012 Pro Bowl with an interception of Cam Newton in the third quarter on Sunday at Aloha Stadium.

After the game, all Joseph – and his teammates – could talk about were the interceptions that he didn’t get.

“I expect more of him, because he dropped two of ‘em today, and he should’ve caught them,” defensive end Antonio Smith said. “If he wants to get his ninja sword, he must do that.”

Joseph finished his first-career Pro Bowl with two passes defensed, including one in the fourth quarter on a pass over the middle intended for Roddy White. Had he corralled it, he was likely bound for the end zone.

“He should’ve had another one, another interception for a touchdown,” Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said after being asked about Joseph’s interception. “But he had a good game.”

Even Joseph’s teammates watching the game from Houston got in on the ribbing.

“When I got back (in the locker room) and I looked at my phone, I probably had 10 texts from all the DBs – all of ‘em saying that cost me about 1,500 bucks for the drop,” Joseph said.

Phillips named Sporting News Coordinator of Year

Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is the 2011 Sporting News Coordinator of the Year.

Phillips received 15 votes from a panel of 32 NFL coaches and executives, ousting 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio (6 votes) and Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano (4).

In his first season in Houston, Phillips improved the Texans’ defense by 91.2 yards per game, the third-biggest turnaround in modern NFL history. The Texans ranked second in yards allowed (285.7/game) after ranking 30th (376.9) in 2010. They ranked third against the pass (189.7) after ranking 32nd in 2010 (267.5, seventh-worst  in NFL history). They were fourth against the run (96.0) and fourth in scoring (17.4 points/game), up from 13th (109.4) and 29th (26.7) in those categories.

Phillips, 64, accomplished all of that despite having a lockout-abbreviated offseason in which to convert the Texans from a 4-3 to a 3-4. The Texans also set a team record with 45 sacks and had 27 takeaways, nine more than in 2010.

Brisiel one of five Texans on All-Joe team

Texans right guard Mike Brisiel has been named the captain of USA Today’s 20th annual All-Joe Team, which “celebrates first-rate players who receive second-rate recognition.”

Here’s some of what USA Today’s Nate Davis wrote about the gritty, unassuming fourth-year lineman from Colorado State:

“He barely registered a blip despite playing two postseason games for the Texans not four weeks after breaking his right fibula, one of two weight-bearing bones in the lower leg.

“Let us be more specific. Brisiel had a player roll up the back of his right leg — a nightmare scenario for any offensive lineman while they’re engaged in a block — during an Oct. 9 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Brisiel played the next nine weeks with what he called a “hot spot” in his leg until it finally cracked Dec. 11 at Cincinnati.

“Again, let us be more specific. Brisiel broke the bone early on against the Bengals but finished the game, the one that clinched the first-ever playoff berth for the Texans. The next day, he needed six screws and a plate surgically implanted to stabilize the leg.”

Four other Texans made the All-Joe Team: running back Ben Tate, left tackle Duane Brown, defensive end J.J. Watt and outside linebacker Connor Barwin. Players are eligible for the squad only if they have never been named to the Pro Bowl.

Phillips feeling healthier by the day

HONOLULU – The entire Texans coaching staff is in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl this week. That includes defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who missed two games late in the season after having surgery on his kidney and gallbladder on Dec. 15.

“I was concerned whether he was gonna make the trip or not, but he really wanted to,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “It’s ended up being a blessing for him. He’s getting a lot of rest, and you can’t help but get well out here.”

Phillips, 64, looks noticeably healthier than he did in the final weeks of the Texans’ season, when he admitted that his surgery and recovery had taken a toll on his energy level. He coached the Texans’ regular-season finale and first playoff game from the press box before returning to the sideline for the Divisional Round game at Baltimore.

“Good,” he said on Thursday after being asked how he’s feeling. “I’m doing well. Getting better every day. I’m not 100 percent yet, but I’m getting there…

“This is paradise right here, you know? I don’t know if I could stay on an island this far out too long, but a week is really nice.”

Aside from relaxing poolside or by the ocean, Phillips said he has enjoyed being around the Pro Bowl players and comparing them with players on the Texans.

“We feel like we should have more (Pro Bowlers), and looking at some of our guys compared to some of the players here, I think we’ve got some guys that are capable,” Phillips said. “So it’s nice to be here.”