Houston Texans – Blog

Gary Kubiak set for the Impact a Hero 5K.

Nicely executed group #namaste pose in honor of @arianfoster from the @BattleRedFreaks

Texans All Access, this Tuesday!

This Tuesday’s “Texans All Access” on SportsRadio 610 will feature Pro Bowl corner Johnathan Joseph and outside linebacker Brooks Reed. Joseph and Reed, incidentally had their jerseys go on sale this week in the Go Texan Store.

Also joining the show is NFL.com writer Daniel Jeremiah. The former scout will share his thoughts on the Texans 2012 Draft Class and much more.

Make sure you listen from Noon to 2 p.m. CT this Tuesday!

Torri Williams making most of opportunity at CB

On Wednesday, Texans coach Gary Kubiak mentioned four young players who have stood out to him so far during organized team activities (OTAs).

One of those players was Torri Williams, an undrafted free agent out of Purdue in 2010. Williams (6-2, 210) is playing cornerback after being listed at safety in his first two seasons with the Texans.

“For a guy who’s only played corner for a little bit of time, he’s showed great movement stuff, great awareness,” Texans defensive backs coach Vance Joseph said on Thursday. “He’s got some size, so I’m excited about Torri getting more reps in OTAs and coming into camp ready to compete.

“I think his best chance of making the team is at corner, in my opinion. And a big guy with movement skills like that, why waste him playing safety? I think his natural position is corner, so it’s the best thing for Torri, and for us, obviously.”

Williams’ football career has been full of twists and turns. He missed his sophomore season at Purdue in 2005 after breaking his right leg in spring practice. He started Purdue’s 2006 season opener but dislocated his right knee in the third quarter, ending yet another season. He battled some legal issues in 2007 and spent six seasons at Purdue because of his medical hardships.

The Texans signed Williams as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He wound up on the practice squad and was called up to the active roster in November, then suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in his first game.

In 2011, the Texans tried Williams at corner in their preseason finale. They released him a few days later but signed him back to the practice squad in October.

“Really, I’m just blessed, man, to even still be here, to even go through the things I’ve been through in college and my first couple years here,” Williams said Thursday. “I’m blessed to still have an opportunity to continue playing and do something that I love and enjoy, so I’m happy.”

When the Texans signed Williams to the practice squad last year, they told him they wanted to give him a shot at corner. So that’s where they put him, giving him a year to develop at the position.

“I’m getting adjusted to it, just watching the other veterans, watching how they work, watching how they cover, watching more film and seeing route recognition,” Williams said. “It’s exciting.”

Williams played safety and corner at Purdue, which he said has helped his transition at the NFL level. But the Cedar Park, Texas, native is still learning.

“For him, it’s footwork and alignment, just those things that he hasn’t done in a long time,” Joseph said. “He’s got natural route recognition. He’s a smart player. It’s just footwork and alignments, and that’s what he’s lacking right now, which comes with experience.”

Williams has unconventional size for a corner at 6-2, but he doesn’t see it as a hindrance.

“With the game now, you’re getting a lot of bigger receivers, so I guess on some of those deep balls they expect me to be in position to be able to play those better,” he said. “Being a big corner is definitely a plus for me.”

Joseph agrees.

“He’s got great movement skills,” Joseph said. “For a big guy, he can really move and he can really bend. He’s awful quick and he’s got some long speed. He’s surprisingly one of our better movement guys doing drills, so with more time and experience, he should be fine at corner. I’m excited to see him grow and come into camp competing.”

The Texans did not sign a veteran corner this offseason despite the departure of veteran Jason Allen in free agency. Joseph acknowledged that there could be an opportunity for Williams to push for a roster spot.

“Sure,” he said. “We didn’t draft any corners, and we signed one (undrafted) free agent guy (Toledo’s Desmond Marrow), so there’s always room for good players. If he’s a good player coming out of camp, he’s gonna be here.”

Quote of the Day: J.J. Watt

Texans defensive end J.J. Watt gets the nod for Quote of the Day honors on Thursday (something I’m seriously considering making a regular feature on days the Texans have practice).

The question: How does Watt feel about the Texans having a bulls-eye on their back now after winning the AFC South last season?

The answer: “The bar has definitely been raised quite a bit. I was actually just talked to Bum Phillips (former Houston Oilers head coach, father of Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips) before practice. He told me how every team is going to be gunning for us now that we have the target on our back. I like that, personally. It’s good to have that pressure from other teams. One thing that he said, he said everybody is going to be bringing their A-game. I said, ‘Well we’re going to bring our A-game too.’ It’s not going to be a cakewalk for anyone who comes into Reliant.”

Position Competition: Kicker

Previous Position Competitions: OL (5/23) | WR (5/26)

The Texans’ kicker competition got going in earnest on Thursday, as rookie Randy Bullock and veteran Shayne Graham kicked in front of the team during practice for the first time.

Bullock, a fifth-round draft pick from Texas A&M, was 6-of-6 on field goals of up to 53 yards. Graham, a 12th-year veteran who was signed after the draft, was 4-of-6. Both kickers made their most important kicks of the day, 47-yard field goals to close out practice with a lot at stake for their teammates — and, by extension, for them.

“This time of year, we’re focusing on some other things, but we wanted them to kind of get their first taste and for the players to actually see them,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “They both kicked pretty good. We held ‘em ‘til the end and we gave ‘em a chance, if they did kick well, for the players to get the afternoon off from weights and meetings. Shayne kicked for the meeting portion and he made his, and then the youngster was up for the weights portion of the program and he made his. So the (rest of the team) got to leave after practice today, so I guess they did their job.”

Before Thursday, Bullock and Graham had been kicking solely on a side field with special teams coordinator Joe Marciano during organized team activities (OTAs). The competition will continue through the rest of OTAs, mini-camp and training camp.

“Obviously, we’ve got one kicker who’s kicked in the NFL for years and then you’ve got one who’s very, very young that we’re counting on big-time,” Kubiak said. “Joe has got to create a competitive environment for them every day, and then we’ve got to create a team environment that puts some pressure on them and so their teammates see that the best man wins the job.”

Bullock wowed the Texans in a pre-draft workout in Houston where he “put on a show” in front of all the team’s coaches and scouts. Kubiak was understandably happy to see the rookie light it up in his first performance in front of the team.

“I tell you: The thing that’s really impressive, he’s young, but he’s a very mature young man,” Kubiak said. “He’s kind of strong-willed, handles  himself very sharp, and if what he’s done since the workout before the draft, through the draft and since the draft has happened, if that’s what he’s about each and every day, he’s going to kick in this league for a long time. So we’re very pleased to get him.”

Second week of Texans OTAs in the books

Six practices down, four to go.

The Texans finished their second week of organized team activities (OTAs) on Thursday at the Methodist Training Center. They had three practices this week and three last week, and they’ll have four more next week from June 4-7.

“(We were) really good defensively today,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “I thought we ended the week (with) probably one of our best defensive practices. So that means it probably wasn’t very good offensively, but that’s good. We’ve got good competition going on and we’ve been good and healthy throughout this course of the first six days. We’ve got a lot of things to cover next week, but I’ve been pleased.”

Kubiak, who’s entering his seventh season with the Texans, has been especially impressed with the competition on both sides of the ball in OTAs.

“It’s the best I’ve seen,” he said. “We had a lot of new faces last year getting started in camp, so they’re (now) familiar with each other. They get on each other pretty good out here and they compete pretty good. That’s a sign of a good football team, when you’re going back and forth at each other all the time.”

The Texans started working with sub packages this week. They’ll install even more information next week as they prepare for a mandatory June 12-14 mini-camp.

“We’ve got a lot of teaching to do,” Kubiak said. “We’ve got a lot of things we want to cover: two-minute, red zone, a lot of stuff. Just want to get that covered, and hopefully I’m feeling good about the end of the week next week with everything that the veterans have done and then we’ll see where we’re at going into mini-camp.”

Quarterback Matt Schaub (foot), wide receiver Andre Johnson (knee), linebacker Darryl Sharpton (quad), punter Brett Hartmann (knee) and rookie nose tackle Hebron Fangupo (knee) did not practice this week. Kubiak expects Fangupo, who was injured on the first day of OTAs, to return on Monday. The other players are expected to be ready for training camp.

Dante, Bum, Giff…it was great to see you all at practice today. #LuvYaDeepSteelBlue

Zinc oxide #OnTheNose for @ShaunCody95 today at practice.

The newest jerseys on sale in the Go Texan Store! @ConnorBarwin98 @BrooksReed42 #BullsOnParade