RICHMOND, Va. -- Reading the coverage of the Houston Texans ...
J.J. Watt isn't just a big deal in Texas. He's a big deal in Richmond too, writes Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post:
“J.J. Watt!” shouted an eager voice, as the play was blown dead.
That voice belonged to Josh Clements, age 11 and a half. He’s a Steelers fan. “But I like J.J. Watt,” he explained.
Young Josh wasn’t alone. There was Danielle Kitchen, a Cowboys fan who came to Richmond to root for Watt. And Allison Barbour, raised by a Miami fan, who converted to the Texans after watching Watt terrorize the Dolphins. And Mindi Maphis, who said “I love the Redskins, but I came here to see J.J. Watt.”
We'll continue today with HoustonTexans.com's John Harris's daily observations. He offered 25 from yesterday's practice, including these two about the Texans' quarterbacks:
14. Late in the practice, down on the goal line, Hoyer threw an absolute gem to DeAndre Hopkins. After Alfred Blue’s strong run to the two yard line, Hoyer lobbed the fade to D Hop in a perfect spot for the touchdown. The offensive players all ran down to congratulate the third year receiver again, as they did when he made the one hand snag back in Houston a few days ago.
15. Mallett then got his goal line reps with the twos. Something wasn’t quite right on the first rep as two Texans pass catchers ended in the same area. But, on the next rep, Mallett worked up in the pocket and threw a laser to rookie tight end Khari Lee for a TD. Then, Big Tex got out the six shooters and fired. Of course, it was subtle, but fitting because he smoked that ball to Lee and then brought them out. I loved it.
Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins had a fairly chippy day, and that received the admiration of at least one of his teammates, writes Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. "I love it," quarterback Ryan Mallett said. "You’ve got to love a receiver that’s got that ‘go and get it’ mentality."
