Reading the coverage of the Houston Texans...
Texans owner Bob McNair has said multiple times that he has a zero-tolerance policy for domestic violence with the players on his team. That's why the subject of Ray Rice, who was caught on video punching the woman who is now his wife, is a non-starter in the conversation about how the Texans will handle their running back position. Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle says the Texans should at least bring Rice in for a workout. He writes: "The Moral High Ground is a fascinating place. It can be a mountain or a molehill, depending on the day of the week, and it is almost always crowded with horrendous traffic, thanks to so many passing through."
Peter King of The MMQB gives a preview of tonight's premiere episode of Hard Knocks with an anecdote about J.J. Watt: "The first show, in fact, will have the rarest of events: a mistake by Watt, highlighted by coach Bill O’Brien in front of the team. Before a practice, Watt, miked, tells a teammate: “Ever since O-B got here, he’s been trying to get me to jump offsides. And I haven’t jumped offsides one time. Not one single time. He talks to me about it all the time.” So they go out to practice one day, and O’Brien sing-songs to Watt, “We’re gonna get you!” And Watt, too aggressive in anticipating the snap from center, jumps offside. The offense is jubilant. O’Brien tells Watt to take a lap -- the customary penalty for jumping offside. Then, NFL Films cameras show Watt, post-practice, working alone as the sun goes down on his swim moves past the offensive-lineman dummy."
The Texans didn't get what they wanted out of the tight end position last season. Garrett Graham talks with the Chronicle's Dale Robertson about the group's improvement goals this season.
Alfred Blue's role has become a very important one for the Texans with the loss of Arian Foster for some time. John Harris of HoustonTexans.com breaks down a play from last season, when Blue took over for Foster against the Cleveland Browns, to illustrate his vision, burst and power: "All are hallmarks of successful big backs in the NFL and Blue flashed all of those attributes on one of his 36 carries in Cleveland on that day. Coaches often say that the biggest leap forward in a player’s advancement is from year one to year two. Blue showed what a versatile weapon he can be, but without Foster for some time, he’s got to be an even more accomplished runner in this offense. Looking back at a run like this, it’s evident that he can be just that in the future."
