Unsatisfied with his rookie season, left tackle Duane Brown arrived at offseason workouts 15 pounds lighter than when he reported to training camp last year.
Left tackle Duane Brown checked in at a slender 313 pounds last week when he arrived at Reliant Stadium for the Texans' offseason conditioning program. Brown, who spent the offseason in his home state of Virginia, has dropped 15 pounds since he reported overweight to training camp as a 328-pound rookie last year.
We caught up with the 2008 first-round draft pick to find out how – and why – he trimmed down this offseason.
1. Chester Pitts said last week that he thinks you might be lighter than him now. What targeted weight do the coaches have for you?
"Yeah, I think I am a little bit (lighter). The coaches want me as close to 310 as possible – I guess somewhere between 310 and 315. My senior year in college, I was around 310, so I guess they felt like I'd be most effective at that weight. Based on my performance last year, I felt like I'd be more comfortable around that weight also."
2. Did you feel a lot more comfortable when you started to lose weight in the second half of the season last year?"Oh, yeah, definitely. I played the first half of the season in the low 320s, the second half in the high teens. That first half of the season was rough for me – first with training camp and then just going against those faster (defensive ends). I'd never carried that much weight before, so my body really wasn't used to it, and it showed."
3. What motivated you to get in better shape?
"Well, one thing that they did last year when I was overweight was alternated me and Ephraim Salaam, and that gave me a chance to get my breath and everything and prepare for the later quarters. And now that Ephraim's gone, I know that they're counting on me to be able to go through the whole season without having any setbacks and I just wanted to show that I was dedicated to coming in and being in the best shape I could be in.
"I just tried to eat right in the offseason, work out as much as I could and just maintain where I was."
{QUOTE}4. Did you hold yourself to a strict diet this offseason?"No. To be honest, I didn't. I cheated some days. I just tried to stay away from fast food and just not eat as many carbs as I was before. That was the big thing with me was not eating a lot of bread and starches and stuff like that."
5. What kind of workouts did you do?"Nothing too strenuous. Just trying to tone up, just some little things on my own. And I just ran, played a lot of basketball. That's really one of my favorite pastimes, and that's what's kept me in shape most of my life, really, besides football."
6. How much do you think being light on your feet will help you this season?"It's going to help out tremendously. All my life, I've been really light on my feet no matter how much weight I've gained, and when I came into camp overweight, it just wasn't the same. Me being back down to where I feel more comfortable, I think that can help my career out and benefit me a lot.
"Playing left tackle, in pass protection, quickness is everything. Going against some of the smaller, faster guys, you have to be able to mirror them as much as possible. Me being light on my feet will give me that edge that I need."
7. Have the coaches said anything to you about the new, slender look?"Yeah, everyone I've seen has made a comment that I look a little leaner. I just don't want to sacrifice my strength. That was something I was worried about when I came back was being a little bit weaker than I was before, but (strength and conditioning coach) Ray (Wright) has a great program and I've really dedicated myself toward it so far and it's showing fast.
"But all the coaches have commented about it, and they feel good about it. I think that was something they were worried about, too, was me maybe coming back the way I came in last year. This is a great step forward for me."
8. How important is it to you to make a big jump in your second season?
"It's very important to me. Everyone I've talked to has said, 'I made my biggest jump from the first year to the second year,' and I'm trying to do the same thing. To be honest, I wasn't satisfied with my performance last year. I felt I could have done a lot better. And I'm looking forward to this year – the challenges that lie ahead, the same opponents. I've got a few different guys, but for the most part, I've got the same people. I know what to expect, and it's just all about how I prepare myself from here out, I think."
9. You mentioned not wanting to sacrifice your strength. Do you think it'll be tough to add strength and not put on more weight?
"No, I don't think so, because I'm in a position now where I can maintain my weight and get as strong as possible, whereas last year I was trying to lose weight and still keep my strength. So as long as I can keep a strict diet and still keep to the workout that they've got for us, I think I'll be fine. I felt a little bit weaker last week, but I feel two or three times better than I did last week already as far as strength. I don't think that'll be a problem at all."
10. The entire offensive line is coming back next season. How much confidence does that give you – individually and as a group – heading into next year?
"It's going to be big for us. It's a real tight-knit group of guys, and I love every one of them. They all helped me out tremendously last year, and I tried to help them out as much as I could. Us having those 17 weeks under our belt together gave us the chemistry that you need to be a successful offensive line, and that's what it's all about, knowing what each other are going to do on different plays and just communicating.
"Now that we've got that first season together, the sky's the limit for us. We're out there every day working out, with the coaches, getting back into the groove of things, and I'm expecting big things from myself as well as the offensive line."
