Getting to know the 2011 Texans, 10 questions at a time.
Quarterback T.J. Yates (6-4, 220) was selected by the Texans in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft out of North Carolina.
A native of Marietta, Ga., Yates answered 10 questions for HoustonTexans.com after practice on Saturday morning.
1. How is training camp going so far?
"It's going good. Learning fast, you know, kind of getting thrown into the fire. With all us rookies not having any OTAs or mini camps, stuff like that, we're learning quick, but we're having fun."
2. What are you most excited about this season playing for the Texans?
"Just to get a chance for myself to play in the preseason games and kind of prove myself. I know all of the other rookies are getting chances to prove themselves in front of everybody and just try to make that 53-man roster."
3. What has it been like going from being a four-year starter at North Carolina to being a third-string rookie?
"It's definitely a lot different. You're used to getting all of the reps in practice and getting all of the timing down with your receivers and everything, and when you're number three, you don't get many reps at all in practice and you gotta get a lot of mental reps just so you make sure you're doing the right thing with your footwork and your throws when you get out there."
4. Who have you been hanging out with the most during training camp?
"I've been hanging out with the quarterbacks. I'm with them so much for meetings and stuff. We like to hang out whenever we get a chance, and a lot of the other rookies – Lestar Jean, Jeff Maehl. We usually walk out to practice every day; we've got our lockers right next to each other. And a lot of my draft class, too; the guys that I came here with that were all drafted."
5. What do you like most about Houston?
"These fans are great. Every single day they come out here, even if it's a Tuesday or Monday during the afternoon, they're out here in full force supporting us, so it's really cool to see the fan support."
6. What's your favorite TV show?
"'Swamp People', where they hunt the alligators. I don't know, it's just kind of funny. It's entertaining."
7. What was the first car you had growing up?
"A silver Pontiac Grand Prix."
8. What are your hobbies off the field?
"I like to play a lot of golf. I try to stay active as much as I can when I'm not playing football. I play a lot of golf and do a lot of leisure things."
9. What's the main thing that quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp has been working on with you?
"Footwork. Progressions, all of our reads and the passing game are all tied into the footwork, and it's a lot different from what I was coached in college. So that's the main thing I've been trying to get down because it's helping me out making my reads, and making my throws better. "
10. How helpful has it been that the offense here is similar to the one you ran at North Carolina?
"It's helped the transition a lot with the verbage and stuff. Getting the formations down, a lot of those were the same, but it's just helped with a quick transition because we got our playbooks a little less than two weeks ago."
