There was a dramatic difference between the first day in pads in 2016, and the one last year.
On Tuesday at the Houston Methodist Training Center, defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel was no doubt more pleased with how his squad performed, in contrast to the first day of pads in 2015.
"Defense, we did a darn good job starting off the day with pads on the first day," linebacker Whitney
Mercilus said. "Last year it wasn't too good. Romeo, he was pretty happy about that. So we've got to be able to continue that throughout camp."
Cornerback Kareem Jackson was glad to put the pads back on, comparing it to a unique life experience.
"It's kind of like getting that first kiss when you're a kid," Jackson said. "It's a lot of fun. I think every guy in that locker room definitely loves the game."
Head coach Bill O'Brien pinpointed another difference between a practice with pads and without pads.
"We run the ball," O'Brien said. "I mean, we just threw 6,000 passes since OTAs started. So now we ran the ball most of the time. You run the ball in pads. We're behind in the running game on both sides and we'll just continue to get better at that."
O'Brien and the Texans will return to work on Wednesday, but due to a scheduling change, tomorrow's practice is now closed to the public. Fans who have tickets to tomorrow's practice may redeem them on one of the following four dates: 8/4, 8/6, 8/7 or 8/18.
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Take a look at the best photos from #TexansCamp Day 3.
