1. Oceanic Depth at Receiver
John Harris and I do a 'Hot Takes' segment on Texans Radio where we measure how many 'sizzle fire' emojis a certain take will get. Five sizzle fires means it's outrageous. One means it's probably true and everyone would agree. Well, my hot take for the WR group is that the Texans have enough good receivers for two NFL teams!
Think about it. If you had Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Ben Skowronek, John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson on one squad and put Stefon Diggs, Robert Woods, Noah Brown and Steven Sims on another - and distributed the rest of the talent evenly – you could do it.
I think that take is only worth about two sizzle fires because it's so plausible. We're just getting started but this group is loaded with skill and versatility and is so enjoyable to watch.
2. C.J. Stroud – Year 1 to 2
Look, I'm no Harris Hits writer. But I know what I'm looking at. Last year, I examined every Stroud throw like it was a Super Bowl play. I was looking for all and any signs of how he might be as a starter. Remember when he was splitting first team reps with Davis Mills?
Let's take you to Year 2. He's one of the best signal-callers in the league. He made a couple of throws on Saturday where the ball sliced through tiny windows and velcroed itself to the receiver. I wanted to interrupt practice and yell "Is it September yet?"
By the way, Mills is looking good too. It's year four for him and he's practicing like a polished veteran.
3. Expectations
About last season, Woods told me, on Texans Radio, "It was a great year for what it was, with a rookie quarterback and rookie head coach." He went on to describe the campaign as what the Texans should consider as 'average.' "I think everybody in this building knows that."
He brings up a great point. Think about it. Woods is a Super Bowl champion. If the Texans are going to consistently be an elite team, the finish they had last year should be considered 'not enough.'
"Everybody was able to focus and hone in on building the team even better for this training camp, knowing what we're capable of and trying to take that to the next level."
4. The Vibe
There's no doubt the Texans have had great coaches and players here before. But I'm here to tell you that in Training Camp #23, the vibe, the attitude and environment is as good as it's ever been. Maybe the best.
I think it all starts at the top. There was a moment on Saturday where the heat was finally ratcheting up. It was the final team period and the energy needed to be sustained. The head coach was on the line of scrimmage, between the offense and defense, literally jumping up and down, getting the squad fired up.
It got ME fired up.
5. Record Setting Weather
The temperature increase on Saturday was all my fault. I jinxed us by discussing how we might have three 'cool' days before the first day off. But this is still a record. Friday was delightful. And on the first day, I was almost chilly, with the light rain and breeze. That has NEVER happened at a camp in Houston before.
In any case, here we are, off and running. There are seven weeks until opening day and a ton to do. We'll be here for all of it. Join us on Texans Radio, every weekday morning from 8-10am, through the Hall of Fame game and every night at 6 until the end of time. Plus, all the shows are posted in podcast form right here.
