It's Rosetta Stone-time in the Texans' quarterback room.
With a brand-new offense being installed by head coach Bill O'Brien, the Houston signal-callers are all having to learn an unfamiliar system. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum and T.J. Yates have all started in the NFL, and according to Keenum, it's like learning Italian or German or Mandarin.
"We're speaking a different language and you'll hear a different cadence and you'll hear a different lot of things," Keenum said. "It's a system that's been proven to work and I know us quarterbacks are all really
excited learning it and the entire offense is, too."
With the start of offseason workouts last week, the Texans have also been able to check out the playbooks and meet for limited amounts of time with the new coaching staff. Keenum, who started eight games in 2013 and threw for 1,760 yards, said the squad is rejuvenated by the change. They're also eager to get better, and the different scheme might go a long way toward making that a reality.
"We're talking about it in the weight room and on the practice field and just chewing it up," Keenum said. "We're hungry for it."
Keenum described it as "a system that has proven to work", and that learning the nuances of it has been a point of emphasis.
With the addition of Fitzpatrick, who started 77 games in nine NFL seasons, Keenum and Yates are again forced to compete for a starting job. At the NFL Annual Meetings O'Brien said the Texans will draft a quarterback, so the Keenum and Yates will likely duke it out for a roster spot. That's nothing new for the former Houston Cougar, and he said his experience in 2013 has him "light years" ahead of where he was this time last year.
"Any experience you get in the NFL is priceless, especially at quarterback," Keenum said. "The eight games that I have as experience are priceless for me as far as what I learned last year and what I've learned throughout the offseason of just how to operate during the season and how to deal with different stresses or pressures that you could say quote end quote come up."
Keenum and company continue to work out, and the first OTA is May 27.
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