The Texans selected cornerback Brice McCain out of Utah in the sixth round, then wrapped up their 2009 class with Mike Nolan of ASU in the seventh round. After they were drafted, McCain and Nolan spoke to members of the Houston media via conference call.
CB Brice McCain
(on if he is excited to play for a Texas team) "Yeah, I am. It's more than excitement; I can't describe it for you. I've been wanting to play in the NFL since I was five years old. I always told my mom I was going to play in the NFL, so all of my dreams are coming true."
(on how it feels to grow up in Dallas and play for a Houston team) "It's really good for me because it's not too far and its not too close from my family. I'm in a great location. I've only been to Houston once; it was for my visit. I'm very glad to come back to Houston because I've only been to Houston once in my whole life."
(on what he feels he can bring to the Texans) "I'm going to come in Thursday and compete for a job. Special teams, anything, catch kicks, run down on kick off, punt return, anything. I'm going to bring hard work and competiveness. I'm going to come to practice every day and do my best every day."
(on how his speed could help him play CB) "I ran a 4-2-4, my first one was a 4-3-3 so I have speed. Speed helps me out so much because a lot of receivers run full speed. I can run half speed and break faster than them because you break faster when you're not running so fast. My speed is a great thing; I'm quick. I've got a good advantage. God blessed me with speed and I'm very grateful for that."
(on if he is concerned about the Texans' lack of a winning record) "No I don't think about that at all. I think Texans took a big leap last year and made a lot of improvement. They are one of my favorite teams coming up. I love [WR] Andre Johnson, and watching him. I love the defense. I've never dreamed of playing for the Houston Texans, and now that dream has become a reality."
(on if his dream was to play for the Dallas Cowboys) "I didn't care really. I grew up with Dallas, Houston; I'm a Texas man, period. My grandpa was a big Dallas fan. I've been surrounded by Dallas my whole life. I love football so much that it didn't really matter what team I went to, but I'm very grateful that I went to Houston, close to my home."
(on if he thinks he can fit in right away as a starter) "Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm smart; I catch on fast. I'm good with my surroundings. If I see a player in front of me who has something good, I'm going to go talk to him. I'm going to wait for him to get done. I'm going to get done every day, I can get that. Every day, I get smarter; I pay attention to details. I can't wait. I'm going to compete every day because that's our job."
S Mike Nolan
(on his thoughts on being drafted late by the Texans) "I got chosen pretty late, but that's OK. It's a great opportunity. The coaches seemed like they liked me when I talked to them on the phone. I'm just excited to get out there, get done, get to something new and help the team out, just play and do what I can."
(on what he brings to the team attitude- and skill-wise) "Skill-wise, I'm a ball-hawking safety. I like to get to the ball and I like to make plays on the ball and I get out there and make hits. I can bring all of that to the team skill-wise, and attitude-wise, I was a leader in college. I can bring my leadership qualities to the table and see where it takes us."
(on his chances of starting this season) "I don't know about that right now, but I know I'm coming in to compete and try to get a starting spot and do everything I can. I believe that. I'm going to do my best to get a starting spot, get out there and compete with everybody."
