All-Pro left tackle Duane Brown earned himself some extra rest after making a valiant effort on a play during Wednesday's training camp.
On a play near the end of practice, Kareem Jackson intercepted a pass and was pursued by Brown for the length of the field. Following the play, Brown left the practice field in a golf cart at the suggestion of head coach Bill O'Brien.
"I think he chased K-Jack (Kareem Jackson) about 95 yards, 100 yards, and 322 pounds," O'Brien said Wednesday. "You know, that was a hell of an effort by Duane Brown. He's another guy that I probably don't talk about enough. He means a lot to this football team, great teammate, really good person, tough guy, fun guy to coach, really puts the team first. He left it out on the field on that one. We just told him to take it in and maybe get in the air conditioning a little sooner than the rest of them."
Usually, it's the rookies and depth chart players that need to prove themselves in camp, not seven-year veterans like Brown. The effort doesn't go unnoticed by O'Brien. He uses examples like these to inspire younger players.
"It is something I did in the team meeting the other night was to point out things like that," O'Brien said. "The other day you had Andre Johnson laying out for a post pattern down the middle of the field. You had J.J. Watt chasing a screen 65 yards down the field. You've got Duane Brown chasing the interception; he chased another one yesterday with D.J. Swearinger. And there are other guys. Chris Myers is working hard. The receivers are working hard. The DBs, Johnathan Joseph made some really nice plays today, which was really good to see. Shane Lechler, 37 years old, came in here and passed a conditioning test.
"All those types of things are important for young players and really important for our team."
Players have the day off on Thursday and will resume two-a-day practices on Friday. Roster cuts will begin on Tuesday, August 26 when the Texans trim down to 75 players.
