With the season premiere of "Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Houston Texans" just over a week away, HBO is hosting Monday night's practice with the Texans. The Texans will have their first evening practice in over four years on Monday night. It will also be the team's first practice in full pads of the 2015 training camp. HBO and NFL Films have been at NRG Stadium filming meetings, practices, and even visiting the hometowns of several players.
NFL Films producer and "Hard Knocks" Director Matt Dissinger gave some insight to his early impressions of what the crew has filmed so far in an exclusive interview with Texans Radio.
On Bill O'Brien:
"I think the first thing that jumps out at you is Coach O'Brien. With his personality, I think he's a great motivator. He's a good leader.
"We found him to have a great sense of humor. I think a national audience will learn what Texans fans probably already know about him, and what Texans media members know about him. He's got a sharp wit. That's going to be great. It's going to be great to see for us. But beyond that, he's a good football coach."
On J.J. Watt:
"There's nothing really like J.J. Watt that I've seen at training camp. I mean, every team has their superstars but none have been as engaging as J.J. You see it at practice. It's exhausting to watch how much he puts himself out there with his fans. It seems like he signs every autograph. The field will be clear of people and he will still be out there. Shoot, when he runs from Field 1 to Field 2 and I have my back turned, I will hear the crowd cheer and I'll be like, 'Oh, J.J. must've just run from Field 1 to Field 2.'"
On Texans fans:
"The fan base here is really rabid. We had a guy one night say, 'Hey Matt, just want to let you know, it's five in the afternoon and there are people lining up for tomorrow's 8 a.m. practice already.' It's awesome to see. It's certainly a good football environment down here. It's definitely one of the best we have been around for sure."
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Houston Texans debuts its five-episode season on HBO on August 11 at 9 p.m. CST.
