**
Head Coach Bill O'Brien**
RB Alfred Blue
RB Andre Brown
OLB Jadeveon Clowney
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
CB Kareem Jackson
WR Andre Johnson
G/T Xavier Su'a-Filo
Head Coach Bill O'Brien
(on how Xavier Su'a-Filo is performing) "I believe that he is improved. I think it is hard for a rookie to come in on the interior of the offensive line and get used to that right away. You know, everybody is stronger, everybody is quicker. There is a guy there that has improved. He's played tackle, he's played guard and he's done some quarterback-center exchange in the pre practice. He's a guy that is doing a lot and is getting better every day."
(on the challenges for Xavier Su'a-Filo to learn all the different offensive line positions) "Great question. I think that the one thing that helps us with him is he is able to play center, so when you learn center, you really learn all the calls and the blocking assignments for the whole line because you are the captain of the ship along with the quarterback. That is a good thing for him. He's able to play right guard and left guard, and that is the same thing. A guy we don't talk about enough is Ben jones, who's had a really good offseason. Ben Jones has had a good training camp. He plays both guards and center spots. They're really bright guys, multiple guys and they're getting better every day."
(on how he feels about the thing discussed in the film session translating to the practice field) "I believe we got better today. The guys came out. We had a good meeting. Showed them like I told you guys the good and the not so good. I believe we came out and worked hard at trying to crack some of the mistakes and getting better at some of the things we're doing well. They were attentive and it wasn't always pretty, like practice usually is. Usually, practice isn't perfect. But you're striving for that perfection. We'll improve."
(on if he saw what he wanted to see after game and the meeting this morning) "Yes."
(on if Ryan Fitzpatrick is locked in as the starter) "Yes."
(on if Case Keenum and Tom Savage are still battling for the backup quarterback spot) "Yes."
(on how he felt the defensive line played) "I thought overall, I thought they played pretty well. I think we gave out about in the running game, I think it was less than 2.5 per carry – phone rings "that's my wife. She just got back. She's been on vacation. Kids start school tomorrow. I thought they, keep everything in perspective guys. Keep everything in perspective- but, no, I think the d-line played well. Like every position, they had their moments that weren't so good. I believe overall they played good assignment football in the running game. We were able to get some pressure on the quarterback. I thought overall that part of our defense played well."
(on if he expect Will Yeatman to practice this week) "He's doing better. He's doing better, but again, just like all the teams in the NFL and everybody involved in football, when it is a concussion, we make sure we follow all the protocol and bring him back when he is ready to be back. But he has definitely improved."
(on if he is still confident Arian Foster and Andre Johnson will play Saturday) "Yes. I've spoken to both those guys. They're doing better. It's a long season and our trainers are doing a great job with them. Seems like they've improved and hopefully they can do something this week."
(on if Jonathan Grimes and Alfred Blue being three-down backs helps them compete for job and if Grimes being ahead as a blocker has kept him ahead on the depth chart) "I think (Jonathan) Grimes' experience overall has probably, has him a little ahead of Alfred (Blue). But Alfred is a doing a good job for a guy that just got here. He's big, strong guy, he's smart; but Grimes probably overall because of the experience makes less mistakes than Blue. But it's not like Blue makes a ton of mistakes. It's just that Jonathan is a smart player."
(on where things stand with Andre Brown) "He's battling out there. He's out there. He got some reps today. I mean, he's out there. He's involved with special teams and things like that. But that is a challenging position. It's a competitive positon. Like I said the other night, in the game, you know, we only ran 48 plays, so it was hard to get everybody in."
(on if C.J. Fiedorowicz has performed as well as he expected he would this early) "I've been happy with C.J. (Fiedorowicz). I think he's played well. I think that position overall has improved, but kind of like in the same vein of (Xavier) Su'a-Filo, I think both those guys have come in at positions that aren't easy to learn in the NFL and improved every day."
(on Chris Clemons and how he is fairing in the safety competition) "That's similar to the running back spot. You've got a very competitive spot there with (Kendrick) Lewis and (D.J.) Swearinger and (Chris) Clemons and (Eddie) Pleasant and Shiloh (Keo), you know, that is a very competitive spot."
(on if A.J. Bouye showed anything to give him more reps with the first team) "You know, A.J. (Bouye) is really a guy that does a lot of different things for us. He's on all the special teams. He's been an improving player. It means a lot to him. He's been out there every day. He's getting better and better. If he keeps going the way he's going, he'll play a lot of football for us."
(on aside from Jadeveon Clowney and Brooks Reed, where the team is at outside linebacker) "Those guys are all, you know, all these guys are similar because those are very competitive positions. You know, you've got the two guys you just mentioned and you've got Whitney Mercilus and Jason Ankrah, who's played well for a rookie, you've got Quinton Groves, you've got (Lawrence) Sidbury in there, so you've got a lot of guys battling for playing time there. So that'll be something just like all of these positions, we'll let them play out. I think you guys are asking me for to like give you kind of a depth chart and that is not going to happen. (J.J.) Watt is a starter. I can tell you that."
(on an update to Jay Prosch) "He's doing better. A lot of that, you know, is similar. We've got to bring him back when the wound is healed basically. That is what we are kind of waiting on with him, but he's close."
(on if the practices Atlanta and Denver will help better the team in the regular season) "I think it is good when you don't have, before the new CBA came out in 2011 you had a little bit more time in the offseason and in training camp to develop your whole team, to develop your younger players. These are good, really good practice sessions for us to be able to get ahead on some of those things that maybe we're not ahead on. Being able to go against another team situationally, get our younger players some more reps, things like that. Anytime you bring another team in or you go visit another team like we're doing with Denver, it really adds to the competitiveness and I believe it will improve our team."
(on an updated depth chart) "(Laughs). It's only August 12 or something."
(on if there will be full contact or scrimmages in the practices with Atlanta) "No, it will be thud. Yeah, there might be something that is short yardage or goal line situation that maybe you would, he and I would decide we'll go live here because it's on the one-yard line or something. More than likely it will all be thud."
(on the strengths of Akeem Dent) "Yeah, he's an experienced player. Good special teams player, good speed, good team guy, very smart player. A guy from what I've seen so far, he hasn't been out there every day because he is dealing with an injury issue, which isn't serious, but he just got back out there today; but I believe he is an instinctive player from what I saw on film in Atlanta and looking forward to watching him play here as we move forward."
RB Alfred Blue
(on how the first pre-season game felt) "It felt good; I had a lot of mental errors I've got to clean up. I've just got to come to practice and be aware of what's going on and pay attention to detail really."
(on being complimented by Coach O'Brien and thoughts on ball-carrying in first game) "I feel pretty good about the way that I was running. I owe it to the O-line though, they made some great blocks and they opened it up pretty well for me, so they made it kind of easy on me."
(on struggling on receiving end of game) "Mentally, I've just got to stay focused out there, staying focused and not being so fast at turning around and taking my eyes off of the ball. It's just for me, focusing on catching the ball first, and then trying to react to a defender."
(on the shock of winning at LSU compared to losing with the Texans) "At first, I was kind of nervous until I started getting a few reps out there and then I started calming down and just played football. I've been playing football for a long time, so once you get into the game of it, you just have to calm down and just play the game."
(on being surprised by the sloppiness of the game) "No, not really, it was football. I understood that there was going to be mistakes out there, it was the first pre-season game, so there's a lot of stuff we've got to clean up."
(on having a different mindset in the NFL) "You've just got to attack it the same way really. It's a game, you've just got to treat it as a game, trust the game plan the coaches put together, and go out and execute."
(on aspects of game that need improvement) "Catching the ball, running better routes out there, being more patient in the running game, and letting the play develop a little bit more."
(on picking up blitzes) "I only had one blitz pick-up, but I think I did pretty well with that one blitz that came my way."
(on learning how to properly pick up blitzes) "It's just, going out here and paying attention to details when other backs are in, getting mental reps, watching a lot of film, getting with the running back coach and asking him a lot of questions and getting him to show you different stuff, stuff that other defenses do, and really just being more mindful of what is going on, on a third down and knowing that a blitz may come."
(on how blitzes meeting expectations) "Yeah, the coaches prepared me well and just like they said it was going to come, it came."
(on how disappointed the offense is on the performance as a whole) "We're disappointed that we lost and we didn't get into the end zone, but as an offense, we understand that mistakes are going to come and that we've just got to build from there and we've just got to learn from our mistakes and get better."
(on opportunities received early on in camp) "I think it's a great opportunity right now as a young player, to get a lot of reps and just get out there and get your feet wet right now early on."
RB Andre Brown
(on how tough it was not getting into the game Saturday) "You know, it is what it is. I guess we'll figure out just like coach (Bill O'Brien) answered it."
(on how he looks at his situation right now) "You know, take it one day at a time. Whatever happens, happens. You know, I'm going to go out here, continue to get better, continue to be out here supporting my team and being a great teammate. That is all I can control and that is what it is going to be."
(on his ability to survive in the league and if it helps him deal with his current situation) "I mean, the way I'm looking at it we're sitting there and learning and letting the guys get reps. Whatever happens, happens. That is how I'm looking at it."
(on how it is important to get some time sooner) "Whatever happens, happens, man. I'm not even going to sit here and stress or anything. You throw me out there, I'll show what I am capable of doing and that's it."
(on if he is shown he is capable of cracking the rotation) "I feel as though, but, you know, it is what it is."
(on if he liked the tempo of practice after Saturday's loss) "After a game, you know, you go back and you look at the film. You know, you make your corrections and help the guys see what they did wrong and attention to the details and stuff like that. And you go back, you learn at it, you come back out there, you back to it, put it behind you and you look forward to the next week. Being a professional, that is what you are supposed to do."
OLB Jadeveon Clowney
(on how he felt in his first NFL game) "It was good being out there with my teammates, just getting that experience for the first time being able to play in an NFL game."
(on the speed of the game) "It was alright. It didn't get to me. I just have to do my job out there, if I do my job and I don't make the little mental mistakes I'd probably have had a better game."
(on if he played on athleticism and instinct since there wasn't a lot of game planning for this game) "It was very fun just to get out there and play. It was fun. It's something you dream about. I got out there for the first time. I had a little bit of nerves at first and then I got out there and had fun."
(on when the nerves went away) "After the first play."
(on if he thought it was less fun for the backup tight end he had to go against) "I got nothing to do with that. I'm just out there trying to do my job, do what I have to do and handle my assignment and set the edge, guard whoever I have to guard."
(on working on his pass coverage) "I'm working on that every day. It takes time. Come in early, come out here early, working on it with my coach, individual drills and working on his drops.
(on if he is confident he can improve in pass coverage) "I'm confident about it. It's just something I have to work on and get better at week-by-week and day-by-day."
(on his mind set out on the field) "Just play. Have fun and play. Try not to make too many mistakes. I just want to have fun and go fast."
(on what happened on the play when he got beat in pass coverage) "Stop looking back. If you look back at the quarterback the ball is going to the guy while you're looking back. You have to keep your eyes on your guy and just run with him."
(on what the issue was on the wheel-route that he got beat on) "I shouldn't have been looking back. It's slowing me down. It was a mistake I made and I just have to get better at it."
(on lining up next to J.J. Watt) "They just flip him sometimes. Sometimes he's lined up on the right side, sometimes he ends up on my side and it just worked out for us that play."
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick
(on what the film showed) "It was, again, a disappointing performance. I thought we ran the ball well and did some good things up front, but a lot of things, the pass game starts with me, in terms of stuff we can get better at, but that's the best way to do it, come out today, get a good practice in, get some sweat, and competitive plays out here on the field."
(on the unfamiliarity with plays in the first preseason game) "The good thing about it is it was the first preseason game, so we'll sit there and learn from it, but we've already moved on, moved forward, we made some corrections in our walkthroughs, and we're looking forward to the next one now."
(on being surprised by poor performance) "You never with the preseason, how it's going to go, especially the first time out or anything, but we would have hoped to have a better showing."
(on taking a step forward by bringing tape lessons onto field today in practice) "Yeah, it was a good day to slow it down and to look at what we did wrong and why and really get to those answers to those questions and move on from it. This whole thing is a work in progress; it's a process where we're kind of moving along and we'll continue to get better and hopefully that shows leading up to the season."
(on if a tough game like that plays with his confidence) "No I don't think you can let it play with your confidence at all. You've just got to take it for what it was, learn from it, and move on. For me, that's what I'm going to do. It was the first one, I'm disappointed, but we already moved on and we're out here practicing, trying to get better."
(on easy fixes) "Yeah, there's plenty of stuff to look at, but plenty of stuff we can do better."
(on practice this week against the Falcons) "It'll be good. I think we're excited for it, excited to get some fresh faces in here and go against a different team, a different scheme. I think it will help us that much more, in terms of breaking up the monotony at camp and getting after each other."
(on never having practiced against another team in preseason) "You know what, I've never done it. This will be the first time, so I'm looking forward to it."
(on issues executing offense) "Yeah, I think a lot of it was just first preseason stuff, but we're not going to sit here and make excuses about it. I think, we'll just continue to try to get better moving forward."
(on game-like situations in practices being beneficial) "It was a good thinking day, in terms of all of those situations and some stuff we hadn't done or talked about yet that we went ahead and put in. Those are always good days for a good quarterback, not only for me to start thinking about that stuff, but to get on the same page as Coach O'Brien."
CB Kareem Jackson
(on mood after the game) "My mood didn't change any. It's a simple fact: we didn't do what we've been working on all camp. Defensively, we didn't get off of the field on third down, we made some fundamental errors, and we didn't execute."
(on mistakes being more mental than physical) "I think more mental and somewhat physical, but that's just all what it boils down to. We've just got to go out and do what we've been practicing all week."
(on the rule changes affecting a defensive backs' game) "No, as a player, you've just got to go out and play, you can't think about the rules every play. You've just got to go and play, if they're going to throw the flags, they're going to throw them. You can't sit and think about that every play and not put your hands on receivers. You just have to go out and play."
(on mental errors in the secondary) "We've only had one preseason game. It's not like we're in the middle of the season. That's what the preseason is for, to get all of the kinks out. Unfortunately, we had a bit more than we would have liked to have had, but today we're back at it, ironing things out and working to get better, so at the end of the day, that's what we've got to do."
(on if what they saw on film was as bad as it seemed in person) "Anytime you lose 30-to-nothing is bad, it's bad, but at the end of the day, it's all things that we did the wrong way, wrong steps, communication, not communicating, all things that can be fixed. We're looking at it. If its things that are self-imposed and we can fix it, that's the only plus that I see."
WR Andre Johnson
(on how eager he is to be in pads and play in a game) "You know I'm just taking it one day at a time so we'll see what happens."
(on how important it is to him to get playing time in a preseason game) "It's always important. I mean, you always want to get out there and get some game experience before you go into the regular season so I'm sure I'll get plenty of game experience before the regular season comes. I'm not worried about that."
(on when he thinks he'll play in a game) "We'll see what happens."
(on what he thought of the first preseason game) "In any game you want to win and go out and have a great performance as a team and we've just got to fix the mistakes that were made and get better from it."
(on how his injury is doing) "I'm feeling fine and like I said, I'm just working every day, taking it one day at a time so I'm feeling better day-by-day."
(on when he thinks he will be ready to play in a game) "I'm just taking it day-by-day. I'm feeling better, so we'll see what happens."
(on what he thinks of the quarterbacks so far) "It's training camp, preseason. You'd like to see everybody go out and play a perfect game but that's not going to happen. There's going to be time where you struggle and things like that and we just didn't have a good showing as a team Saturday night. Only thing we can do is bounce back from it. So right now, like I said, you always want to win but the great thing about these games is they don't count. Even though they don't count you still want to win them and you want to go out and show a great performance but that just didn't happen on Saturday."
G/T Xavier Su'a-Filo
(on what coaches said they liked that he did and didn't like) "We haven't really talked about it yet but there are some good and bad things. I think overall we wish the outcome would have been different but I can only control what I do and make sure I'm doing my job for the offensive line and for the offense, so that's about it."
(on what he would like to improve going into this week) "Keying in on specific details just making sure I'm that much more focused and tuned in on each play. In the NFL, there are a lot of different things that you can't get away with in the league and people catch you or body language looks different kind of things that you really have to be in tune because it's the NFL and good players want to play against good people."
(on when he realized he could play in the NFL) "Yeah, it was awesome. I really just tried to come out and treat it like another day of practice but obviously it was a game and got to go execute. I just wanted to try to execute the best that I could and earn the respect of my teammates."
(on if anything surprised him in his first game) "Not too bad, man. I think we do a pretty good job here in practice trying to play as far as the tempo goes like it would be in the game. Really just it was a learning experience for me first game and I was excited to get on film and learn exactly what I need to do to get better."
(on if practice today was the kind of practice they needed after the game) "I'm not sure. I think so. Just come outside, whatever Coach O'Brien has planned for practice we're going to do and going to try to execute to our best. He's the head coach, he's in charge, and I believe he knows what's best for our team."
