After Tuesday's practice at the Methodist Training Center, head coach Gary Kubiak and some of the Texans answered questions from the media. The following is a transcript of their respective interviews.
Head Coach Gary KubiakTE Owen DanielsILB Bradie JamesFS Danieal ManningDE J.J. Watt
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Head Coach Gary Kubiak
(on how the team looked today) "It was good. We probably had too much time off, everybody probably did. We were a little slower than we were last week, but once we got going, I thought we had some good work. We're just trying to do more and more and throw more at them. We had some young receivers step up and make some plays today, so it was pretty good. We've got three days to get better this week and one is down."
(on if he thinks they will be active in pursuing more veterans to add to the team) "Rick (Smith) and I talk about it all the time. June 1 is a time in this League when there are some veterans that get let go. There are still some quality free agents out there. We're going to stay focused on the guys we've got right now, but we're in constant conversation about how we might be able to help ourselves before we get to July."
(on the absence of WR Dwight Jones) "Dwight (Jones) struggled a little bit today. The young man had a lot of information thrown at him today, so we'll talk to him this afternoon and see where we're at. That's why he's not here, but he's okay."
(on if he has shuffled the receivers at all) "We started working some substitution packages today so (DeVier) Posey worked as a starter today with the first set of three-wides. I think Juaquin (Iglesias) is doing some good stuff. We moved him up a little bit. Trindon (Holliday) continues to do better things this year than he has in the past so he's getting more reps. We'll just make it competitive and see how they do day-to-day, week-to-week and let the best guys step up. Lestar (Jean) had his best day today, so they're getting better."
(on John Beck) "John knows what to do. I think I can help him with some of the ways he plays the position. I'm trying to get him to make some throws different than maybe he's made them in the past. I can probably coach him a little different from that standpoint, but John knows what he's doing. If I get him comfortable with how we want him to do it, I think it's really going to help him. I think he's in a good spot."
(on if he likes John Beck's attitude) "Oh yeah, he's a great young man. We had his coaches out here last week and I knew that [he had a great attitude]. Anytime you play for how many teams he's played with and he's played with a few, he's played with a lot of coaches which tells you he can handle all of that. Maybe we'll settle him down right here and hopefully he'll be here for a few years."
(on the pace of practice today being crisp today) "Yeah, it was. I didn't think it was last week. You give them a long weekend like that, but I thought as we went, it got better. We did a lot of things today, a lot of mentally going at them, but that's four down and six to go so hopefully we keep improving."
(on if the main goal is to throw a lot at them to see what they can handle) "Yeah, we throw every bit of it at them to kind of see who it bogs down. Once we get to training camp, we know we shouldn't do this and shouldn't do that and kind of see who can catch up. We've got some young guys showing that they're going to be able to keep up, so it's good."
TE Owen Daniels
(on the energy level during the OTA practices) "Yeah, you know, we're competing with each other. It's fun. You spend a lot of time just lifting weights and running, and you can only compete so much in the weight room. You get out here and do some football stuff, so guys are flying around and learning. You want the enthusiasm and energy when we're out here."
(on going through what is essentially spring practice) "It's nothing that we love, but we make it as fun as possible."
(on the number of different weapons on the Texans' offense) "I think the big thing is we have leadership at all the positions. Obviously, we have Dre (WR Andre Johnson) and (WR) Kevin (Walter), and those guys are going to bring the younger guys along. There's a lot of talent there in that young receiving corps and they're learning every day. Then you've got myself and (FB) James (Casey) and (TE) Garrett (Graham) bringing these young tight ends along. You've got (RB) Arian (Foster) with his experience at running back, and he and (RB) Ben (Tate) are doing a great job. (QB) T.J. (Yates) got a ton of experience last year, and I think that's helping out a lot as far as him taking a leadership role now and having this really be his team right now until (QB) Matt (Schaub) gets back."
(on going through OTAs for the first time in three years after missing the last two years due to an injury and the lockout) "I feel great. I feel younger. These guys make me feel young. It's good to be practicing in the springtime and running around instead of doing medicine ball stuff."
(on if he's been able to pass along some tips to the younger tight ends on the team) "Yeah, you hope so. You want to learn something every year and pass that experience and those lessons on to the guys that are younger and are trying to learn here and trying to make it in this League. I've learned a bunch; this will be my seventh year, so I've seen a lot in those years."
(on how the Texans quarterbacks are progressing without QB Matt Schaub on the field for OTAs) "They're getting a lot of reps, which is good. I think if Matt (Schaub) was in there, they'd be getting less and wouldn't be getting as much experience and getting a look, so it's good having them out there and learning. With all the experience T.J. (Yates) had last year, he's still young, he's still considered a rookie, so making sure that he gets as much work as possible."
(on his endurance level coming into this year's OTAs as compared to in the past) "I always pride myself in being in good shape whenever a team gets together, whether it's the first day of workouts or the first day of camp, I always think I'm feeling pretty good and do things a little differently every year to make sure you're feeling right and in great shape. I feel fresh out there, man. I feel good."
ILB Bradie James
(on if he has noticed a difference from Week 1 to Week 2 of OTAs) "I can. One thing about this group, they fly around to the ball. This is a great group of guys that are still hungry but not complacent about what they did last year. You can tell by last week, just getting the feel. A lot of things were new for me last (week), seeing how (head coach Gary) Kubiak interacts with everybody, how he talks to his quarterbacks, how he's the general. And then knowing (defensive coordinator) Wade (Phillips) but seeing Wade in a different aspect being a d-coordinator; him getting a chance to actually be more hands-on with guys. In Dallas, he was a head coach, so you have to deal a lot more with personalities. Now he's back to just doing what he loves to do, and that's coach everybody individually. He's more hands-on. Just seeing how the team practice worked was very interesting to me because it's full-speed, non-stop, get-after-it. It's quick and the tempo is always high and that's a great, great thing to go into the season."
FS Danieal Manning
(on if his expectations are higher going into his second year with the Texans) "It's way up there. Definitely getting into the playoffs and most importantly, it's to win a Super Bowl. We got to start by getting to camp, getting everybody healthy from OTAs and getting them into training camp and from there, working toward a game. From that we'll be able to tell how really, really good we can be."
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DE J.J. Watt
(on if he has a different mindset coming into this season than he did going into his rookie season) "Yeah. Last year I wanted to be a contributor and just help us win games and now I want to be dominant and establish myself as a top-tier defensive end."
(on the thought that he established himself as a rookie) "I did some good things at the end of the year but I want to put a whole year together. I started off a little rusty last year, so this year I want to come out from the gate and show everybody what I'm about and show everybody what this defense is about."
(on if the offseason additions to the defense will help the team pick up where it left off last season) "We've got a lot of good, young guys out here. They're flying around out here, they're having fun. Us guys who have been here for a little bit are having fun, too. We're very, very excited to get back in that building and play some football again. But it just feels good right now to be out here and at least be practicing."
(on if it feels nice not to be a rookie anymore) "I still have my little bit of rookie (year) left. They say you're a rookie until I think your fourth game of the season. I've still got time left and I know I'm still a young guy. I'm just trying to prove and earn that respect."
(on his goals for the season) "Super Bowl. That's it."
(on the difference between this season and last season) "We're a little more experienced. Obviously we have these OTAs, that's going to help us a lot. We understand the defense a little more. We know what's going on and we have a big goal in mind and that's to win that trophy."
