Texans quarterback Matt Schaub has organized throwing sessions with several of his teammates this week at the University of Houston, about a 15-minute drive from Reliant Stadium.
Schaub, who missed organized team activities (OTAs) and mini-camp because he was still recovering from a 2011 season-ending Lisfranc injury, said Thursday that his surgically-repaired right foot is "100 percent." He plans to continue the throwing sessions over the next several weeks leading up to the start of training camp on July 27.
"We found a field to go use to be able to throw and keep up with things, especially with the young guys, with all the young receivers and tight ends and guys that we have," Schaub said. "I wanted to just get with them because missing OTAs, I missed those reps that I was getting with those guys and am just trying to bring them up to speed, get ready for training camp and throwing with Andre (Johnson) and some of the other guys. Just stuff that we can do to continue to stay sharp 'til camp."
Johnson, who is recovering from offseason arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, has been at every throwing session this week. Schaub said between 6-12 players have attended each one. The sessions start around 9:30 every morning on U of H's grass practice fields.
"We've had a handful of guys," Schaub said. "Right now, the rookies are at the symposium, the drafted guys. Come next week, I expect all them to be out there. Andre's been out there and a few other veterans. Right now, some of them have taken a little break, but we'll come back here next week or just after the Fourth so we'll have three good weeks after that to really get after it."
Schaub fully expects to be full-go for the start of training camp. He said he has felt "great" physically on the practice field this week.
"Everything feels real good," he said. "Doing all my movement and play fakes and dropping back, all the different things within the pocket that I need to be able to do come camp when the bullets are flying and everything. But I know what it takes to be ready for camp, and so we're right there ready to go."
Most of the Texans' players got six weeks of vacation between the end of mini-camp on June 14 and the start of training camp. But Schaub was intent on making the most of the down time to get to work with his teammates for the first time this offseason. That includes a wide receiver group that features only two players, Johnson and Kevin Walter, who have caught an NFL pass.
"It's huge, especially not going through OTAs," Schaub said. "You know, I was doing stuff on the other side of the field with the trainers, with Roland (Ramirez) and Geoff (Kaplan) and those guys, but to actually be doing it with my teammates, throwing to them and everything, that's just huge. It's simulating game reps and stuff that we'll do in practice. So, anything I can do to continue to progress and do what I have to do physically throughout the course of a training camp practice and such to be ready to go is what I want to do right now. There's no vacation time for me."
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