Training Camp 8/15/18: Notes and Quotes

Aug 15, 2018 at 06:00 PM

Deepi Sidhu

Texans Insider and Lead Writer

The Texans and San Francisco 49ers held their first joint practice on Wednesday and it was more than just the weather that got hot in Houston.

Tempers flared early when DeAndre Hopkins and Jimmie Ward got into a skirmish following the first play. Hopkins caught a pass, his helmet went flying, there was a mess of hands and soon everyone was in the pile breaking it up.

"Yeah, it's ridiculous," head coach Bill O'Brien said of the incident. "Just have to move on."

That was the end of practice for both, as O'Brien and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan decided that they would eject players from practice for any behavior that would get them ejected from a game.

"I mean, him and Hopkins ended up shaking hands afterwards, anyway, so it was just the heat of the battle," 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said.

Both teams got a considerable amount of work done, with Texans defense vs. 49ers offense on one field and Texans offense vs. 49ers defense on another. Players were in full pads, though there was no live contact.

"He's great to work with," O'Brien said of Shanahan. "We both preach, in practices like that, 'thud', no live tackling, just be in the proper position to make the tackle, to make the block. They do a good job of trying to strip the ball, so we're working on fundamentals there. I think guys really tried to stay on their feet. We both preach staying on your feet. Really good guy to work with."

Deshaun Watson continued to connect with the rest of his receivers, including a great first-down throw to Ryan Griffin right in front of the fans. Griffin even tossed the ball to the crowd, not sure if they were able to keep it as practice was still ongoing.

J.J. Watt was a full participant in drills and made the day difficult for rookie offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey . It was very reminiscent of 2015 Hard Knocks when the Falcons rookie offensive lineman Jake Matthews faced Watt in joint practice.

Watson was visiting with some children at practice. He brought them to his press conference and introduced them to the media.

.@deshaunwatson had some special guests at practice today from the Allen Parkway @bgcghouston. #TexansCare pic.twitter.com/LL2Lp2XNaW
— Texans PR (@TexansPR) August 15, 2018

Also in attendance were former Texans wide receivers Andre Johnson and Cecil Shorts III.

Wednesday's practice seemed to be the hottest, by far, of all the days in camp this year. However, Aaron Colvin still feels Jacksonville's camps are hotter from his four seasons with the Jaguars.

"You all might hate me or you all might think I'm lying, but I think Jacksonville," Colvin said. "Jacksonville is the worst thing I've even been through."

Houston, bring on the heat.

The Texans and 49ers will hold their second joint practice on Thursday at the Houston Methodist Training Center. Both teams will face each other in Saturday's preseason game at NRG Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on ABC-13 and SportsRadio 610.