Things have officially slowed down around Reliant Stadium. Most of the coaching staff is out today as well as tomorrow, enjoying some much deserved time off before OTA's begin on Wednesday.
There's definitely a buzz around the office as the first on-field workouts approach for the 2007 season. Not much can be derived from OTA's and mini-camp, as the saying goes, "everyone looks good in shorts", but those of us who will watch each one of these workouts certainly are looking forward to them for several reasons.
I can't wait to see Matt Schaub out at the Methodist Training Center throwing his first passes in a Texans uniform.
Ahman Green looks to be in great shape after six weeks of intense workouts here at the complex. I think he's got something left and as long as he stays healthy, Green could be poised for a big year.
I've already seen Amobi Okoye up-close in practice at the Senior Bowl, but I am anxious to see how he competes against his new NFL teammates. If he moves as well as he did in Mobile, he should have little trouble adjusting to a quicker tempo.
Of course the rest of the rookie class will be highly scrutinized in the coming weeks as well as the undrafted free agents the Texans will bring in to compete for a few spots on the 53-man roster as well as a possible opportunity to be signed to the practice squad.
Remember, last year Chris Taylor was an UFA and we all saw what he was capable of the last game of the season against the Browns so finding a potential gem is not out of the question.
While I'm on the subject, the names of the rookie free agents that the Texans have signed have been widely reported. Some fans have written to us asking why they can't find these players on the website.
It has always been, and will continue to be, the policy of the Texans and HoustonTexans.com to only report on team news when it is officially released by the team.
That's not to say that the names that you've all seen out there won't be in a Texans uniform next week. It just means that all the minor details of bringing so many players in from all over the country have yet to be worked out.
When you see those names on HoustonTexans.com, you can know for sure that Rick Smith and Co, have signed them to deals. We're expecting to release those names shortly so stay tuned.
