Wide receiver Kevin Walter was outstanding in his first year as a starter, recording 65 receptions for 800 yards. The Texans begin OTAs on Monday, and the sixth-year pro talked about competing for a starting spot.
Brooke Bentley (Texans TV): Talk about what you saw in mini-camp. Were you able to gauge players there?
Kevin Walter: A lot of the new guys that came in, it was definitely new for them. It was tough. Obviously, they had a lot of information thrown at them. I think they all did really well. Obviously, when they come back next week they will be ready to roll.
Brooke Bentley: Some of the rookies got a lot of playing time. Duane Brown played with the first team, as well as Frank Okam. Were you able to judge what they would be like as first-team players?
Kevin Walter: Yeah, definitely. Duane's got the size and the ability to play. He's got good feet. He's just got to learn our whole system, and he'll be fine. I definitely look forward to a lot of good things from him.
{QUOTE}Brooke Bentley: Now, are you the type of person who goes hard on the rookies?
Kevin Walter: Obviously, when I'm out there and I'm practicing I'm going to go hard on them. I'm not the type of person who's going to haze them or anything, but in training camp we are going to have a lot of fun with those guys.
Brooke Bentley: Did you get a read on Alex Gibbs, the new assistant head coach?
Kevin Walter: In meetings, his installation and how he was talking about the run game is great. Having him here is definitely going to help us in our run game. If our run game does well then our passing game is going to do good. I definitely look forward to the offense doing some better things this year.
Brooke Bentley: How will the difference in the run game affect the passing game for you? How will things open up?
Kevin Walter: If you run the ball, they have to cover that. It's tough to stop the run and stop the pass. If we come in here and run the ball extremely well, it's going to open things up for all of our receivers. And we're going to do that.
Brooke Bentley: OTAs are just around the corner. Is that when competition heats up at several spots?
Kevin Walter: Yeah, definitely. When you are on the field, you are always competing no matter what. If you're a starter, you're not a starter really because everyone is gunning for your spot. You've got to go out there and prove to your coaches and your teammates that you belong out there and just work hard. Competition brings out the best in everybody and we're definitely going to have some good competition out there.
Brooke Bentley: You come into OTAs being a starter. How different is that for you?
Kevin Walter: To tell you the truth, it doesn't change my mindset at all. I'm going to go out there and compete and I'm going to get better. Last year was just the first year of being a starter and I think I can improve on a lot of things. This mini-camp I felt a night-and-day difference from the last mini-camp, just with the experience and just with going out there and feeling more comfortable. I definitely look forward to a good year.
