The Texans wrapped up two days of joint practices with the New England Patriots at The Greenbrier on Wednesday. Head coach Bill O'Brien said it was a productive week for the players, who wrap up over three weeks of training camp in West Virginia and return to Houston on Friday.
"I thought we got a lot out of these two days," O'Brien said. "They were really good. I think, relative to training camp, I think we're a better football team than we were two days ago just because the guys came out and practiced hard. Wasn't chippy. It was two good pro football teams practicing against each other, and I thought it was a really productive two days."
The Texans did more situational work with the Patriots again on Wednesday with back-to-back days in full pads. Tom Savage and Deshaun Watson both had opportunities to lead the offense in team drills. Savage wanted to start drives faster, while Watson said he wanted to good, quick decisions. Both quarterbacks got better as a result of their work against New England.
"Look, it's hard when you have a new defense come in – new scheme, new players, new skillsets on the other side of the ball – but I thought they handled it well," O'Brien said. "I thought they both had really good moments out there in two-minute, which was good to see. Deshaun yesterday, Tom today – made a beautiful throw to Jaelen (Strong) there on that play, which was a touchdown situation. So, I thought the quarterbacks had a good two days here."
The Texans will host the Patriots in Saturday's preseason game at NRG Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on ABC-13 and SportsRadio 610.
Check out some of the best shots from the second and final day of joint practice with the Patriots at The Greenbrier in West Virginia.
