Houston tempers optimism
O’Brien sees talent but says he won’t hesitate to make more changes.
HOUSTON — Johnathan Joseph liked what he saw when he looked around the Houston Texans locker room Monday, the fifirst day since late December when everybody milling about could be called a real teammate.
With the season opener against Kansas City looming Sunday, Joseph was optimistic. He’s tantalized by the possibilities. But heading into his 10th season as an NFL cornerback, he understands how looking goodd on paper and looking good on Sunday can be two very different things.
So, when asked about the kind of backbone the 2015 Texans might ultimately possess, he replied: “I have no idea. Obviously you have to go out there and get it done in the
games. I think the veteran guys have to go lead the way and show the young guys (how) to take it from the classroom to the practice fifield. Then, obviously, you go out there on Sunday and let the chips fall where they may.”
Coach Bill O’Brien is cautiously optimistic, too.
“I like our locker room,” he said. “I like the chemistry in there. I think we’ve got a bunch of hardworking guys, competitive guys. We work very hard at practice. I know everybody does; I’m not saying we have the market cornered on hard work. I’m just saying that we demand a lot, and they’ve put the time in. They compete. They’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do.
“Eventually, you’ve got to do it on the fifield.”
At least the tryout phase has passed. The temporary metal lockers have been carted offffffffffff, gone like the 40-plus players who have been cut since organized team activities began. The part of the football season that’s over, the part that Joseph calls “a grind,” is everybody’s least favorite. In one sense, however, it’s actually the easy part. The Texans’ eight rookies — fifive draft choices and three free agents — only think they know what happens next.
They’ve always just played football. Now, they’re working at it.
“Guys defifinitely have to be more focused, more prepared,” Joseph said. “It’s all about the preparation.”
That must translate seamlessly into game-day execution. Those who fail on either the front or back end won’t be employed long. O’Brien wouldn’t even offffffffffffer an ironclad guarantee that the 53 players who practiced Monday would still be around Sunday. He expects his players to be comfortable with the system but not with their place within the system.
“We feel like (we kept) the best 53,” O’Brien said. “But it’s constantly under evaluation.”
Ironically, the players he saw the least of during the four preseason skirmishes are the ones he’s the least concerned about: Joseph, cornerback Kareem Jackson, defensive line stalwarts J.J. Watt and Vince Wilfork, and receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Their motors might have been idling or turned offff during the games, but they showed what they needed to show him in practice and in meetings.
“Our practices have been very intense, very competitive,” O’Brien said. “These guys know how to practice. You’re talking about guys that have played 12 years, 10 years, fifive years, whatever it is. They know how to play the game. They take quality reps out there. It’s not a matter of ramping them up. They’ll be ready to play on Sunday.”
Of course, so will the Chiefs.
“It’s a very tough test for us as a team,” said Texans left tackle Duane Brown. “But this is what we’ve been working for.”