Griffin is ‘very sick’ of losing to Patriots
Growing up in Londonderry, N.H., Texans tight end Ryan
Griffin was a passionate New England Patriots fan.
Griffin and his friends would watch the games from the start of the Tom Brady era and the growth of a tradition-rich dynasty that the Patriots quarterback built in tandem with coach Bill Belichick.
It’s been extremely frustrating for the 6-6, 265-pound veteran starter from Connecticut to have lost all five times he’s played the Patriots heading into the seasonopener Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
“Very sick of losing to these guys,” Griffin said. “We’ve been closer and closer every time. We owe them one. We owe five of them. I’m sick of losing to them.”
Griffin has obtained 60 tickets for family and friends to attend this game.
“Hopefully, they’re in for an upset,” Griffin said. “They’ll be supporting me, win, lose or draw. Hopefully, we can give them a win.”
Henderson healthy, ready for Gillette
Starting right offensive tackle
Seantrel Henderson is enjoying his return to practice this week.
He’s set to start Sunday against the Patriots.
Henderson was sidelined during the preseason for a few weeks when he had a noncancerous cyst removed, according to a league source not authorized to speak publicly.
The cysts are common for people who have dealt with Crohn’s disease, which Henderson overcame while playing for the Buffalo Bills. Doctors removed 80 diseased centimeters of his large and small intestines in 2016.
“Feeling pretty good, man,” Henderson said.
Signed to a one-year, $4 million contract in March, Henderson is accustomed to games at Gillette Stadium.
He competed against the Patriots twice a year when he was playing in the AFC East.
“It’s crazy,” Henderson said. “It’s loud, crazy fans, a great atmosphere to play in.”
Webb happy to be back for second stint
Standing inside the Texans’ locker room on Thursday, veteran quarterback Joe Webb was grateful to be back on familiar ground.
Cut by the Texans on Saturday, Webb signed another oneyear, $915,000 contract on Sunday. Earlier this year, he got a $90,000 signing bonus. Webb has a $630,000 salary cap figure under the veteran minimum salary benefit.
Doubling as a special-teams contributor and the third quarterback, Webb didn’t even have to leave town, as the Texans released him temporarily while tinkering with their 53-man roster.
“It feels good to be back,” Webb said. “You never know what happens in this league. You’ve got to go with the flow.
“Business is business. At the end of the day, I’m back and focusing on New England.”
Howell eager to show his hard-nosed style
New Texans rookie running back Buddy Howell is a downhill runner.
He’s decisive and physical. “I just try to get yards, I don’t waste too much time bouncing around,” said Howell, who joined the Texans this week off waivers from the Miami Dolphins. “I can get to the edge if I need to. I can catch the ball. A lot of people know me as a bruiser.
“I’m hard-nosed running between the tackles. I can see myself doing anything they ask me to do.”
The 6-1, 225-pounder rushed for 2,424 yards and 22 touchdowns at Florida Atlantic.
He rushed for 76 yards and one touchdown, averaging 5.4 yards per carry this preseason for Miami.
“Good size, first-and seconddown back,” Texans coach Bill
O’Brien said. “Liked what we saw on film on offense and on special teams, so we took a shot, and we’ll see how it goes.”
Running backs Hunt, Sims worked out
The Texans worked out running backs Akeem Hunt and
Charles Sims, according to league sources not authorized to speak publicly.
Neither players were immediately signed to a contract.
Hunt played for the Texans last year before being released. He has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens.
A former Tampa Bay Buccaneers third-round draft pick, Sims played at the University of Houston before transferring to West Virginia.
Mancz signs two-year contract extension
For backup center Greg
Mancz, it was an unprecedented financial development.
Instead of signing another short-term deal without guarantees, the valuable reserve was being valued with a two-year, $7.913 million contract extension that included $3.5 million guaranteed.
It was a significant moment for the former undrafted free agent from Toledo as he was paid a $2 million roster bonus on Monday.
“It’s obviously exciting, and I’m really happy they want to keep around a little longer,” Mancz said. “I’m excited to be a part of this team, and I’m really excited to get to work.”