Hope this is nothing serious, and I hope we don't have to go through this every day or two....

McClain_on_NFL John McClain
Foster may have pulled something. He's on the field but not carrying the ball anymore.

McClain_on_NFL John McClain
Gary Kubiak will explain after practice what happened to TE Owen Daniels and RB Arian Foster. Daniels went to the dressing room.

Good news, Owen was just sick:

StephStradley Stephanie Stradley
Kubiak: Owen Daniels was sick today. Left practice early. "A bug going around."


Not so good news here, I'm glad Kubes pulled him asap:

StephStradley Stephanie Stradley
Arian Foster left. Did 40 min. "Hamstring tightened up" per Kubiak. Took out as precaution.
StephStradley Stephanie Stradley
Kubiak didn't seem very concerned w/ Arian Foster. Holding number players out. 1st day back. Says more details known at PM practice

@StephStradley: Kubiak: Owen Daniels was sick today. Left practice early. "A bug going around." #Texans

@StephStradley
Arian Foster left. Did 40 min. "Hamstring tightened up" per Kubiak. Took out as precaution.


I wonder if they were "carted" off the field....... :rolleyes:

well, we always hear mostly good things from camp this time of year

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...t/7684983.html

Does seem like defense is looking good so far.

I don't think anyone was carted off the field, hopefully just a small tweak by Arian.

There was a short hi-lite of Texans training camp on NFL network this morning.

Went out to practice this morning, lot of people there.

Quite a bite of offense vs defense emphasis today,

at QB seemed Leinert looked reasonable.

Since Foster and Ward on side today, Tate, Slaton, and Oglannuya all had some good runs.

AJ out, Jacoby and Walters made some good catches.

At TE Casey and Daniels made some nice catches, Daniels was stretching a lot but kept going back out on his rotation.

There was some emphasis on finishing and running out plays all the way, even if a busted play or incompletion.

JJ Watts seemed to have a pass knockdown or two.

at CB saw some nice interceptions and knockdowns by McManis, Joseph, Harris, Molden, Allen, and McCain. Of course there were some nice pass completions as well, mostly in the short and wide out type today.

Rackers got a good workout under game rush conditions and didn't miss any FG at all that I noticed, although they were all under 40 yds for today.

I won't say too much bad about anyone yet, still early.

Houston Texans Training Camp
 

Looks like Terrance Toliver, Lestar Jean and JJ Watt are making noise in training camp. Also In this report, we hear from Johnathan Joseph, Gary Kubiak and Terrance Toliver (audio included).

Nice job of reporting.

Wow, great reporting from J. Braddock, really getting hyped for this coming season, especially T. Toliver, Defense and Vickers, too. Im hoping the B. Reed thing is just your typical rookie adjustment.

looks like Texans picked up some depth, insurance help at LB this weekend.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...n-tim-dobbins/

Dobbins played for Wade as a rookie in SD in 2006, so I guess he knows what he's getting.

We have a lot of LB on the 90 man roster, guess we shall see who makes it to the final cut.

Heading out there in the morning, cant' wait.

They might be more concerned about Cushing's knee than they're letting on... :(

Might not be. Saw this on CBS Rapid Reports. Usually they are about 50% accurate.....but Kubes stated as much during his post practice report.

45 minutes ago - by Brandon Williams - LB Cushing (knee) due back soon
LB Brian Cushing (knee) could make his initial appearance on the practice field on Wednesday, but the team -- which has been cautious in his rehab -- could push Cushing's debut to Thursday. Either day still fits the target date coach Gary Kubiak had for the third-year vet. Texans RapidReports

Their 'concern' might not be whether he can make it back to practice soon, but whether he can hold up through TC and into the season.

Thanks Arky for posting that.

I was out there this morning, and I am excited by what I saw. (I know koolaid)

Steve Slaton was looking like the Steve Slaton of two years ago, but as my nephew reminded me, I thought Chris Henry looked like the real deal in practice last year.

Dorin Dickerson has really stepped up his game. He is looking like he deserves some playing time. They put him in tight one time and he flattened the OLB on the run play. Plus he seemed to catch everything in sight.

Leinart is a huge upgrade over the Dan O. He is accurate and shows a lot of touch. Down side is he not very mobile.

Joesph had some good plays and some not so good moments.

Just to to be fair to Jackson, he made some bad plays early, mixed in with some good reps, but he had a huge breakup at the goal line in red zone drills. The crowd went crazy for the kid.

Winston was mauled by Barwin on one of his few rush attempts. It would have been a huge sack. Barwin is an animal.

Nading was flashing all day long, could have had something to do with he is working with the 3rd team.

Danieal Manning had a huge kickoff return, oh and he can play a little safety. Want to add he was victimized by Owen Daniels who made a great catch while in tight coverage Manning.

Speaking of Owen, he is catching everything. He looked like the OD of old.

Lestar Jean, Toliver, and Maehl are trying to make the job for Kubiak to pick who is cut a hard one. All looked good.

News alert Anthony Hill still cannot catch a cold.

Heading back out there tomorrow, will try to update you guys then.

Thank pk for the notes. Very helpful!

Curious to see how Barwin progresses this season. Earl Mitchell too. These two could be big keys to how the defense improves this season. Lots of good early reports on Watt, too, which is nice, but I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't still a big adjustment waiting for him his rookie year transitioning to the NFL's regular season. Still, encouraging feedback on his camp so far.

Let us know what you see from any of the rookies if you get a chance.

I watched Watts a lot today, and all I can say is he appears to be a man among boys. On one play, I'm watching the ball, and all the sudden a huge pile is created in the middle of the line. Watts had taken the OT into the OG and and put both on the ground. I'm telling you the he is impressing me already.

Reed looks OK, has a high motor and he was the guy chasing Leinart, which prompted me to say Matt was not very mobile.

I forgot to look and watch Harris, will try to tomorrow.

Yates looked pretty good for a rookie, he has shown pose, he has size, and better arm strength than Schaub. Looks like he can be a future 2, maybe more?

I only saw Keo on a few plays and I noticed he was not on the Kick off teams we watched today.

Bryan Braman UDFA from West Texas A&M, really wants to make this team. He is playing ILB also and he made a hit that put someone on his ass, I'm sorry but I missed who it was. Also he was heard from across the field yelling “You gotta love your job! Every rep!” during a water break.

Cheta is playing ILB and he looked OK to me, probably a PS guy, but we don't have many ILBs in camp.

Saw a guy running sprints on the back field who looked like a RB with his speed, turned out to be UDFA Mister Alexander ILB from Florida State.

Most of the notes I gave in my first report where things I saw without them being in the early reports form the Chron.com

As for the 1st team Offense, most of the time they looked good in the run game. When we did the red zone work, it seemed to me that the offense won some and the defense won some. Which is what I want to see.

The team is better then it has been in a long time. It reminds me of the feel of the Oilers in the late 80's right as they started their playoff run, a lot of talent that is trying to learn to win. Health, Health and Health is going to be a big key.

I'll get some more tomorrow.

Good stuff PK, will look forward to same after this mornings practice.
I'll add a couple things from my visit to practice yesterday where I spent most of my time over at the one-on-ones between Dlineman/LBs and Olineman before leaving early.
I thought Brooks Reed was maybe the most impressive individual because of his outstanding quickness - that guy really gets out of the blocs, but he is on the smallish side which makes one think he's not destined to be an everydown defender ?
At the other extreme is Mario who showed great strength as he ran over Winstons azz with his bull rush, but I just don't see the quickness with him you'd expect from an elite 4-3 edge rusher let alone a 3-4 OLB ? And what was interesting was that after awhile they let the LBs go elsewhere and just kept the Dlineman to do one-on-ones vs the Olineman, except Mario remained behind with the Dlineman ? Maybe that speaks to the hybrid nature of his position, or maybe something else, I dunno ?

True dat.

According to some Twitter reports, he was on the field today running part-time with the 1's.

Don't see him playing Monday, but should be good to go for the Saints as long as he doesn't have a set back.

Thanks to Arky & PK for getting out there in that 100 degree heat to let us know some things. Stay hydrated guys. We really appreciate your efforts.

If Brooks Reed is really 6-2, 263, I don't see how he could look "small"?

I gather you are referring to my description of Reed, and I probably could have used a better adjective than "small". Perhaps I should have said he was relatively "short" when compared to somebody like Connar Barwin who's overall length seems to make him better suited to play the 3-4 OLB position ?

Oh OK, now I see where you were coming from. I imagine most people would look "small" with all those behemoths out there.

Yesterday was not an easy day to report on. They did a large portion of the practice on the south side of the field, thus my position near the 20 on the north side bleachers was not a good seat for that part of practice.

If you saw the chron.com report of practice yesterday you got most of my observations.

I will add a couple of notes I remember, The running backs on the field yesterday, Ward, Slaton and Chris Ogbonnaya, all looked sharp. Slaton is showing the burst he had as a rookie, and has had some big runs in camp. Ogbonnaya is showing speed and quickness I do not remember from his days at Texas. Tate is still on the sideline and he is losing ground. He is in desperate need of reps, and Slaton has been able to secure his spot as at he number 3 back. Not saying that Tate will be cut or is a bust, just saying he is falling further behind.

Holiday had a huge punt return that highlighted his speed, he hit the seam and he was gone no one could get near him, he is going to have to do that in the games a few times to make this team.

The UDFA WRs that the scouts secured are all pushing for that #5 WR spot. I am glad that I am not having to make this decision. Jean, Maehl and Toliver are all making cases for making this team. I have Jean slightly ahead of Toliver on the outside, and Maehl is a slot guy that is an upgrade over Anderson right now. So keeping all three will be tough.

Right now my favorite UDFA defender is Bryan Braman. He is at worse a practice squad guy. He is old for a rookie, 25, but he is showing a huge motor and great quickness at the OLB. He had another big play today, a sack.

I have to say, I am not seeing Mario flash in camp in the team drills. Could it be why he is getting called out by AJ?

Sorry Keith, but no big report on Harris. That does not means he has done bad, but the plays I watched him on, he had solid coverage and no one challenged him with a throw. So he did not have any big plays, just solid plays on a consistent basis. I guess that is a report.

Keo is not getting any return work with the ST which is surprising me. They are working Quin on punts, go figure.

Our high priced free agent DBs appear to worth every penny, and I agree with all the hype in the paper, The opening day starters at CB will be Joseph and Allen. I don't see that Jackson is consistent enough to get on the field as a starter yet. And I am not calling Jackson a bust, just not the 2nd best CB we got right now. Jackson is looking better than last year, but not as good as Allen right now. And in the NFL you never have to many CBs.

Oh and Watts...........

Biggest news today was Casey appears to have hurt his ankle. It looked like his ankle rolled on a catch late in practice, and he was very slow in getting up. He laid flat for a at least 30 seconds before getting up. He was helped off the field, but was walking with his weight on the ankle. He was limping. Not sure how bad it was.

News flash, Maehl dropped a pass today. And TE Hill actually caught one.

I want to point out Allen was working with the 1st team, but so was Jackson. I did not see Joseph in team drills. Not sure if I just missed him or what. Jackson had a real nice day. He stripped AJ on a few occasions. Like I said yesterday, he has improved. It's amazing what a pro coach can do with raw talent.

As for Harris, I watched him on a large number of plays. In team drill late in practice they played it like a game, the #2 offense in a 3 wide set got the ball on the 20 and they had to work against the #2 defense in a nickle package. Harris was on Maehl who has had a wonderful camp. Harris covered Maehl and keep him from being involved in the game. I think Maehl was targeted on one play and Harris broke it up. Brice was working with the #1's nickle.

Mario was back out there today. I'm still not seeing him making plays. Barwin has looked like a beast.

A note on Casey, he was working only with the 2nd team today. And Vickers was blown up again today, second time this week I've seen him blown up. Not just beaten, but blown up.

Leinart is a good solid backup, and Yates is still looking good.

Ward and Ogbonnaya both looked great again. So the OL is looking solid in the run game.

Channel 13 was saying that Joseph tweaked his hammy so was held out of morning workouts. A lot of hammies a result of the lockout and lack of OTA's IMO.

CBS Rapid Reports
Aug. 12, 2011 12:10 p.m. - by Brandon Williams - Joseph misses practice with groin issues
CB Johnathan Joseph missed Friday morning's practice with a mild groin pull, but is expected back for Saturday's sessions. The team did get WR Lestar Jean back after he missed Thursday while recovering from being inadvertently kneed in the head during Wednesday morning's drills. Texans RapidReports

This is the report I heard also, groin not hammy.

PFT is reporting that he has taken a shot in the groin to loosen it up. That sounds bad on sooo many levels.

I had a couple groin pulls in school (both track and football), and they can keep you out for awhile. I dunno, which is worse, a groin or hamstring injury
and which usually requires the most time for recovery ?

Texans Training Camp: Who’s in, Who’s Out
 

Hey Texan fans, if you want an up-to-date report on what's going on with the Texans, click here as NFL Scout Jayson Braddock shares his observations on both players and coaches as they prepare for their Monday Night game against the Jets (audio included).

Interesting......

@espn_afcsouth: Antonio Smith on Sirius Radio right now talking about playing some nose in nickel situations. #Texans

To everyone providing first-hand camp reports - great work, thanks, I appreciate all of it.

Sorry, it was groin, not hammy. :o I had both at one time or another playing for ye "Ol almamater. The groin was the harder of the two to get over.

Good stuff. Thanks.

Video: ESPN's Paul Kuharsky - Camping with the Texans

Looks like Tate's back on the field:
@HoustonTexans
Houston Texans Coach Kubiak on if RB Ben Tate will play vs. Saints: "Yeah, I hope so...He felt good (today)...He needs to play a little bit."

Foster came back yesterday, Ward will likely be sidelined this week due to concussion rules.

2 up, 1 down, not a real bad trade off.

I fully expect to see the Obi-whatever show in the 2nd half vs. the Saints. Give Foster Q1, Tate Q2, then let the kid run again.

It appears Caldwell and Studdard out a while on OL for high ankle sprains, so , guess we see more of the young guys there.

Wonder if Jonathan Josephs hammy will be good enough to play against the Saints?

Hoping they put some emphasis on kick returns and return coverage this week.

on forster, i would be fine if he didn't play this weekend again. don't want to risk aggravating that hammy