Hopkins, Swearinger impressing the right people
Jul 27, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans safety D.J. Swearinger (36) practices during training camp at Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Greetings Texans Fans!
After five days or so of training camp some early answers are becoming evident.
DeAndre Hopkins is impressing everyone. He’s really showing the drive, skills and abilities that prompted the Texans to take him in the first round. Having a weapon like Hopkins to pull the pressure off Johnson and Daniels should greatly improve the Texans red zone chances.
Quarterback Matt Schaub is very happy with what he’s seeing, saying this week, “Yeah absolutely, it’s foreshadowing. You see what can happen down the road. For him to be able to step up and make that type of play then make the play at the end with the fade route to go up and get the football.
“You just see the types of things he can do down there and the pressure he might take off of a guy like (WR) Andre (Johnson) or (TE) Owen (Daniels) down in the red zone with an added weapon in there.”
That is going to be the key to both Hopkins success and the Texans moving forward, the trust built between QB and WR.
Speaking of rookies, D.J. Swearinger has so impressed his teammates, that they’ve taken to calling him “Swagger”.
This isn’t arrogance or ego, an issue that plagues some rookie players (and veterans), but rather from confidence. Another sign this years draft has some potential stars in the making. Even Kubiak is taking notice of this serious and mature young mans approach to the game.
“Well, we knew that’s kind of what we were getting from our interviews with him and being around him, but I don’t think we had any idea it was this, just mature and what he does as a football player,” Kubiak said. “It’s been, especially with (FS) Ed (Reed) being out, we expected it, but it’s been even more. So hopefully he can get going, but he’s going to be a big part of this team.”
Not everything is sunny and bright however, football being the inherently dangerous contact sport of controlled violence that it is several rookie players are currently nursing some bruises.
Tackle Brennen Williams and OLB Sam Montgomery have been sidelined with injuries. While neither are expected to be starters right off the bat, having them healthy and ready to go in the “next man up” system Houston has been pushing would definitely help the coaches sleep better at night.
So far camp has been without drama, just professionals getting down and doing the dirty work now to prepare for the 17 week grind of an NFL season. Keep your browsers here at the Torotimes for update to date insight and information on your Houston Texans!
(Quotes provided by media.houstontexans.com)