Texans morning huddle: What happened with Mallett?
By Randy Gurzi
Good morning and happy Friday Texans fans! Today’s huddle is back and we have stories which may explain a little of what happened on Thursday where a key member of the team missed practice.
Texans QB Ryan Mallett misses practice for ‘personal issue’ – by Tania Ganguli of ESPN
"Texans backup quarterback Ryan Mallett missed Thursday’s practice because of a “personal issue,” coach Bill O’Brien said.When asked whether the absence was excused, O’Brien did not respond either way.“It’s between Ryan and I,” O’Brien said. “It’s a personal issue.”Asked whether Mallett will be back for Friday’s practice, O’Brien said, “I should think so.”The Texans chose Brian Hoyer as the team’s starting quarterback on Monday after a competition that lasted through the Texans’ second preseason game. Hoyer started the preseason opener, and Mallett started the second game of the preseason.Mallett said Tuesday he was disappointed and a little bit angry after losing the competition."
Texans QB Ryan Mallett oversleeps and misses practice, will return Friday – by John McClain of the Houston Chronicle
"Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett missed practice Thursday morning because he overslept.Mallett, who lost the starting job to Brian Hoyer on Monday, showed up later for meetings and will be back on the practice field Friday – business as usual.Coach Bill O’Brien, who was clearly irritated at his quarterback missing practice, didn’t give a reason for Mallett’s absence.“That’s between Ryan and I,” he said. “It’s just a personal issue for him.”O’Brien could have said Mallett was ill or had a personal reason for not being there."
Alfred Blue focused on seizing the moment with Houston Texans – By Terrance Harris, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune
"In an odd twist of fate, Alfred Blue is in the process of earning the opportunity he has always dreamed of but honestly had no idea when or even if it would come true.An injury to Houston Texans All-Pro running back Arian Foster early in training camp has put the second-year back in position to begin the season as the starter. Blue, a product of LSU and Boutte, insists there is no added pressure on him at all.“I try to stay humble but at the same time you want to own it,” said Blue, who will take the field Sunday when the Texans take on the Saints in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for the third preseason game. “I always say act like you been there before, like you’ve been doing this. So that is mindset I try to go into it with.“You’ve been playing football all of your life, something you’ve done all of your life so you just go out there and have confidence in yourself, go out there and play fast and take what the coaches have given you into the game plan and just go out there and do what they ask you to do.”A sixth-round draft pick of the Texans, Blue has taken coaching and combined that with his natural skillset to impress the Texans organization. He turned heads last season as a hard-running rookie who made the most of the opportunities given to him."
Texans RB Grimes escapes by playing piano, writing songs – by Kristie Rieken AP Sports Writer
"Jonathan Grimes got an NFL pink slip four times before finally hanging on with the Houston Texans and spending all of last season with the team.With his football future in doubt so many times, the running back leaned heavily on his other love: music.“I wouldn’t want to live without it at all,” he said. “If you took away music it would be like: ‘Man what are we going to do now?’ It’s everything to me.”Grimes earned a degree in music at William & Mary while becoming the school’s career rushing leader with 4,541 yards. He’s been playing the piano since he was 7 years old, when his father told him he had to learn it if he wanted to keep playing football.He’s kept at both since then, and an injury to Arian Foster moved Grimes to second on the depth chart behind Alfred Blue. Grimes was used mostly as a third-down back last season when he appeared in each game and finished with 39 carries for 153 yards.He was released by the Texans twice and has also been cut by the Jets and Jaguars since his rookie season in 2012. Coach Bill O’Brien respects guys like Grimes, who don’t let such setbacks stop them from achieving their goals.“It’s really kind of a microcosm of life, like how do you handle it? I’ve been cut, I’ve been fired,” O’Brien said. “OK, well I’m going to go move on to something else in my life, or no, I’m going to keep grinding and stay with this dream and keep trying to make a team … and those are our type of guys in a lot of ways.”"