Texans Morning Huddle: O’Brien’s Fire

The Houston Texans wrapped up OTA’s over the weekend and so we once again wait for football. At least we can spend our days reading about what is happening in the land of the Texans, and that is how we should start this Monday morning!

Bill O’Brien drives Texans with fiery approach … and quick wit -By Michael Silver of NFL.com

"Ask Bill O’Brien to assess the stress of being a sports dad, and the Houston Texans’ hyper-intense second-year coach holds nothing back. “Watching my son pitch, or making a fourth-down call? I’m way less nervous coaching an NFL game — no question. When I watch him play, I’m a mess.”Yet O’Brien, while taking down a pair of soft tacos Tuesday night at a Mexican restaurant near his Houston home, managed to mine his angst for some comedic value. Recounting a story in which Michael O’Brien, a talented 10-year-old lefty, was attempting to close out a recent game in an all-star tournament in nearby Westbury, Bill said, “He started with a strikeout, but then a couple of things went wrong. Little League is huge here, and the stands were packed — I mean, there must have been almost 200 people. So much pressure … Then, bam, he gives up a double, and the winning run comes in. He takes his glove and slams it to the mound, as hard as he can. And I look down, shake my head and say to everyone, ‘Yeah — he got that from his mother.’ ”The joke worked on multiple levels. Colleen O’Brien gave up her job as a lawyer to care for the couple’s older son, Jack, who suffers from lissencephaly, a brutal neurological condition that, among other severely debilitating effects, causes him to endure numerous seizures on a daily basis. Bill lauds Colleen’s patient, even-keeled demeanor, describing her as a “rock star.”"

O’Brien: Brian Cushing enjoying ‘hell of an offseason’ – By Marc Sessler of NFL.com

"“He’s come back and had a hell of an offseason,” O’Brien said, per the Houston Chronicle. “He’s moving well. He made a play out there in a two-minute drill on about a 20-yard pass, where he got back in coverage and he tipped the ball away. That was a big play. It was good for me to see that.”A healthy Cushing would do wonders for a Texans defense that allowed 100-plus yards on the ground in eight games last season. His once-promising career has been sideswiped by a rash of injuries including ACL and LCL tears and a broken fibula."

Texans will bring Jadeveon Clowney back slowly when he returns – By Brian T. Smith of The Houston Chronicle

"The Texans have hoped Jadeveon Clowney will be ready for Week 1 since the 2015 offseason began. But whenever the team clears the second-year linebacker for football action, the Texans plan to replicate their 2014 midseason handling of the No. 1 overall pick.Clowney will be brought along slowly and initially won’t be asked to carry a heavy load. The Texans have “high expectations” for the defender this season, as he recovers from surgery. But he’ll have to earn his playing time, then gradually return to full speed on the field."

Next: Prediction: Brian Hoyer Will Be Named Texans Starting Quarterback