Good morning Texans fans! Grab your coffee, a warm breakfast and start this Saturday morning off right with your friends here at the Toro Times. This morning we find stories about how Nick Saban doubles as a sleep aid for one Texans’ player as well as a story touching on the questions still remaining for the team’s offense.
Questions remain with new-look Texans offense – By Tania Ganguli of ESPN
"Earlier this week we took a position-by-position look at the Texans’ defense.Today, we’ll do the same with the other side of the ball — a group that looks dramatically different than last season and has many unanswered questions.Quarterbacks: Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, Tom SavageAnalysis: It’s the most important position on the field and one that looks very different from the group Texans coach Bill O’Brien had when he began as the Texans head coach last January. Savage was drafted last May, Mallett arrived in an Aug. 31 trade and Hoyer was a free-agent addition this March. After minicamp ended, O’Brien said there wasn’t much separation between Mallett and Hoyer and the decision wasn’t yet made, though Hoyer seemed more comfortable in those sessions than Mallett did. The decision on the Texans’ starter could be made in the first week of camp, which would allow time for those joint practices against Washington."
Texans’ Jadeveon Clowney on Nick Saban: ‘I don’t see no big deal like everybody else’ – By Greg Rajan of the Houston Chronicle
"The man who’s arguably the most successful coach in recent college football history didn’t leave too much of an impression on the Texans’ Jadeveon Clowney years ago.Clowney, the South Carolina product whom the Texans drafted with the first overall pick in the 2014 draft, is quoted in Monte Burke’s upcoming book “Saban: The Making of a Coach about Alabama coach Nick Saban, who’s led the Crimson Tide to three BCS national championships (2009, 2011, 2012) since arriving in Tuscaloosa in 2007. Saban also won a BCS national title at LSU in 2003.In the book, Clowney talked about Saban and the visit the Alabama coach made to the defensive end’s Rock Hill, S.C., home."
Rookie recap: Houston Texans RB Alfred Blue – By Josh Criswell of Death Valley Voice
"Former LSU Tiger Alfred Blue played a surprisingly large role for the Houston Texans during his rookie season last year.After being selected in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft with the 181st overall pick, nobody could have foreseen Blue emerging as the team’s primary backup to Arian Foster, but that is exactly what occurred last season.Blue finished the year with 528 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including 156-yard performance during a Week 11 victory over the Cleveland Browns, as he filled in as the starter with Foster sidelined with a groin injury. He also added another touchdown and 113 yards receiving on the season, while not fumbling the football once all year.The biggest criticism of Blue’s rookie campaign was his lack of efficiency, which at 3.5 yards per carry, left much to be desired. With another offseason to improve as a player in head coach Bill O’Brien’s offense, however, Houston Texans fans should be optimistic about his outlook for the 2015 season.In order to gain better insight into the former Tiger’s performance during his first year in the NFL, as well as what to expect from him this season, we spoke with Randy Gurzi of the Toro Times."
How many sacks will Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt have in 2015? – Video Featuring NFL Media’s Solomon Wilcots and Steve Wyche
"NFL Media’s Solomon Wilcots and Steve Wyche analyze Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt’s impressive 2014 statistics and predict whether or not he will surpass them in 2015."