Texans morning huddle: Madden photo shoot, roster moves
By Randy Gurzi
It’s hump day Texans fans! Let’s get this Wednesday morning started off the right way, by catching up on all things Houston Texans! Today we have stories about other roster moves besides last season’s first overall pick as well as a link to a video of the players getting their head shots done for the Madden video game.
Texans make roster moves leading up to training camp – by Randy McIlvoy of Click2Houston.com
"It’s a big week for the Texans as they get set to launch the second training camp under head coach Bill O’Brien.Monday’s news announced by the Texans included a few roster moves that were expected, involving 2014 No. 1 pick Jadeveon Clowney who continues to rehab his knee.Clowney, who has made tremendous progress, was placed on the physically unable to perform list. The move was anticipated and Clowney was joined on the list by inside linebacker Akeem Dent, who is battling back from an ankle injury.Clowney and Dent spent the offseason rehabbing from their injuries and will continue their current programs during training camp, which begins Saturday.Once Clowney and Dent are ready, the Texans can shift them to the active roster.Other moves included guard David Quessenbery, who was put on the non-football injury list. Quessenberry has been undergoing cancer treatment."
Texans players get Madden headshots – HoustonTexans.com video link
"Click the above link to watch a video of players from the Houston Texans get their head shots for the popular EA Sports Madden NFL video game."
#TexansCamp Top 5: The ‘X’ Factors – by John Harris of HoustonTexans.com
"There isn’t a Texans fan on the planet that can’t recite the most important players on this team. It’s not as if the Texans lack for star power when guys like JJ Watt, Arian Foster, Brian Cushing, Vince Wilfork and others parade out onto the practice field in a week or so.But, the success of every team, no matter the level, rests on the shoulders of the ones you don’t know. The ones that don’t get a ton of acclaim, but wins aren’t possible without them. Sometimes it’s not even an individual, perhaps it’s a group of players. Every team has what I label as X-factors that help determine the outcome of a season.A perfect example of an X-factor was former Texans NT Ryan Pickett. He was signed in late September of 2014 to give immediate assistance to the interior run defense. It was extremely difficult to project how “Big Grease” could impact the defense. But, from his first snap of the season against Buffalo through the end of the season, Pickett was the rock in the middle of the run defense.So, who or what will be the X factors in the 2015 season? Here are my top five X factors heading into training camp."
Explaining the Texans’ PUP and non-football injury/illness moves – by Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com
"On Monday the Houston Texans made four procedural moves that drew a lot of attention.They placed outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney and inside linebacker Akeem Dent on the physically unable to perform list. They also placed offensive lineman David Quessenberry on the non-football illness list and receiver Alan Bonner on the non-football injury list.All four players will count against the Texans’ 90-man roster and can be taken off these lists at any time during training camp. The moves allow the Texans the option to keep them on the lists at the start of the season and save a roster spot then.In Clowney’s case, the news comes as no surprise. He wasn’t expected to be ready for the start of training camp as he continues to rehab from his December microfracture surgery. The move does leave open the possibility that they’d need to keep him on PUP to start the regular season, but again, that possibility is not unexpected. Microfracture surgery requires patience, and a knee is not a joint to rush.Quessenberry is in the aftermath of cancer treatment from non-Hodgkins T Lymphoblastic lymphoma. He’s in remission and has been able to work out with his teammates for several months, but still needs clearance from a combination of his oncologist and the Texans’ medical staff in order to return to playing."