Texans morning huddle: Day three observations, Foster hurt

Well good morning Texans fans, at least as good as it can be when your favorite team loses a star player before the season even begins. Besides that tough news we have a look at some observations from the third practice as well as a potential replacement at running back.

28 observations from day three of #TexansCamp – by John Harris of HoustonTexans.com

"Monday Night Lights! Yes!! The first day in pads turned into the first night in pads in sweltering 90 degree heat and humidity. But, when the sun went down and the dark took over, it was a truly cool environment. As such, it appeared most in the crowd, the players, coaches, staff and media honestly reveled in the atmosphere.Okay, so let’s get on to it, my observations from the first day, errr, night in pads.1. I walked down to the North part of the practice field, down where the offensive line and defensive line do their individual work. As I looked over at the offensive linemen, I noticed Derek Newton and the guys had something that looked like a rope around their hands. Then, I saw him pull it off and it was a pair of elastic handcuffs, if you will. The reason? Well, with these handcuffs on, so to speak, it forces each O lineman to keep their hands inside the body and keep from bad habits forming. Cool device that I’d never seen before.2. The night practice brought some bubbling emotions to the surface, especially from the receivers and defensive backs. Charles James and Jaelen Strong got into a little fracas as they were doing some 1-on-1s midway through practice. They weren’t alone as late in practice down on the goal line, DL Jasper Coleman and OT Joseph Treadwell had a little tete-a-tete when emotions boiled over.3. Speaking of the receivers and defensive backs, these two groups have been up in each others’ grill from the minute they set foot on the practice field this past Saturday. Those groups are extremely chatty, for lack of a stronger word, with one another and it’s really added an edge to the workout that I like. It can go overboard and be distracting, but right now, it’s a catalyst to a competitive workout between those two position groups.4. If you were at practice and you recognized the guy that posed as an offensive lineman for the linebackers during a walkthrough blitz drill, you have a good eye. It was Rick Smith, the Texans executive VP and general manager, who stepped in to help give the linebackers a look, alongside linebackers coach Mike Vrabel and assistant coach Doug Colman. The more you can do applies to everyone, it appears."

Texans RB Arian Foster hurts groin; surgery likely – by Tania Ganguli of ESPN

"Texans running back Arian Foster likely will need surgery for a groin injury he suffered during the team’s first fully padded training camp practice, a source said.Foster likely will miss the start of the regular season. He could be placed on short-term injured reserve, which would allow the Texans to bring him back to practices after Week 6 and into a game after Week 8.Foster suffered the injury on a pass play Monday night and did not return to the field.Running back Alfred Blue took over some of Foster’s first-team repetitions in his absence. Blue also left the field during that practice, but reportedly only did so for cramps."

Pierre Thomas to visit Houston Texans – by Gregg Rosenthal of Around the NFL

"The Houston Texans aren’t going to be able to replace Arian Foster with any free-agent pickup. But they did make a smart choice when they picked up the phone Tuesday in response to Foster’s serious groin injury.Pierre Thomas is on his way to visit the Texans, NFL Media’s Rand Getlin reported according to a source informed of the situation. We’ve been perplexed all offseason about why Thomas doesn’t have a job. Perhaps Texans general manager Rick Smith read all our coverage this summer saying that Thomas was the best running back available on the market.Thomas is not an every down back, but he’s been one of the best passing down options in the league for his entire career. He’s especially excellent on screen passes and was effective in 2014 with 4.9 yards-per-carry and 8.4 yards-per-catch. Those are numbers of a player that still has something left."

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