As they've done since their first training camp of 2002, the Texans will hold some open practices in 2017.
For the first time in franchise history, training camp won't take place in Houston. Nevertheless, head coach Bill O'Brien explained that the fans will still get to see their favorite football team at practice in August.
"I want to be clear, too: we're going to be back in Houston," O'Brien said on Wednesday in Indianapolis. "We will have some public practices for our fans. Our fans are so important to us."
O'Brien didn't know when, or how many times the Texans will open their practices to the public.
The 2017 training camp will be at The Greenbrier in West Virginia and O'Brien explained why the Texans are headed to the mountains.
"Being able to go to a place that might be a little bit cooler at that time of the year," the head coach said.
The average daily high temperature in White Sulphur Springs, West Virignia is 82 degrees. In addition to the milder climate, O'Brien cited the togetherness that comes from traveling.
"My first three years here, we've gone away to scrimmage teams, and they've been really good bonding experiences for our team," O'Brien said.
The chance to practice against another team, or two, is also a priority for O'Brien and Houston.
"We are working on it," O'Brien said. "I think we have a chance to get a couple teams to come there or maybe we get one team to come there and we go and practice against a team that's close to there, maybe? But nothing's set in stone. That's one of the things you do at an event like this."
In August of 2014, O'Brien and the Texans practiced against the Falcons in Houston, and the Broncos at their facility in Colorado. The year after, the Texans went to Richmond, Virginia for practices against Washington. Last August, the Saints came to Houston for work at the Houston Methodist Training Center, and the Texans also practiced against the 49ers in Santa Clara, California.
