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Day 3 of camp was a bubble practice — lighter contact, heavy on precision and situational work. John Harris and I loved what we saw. The urgency in two-minute drills, spike execution, end-of-half scenarios. This coaching staff does not ease into anything, and that was clear from the very first day of OTAs.
Our guy C.J. Stroud sat down with CBS Sports' Evan Washburn for a terrific interview. C.J. talked about what year 4 feels like and the comfort level in Nick Caley's offense. "Me and his relationship has grown. We talk a lot. We try to communicate as much as we can. I'm in his office a bunch," C.J. said. He raved about the revamped O-line, pointing to Cole Popovich setting the tone. "He's a tough guy. Definitely very opinionated and lets you know how he feels. He's going to be brutally honest with you," C.J. said of his OL coach. On Keylan Rutledge, C.J. offered high praise: "He got drafted in the first round for a reason. He doesn't stop playing until he hears the whistle." And on David Montgomery: "He's going to be perfect for us. He'll also run through your face."
Second-year T Aireontae Ersery is one of my favorites. He described the O-line culture in three words: "Nasty, tough, and gritty. Guys that want to work, guys that push each other, guys that hold each other accountable." I asked him about Wyatt Teller, and the bond is already strong. "A guy that brings energy. The same guy every day. He introduced me to his family. Introduced him to my family," Ersery said. When I gave him the four-person dinner question, he went all Michaels — Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, and Michael B. Jordan. And for the record, he gives The Odyssey a 10 out of 10.
Houston Chronicle reporter Jonathan Alexander joined us and gave terrific observations. He talked about Jayden Higgins coming back different — bigger, faster, more confident. He pointed to Kamari Lassiter as a player poised for another leap and said Henry To'oTo'o already made a huge play in the backfield. On C.J.'s contract, Jonathan noted that multiple agents have told him Nick Caserio "is a guy who's going to call you when he's ready to make a deal, and things can happen very quickly."
We closed out with our friend Shelby Coppedge, who does a tremendous job on the sidelines for Texans preseason TV alongside N.D. Kalu and Kevin Kugler. She's also a national play-by-play announcer for LOVB and told us the league is expanding from six to 10 teams this season with more than 20 Olympians on rosters. She has two new puppies — German Shepherd Leia and a rescue named Coupon — and she's ready for another football season.
Saturday is the first outdoor practice in front of the fans, and we cannot wait. Subscribe to Texans All-Access on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and come along for the ride.
