Dear Drew: Extended written OTA version

EDITOR'S NOTE: There were a slew of fan questions for Drew Dougherty on Facebook, so in addition to the handful he answered in the video above, he also answered a few more below.Nick Battista: Dear Drew, How many sacks will our defense get this year?DD: I’d say between 45 and 50. In 2016, they got to the quarterback 31 times. Whitney Mercilus led the way with 7.5 sacks, and Jadeveon Clowney was right behind him with six. In 2015, though, the defense rang up 45 sacks. The big difference: J.J. Watt. He played a full season then, and was in just three games last year. From 2012 through 2015 he averaged just over 17 sacks per season. Plug him back in this year, and I bet the number of team sacks jumps dramatically. You can likely expect an uptick in takeaways by the defense as well.Barrett Schick: Dear Drew, I would like to challenge TORO in a pushup contest.*DD: I bet my broseph TORO would smoke you. Whether you have Dad strength, tennis player's strength or bodybuilder strength, TORO’s got bull strength. I’ll take him.Ben Bevel: Dear Drew, What's the difference between a player getting cut and one getting waived? DD: Great question, Ben. Essentially, if a player is waived, another team can claim him. The waiver order is determined by record. So the team with the worst record has first dibs. A cut player can be signed by anybody. This article on NFL.com gives a more detailed description. Matt Brawley: Dear Drew, When is the NFL draft coming to Houston?DD: Not next year, and probably not the year after, but sometime soon I bet. Houston has expressed an interest in hosting it, and sent representatives to Philadelphia this year to observe. Because we did such a great job hosting the Super Bowl, there’s a good chance the Draft will be here sometime in the near future. Eventually, I believe you’ll see the first round hosted in one city, the second day in a different city, and the third day in another city.Sam Morris: Dear Drew, Do you see Clowney back at OLB or playing more defensive end now that Watt has returned?DD: Sam, I think he’s still primarily going to line up at defensive end. But the beauty of this defense has been the flexibility of the front seven. Think about how many different spots on the line we’ve seen him and Mercilus and Watt line up. They’ve been all over the place. You’ll see Clowney stand up on the edge from time-to-time, but he’s still going to be classified as a defensive end.Ricki Dean Howze: Dear Drew, Do you think J.J. will be comeback player of the year?DD: Yes, if he has a season like he did in the four years between 2012 and 2015. He said on Tuesday after the second OTA that he “felt awesome” physically. This could be a special season for him and the rest of the Texans defense.Charles David Castillo: Dear Drew, What's Nick Martin's status? DD: All is well. An ankle injury last year in training camp derailed his rookie year. He spent it on injured reserve and never got to suit up in a game. On Tuesday after the second OTA, he told the media his ankle was “good to go” and he was more comfortable with the playbook than this time last year. He’ll challenge for a starting job on the interior of the offensive line.Chris Royal: Dear Drew, Who was on the Grassy Knoll? Did we really go to the moon? And How many licks does it really take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?DD: Nobody, yes, and 400-something licks. I actually took a class in college on the JFK assassination. We’d know by now if there was another shooter. Conspiracies unravel with time.Jonathon Lovil: DEAR DREW, YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST: DAVENPORT WILL BE THE STARTING RIGHT TACKLE.DD: DULY NOTED. BUT I DISAGREE: I THINK SOMEONE FROM THE TRIO OF CHRIS CLARK, KENDALL LAMM AND BRENO GIACOMINI WILL EMERGE AS THE STARTER. THANKS FOR THE ERUPTION OF QUESTIONS.Daniel Nuñez: Dear Drew, What's it going to take to get the all red "Battle Red" uniforms back?DD: There would have to be a big push from the players for it. The Texans haven’t worn the red pants since December of 2010. Last season in Week 15 they wore the Battle Red jerseys with the Deep Steel Blue pants. That was the first time they wore that combination. A couple of players said they liked the all-red look, but most prefer other combos.I-Min Michael Mau: Dear Drew, What are your thoughts/impressions of our QB coach Sean Ryan?DD: He’s a sharp guy. Coached the receivers last season here, and before that was in New York with the Giants. He was there nine years, and coached the receivers and quarterbacks. When I was at the Pro Bowl in January of 2016, I spoke with Giants quarterback Eli Manning and receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. Both were very complimentary of Ryan. Doug Emison: Dear Drew, Which rookie do you think will make the biggest impact this season?DD: I’ll go with linebacker Zach Cunningham. He made a lot of plays at Vanderbilt against stiff competition, and I think he can be a nice addition to this defense.Fernando Arriazola: Dear Drew, Do you see Treston Decoud and Davenport starting?DD: I don’t think they’ll start this season, but I know stranger things have happened. It’ll probably take a year or so for that to happen.Derwin Jordan: Dear Drew, Can you give us an update on David Quessenberry? DD: It was great to see DQ out at practice on Tuesday. He’s taking part in OTAs and competing for a spot on the line. His comeback from lymphoma is an awesome story.Ramiro Rodriguez: Dear Drew, We saw Will Fuller, Akeem Hunt, and Wendall Williams race it out, but it wasn't clear who won. Who do you think won?DD: Where you been, Ramiro? The beauty of that video of them racing is you CAN’T definitively tell who won, but it looked to me like Williams and Hunt were slightly ahead of Fuller. All three have blazing speed, and can be electric with the ball in their hands.Derwin Jordan: Dear Drew, How many Dear Drew posters are still up that you posted last week around the office? Who took theirs down. Don't be shy call them out.DD: Who said that was last week? Perhaps that footage you saw was years old. And who said they took the signs down?