John Harris and Marc Vandermeer are live on 95.7 The Fan at 10am and 6pm every day during training camp. Listen and subscribe to Texans All-Access on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
There's hot. Then, there's hotter than hot. Then, there's what today was at the Houston Methodist Training Center.
Standing-on-the-sun HOT.
My goodness, it was hard to breathe, much less have a quality practice, but it was a fun one in the vein of an in-season type workout. There aren't a ton of Harris Hits for Saturday, but I'll hit a few here, just for you. Yes, you…and you…and you too.
Derek Stingley Jr. Is THAT Dude
I'm going to start with the best player in the world at his position, but I'll try to make this a trivia question. After practice, I was waiting for rookie RB Noah Whittington for our post-practice interview. As I stood near the path back to the locker room in Reliant Stadium, I heard a couple of the younger offensive coaches walk past me and say "Oh, my gosh, I didn't even see him and then he swooped in and stole it. What was that?" No one could have picked off a pass quite like…well, do you know the answer?
Yes, CB Derek Stingley Jr. is THAT dude.
It was a third down play in the second team period. WR Justin Watson ran a post route from the right side and QB C.J. Stroud launched one about as far as he could throw it. I could see Watson but not Sting, and then all the sudden, seemingly, out of nowhere, Sting flew into the picture and snatched the ball out of the air as if he were the receiver. I never want to take a play like that, or a player like that, for granted but we have seen him make plays like that in the past. So, quick ranking of his picks.
- Arizona 2023 over the top of Hollywood Brown
- v. Tyreek Hill in 2024 - the first one
- v. Tyreek Hill in 2024 - the second one
- Denver 2023 rising over the top of Courtland Sutton
- The one hand snag v. Jacksonville 2025
That all said, it was a stark reminder that he's the best in the world at that position and we're damn lucky to watch him on a daily basis. Those young offensive coaches just learned what we've all known now for a few years.
First Team Period: A Perfect Pitch and Catch, Then BURST
During the first team period, second play of the period, Stroud and TE Dalton Schultz hooked up on a wonderful pitch and catch on the far sideline. Perfectly placed ball. Great body control and catch.
Then, Stroud handed to RB Woody Marks and he hit the turbo button on a zone play that cut back behind the guard-center-guard trio. BURST for days.
On the next play, DT Sheldon Rankins had seen enough and beat his defense's blitzers to Stroud for what would've been a sack to end that series.
Jadeveon Clowney and Henry To'oTo'o Live in the Backfield
To start the next series, QB Davis Mills took and handed the ball to DE Jadeveon Clowney…well, I mean, it felt that way. He did hand the ball to Noah Whittington and Clowney won so quickly on the edge that he was in Whittington's face just as he took the handoff.
LB Henry To'oTo'o didn't play on Thursday night and the linebackers could've used him against the Chargers. He triggers so fast in the run game, deciphering so quickly that he tagged off on a run on the next play. He did the same on the very next play as well, knifing into position to make a tackle for no gain on consecutive plays. Later in practice, he also sniffed out a screen and beat ALL the OL to the RB for the TFL. He has been ON his game throughout this training camp.
C.J. Stroud and Xavier Hutchinson Connect Twice in Three Plays
But, To'oTo'o wasn't responsible for covering WR Xavier Hutchinson on the next play and it seemed as if no one even knew he was out in the route. Stroud threw to a WIDE OPEN Hutchinson on a deep over route. WIDE ACRE OPEN.
The two 2023 draft picks hooked up again two plays later, and one play after a Stroud-Nico Collins connection. This time, Hutchinson sprinted up the near sideline and Stroud stuck one between the CB and the S in coverage and Hutch made the catch for the TD. That was a seed and it was the second BIG connection between Stroud and Hutchinson in three plays.
On the next series, Stroud RIPPED one to WR Jayden Higgins across the middle, but needed a HUGE blitz pickup from RB David Montgomery to do so. GREAT throw. EASY catch. WONDERFUL blitz pickup.
The Defense Answers and a Rookie Finishes It
On the first third down in the third team period, S Reed Blankenship came up with his first pick of the day as he broke on a throw to Dalton Schultz. The defense didn't give Stroud much room to complete that pass and Blankenship was the recipient of that throw.
The next play was, again, Clowney making his presence known. He beat the playside TE so darn quickly and came up with a TFL.
The day finished with a key third and goal TD reception by rookie WR Daniel Sobkowicz. He ran his route near the back pylon of the end zone and Davis Mills threw a seed where only Sobkowicz could make the catch. And, he made it!
It was at that point that Coach DeMeco Ryans decided to mercifully end the practice, having gotten plenty of work done in the searing heat. We'll be back at it on Sunday as well, just 48 hours away from the Texans' first joint practice of training camp v. the Las Vegas Raiders.
