The Texans finished their second to last day of installs during OTAs, but they were without tight end Owen Daniels for the second consecutive day. Head coach Gary Kubaik told the media that he placed a call to Daniels on Tuesday.
Head coach Gary Kubiak
(on if everybody he expected was here today) "Yeah, I guess. We've had a lot of direct question toward whether or not (TE) Owen (Daniels) was here today. But no, they were all working today. (WR Darnell) Jenkins is not here today. He has something in his family going on that sent him back to Miami yesterday, so hopefully everything will be OK."
(on if he talked to TE Owen Daniels yesterday) "No, I haven't actually. I put in a call to him yesterday, but I haven't heard back from him. So, no I have not."
{QUOTE}(on if he's concerned) "No, it's part of—pro football. The offseason activities and the practices from when I played have really changed, as far as the time we get with players, but the bottom line, it's still voluntary. Like I said, he's been our best worker, been working his tail off and he's made a decision as of yesterday that he's not going to participate so I've got to respect that and what's going on. But I count on Owen Daniels. I wish he was here, though. I'm not going tell you anything different."
(on DT Travis Johnson) "Well it's nice to see him get back to work, you know? He's got a lot of work to get done here over the course of the tomorrow and the next week so he can catch up with the rest of the football team. But when Travis has been on the field, he's done some good things for us. Staying on the field, being a consistent contributor has been the problem. That's what we've got to have him do to be as good as he can be."
(on how the running back have looked so far) "Well, we've held up, you know, to this point. You never know till you put the pads on. But I've also been impressed with the young guys. Then, we'll get this other young man in here next week and take a look at him, a kid from Oregon, (RB Jeremiah) Johnson. So it'll be very competitive, but the guy that needs to make sure he's standing out each and every day is Steve (Slaton). He's the one that has to be a leader and a great player for us. "
(on what he sees from DT Travis Johnson) "Well, he's been himself the last week, so hopefully that can continue and we need that over a long period of time."
(on what it would mean if he became the player they're hoping) "Well it would mean a lot. When he's been out on that field healthy and playing the way he's capable of playing, we're a better defensive football team. But it's been inconsistent and the injuries have lead to that more than anything, so he's go ground to catch up on right now and we've got to do that with him here in the next week or so."
(on T Duane Brown being lighter) "I thought he was pretty quick to begin with. I think he's got confidence. I think what happens with a guy like that is he knows that's he's playing against (Kyle) Vanden Bocsh twice and (Dwight) Freeney twice. And he's able to go back and say, 'I can play better against these guys at 308 than I can at blank weight.' So he's obviously got some confidence in being lighter, and that's fine with us because it's about him being able to hold up against some great players week in and week out."
(on the health of the team) "We're fine. Everybody worked today. Jenkins is not here; he has a family health issue back home. I sent him home yesterday, so I don't know if he'll be back."
WR Andre Johnson
(on if he's ever played against basketball player T.J. Ford who visited practice) "Naw, the guy might be a little bit too fast for me on that court. He's a heck of a player, you know. I watched him when he was in college and everything.
(on whether or not basketball player T.J. Ford could be a wide receiver in the NFL) "Yeah, I think he could. Look at him on the court; he has the speed, he has the moves - so a wide receiver, a DB, definitely a fit on the football field."
DT Travis Johnson
(on not being able to practice) "It bothers me because I want to be out here as bad as anyone else wants to be out here. So, you gotta deal with it. You know, every situation's different. I want to be out here just as bad as I know the others do."
(on how close he is to 100 percent) "I don't know. I'm getting there."
(on working with defensive line coach Bill Kollar) "Love it. He shares that attitude that - what we learned the first day, running to the ball, enthusiasm and hustle. I like it."
(on if he'll be 100 percent for training camp) "Oh yeah, I think so. Pretty sure, yeah."
(on how worried he is about his hamstring) "Not worried. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time I wasn't 100 percent, so I'm good to go."
(on how much he is doing at practice) "I did everything today. I've been doing everything the last couple of days."
(on if he feels like he has something to prove going into training camp) "Of course, you're in uniform. Everybody has something to prove. Everyone's trying to get a job. That's about it."
(on the biggest difference with Kollar coaching) "I think, hopefully, just the added hustle. Everybody's really buying into running to the ball, running full speed everywhere. I think that'll be the biggest thing."
(on how important hustle is to him) "I think it's real important just because, I mean, I work hard. I'm the first one in the building almost every day. So I work hard every single day. Some days you want to be able to show everybody how hard I do work. So it's really just trying to get my body right and just so I can be able to have a big year."
(on if he has realized his potential as a Texan) "I've had ups and downs. I think it's been like a mountain to climb. Hopefully, the Lord can help me to climb that mountain and get to the top of it. I think it's been an up-and-down road. I've had good days, had bad days. But I wouldn't change anything."
(on if he feels pressure because it's a contract year) "There's always pressure. Every day is pressure; pressure since the first day you walk into the building."
(on what he thinks of the depth on the interior of the line) "It's good depth. I mean, you've got a lot of guys in there ready to work, lot of guys ready to go. I think it's going to be a big year with the new additions and with Kollar."
