*Editor's note: Tight end Owen Daniels will be providing periodic diary entries for HoustonTexans.com to give fans insight into the life of a rookie draft pick.
*
In a perfect world, we'd be undefeated right now, but since it isn't, we have to face reality. We lost a tough game this past weekend at New York, and now our record stands at 2-6 at the halfway point.
I can't ever remember being on a team that was 2-6. Maybe back in junior high, but never in high school or college. There's still half a season left to play and we can very easily turn it around to be 6-2 over the next eight games. That's a lofty goal, but no one can say that it can't be done. Nobody on the team is negative about it, that's for sure. I can't say what's going on in my teammates' minds, but there's definitely no negativity from any of the players or coaches. We all try to stay very positive.
Going into the next half of the season, I don't foresee any drastic changes. There might be some changes with our schedule in terms of meeting times and practice times. It's such a long season that the coaches might want to cut back to reduce the wear and tear on our bodies.
One of the things we've done now that we've completed eight games is look at what we've accomplished and what we can improve on, both collectively and individually. I can honestly say that I didn't have very many individual goals going into the year. I just wanted to learn from the older guys and learn their tricks of the trade.
If you had told me that after eight games I would be sitting here with five touchdowns and whatever stats I have, I would have thought that was awesome. Even having those numbers after a season, it'd still be great for me. I'd like to at least match what I did the first half of the season over the next eight weeks. I just want to continue getting better in the running game and in the pass protection and make the most I can out of every play that I'm in there. My main goal is to win, obviously, but also to try to play as close to a perfect game as I can. It's very hard to do. I don't think very many people can say they've played a perfect game, and that's my motivation.
Of course, it'll be tough to play that perfect game this weekend. The Jaguars have a great defense. One good thing about playing at Jacksonville, though, is that I get to see my grandparents. I haven't seen them since draft day. They live right outside of Tampa and they're driving up to catch the game.
[
](http://store.houstontexans.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1865446&cp=2237490&parentPage=family&clickid=mainnavgeartxt&parentPage=family)Outside of the NFL, I'm still a huge sports fan and I'm excited about the college basketball season starting. I'm a college sports fan in general. If I wasn't playing in the NFL, I would watch NFL games and college football, just because they're pretty similar to each other. After that, anything college is better than anything pro, in my opinion. Wisconsin has a good basketball team. I think we're ranked in the top 10. We usually have a solid team, but Wisconsin basketball is great this year. Then again, I love anything Wisconsin.
By the way, it's my birthday today. I wouldn't mention it except my parents got me a grill for my birthday and that's something I really wanted for my little porch area. I'll put in some tables and chairs and then it'll be perfect. I've got to go catch an episode of 'The Office' tonight. I missed it last week, don't ask how because I have TiVo, but I missed it.
Gotta go!
Owen
Entry 1: Welcome to training camp (8/1)
Entry 2: Adjusting to the NFL (8/5)
Entry 3: Getting ready (8/5)
Entry 4: Preseason debut (8/16)
Entry 5: Road trip (8/23)
Entry 6: Changing modes (8/29)
Entry 7: Becoming a starter (9/6)
Entry 8: Appearances and business (9/14)
Entry 9: Cooking 101 (9/21)
Entry 10: Season outlook (9/27)
Entry 11: Different feeling (10/4)
Entry 12: Time off (10/11)
Entry 13: Shifting gears (10/19)
Entry 14: After a win (10/26)
Entry 15: The big picture (11/3)
