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Houston Texans Transcripts** QB Tom Savage Conference Call
(on what it means to be drafted by the Houston Texans) "It means a lot. I think it's a great organization and I'm excited to just get in there and start working."
(on interactions with coaches prior draft) "They came to my pro day and I met with them and I've always felt real comfortable with Coach O'Brien. I was familiar with him at Penn State and he's just a great coach and I'm excited to get there."
(on college transfers from Rutgers to Arizona and Pittsburgh) "I played my true freshman year at Rutgers and then sophomore I got hurt and after the fourth game, Coach Schiano went with the hot hand and at that time I was just a young, 19-year-old bitter kid who thought that I was entitled to some things, so I decided to get a fresh start elsewhere. I went to Arizona and some things happened where their coaching staff got fired halfway through the season and I had the opportunity to go back to Rutgers and unfortunately the NCAA just declined that whole appeal and then I ended up having to walk-on at Pitt and pay my way for a couple of weeks and then got offered a scholarship."
(on a player he looks up to and enjoys watching) "I pick apart everybody. Obviously, Tom Brady. He's always been one of my favorite guys. He's always been my favorite quarterback, so I look at him, and all the guys. I mean, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, they're all just good guys to model your game after.
(on building houses between the transfer from Arizona to Pittsburg) "I was out of school for the spring and my dad wasn't going to let me sit around and I didn't really have a school to go to. There were no real options, so I started doing construction work with my dad and it was tough. I know what I don't want to do after football and that's work construction. It was brutal on me. I grew up a lot as a man and I'm excited to get this opportunity. I really didn't know where I was going. I was kind of stuck in no man's land. I was ineligible for the following year, so not too many teams are going to offer you two years to play one. My dad said you're not sitting around the house, you're coming to work with me and you're going to do some construction, so it was good."
(on if he has matured a lot since he was at Rutgers) "Absolutely. I think I went to Rutgers as a high recruit, played early, and kind of got sucked into the hype. I played well but I think I became a little complacent with it and I think the best thing for me was to face adversity at a young age and to go through this whole journey because it humbles you and it makes you mature as a man. I'll never get hurt; the only way I'm coming out of that game is if my leg is hanging off because this is a performance based game and if you give someone else a chance to perform over you then they're going to take your job. So, I learned a lot about the whole game and life."
(on what the Texans staff has told him about how they except to groom him into becoming a pro) "I'm just going to have to come in there and work and compete and that's all you can really ask for. I think I obviously have a lot to learn and I went 1,024 days without playing football and played one year at Pitt and I learned a lot from Coach Chryst there but I think I have a lot to improve. I'm excited to just get in there and start working."
(on if he counted the 1,024 days he went without playing football) "I actually heard in the offseason that it was 1,024."
(on what happened at Pitt that allowed him to shine and be drafted) "I just think, in a football standpoint, hitting rock bottom. I think it was the best thing for me. It's great to go to a school and play for three years and be the man for three years, but I think you develop as a man doing the scout team as a redshirt junior and humbling yourself. I went there and was humbled and I fell in love with the game again because I've had it taken away and I know what the outside world is with working construction and all that stuff so I'm excited to get another opportunity to play this game."
(on what he thinks his best quality as a player is) "I think toughness. I think that's got to be the number one quality for all quarterbacks. You have to be able to stay in that pocket and take a hit right under your chin and get back up and want to do it again. That's what I learned this off-season. This is a physical game and you have to be tough mentally and physically."
(on being well-equipped to pick up a new offense because of learning new offenses in college) "I have learned four different systems in the last four years. Pittsburgh is a very pro-style offense with all of the checks, the mike points, and readjusting the line. I am excited. I think I've got a nice little head start, but like I said, I have a lot to learn and I am excited to get in there and learn it."
(on what he attributes his rise in popularity to this year) "If you look at the first four games, I probably threw six picks. In the last eight or nine games, I threw two or three. The game slowed down for me and I think it just came with getting out there and getting the experience. Just going out there and playing; the game will slow down for you. I am just excited to continue my progress as a quarterback and continue to learn the game."
(on how much of a pro-style offense did he run at Pitt towards the end of his college career) "Towards the end, it was a lot more. Like I said, you go a thousand days without playing, so you have to hit the ground running. Coach really wanted me to learn the game and learn the position, so he put a lot on my plate and I have a lot to learn and I am excited to learn."
