HEAD COACH BILL O'BRIEN
How was the rhythm today compared to yesterday?
"It was good. Both days were good. Got a lot of work done. Got a bunch of reps yesterday, a lot of reps yesterday. I thought it was a good two days."
How advantageous is it for WR DeAndre Hopkins and CB Richard Sherman to work against each other?
"Yeah, I think any time you get veteran players that have seen a lot of different schemes, a lot of different skillsets and they can talk about it on the side and things like that, I think it's really good. That's one of the many things that's good about a joint practice."
How much do you expect to play the starters on Saturday?
"I think it would be about the same. It would be about the same. We just ran about 150 plays in two days in 100-degree heat and those guys you're talking about, most of those guys got probably 50 reps in two days. So, that's just really good work."
Does RB Troymaine Pope continue to impress you?
"Pope does some good things. It's hard. It's hard to make a 53-man roster. At that position you have to be versatile, you have to be good on special teams. It's hard to make a pro football team. It's really hard. So, he's a hard worker and he's in the hunt."
How is DE Carlos Watkins doing this year in comparison to last year's start to camp?
"I think he's doing well. I think he came back in good shape. I think your rookie year it's always hard. You just don't know. It's not the rookie's fault, they just really don't know anything. When you've done it for a year and then you can come back and understand what it takes to practice like this, then I think you're a lot farther ahead and I think he's a lot farther ahead than he was."
WR DEANDRE HOPKINS
How did you like that work against a good group of defensive backs?
"You can't complain when you're going up against a bunch of guys that are hungry. Young guys that are competing out there. I got a little work with Sherman at the end, just kind of go over some stuff that I need to work on."
What is it like going up against 49ers CB Richard Sherman?
"It's always good to up against a veteran guy because he can tell your weaknesses, he's going to tell you after what you need to work on. So, going up against guys like that, it helps me stay on top of my game."
Why is it that you continue to seek out former Texans WR Andre Johnson for advice every time he's out here?
"It's always just me asking, trying to get better in my craft. He sees something I need to work on, and he's one guy that's always going to be honest with me. If I'm short on a route or if I can do something – a lot of people will tell me good job but he's the one guy that will be like, 'Nah, you need to do this' or, 'You can do this better'. So, just having that honest advice in somebody that wants to see me better than him, you can't beat it."
What does it mean to you to have that kind of mentorship?
"It's always good to have a Hall of Fame – future Hall of Famer – in your ear. Somebody that you can talk to all the time."
What's the biggest way that you have seen QB Deshaun Watson develop?
"The way he studies and our communication on the field. We're always talking in between reps about what we can do better. So, that's something that he's always had, but just something that he's improved on – just us communicating and trying to get better reps."
What do you think of S Justin Reid so far?
"He's made some plays out there. I really wasn't paying too much attention to him going against San Francisco, but what I did see, I saw him breaking on the ball pretty good."
How much are you looking forward to a full season with QB Deshaun Watson?
"The possibilities, what we can do is limitless, not just him and myself, but this whole team. He runs this whole team and he does a great job."
What is it like to have receivers from the other team come to you for knowledge?
"I'm going into my sixth year, so I've played a lot of football. I missed one game, so my record speaks for itself. I was like that with guys that were older than me when I was young. So, you kind of expect that and you just want to give them good advice on what they can do."
What happened with you and DB Jimmie Ward?
"Not much. A little scuffle. Basically a little game of tic-tac-toe. It's football. That's my friend. That's football. It's nothing more than us just out here playing football."
Do you ever get a feel for a new corner before you start setting them up with your main stuff?
"Oh yeah, always. You always want to get a feel for a guy, especially when you don't go against them and you can't watch film on them. You're always kind of getting a gauge and a feel on what you can do and basically set up for bigger plays. So, yeah, try and get a feel for them early."
Being at your level, are there things you still try to work on every day?
"Of course, of course. I'm steady watching film, trying to improve and watching film on other guys as well, seeing what they do and seeing how they keep their game up to par."
Do you agree with Jacksonville Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey that QB Deshaun Watson could be the NFL MVP in the coming years?
"He's a good quarterback. Deshaun has a lot to work on, but it's a team sport. So, we have to go out and win games for anything to happen."
What are your overall thoughts on the wide receiver corps?
"I like this receiving corps. A lot of guys that are young, willing to work, take extra reps outside of practice. It's a good receiving corps."
What are your thoughts on playing your first home game of 2018?
"It means a lot to be here in Houston, a football city. Just come out and try to win the game for this city. They deserve it and they've always been supportive of us."
How do you feel WR Braxton Miller is coming along?
"He's coming along well. He's doing a lot. Everything we ask him to do, he's out there doing. You can't ask much more out of him than that."
