What do you hope to accomplish in your second season?
"I'm going to go ahead and throw this out there – my main goal is to fix the penalties I had last year. That was one of the main things I wanted to work on and work with Deshaun (Watson) this offseason. Moral of the story is just I want to improve. I want to keep improving every year that I have. I'm going into my fifth year. I want it to be just one of the best seasons I ever had. Like, when I go into my sixth year, I want it to be one of the best seasons I've ever had. It's just keep improving and keep doing things to help the team."
When you study tape, what are some of the things you are proud of last season and how can you build on those?
"I always try to improve in the run game – pad level, foot work. Then I look at the pass game, I always try to – pad level, footwork. Just trying to stay consistent, man. That's what I'm really trying to work on. Every time I watch tape, it's just how can I do that over and over again? Just trying to stay consistent."
Do you think having a full training camp with the offense and QB Deshaun Watson will help this season?
"For sure. You've got to think about it, man. I came in, what, four days before the first game? Didn't have a training camp with the team. Didn't have an offseason program with the team. I had that with a whole other team. Coming in, it was hard to adjust to. Definitely for Deshaun (Watson) because his cadence is different. But now that I've had the offseason with him, I worked with him in the offseason and having a training camp with these guys, I feel like we'll be on the same page. It's all about staying consistent, man. If you stay consistent, a lot of great things can happen."
Can you compare how you felt this time last season when there were various rumors about your contract situation in Miami to where you're at this season?
"That's not a good position to be in, in my opinion. Just to hear rumors about your name, about how you'll get traded, yada yada. It just feels great to be in this position. I'm with the team. I'm locked in with the team for some years. I've got a great team, a good veteran team. We're just ready to work."
The Texans announced yesterday that they won't have fans at the home opener, what are your thoughts on that?
"That's sad news, but I understand the policy of COVID-19 and we want to keep everybody safe. But not having those fans out there, that was one of our advantages is playing at home. But you know, you've got to keep everybody safe and social distance, which I understand. We just have to come bring our own juice and get it done."
You joined other Texans players to partner with Texas Southern University. Why did you want to do that and what did it mean to you?
"I mean, I just want to help out the community any way that I can. I feel like that was one of the first steps of helping TSU out. I just want to give back to the community and just helping anyway that I can. So that's why I wanted to join those guys and give back."
How important is it to have all five starters on the offensive line back?
"That's a great question. Having all five starters back means a lot. I think this is my first time this has happened since I've been in the NFL – having all five starters back. We just want to keep improving. We want to stay consistent. I think we gave up 44 sacks last year and we want to keep knocking down that number and just keep going forward with that."
What do you think about the new acquisitions on offense and how the unit looks overall?
"I think Billy O (Bill O'Brien) did a great job of bringing these new pieces in with Randall Cobb, David Johnson, Brandin Cooks. It just expands our offense just a little bit more and plus they are veteran players, so they have played a lot of football, which can help us out a lot."
Are you proud of what you've accomplished in the NFL because of everything that happened last year and also on the night you got drafted?
"For sure. I'm happy to be in this position, to be a longtime Texan. But there's always room for improvement and I can't get too comfortable with where I'm out now. I just have to keep improving and stay consistent."
When you look at the potential of the offense, do you think it could be a high-scoring offense?
"I don't want to put anything set in stone, but if we come to work every day and we put the pieces together, I think we can be a high-scoring offense for sure. But like I said, it's all about consistency. It's about learning each other. It's about trusting each other and just getting things done, man."
What have you seen from the growth of G/T Tytus Howard and G/T Max Scharping?
"The guys are going to be some beasts. Trust me. They are going to be some beasts, man. Like I said, it's all about staying consistent in this league man. Those guys stay consistent, they come to work every day and they give it their all. The sky is the limit for those guys for sure. I see a lot of potential. They come to work every day. In my opinion, they're going to be good."
What you think about RB David Johnson so far?
"I remember seeing David Johnson my rookie year when I was in Miami and Arizona came to us and the things he did against us – I think he rushed for like over 150. But the things he did against us, catching the ball out of the backfield, running the ball downhill or outside zone – anything he did, it was amazing. To have him on my team is a good feeling for sure."
