ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON â€" Former Dallas linebacker Bradie James jumped at the chance to reunite with Wade Phillips and Reggie Herring in Houston.
The rest of the Texans? Well, they began spring conditioning drills on Monday with many other familiar faces missing.
Houston went 10-6 in 2011, winning its division for the first time and earning the franchise's first playoff berth. The roster then underwent significant change in free agency, with career sacks leader Mario Williams, tight end Joel Dreessen, right tackle Eric Winston and right guard Mike Brisiel among those who signed with other teams. The Texans also traded All-Pro linebacker DeMeco Ryans to Philadelphia.
Houston acquired the 6-foot-2, 246-pound James to fill the void left by Ryans' departure. James played his first nine NFL seasons with the Cowboys, including the four-year span when Phillips was the head coach and defensive coordinator, and Herring became his linebackers coach.
"Wade is kind of laid-back, but not too laid-back," James said. "If you want to get Wade riled up, miss an assignment and he'll get after you. Reggie is the guy that is a ‘spit on the side of your face' type of guy. He's just on you like an old nagging woman, but they complement each other."
The Texans felt like James is a better fit for Phillips' 3-4 alignment than Ryans, who was drafted along with Williams and Winston by Houston in 2006, coach Gary Kubiak's first season. Tight end Owen Daniels thinks the Texans were lucky to keep the roster intact for so long.
"That's just part of the business," Daniels said. "Obviously, I wish all those guys the best, but we've still got a lot of good players here and a lot of guys that contributed."
Quarterback Matt Schaub didn't go anywhere, and he said he is "right on schedule" in his recovery from a right Lisfranc fracture that sidelined him for the final six games and the playoffs.
The Texans set a franchise record for yards rushing (2,448) and ranked second in rushing offense (153 yards per game) in 2011, a key to their first playoff appearance. Winston didn't miss a game between 2007-11, and Brisiel started 25 games over the past two seasons.
Rashad Butler will take Winston's spot; Antoine Caldwell will take over at right guard after making only three starts there last season.
Dreessen has joined Peyton Manning in Denver after starting 10 games last year and making six touchdown catches. His departure opens a spot for Garrett Graham, a fourth-round pick by the Texans in 2010. Graham has played in 13 games across two seasons.
No comments:
Post a Comment