With Bill O’Brien ending mandatory mini-camp a day early, the Houston Texans now enter a dead period before training camp starts in late July. The organization allows current players under contract to use the facility during this time so that they may continue working on their craft and team personnel, outside of the coaching staff, is available to help players get ready for camp.
"We have people in place here for the next five weeks – our training room, our strength staff,” O’Brien explained. “Our training staff and our strength staff will be here to work with these guys every single day – lifting, running, rehabbing in the training room. So, there’s a lot of things in place for these guys to be able to be here and train. A lot of guys go other places. They train with different people and they get the same type of training at other places. But it’s all about being ready to go on July 25th.”
Many players might take a final vacation or go to another state to workout, but quarterback Tom Savage knows that there is zero rest moving forward for him and his receivers. Savage recognizes that this is his job to lose and he is not approaching this off-season any differently than his previous seasons: he gets his guys together and continues to throw the football so they can all grow together within the offense
“They say this is a little offseason break but this really isn’t a time for a break,” Savage stated. “I’m going to get some of the guys together (and) we’re going to throw and kind of just keep moving forward. We can’t plateau here. Go into training camp running.”
Savage continues to use this off-season to get to know his receivers and work on the little things with the offense. Working closely with Hopkins, Jaelen Strong, Braxton Miller, and Will Fuller, Savage knows that the upcoming stretch is important for the team, specifically for the offense.
“It’s super important,” Savage said of putting in extra work. “It’s just one of those deals. Those are the rules and we’ll find a way to get out there and throw and bond. It’s more than on the field. It’s off the field. We have to hang out, we have to be around each other. That’s a huge key this offseason.”
DeAndre Hopkins echoed Savage’s sentiment on continuing to put in work heading to training camp and that this not being the time to let up.
“Just be ready to come out here and help this team win our ultimate goal,” Hopkins said of work needed to put in. “You can’t do that just when you’re out here with everybody. You have to do that on your own time. So, I think that’s my mission for sure.”
The Texans might be on a break but there are plenty of players including Savage and Hopkins who are ready to put their extra time into kick-starting the offense this upcoming season.