RICHMOND, Va. – The Texans practiced against the Washington Redskins for a second consecutive day. There was light rainfall that caused temperature to dip to a point where fans and reporters were scrambling for gear to help them warm up.
Coach Bill O’Brien gave nose tackle Vince Wilfork the day off. They were missing injured players like nose tackle Louis Nix III and defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan, among others. The injured players worked out on the side.
Defensive end Jared Crick had a terrific day as a pass rusher. He expects to improve his 3 ½ sack total from last season.
“He gave us a good inside rush last year, and I expect him to do it again,” coach Bill O’Brien said about Crick. “He had another good day of work.”
Quarterbacks Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer weren’t as accurate as the day before, but they still completed a lot of passes.
In a red zone drill late in practice, Hoyer threw a bullet into the back of the end zone, where rookie receiver Jaelen Strong made the catch on a crossing route. As soon as he caught the ball, he was hit by linebacker Martrell Spaight, who drilled Strong with his shoulder but didn’t take him to the ground.
Another rookie receiver, Keith Mumphery, had his best day, He made several impressive catches. He continues to show that he’s a smart route runner, has good hands and is tough.
Cornerback Kareem Jackson couldn’t have done much more on a corner route into the end zone run by Pierre Garcon, who caught a perfectly thrown pass from Robert Griffin III.
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