HBO’s Hard Knocks doesn’t have much to work with this year in choosing the Houston Texans.
I watched the first episode earlier this week. Aside from J.J. Watt and Bill O’Brien there’s not much entertainment value.
Watt is an amazing athlete. Some of the things he repeatedly did in training were astonishing. He also came across as fan friendly and a great guy.
O’Brien came across as salty – he’s certainly not shy about using the F word – but also kind of funny. Mike Vrabel, the former Patriots linebacker and now an assistant defensive coach for the Texans, also was humorous with his sarcasm. He was overheard disgustedly saying to his defense after a missed tackle, “Why don’t you just throw a marshmallow.”
The highlight of the episode came at the end during a three-day practice session against the Redskins when a fight broke out. Redskin players DeAngelo Hall and Pierre Garcin came across as being jerks.
Other tidbits from the show:
DeAndre Hopkins is going to have his fantasy football stock rise. He looked great in practice.
First round draft pick Kevin Johnson has a hot-looking sister.
Vince Wilfork can shoot a basketball and knows how to tell a joke.
O’Brien can spin, but he’s going to be in for a long season with a quarterback choice of Brian Hoyer or Ryan Mallet.
The Texans look closer to being at the level of the Jaguars and Titans than they do the Colts in the AFC South.
