There were more than enough concerning voices surrounding the Texans ground game after running back Arian Foster had his groin surgery this offseason.
Chief among them is their head coach.
Houston's backs are carrying for all of 2.8 yards per carry every time out and Bill O'Brien said on Tuesday that for his team to sustain drives in games this season, that is the first thing that will have to change.
"I think our running game, at times, has been decent, but it's too inconsistent," O'Brien told the Houston Chroncile. "Hopefully, you'll see some improvement Thursday in the Dallas game. I think there have been times where we see glimpses of what it can be, but we've got to be a lot more consistent."
Which will likely involve leaning more heavily on Alfred Blue, who will assume Foster's spot while the starter is out. Blue had a good showing in his first exhibition contest, but since then has only averaged 4.8 yards per attempt. That speaks to the worry O'Brien has for his team's chances on the ground during the first few weeks Foster is expected to be out.
And the possibility of sustaining any power near the line of scrimmage in support of quarterback Brian Hoyer, who O'Brien named the starter over Ryan Mallett. Hoyer is an average passer and game manager at the best of times, and a reliable rusher to hand to on a 3rd-and-3, is a quarterback's best friend.
A day after learning that he lost the open quarterback competition that lasted through the summer and that Brian Hoyer would be named the Texans' starting quarterback, reserve passer Ryan Mallett said he was "angry" and "disappointed" in the decision.
"I wanted this job more than anything," Mallett said, via the Houston Chronicle.
That anger was something that head coach Bill O'Brien, who always said the competition between them was very close, actually appreciated.
"You don't want a guy jumping around doing back springs when he gets named the backup," he said.
The guy doing those back springs today technically has more NFL experience than his backup. Hoyer went 10-6 with the Browns over two seasons' intermittent work before signing with Houston in March, after Mallett agreed to return himself after a stint with the club last season.
While the contest was a close one, O'Brien said Mallett was less consistent than his rival.
"Obviously, I'm disappointed," Mallett said. "I don't agree with it. I'll do what I have to do to better the team."
Right now, that means sitting on the bench holding a clipboard while Hoyer goes under center. But he also remembers that the Texans used all of four quarterbacks last season because of injury, so he's not done holding out hope entirely.
"It's not a setback," he said. "I'm still part of a really good football team."
Saturday was the third and final day between joint practice between the Washington Redskins and Houston Texans. So they did what people usually do when they spend three days together in close contact: they tried to kill each other.
It happened the usual way. Some tepid and silent anger was festering. Somebody got hit too hard. Somebody made the first shove. Somebody made the second shove. Anarchy.
After the usual peace-making, both teams decided that was enough of the joint practices and went their separate ways. Jay Gruden wasn't pleased about that.
Gruden said he wanted his team to get some solid situational work in against the Texans, work that went to waste because of the brawls, the root cause of which seems to be the nefarious running style of backup rusher Matt Jones. Jones, a physical rookie from Florida, ran over a Houston defensive back on Friday.
Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall said some Texans coaches told him their players were upset by that occasion -- and the raucous celebration by his teammates on the sideline when he did it.
"We missed an opportunity to get better against a good team," he said afterwards. "A lot will be written about what happened today but we had two excellent days against them and I appreciate them coming. It's just unfortunate it happened."
Saturday was supposed to be a vital consecutive day for quarterback Robert Griffin III's progression. He performed well on Friday, moving the offense down the field, making better decisions with where to put the ball, working easier under pressure. All positive work that was cut off short when he shouldn't have been in the eyes of his coach.
"I do wish we had that practice," Gruden said. "We had some red zone, some two-minute, some great situational work we were going to do today. Unfortunately, we didn't get it done. It is what it is and we still got some work done, though."
There are as many opinions on teams fighting as there were spectators of it. But one positive that can come out of it in something, frankly, the Redskins could use: team cohesion.
One member of their roster saw it in fine form.
"I'm proud of my team," tight end Niles Paul said. "I'm proud of how aggressive we were. Everybody came in and got each other's backs. We all ran to each other's side. Obviously we can't do that in a game, because everybody gets fined or suspended, but we did what we had to do as a team and came together."
If they can play as well as they fight, they have a chance this season.
On Thursday, the Washington Redskins host the Houston Texans to their training camp for three days of joint practice.
The Texans bring HBO's "Hard Knocks" with them after being selected as the latest subject of the NFL camp reality show, but Redskins head coach Jay Gruden is looking forward to something more important: the matchups Houston will bring to test his squad and measure their progress.
"Well, we just want to compete some more and look at our guys against different people," he said. "Our ones against their ones, their twos against our twos and see how our guys are progressing and see who steps up as the competition will step up."
Practice with another team not your own is extremely valuable. It's the first real testing ground to see where your team is against genuine competition. The man on the other side of the ball isn't trying to be gentle with your man, isn't trying to keep your man from being injured, doesn't care what happens to your man.
"Well, it helped us evaluate our players," Gruden said of the joint practices. "That's the number one objective is. . . to continue to implement our system, obviously, and learn what we're doing, but see how our players react to the competition and try to get a better gauge on our best 53."
Without question, the primary matchup to watch during the practices is that between Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and rookie Redskins right tackle Brandon Scherff. Scherff has shows glimpses of what he can do, but has struggled against Washington's version of Watt, Ryan Kerrigan.
But Gruden said he would try a number of options against Watt when they take the field.
"J.J. Watt is the best and it will be a great challenge," Gruden said. "I want to see who is going to line up first against him in one-on-ones. It's going to be a fun one. But any time you go against another professional football team, they're going to have good players, obviously, and the Texans are no different."
Gruden knows he'll get the best picture yet of what he's dealing with in his front protection.
"It's so important for offensive linemen to make sure we're all on the same page," he said. "And they're going to get beat from time to time, but they just stay steady in their progression and continue to work hard and continue to communicate. Good things will work out."
HOUSTON, Tex. - Texans rookie linebacker Jadeveon Clowney has been placed on season-ending injured reserve by the team.
He will have a second knee surgery in the coming days, head coach Bill O'Brien confirmed Thursday.
The No. 1 pick of the 2014 Draft featured in four complete games for the Texans (6-6), securing 7 tackles and no sacks.
Clowney sought an opinion from Dr. James Andrews yesterday.
He suffered his first knee injury after his Week 1 debut against the Washington Redskins, and also suffered a sports hernia and concussion in the preseason.
He returned against a victory over Tennessee, but soon left action when he knee began swelling.
