2012 » relievers in a 10-6 victory Friday night. Ryan Howard went

HOUSTON -- The quizzes began early.Houston Texans head coach Bill OBrien and offensive coordinator George Godsey sent Brock Osweiler?to the front of the team meeting room to stand on stage with five linemen during the first week of the teams offseason program. The offensive players he would soon lead sat in oversized office chairs behind rows of ascending desks. Oversized game photos adorned the walls on either side.Godsey and OBrien called out a play, and the dress rehearsal began. Osweiler barked out cadences for the room to hear, just like he would in a game. When he got it wrong, good-natured cat calls followed. But he didnt get it wrong often.I remember the first time that we did it, which was at the beginning, Texans coach Bill OBrien said. He had it.Most of the time, Osweilers response showed a mastery of the four pages of cadences he had been asked to learn before he set foot in the building for offseason meetings. Most of the time, Osweiler showed his commitment to the great expectations facing him.It has to work. The Texans are counting on him. The fates of general manager Rick Smith and OBrien are tied to Osweiler -- to whom they paid $37 million guaranteed and $72 million over four seasons -- whether their owner admits it or not. And Osweiler is counting on himself. He brims with confidence that hell bring the Texans exactly what they need to give their superlative defense a worthy complement.Its exciting. Its a new challenge, Osweiler said. Its something to wake up for and chase after, just to learn this new offense. ... Thats the playbook, thats getting to know your teammates. Understanding the ins and the outs and the operation and style of this building and how our strength staff operates.Its like the first day of school and going to a new school. Whos going to be my new best friend? Whats our teacher like? I cant wait to see the playground, maybe our weight room and cafeteria.To make this work, Osweiler has to know everything about the Texans offense. He has to master the contents of a 4-inch-thick binder that is the work of generations of brilliant coaching minds. That process began as soon as he walked out of the building for the first time March 10, armed with a tablet filled with film and terminology. It continued on a field at Arizona State, where his new teammates joined him. It crystallized over weeks of study in the facility during the Texans offseason program and in his office at his new Houston-area home.Indoor and outdoor learningThat first day marked a rare time that Osweiler followed instead of led.This is where we sit, a fellow quarterback told him. Osweiler followed his backups,?Tom Savage and Brandon Weeden, into their unassigned seating arrangement in the team meeting room. It ensured that the receivers, including Pro Bowler DeAndre Hopkins, sat right behind him.By then, Osweiler had memorized the basic information section of the Texans playbook, which includes four pages of cadences, and also huddle instructions, explanations of how the play is called, personnel groupings, the names of motions and shifts, and defensive terminology. The most extensive part of the playbooks opening section explains all the Texans formations. Its 18 pages.If you asked a player, thats probably one of the hardest things to learn, OBrien said. We probably have more formations than most any offense.They dont expect to spend more than a week on that.Since he signed March 10, Osweiler set daily goals for himself. One day, he challenged himself to learn all the Texans cadences. Another day, he tried to learn all the empty formations. He would say a formations name out loud, then draw it until he got it right.The receivers showed up in late March on Osweilers invitation to Arizona State, as did Savage. They ran routes, and he threw to them. Sometimes, they taught Osweiler a route signal, then surprised him later with a quiz.Whats the signal for a quick out?Whats the signal for an in-cut from the slot?He was like a student from the jump, receiver Cecil Shorts said. Very professional. I can see what he learned from 18 [Peyton Manning].Those extra sessions continued in Houston. Even when throwing at the Texans facility wasnt allowed, the group would get together somewhere off-site. Once the offseason program began April 20, finally Godsey and OBrien could help.One thing that weve learned as coaches: Were teachers, OBrien said. Hes the quarterback. If Im just talking to him, eventually theyll just see my mouth moving. Blah blah blah. We want them to get up there and actually do it.The coaches had Osweiler draw formations on a board in the Texans quarterback room, an often dimly lit space with walls covered completely in whiteboard. They showed a cut-up of film from one of the past seven years and asked Osweiler to identify the protection and middle linebacker.In the team meeting room, they practiced the cadences on stage. They asked Osweiler to explain what he expected from his teammates and from a defense on certain plays. Whereas last years starting quarterback,?Brian Hoyer, might have given a less robust answer, Osweiler sometimes stood up, his 6-foot-7 frame overpowering the room, and verbally diagrammed an entire play. Sometimes in team meetings, he closed his eyes to imagine the play unfolding.If he sees something that he knows he can help us out with, then hell speak out, Hopkins said. Hes not the QB thats going to hold his opinion.Sometimes he turned around to Hopkins, who sat behind him, just above his left shoulder.Therell be times where hell probably say, Hey, Brock, I need you to do this for me, or Ill say, Hey, Hop, I need you to do this for me, Osweiler said. But for the most part its, Hey, Hop, whatd you see there? or Hey, Brock, whatd you see there? ... We work together, and its a partnership.Its also a partnership between Osweiler and the coaching staff. They want to call the plays the quarterback is most comfortable with, so theyll sometimes alter details to suit him.I see him as a colleague, and so we talk about things to, one, help him understand where this word or what the genesis of the term or situation were in, Godsey said. But theres also a little bit of information Im receiving from him that may enhance our own particular way of calling things. That I enjoy.When the on-field work began in organized team activities, Osweiler tested himself. He could see the offense he studied so long unfold. He could make the mistakes he hoped to not repeat in games, then talk with his teammates in the field about them.He had good days and bad days. During one practice, he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown, and he chased the defensive back all the way to the other end zone. What was important then -- and will still be important in training camp -- is that hes learning.OTA days ended around 3 p.m., and Osweiler often stayed later to watch that days practice film. Each night, he went home to study for the next days practice. When he felt comfortable with what he learned, usually between 8 and 9 p.m., he called for his wife, Erin.My wife will act as the offensive coordinator at times during the evening, Osweiler said. Ill have her read the full play to me. Ill sit there and try to picture it, spit it back out to her, make sure Im verbalizing it the right way so that when I step into the huddle the next day in practice, things are coming out clear.Veteran wantedFor a rookie quarterback to come in and be able to run this offense would be extremely difficult, OBrien says. First of all, theyre getting adjusted to pro football. The time, totally different. From 7:30 in the morning to 5:30 at night, its all football. They have to get adjusted to that, get adjusted to a new city.Then they have to learn this. Some colleges dont even have a playbook.Sitting in the quarterbacks room, wearing Texans warm-ups, OBrien lifts a copy of the Texans playbook and flips through the pages to emphasize their number. This is the physical version of the digital playbook Osweiler and his teammates have.Colorful tabs separate the pages in the binder that holds a playbook whose roots go all the way back to Ron Erhardt, the offensive coordinator who helped Bill Parcells win two Super Bowls. It passed down to Bill Belichick, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and OBrien, among others. Now Godsey is adding to it. One personnel grouping is named Detroit because Belichick concocted it while coaching in Detroit. There are others created for former Patriots players. In their first season with the Texans, OBrien and his staff added a personnel grouping that could get running back Arian Foster on the field as a receiver.It makes for a complex system designed to maximize a teams roster. It also gives the quarterback near complete control at the line of scrimmage. That means he has to know the offense so well that, ideally -- and its a lofty ideal -- he never runs a bad play.Gary Kubiak, the Broncos head coach since 2015, runs a more streamlined offense, with less complication at the line of scrimmage. The quarterbacks in his system typically have less responsibility before the snap.But the Texans playbook is not completely foreign to Osweiler. The Broncos drafted him in 2012, a season after McDaniels was fired as their head coach, and some similarities remained with coordinator Mike McCoy and then-quarterbacks coach Adam Gase, both of whom worked under McDaniels.It might have been too much for a rookie. Thats part of the reason the Texans were delighted when that rare thing happened: A veteran quarterback they liked hit the market.So far, Osweiler has rewarded their faith, but the quizzes arent over yet.Fake Wholesale Shoes . Ronaldo produced a spectacular individual performance on Tuesday, scoring all three goals and guiding Portugal into the next years World Cup in Brazil with a 3-2 victory in Sweden. The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. Replica Wholesale Shoes . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/ . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Wholesale Shoes . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game. Wholesale Shoes USA . The incident occurred at 19:56 of the second period of the Kings 4-2 road win over Edmonton on Sunday. Nolan punched Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu in the jaw in front of the Kings goal during a scrum.PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff, having ended a long drought his last time out, attempts to win his second straight start when Philadelphia hosts the Colorado Rockies on Saturday night.Eickhoff (7-12, 3.78 ERA) squares off against rookie left-hander Tyler Anderson (4-3, 3.04) in the second contest of a three-game series.Eickhoff beat the San Diego Padres on Sunday, going six innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits while striking out five. He did not walk a batter.It was his first victory since he beat the Atlanta Braves on July 4. In the next five starts, he went 0-3 with a 5.08 ERA. That includes his only career start to date against Colorado, an 8-3 defeat July 9 in which he gave up eight runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.He gave up two home runs in his victory over San Diego. One was a two-run shot by Ryan Schimpf in the sixth inning, allowed the Padres to tie the game. Eickhoff has an 11.57 ERA in the sixth inning this season.If you look at the line, its tough to look at, Eickhoff told reporters afterward. But I just tried to keep us in the game the best I could. It was a great team win.Anderson has gone seven innings each of his last two starts, matching his career high. He was saddled with a no-decision in last out Monday versus Texas despite giving up one run on two hits while striking out five and walking three. The Rockies lost 4--3.dddddddddddd.The 26-year-old owns the lowest ERA for a Rockies starter through 11 games in club history. His road ERA (3.06) is likewise respectable, but he is 0-2 in three starts away from Coors Field. Colorado has scored one run in those three starts.Anderson beat the Phillies in his only previous start against them July 9. He went six innings in that 8-3 victory, allowing two runs on nine hits while striking out six. He didnt walk a batter.Philadelphia, averaging 6.1 runs per game in August, battered Jon Gray and four relievers in a 10-6 victory Friday night. Ryan Howard went 3-for-5 with five RBI, and his fifth-inning grand slam off Gray -- a 457-foot shot into the Colorado bullpen in center field -- snapped a 3-3 tie.It was the 14th career grand slam for Howard, who already held the club record in that category, and his 374th career homer. He is tied with Rocky Colavito for 76th on the all-time list.Howards big night coincided with the induction of the retired Jim Thome, once his mentor, into the clubs Wall of Honor.Its something pretty special, Howard said. I mean, you want to go out there and try to get the win on a special night like this. ... Being able to get something to hit and having it land on the other side of the fence is the bonus. ' ' '