Here is everything Houston Texans Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair said after the second day of training camp in pads on Tuesday, including his reaction to defensive end Jadeveon Clowney coming back to Houston, his impressions of new center Keylan Rutledge and the competitiveness in camp so far.
Question: On adding DE Jadeveon Clowney to the defense
Azeez Al-Shaair: “Rich get richer, man. The rich get richer, he’s obviously a great player. He started his career here, first overall pick for a reason. He’s had a really good career. He had 8.5 sacks a year ago. I’m surprised that he was even available this late, but I’m happy because he’s on our team now. He’s a great player. Excited to work with him for sure.”
Q: On what motivated his humanitarian work in the offseason
Al-Shaair: “It’s something I always do. I think I’ve just gotten more comfortable sharing it because I think my mindset changed towards it because you understand that when it’s people that are underserved and overlooked. For me, being one of those people at a young age growing up, you don’t want somebody to always be showing your struggle. I think for me, realizing a lot of the issues just in the United States, across the world, I think us in the United States, we’re so sheltered. We have our own issues as well, but relative to just how the world is, I think we’re in our own little world sometimes. We don’t realize the basic things, having food, water, four walls and a front door. We take these small things for granted, myself included. I think it’s just highlighting it a little more to give perspective to people who maybe don’t have the opportunity to go different places and experience what other people across the world and even right down the street. Maybe somewhere you think is a nice neighborhood, then you go right around the corner and there’s somebody dealing with something that you had no clue about. It’s just to open up everybody else’s vision as well, who may not have the opportunity or know what’s going on around them or other parts of the world.”
Q: On why he has felt more comfortable opening up to interviews this offseason
Al-Shaair: “I think it’s just the older I get and the more experience you have in life, you just realize everybody is hiding something, everybody’s dealing with something, everybody’s going through stuff. There’s no person even in this room or anywhere in the world that just lives in a utopia life. We all have struggles and I think everybody is so worried about trying to put makeup on a pig. The reality is that we’re all human. There’s something that you’re dealing with that’s different from somebody else, but similar to the next person and it’s something I’m dealing with that you don’t know about. I think for me, especially being in the position that I’m in, you realize if I’m able to open up and be vulnerable about that, it might influence other people who are like, ‘Dang, I thought this guy signed his big old contract. He’s young. He has all this stuff going for himself. His life must be great.’ When you open up about your own experiences and the own things that you’re dealing with, even in the midst of all these great things, it just puts in a perspective for other people who might feel like, ‘Man, if I was here, I’d be living a great life. If I was that person, my life would be better.’ You just realize that we are all just trying to figure out life. We only live one time. We all go through things. I think it’s more so about perspective for other people to realize like, ‘Hey, I’m no different than you. I go through the good and bad just like everybody else.’”
Q: On his early impressions from C/G Keylan Rutledge
Al-Shaair: “I told you guys, I think in OTAs, one, he went to Middle Tennessee State. I know Georgia Tech likes to probably claim him, but that boy’s Conference USA all the way. We talked about it when he first got here. For me, going to FAU, you have love for those guys, and he plays that way too. He plays with a chip on his shoulder, plays the game the right way, works hard at that position and it doesn’t take a whole lot of talent. Obviously, talent will take you really far, but I feel like especially early on, before you even know all the techniques and all that, it’s more of a mindset. You’re the first line of defense for the quarterback and you have to have the right mentality. I think he does that.”
Q: On whether he likes to see a physical and competitive mindset in the offensive linemen
Al-Shaair: “Yeah, for sure. I think it’s funny because it might have been the first day we’re going and obviously we all have pads on, I always feel bad punching him in the chest with no pads. He’s bringing it and I’m like, ‘Okay, well he’s bringing it, so I guess I have to try to bring it.’ It was just good because the mentality in general, like pads, no pads, he’s just trying to work hard. The thing I always talk to him about is just working smart. That’s a different level of being a pro. I think I’d rather tell you to slow down or be smart than to tell you, ‘Hey man, you got to pick it up.’ I feel like to see him doing that, I got up and I was okay, so I’m not mad at it. I play the game hard too. For me, especially knowing him as a rookie and what he’s trying to accomplish and what our team is trying to accomplish, I was happy with it.”
Q: On the potential for the defense this season with the new additions
Al-Shaair: “The potential is probably the same as every other team in the league that plays defense. To be the number one defense, Super Bowl defense, championship defense. All the typical cliche things you could say. At the end of the day, it’s the work. I think a year ago I talked about the same stuff and where we can go and all that stuff. We go as far as we work. It’s a lot of favor and just guys staying healthy along the way. When you have all the pieces that we already had and then you add guys to it, obviously the sky’s the limit. It’s just about the work we put in every day. You can’t climb that mountain on day one, but you also can’t look back either. It’s just taking it one day at a time, one step at a time and we’re on the right track.”
Q: On how he compartmentalizes the dangers of football with being a physical player
Al-Shaair: “I think the reality of what I’m doing and the sport that we play, I think that was something that back when you go back to 2024 with everything that happened with me and Trevor [Lawrence], it’s a super fast, aggressive, violent sport. I don’t think the NFL likes to use those words because they’re trying to expand the game with flag football, which is great if it’s my kids. They’re not playing tackle football until they are older than I was when I started. I didn’t start until I was really 14 years old. I was 12 when I first tried and I quit for good reason because it’s a physical game. I probably wouldn’t even let my kids play tackle football until they’re about 14, 15 years old. The reality of the game is that it’s aggressive. It’s violent. Even go back to San Francisco Coach Kyle [Shanahan], got into a car accident and man, concussion, all this stuff. I checked on him and I remember he’s like, ‘Man, now I see what you guys go through with these concussions; it’s crazy.’ That’s what it’s like. We’re out here running at each other. These are the best athletes in the world playing on one field. You’re going full speed running into each other. That’s the type of stuff that can happen. That’s the reality of the game. I think we all know what we sign up for. At the end of the day, like I said, you try to play the game the right way, but at the same time, you want to see everybody leave the field. You have to make sure that you’re taking care of your body, doing the things that you can off the field to give yourself the best chance to stay healthy. Even as you saw towards the end of practice with me, I’m just running to the ball and [Dalton] Schultz is running to the ball and we both just ran into each other. That wasn’t me running to him, that wasn’t him running to me. We were both just trying to find the ball. That’s what the game can do. We weren’t even trying to run into each other and that’s what can happen. Let alone if I’m looking at him, he’s looking at me and we’re trying to run head up with each other. That’s just a part of the game. You try not to think about it, you just know that that’s the part that comes with it.”
Q: On the competitiveness during practice
Al-Shaair: “It all starts up front. I just said that for defense, we talk about it all the time. It starts up front. I think offense is the same thing. The mentality of your team, the mentality of your offense, the mentality of your defense. As a defense in the linebacker room, we’re like, ‘Man, we’re the engine.’ The defensive line goes in there and says they’re the engine. The reality is the first people to make contact on the football field are offensive linemen and defensive linemen. When you talk about that, what Nick [Caserio] and DeMeco [Ryans] have done, bringing the guys in that they have and how they’re all cohesively working together, the mentality coming along together. I think it’s just been the start of it all. When you talk about C.J. being the quarterback, you get more time in the scheme, you get more familiarity with the coach and with how you like to call a game and the guys that you’re throwing the ball to and you just see they’re starting to click. I think C.J. and I were just talking about it after practice. This is the most competitive training camp we’ve had so far and it’s only been the second day with pads on. I think we’ve practiced for six days, but it’s like every day, if you don’t bring your best, you go get got. That’s exactly how you want it. In the games, against the best of the best, when everybody in the world’s watching, if you don’t bring your best, you’re going to get got. I feel like you want that practice atmosphere to be almost overly in a game atmosphere. I feel like that’s where we’re at right now where if you’re not bringing your best every single play, you’re going to end up getting got, whether that’s from an offensive linemen, wide receivers or quarterbacks throwing in tight windows. It’s been great.”
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Everything Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair said after Day 6 of training camp
Reporting by Ariana Pensy, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ariana Pensy, Texans Wire | USA TODAY Network
