Receiver David Anderson said the Texans' new starting tight end, Joel Dreessen, is so dedicated he eats pages out of the playbook to make sure he's prepared for a game.
“David lived with me for two years, and I was always at the desk looking things over while he was playing video games,” Dreessen said with a grin after Wednesday's practice. “I definitely spend my fair share of time studying.
“I'm just one of those people that's pretty meticulous about knowing what I need to know.”
Dreessen (6-4, 248) has some big shoulder pads to fill against Indianapolis because he's replacing Pro Bowler Owen Daniels, who was placed on injured reserve.
“I told him in front of the team this morning that we're not going to try to replace everything O.D. did with one player,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “We're going to replace him with everybody, so just get in there and do his job.
Because James Casey is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, rookie Anthony Hill, the fourth-round draft choice, will be active for the first time. Offensive tackle Rashad Butler can play in some short-yardage situations if three tight ends are needed.
“We've still got plenty of guys to do what we do, but we're just not as deep,” Kubiak said