To grow as an NFL player, one must be open and honest about one’s own performance. Randall Cobb didn’t earn his 2014 Pro Bowl selection by luck after all.
When the new Houston Texans receiver saw the film from his debut game with his third NFL team, Cobb felt like he was watching an exhibition game, not material from the first week of the regular season.
“One thing personally I looked at whenever I watched film was it looked like I was playing a preseason game,” Cobb said. “I felt like I wasn’t covering the ball very well.”
Cobb was targeted three times in the 34-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, hauling in two passes for 20 yards. Watson looked elsewhere with his 29 other passes.
“One thing that I focused on in practice this week was if the ball didn’t come to me, taking steps toward the ball carrier being able to cover the ball in case there’s a fumble,” said Cobb. “Being in position to recover it. We’ve got to do that as a unit, as a team. Making sure that we’re in football condition ready for the season, continuing to push week in and week out.”
The Texans have the Baltimore Ravens for their no-fans NRG Stadium opener. The Ravens are rolling coming off a 38-6 beat down of the Cleveland Browns and seek to go 2-0 to start the year. For Houston, that would mean falling to 0-2, which feels like an irretrievable depth despite being two games into a 16-game season.
“It just goes to show that we have more work to do and it’s about coming to work and being a professional in what you need to do every single day,” Cobb said. “Putting that hard hat back on when we go on the practice field and finding ways to get better.”