We’re learning far more about the Houston Texans from Hard Knocks than we ever would by simply watching them take the field. In the latest episode, we were taught the key to a successful 
huddle hype speech. All you need to do is let J.J. Watt loose, and let him drop as many f-bombs as he wants because it’s just so badass. Also, it’s J.J. Watt. He can do whatever he wants and it’s going to be awesome.
Be honest, if all Hard Knocks was was 60 minutes of J.J. Watt coverage throughout the week, you would still be glued to your TV. If the show consisted entirely of J.J. Watt and Vince Wilfork talking about breakfast and brunch foods, I would still hang on every bacon, egg and cheese-filled word. Happily, there is so much more entertainment on Hard Knocks with the Texans than Watt and Wilfork’s amazing-sounding breakfast choices. This show is proving to be seriously entertaining for a number of reasons.
There’s the fun aspect to it, like what we saw Tuesday night from Texans’ rookie Khari Lee. Lee had all of his teammates and coaches in stitches when he 
decided to take the podium and do a pretty spot-on impersonation of Head Coach Bill O’Brien. He marched to the podium with the classic deadpan straight face like the team is used to seeing from their coach.
Then we saw Lee’s true acting prowess as he perfectly mimicked different speeches O’Brien had formerly given to the team at that exact podium. Everything from being smart with the media to accepting the team mentality was in the skit, and O’Brien and the team loved every minute of it to the point that O’Brien himself was in tears. Oh, and did I mention that Lee didn’t break character even once? True mastery of the craft. It looks like we know what his career will be after football.
But then there’s also the heartfelt fight and grit to the show that really sticks with you. One of the great stories throughout camp has been that of third-year cornerback, Charles James II. The Texans’ need for depth at the cornerback position has provided James with the biggest opportunity of his career, and with every whistle in practice, you can see just how much capitalizing on that opportunity means to him. He’s also provided one of the most real moments we’ve seen when he tried his hand at mentoring some of the rookies, particularly the undrafted ones.
With an unrivaled passion, he explained that he himself was an undrafted rookie, and that he’s had to fight for spots on teams ever since, noting that as an undrafted player without prestige or name recognition, you need to make sure you do everything right to impress the coaching staff. He summed his whole speech up at the end by telling the other rookies how if you’re undrafted or a late-round pick, they’re looking for more reasons to cut you than keep you. We learned this week that O’Brien has been impressed by James, and that it seems more likely than not that he will make the team.
There’s fight. There’s fun. There’s food. There’s really nothing to hate about watching the Texans go through training camp in Hard Knocks. It’s truly stellar entertainment from start to finish for a wide range of reasons, and there’s something new, interesting, and heartfelt each Tuesday night.
