Texans' Ryans pushes team to play in Houston heat in practice before preseason game vs. Giants

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans pushed back the start of training camp practices this week so his team could work in the furnace of the noon heat in Houston.

"Nothing to complain about," Ryans said. "We just got to go to work. For me, it's about adversity. When it hits you, how do you respond? Some guys responded well today, and some didn't."

Ryans and the Texans coaching staff will use the practice tape and the stifling conditions as a teaching tool.

"It's more of a mental thing," he said. "And that's what playing in the NFL is all about."

Finding players who can deal with the adversity of the Houston heat is one way to separate "the best from the rest."

The Texans head coach reminded us that every player is provided with his own individual plan to maintain their physical strength and excel in the demanding conditions.

GPS is one component that NFL teams use to monitor their players, and that's just the beginning of measuring sports performance.

"All of the sports science and the data that we use, we use that to monitor our guys closely and make sure we're putting them in the best possible position, so they can go out and compete and be their best when they're on the field," Ryans said.

Running back Joe Mixon continued to work with the first team offense on Tuesday. Mixon returned to practice on Sunday after missing a couple of weeks with an injury.

Coach Ryans said the focus for the final two practices before the Texans host the Giants on Saturday will be consistently performing "the small details of your fundamentals and techniques."

ABC13 is the exclusive home for the Texans in the preseason. You can watch the Texans vs. Giants at noon on Saturday on ABC13.

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