Reed and react: Texans trust vet with recovery
HOUSTON -- Free safety Ed Reed and inside linebacker Tim Dobbins drew the most attention Tuesday during the first day of the Houston Texans' minicamp that will wrap up the offseason program.
Reed can't practice because he's recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his hip, but he met with the media for the first time since signing with the Texans on April 30.
Dobbins, a quality backup, was in the news because he was the only healthy veteran to miss OTAs.
"It's good to have them back," head coach Gary Kubiak said. "With Ed, we're working the rehab process and continuing what he's been doing in Atlanta and setting our gameplan from now until training camp.
"They (team doctors) tell me he's coming along fine. It's just a matter of continuing the rehab process, and, obviously, we've got a target date we're shooting for."
Because OTAs aren't mandatory like minicamps, Kubiak couldn't say anything about Dobbins not participating with his teammates.
"We had a lot of reps today, and he had a lot of catching up to do, but he was on top of his stuff," Kubiak said. "I was pleased with what he did at practice. We threw a lot at him, and he handled himself well."
Kubiak takes it easy on most of his veterans during minicamp. They stay in the stadium and do fitness work while the younger players and first-year players participate in the mandatory practices.
Reed came to the field after practice for his interview. Kubiak reiterated the Texans didn't know Reed needed surgery on his hip when they signed him.
"We did not expect him to (need) surgery," Kubiak said. "After he started to have some issues during his workout routine, we thought the best thing to do was to get it cleaned up like he did the previous time (surgery on his other hip in 2010). He's been through this process before, but once this started to bother him, obviously, we got aggressive in getting him ready to go for the season."
The big question in Houston is will Reed be ready for the regular-season opener at San Diego? After the surgery, the Texans said they hoped he'd be ready for the start of camp. Then they amended it to midway through camp. Now they're hoping he'll be ready for the Chargers.
"It's going well right now (but) there's really no timeline," Reed said. "We're going to keep on working and shooting for September. Once training camp comes, I'll have a better (idea) as far as my progress.
"Right now, it's going really well - no setbacks."
When Reed signed with the Texans, he wasn't thinking about surgery. But his hip worsened. Tests showed a slight tear in the labrum in his hip.
Reed has been criticized for not telling the Texans about his injured hip when he signed.
"I really didn't know," he said. "I knew there was something there, but it didn't seem major at all. Once I came here and started to run, it's like, 'Let's look at this again.' Honestly, it was a slight tear, and we did due diligence on both sides. We put our heads together to make the best decision."
Reed said he thought he suffered the injury in the AFC Championship Game victory at New England.
"If I go back to it, the only play I can look at is when I got kicked by (Tom Brady)," he said. "Even then, I played in the Super Bowl and you saw what happened there. I had two MCL sprains and played through that. So, if you've got any questions, I think that can answer your questions about my heart and how I play and how I work.
"This was a minor procedure. I definitely feel a lot different than I felt last time. Like I said, it's minor to the one I had in 2010, so the recovery is going a lot different. If you ask my doctor, they can't believe where I'm at right now. But it's still a process, and regardless, we're going to be smart and be ready when it really counts."
Reed has set a couple of goals.
"I know what my goal is, and I know what the team goal is," he said. "My goal was to be part of this organization that welcomed me, that wanted me, that respected what I did knowing what I've done on the field and what I'm capable of doing.
"Yeah, I'm older, but I'm still going to give everything to this sport and to this organization for what they've done for me, my family and how they've backed me. I've made promises that I intend to keep.
"If you really want to know, my goal is New York (site of next year's Super Bowl). It's not San Diego. It's not Baltimore. It's not New England. It's not the Colts. It's New York, and I'm talking about Super Bowl. That's my goal. That's our goal."
