Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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94 PRESEASON 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED IRISH IN THE PROS BY STEVE DOWNEY W ill Fuller was eager to build on a rookie campaign with the Hous- ton Texans during which he showed great promise. He put in the work dur- ing the offseason, on and off the field, and his increased comfort level was evident this summer. However, he's going to have to be a little more patient to show off that improvement on the gridiron. On Aug. 2, Fuller suffered a broken collarbone in practice. He jumped to catch a pass during a team drill and fell on his shoulder. The injury required surgery and was expected to keep him sidelined for two to three months. It was especially disappointing con- sidering the strides Fuller had made during the early portion of training camp. "He was doing a good job," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien told ESPN. com. "I think you could see the jump from the first year to the second year." Last season, Fuller became just the second rookie in NFL history to re- cord at least 300 scrimmage yards (323 yards on 19 receptions, including two scores) and a return touchdown (a 67-yarder on a punt) in the first four games of a season. The last time that happened was in 1952, when San Fran- cisco 49ers running back Hugh McEl- henny achieved the feat. Unfortunately, he could not sustain that historic pace. As the year went on, Fuller struggled with consistently catching the ball. He had five drops during the regular season, but the one that hurt the most came in Houston's divisional playoff loss at New England in January. With the Texans trailing the Patriots 24-13 in the third quarter, quarterback Brock Osweiler hit Fuller with a well- thrown pass, but the rookie dropped what looked like a sure touchdown. The Texans were forced to punt on the next play and eventually lost, 34-16. Fuller finished the season with 47 catches for 635 yards and two touch- downs, ranking third among NFL rookie wideouts in receiving yards and sixth in receptions, but entered the off- season determined to take his game to the next level. "He has really taken a lot of owner- ship of that," Texans wide receivers coach John Perry said of Fuller's pen- chant for drops last season. "He comes out and does a lot of pre-practice work on his own, and that's been impres- sive to me. And then he has stayed af- ter practice a couple times, and we've done some deep ball drills with him, which is really important. "It's just a matter of tracking the ball, and when he does that he catches the ball really well. It's just the few times where it was a little more difficult for him to track. We just have to keep put- ting him in all those different situations that he saw last year." For his part, Fuller said he felt much more relaxed in training camp. "I feel like this year I'm just trying to have more fun with it, and I can tell already that it's a lot more fun for me," he said. Fuller's improved knowledge of the playbook and opposing defenses has allowed him to play more instinctively. "Just knowing your coverages and not having to think [makes a differ- ence]," Fuller said. "[I'm] just playing fast and not really having to adjust on the fly." Here is a look at how former Fight- ing Irish players in the NFL were fair- ing during training camp this summer: NFL PLAYER UPDATES Through Aug. 20 • George Atkinson (Played at Notre Dame from 2011-13), RB, Oakland Raiders: Was waived by the Browns July 29 and claimed by the Raiders … Will likely have to be a standout special teamer to earn a Will Fuller's Progress Halted By Injury Fuller suffered a broken collarbone Aug. 2 that required surgery and will keep him sidelined for two to three months. PHOTO COURTESY HOUSTON TEXANS By The Numbers 1 Misfired snap during long snapper J.J. Jansen's eight-year career with the Caro- lina Panthers. He signed a five-year $5.5 mil- lion contract extension last year. 10 Weeks — six in the spring and four in the summer — New York Giants defensive end Romeo Okwara spent training with former Navy SEAL Steve Chayra of Red Road Training in Las Vegas. They met four days a week, spending one of those days in the pool. He ran with weights underwater, swam 25 to 50 meters underwater while holding his breath, practiced tumbling to improve flex- ibility and used different breathing exercises. 93 Receptions averaged by wide re- ceiver Golden Tate in his first three seasons with the Detroit Lions. He has played all 16 games each year and also averaged 1,074 yards and 4.7 touchdowns per season. 596 Days between football games for Dallas Cowboys rookie line- backer Jaylon Smith. He suffered a devastating left knee injury while playing for the Irish in the Fiesta Bowl versus Ohio State on Jan. 1, 2016, and didn't make his professional debut until the Cowboys' preseason contest against Indianapolis Aug. 19. He saw action on 12 plays versus the Colts and made one tackle.