PHAROAH BROWN: My first time up here doing a press conference. I've never done it.
Q. What do you want to say your first time?
PHAROAH BROWN: No trick questions. I read about that in the training. No trick questions. Let's keep it smooth.
Q. Are you getting acclimated --
PHAROAH BROWN: I feel like I'm playing pretty good. I still don't got my wind back yet. I had COVID in July and then I had some more reactions to the vaccine, so I've been having a kickoff and headaches. I still don't have my wind back. I think once I can get through that, I'll be feeling much better.
Q. How comfortable were you starting the season --
PHAROAH BROWN: How comfortable? I was comfortable last year. Last year I came week four, so it was just a guy off the street, they didn't know me. So I think they have become more comfortable with me.
Q. How difficult was it with the symptoms?
PHAROAH BROWN: Yeah, chills, I had pretty bad symptoms with the COVID, and kind of got a few bad symptoms once I got the vaccine; you never know.
Q. How long did those last?
PHAROAH BROWN: They are still lasting.
Q. What made you decide to get the vaccine?
PHAROAH BROWN: I figure we all going to die one day, so it was just kind of how you want to go out. People smoke and drink and we know the long-term events on that. That's going to kill you down the road. We don't know about the vaccine but I figure I'm going to travel, so if I'm going to die, at least I'm going to die traveling. So that's why I got it.
Q. Are you someone that the players have talked to about? Have you had conversations about it?
PHAROAH BROWN: About the vaccine? Not really. It's more a personal choice. I don't really talk to people about things of that nature.
Q. What are some of the things that you picked up from Derek -- with the team last year that you've stepped into?
PHAROAH BROWN: As far as a tight end, I do everything. I play football. Whatever they ask me to do, I'm going to do it. That's just me. Catch, running, fullback, quarterback, you know, I do it all.
Q. What excites you about the opportunity?
PHAROAH BROWN: The opportunity with the Texans? The opportunity here was just they didn't have a guy -- in my four years -- my first three years, I've been in the league five years but I really only count two because I wasn't playing. I was more playing politics my first two years and I was behind guys that was getting $10 million plus each year.
So nothing I would do, I wasn't getting an opportunity to play on the field initially because the Texans didn't have a guy at my position had a was getting that. I knew I would be able to get my fair shot and I bet on myself and I was right. I'm finally getting my opportunity.
Q. Why did you think you were successful --
PHAROAH BROWN: I'm great football player. That's just what it boils down to in this league, especially when you're undrafted. You never know when you're opportunity is going to come. Being undrafted, those opportunities come slim. They slim.
So when you get it, you got to take it and I been prepared each year, you know, going into my fifth year, I only played two years, but I've been prepared each year like I knew I was a starter, I believed I was a starter and I believed I could play in this league and it was just a matter of opportunity. Just preparation -- opportunity is meeting preparation and that's why I'm confident and that's why when I got out there last year, you know what I mean, it was just like, stepping into it, you know what I mean.
Q. How has the time been with Tyrod?
PHAROAH BROWN: Tyrod is great. Me and Tyrod was in Cleveland together for a whole year, so as soon as he signed here, I was happy. Called him and talked to him. He actually was my practice squad quarterback the whole year so I'm used to Tyrod. It's like a stroll in the park for me with Tyrod.
Q. What do you think of him as a quarterback and the situation with this team with so many new faces?
PHAROAH BROWN: I mean, I think it's great, whoever's out there, we going to play. All our quarterbacks are good quarterbacks. I mean, Tyrod, he's a ten-plus vet. Deshaun, Davis Mills can spin it, Jeff Driscoll, he was No. 1 quarterback coming out of high school. Like all of the guys can play. So I just think whoever is out there, we going to play. You never know.
Q. Seemed like you're a pretty versatile group, the tight ends.
PHAROAH BROWN: I think -- will be a great player, good route runner. He's still learning, got to learn some of the nuances. But our group, whoever ends up being that guy, we don't know who it's going to be but whoever it is, our group will be able to take him under our wings. I help him a lot and just try to get him see different things.
Q. Getting that opportunity -- when they said you felt comfortable as soon as you stepped in, is there anything you wanted to do?
PHAROAH BROWN: I'm always just trying to compete against myself every day, trying to get 1 percent better and it's not really taking a jump. It's getting experience and doing me. I feel confident if I do me, everything else will take care of itself. I try not to could too much. I'm always trying to be myself, on the field, off the field. Just be myself.
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