BLAKE CASHMAN: I was happy with how I played, of course, after evaluating the film. There's things that clean up, but I think if you looked at how the defense played, including myself and all the guys out there, it wasn't always perfect in terms of our assignments or technique, but everyone was flying around, getting to the ball, and I think that's a defense you want to play for is a tenacious defense because that's what's going to help you win football games.
Q. Lovie says that you fit the profile of what he wants to do and what type of linebacker he's looking for in this defense. What does that mean to you?
BLAKE CASHMAN: It's always good to hear your head coach say good things about you. I like what he said about never getting too high or never getting too low. It's also something that Miles says, as well, linebacker coach, his son, and it's something you've got to carry yourself with through training camp and the preseason because there's so much work to be done no matter how well you're playing or not-so-good performances, but they're doing a great job of getting me coached up, teaching me a new defensive system that I was pretty new to and unfamiliar with. But I'm having a lot of fun with this defense. I think there's a lot of opportunities for players to make plays just because it allows guys to have quick keys and honestly play aggressive, which I think fits my strengths and skill sets.
Q. Was past coverage something you wanted to work on more in the off-season? We've seen during training camp you're able to bat down balls and in the game they tried to throw a 26-yarder over your head. Is that something you've been working on?
BLAKE CASHMAN: Yeah, and honestly to get more specific with that question, something we've been working on just route recognition, especially at the Mike linebacker spot in this defense. You've got to be able to jump routes, read three-step or five-step on the quarterback's drop. That's something that I took a lot of ownership in because watching the film from guys that were here last year in practice or games, they were able to get their hands on a lot of balls or make plays by just understanding the quarterback's drop and then the release of a receiver or tight end, and that would kind of give them an idea of what kind of route combination would be ran.
Makes it a lot of fun to play in the defense when you can get quick reads.
Q. Blake, when you look at a guy like Lovie Smith who's coached several high-profile players, what does it mean for you to be learning underneath him, and Tremon said that he would run through a wall for a guy like that, what does that say about the defense and how he's a player's coach?
BLAKE CASHMAN: Yeah, Tremon is right. I think when you have a great head coach, the team kind of takes the personality of its head coach. Lovie has done an awesome job with me, with our team. I think just based from conversations I've had with people, I feel like there's a lot of great new energy in the building, and it's an honor to be coached by someone -- in my eyes he's a legend. He's had a lot of great success. It's not only an honor but a privilege, as well.
Q. Texans are a team that's going through a rebuilding state, rebuilding phase. What is the attitude like as far as not only in the defensive room but in the team as a whole?
BLAKE CASHMAN: Win now. I think the word "rebuild," it's obviously something that people throw out there, and our team has been labeled with, but we're a hungry group. I think there's a lot of experience on this football team, and it's guys that want to win. My first day here walking in this locker room I was honestly blown away by how professional everyone was and how bought-in this team was.
That's everyone in this building.
You know you've got a good thing started when you kind of have that culture forming and forming early, when you've got a rebuild or a new head coach. I'm excited to see what this football team can be and how the season will turn out.
Q. I know it's the other side of the ball, but what did it mean to you and your teammates to see Jalen when he scored, the celebration in honor of John?
BLAKE CASHMAN: I thought that was really cool. It was a special thing to do to honor him. I didn't even catch that until after the game. But I said something to him, just I think that just shows how close this group is and how much we appreciate each other in this locker room.
Q. From a mental state, obviously last year to this year do you feel healthy? And mentally where are you now?
BLAKE CASHMAN: I feel great. I've got a lot of confidence in my body and how I can perform and with this organization. Something when I first came in to the building is the performance staff working with me every day, getting to know my body, getting to know how I work, how I operate, and just building a plan for me specifically because everyone's body responds to things differently, recovers differently.
I give a lot of credit to them because my body has felt awesome since being here. I've done a lot of different things since being here, and they kind of took an outside approach on how to handle like the soft tissue injuries.
It's been great, and like I said, I've got a lot of confidence in how they can help me going forward through the season.
Q. Going back to the game on Saturday, what did it mean to the defensive unit to be able to after Jeff threw the interception you all stopped them and got the ball back for him and then he went on a game-winning drive?
BLAKE CASHMAN: That's what it's all about. Just because it's a preseason game doesn't mean we don't want to win. To be able to get the win and celebrate with your teammates after all the work we've put in this off-season, all the work we've put in through training camp, we've got a lot of new faces, a lot of rookies, it's exciting, and it's always good to start the preseason off like that.
That's what football is about. It's how you finish a game right there. There was no quit, no one was losing energy, and everyone kept playing, like I said, being tenacious, getting to the ball, and everyone was taking advantage of opportunities to make plays.
Q. Have you noticed any changes in this defense compared to what you played last year?
BLAKE CASHMAN: I mean, there's a lot of big differences, just based off how they fit the runs here, even matching up route concepts and zone coverage. But like I said earlier, I think it fits me really well, fits my strengths well, and the biggest thing is it gives a lot of opportunity for guys to make plays. That's what every player wants. Everyone wants that opportunity to make the splash play, make the play that's on ESPN, and help change the game, be an X-factor. It's a great system, and I think with how much every player on this defense is bought into it, I think it can help us win games this season.
Q. What impressions do you have of Christian Harris that you've seen so far?
BLAKE CASHMAN: Great kid, smart player. He's a champion on and off the field, honestly. It's easy to say he's a good athlete, good football player, but he's a guy that's hungry and wants to win, wants to learn, wants to be a better football player, and from day one, he was acting like a second- or third-year vet in the league. Like he's been here, done that. I think that's impressed a lot of people, and it's going to help him have a long, great career.
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