AJ Cann helping mentor Kenyon Green on Texans offensive line

The veteran guard has worked with the rookie both on and off the field.

Veteran leadership is often talked about as part of the culture of winning teams. As the Texans continue to build their culture, some of their veterans have stepped up to take leadership and mentoring roles with some of the younger players. For Texans RG A.J. Cann, he has enjoyed and taken pride in helping rookie LG Kenyon Green get acclimated to the NFL:

“I talk to Kenyon (Green) a lot. On the field, off the field, very great dude. He’s come to me all the time asking me questions like, ‘when do you shoot hands here and there? When do you throw your hands on this play?’ Me and him go out together sometimes before practice and work on throwing hands. I think as far as him playing, and you can see it throughout, his hands are getting better, hands getting faster. He does come to me all the time, asks me questions about ‘how do I take this approach?’ And that’s what you do as a rookie. You look at the older guys and ask questions, and same for me as him. Sometimes I ask him things like when we’re going against the defender, ‘hey, what is he giving you?’ He’s like, ‘he’s he doing this, doing that.’ Throughout the game I’ll go back and tell him, ‘they just finished doing this and doing that.’ That’s what you look for out of offensive linemen, especially out of a young guy.”

Cann liked the way Green battled in his first career start:

“I feel like as a rookie, teams may find a way to, ‘let’s pick at that side of the ball wherever they’re at.’ I think he’s been holding his own, doing a good job, and I think he’s going to do nothing but take strides from there.”

The veteran Texans guard also believes that Green will continue to improve, and quickly:

“I feel like with Kenyon (Green), probably just him being more exact on what he’s doing. I know talking to coach, he’s probably a little slower at figuring things out. Now, with him being in there, he’s picking it up faster and faster as we’ve gone. I think he’s going to do nothing but continue to strive when it comes to that. All that takes is reps and repetition and I think he’s going to get better.”