Houston Texans Ready To Tackle Training Camp, Poised For 2017 Season

HOUSTON, TX — Football is like religion in Texas, whether it's Friday night lights, college Saturdays or rooting for you favorite pro team. And for many Texans, there are two seasons — football season, and the other time of the year when Texans talk about the next football season. For Houstonians, football season just got one giant step closer as the Houston Texans boarded their buses, then their planes and flew to West Virginia for the start of Fall training camp.

The Texans begin camp at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, on Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m. CT, and practices are on to both the media and the public through Sunday (July 26-30), Aug. 1-5, Aug. 11-12 and Aug. 14-16. The practices on Aug. 15-16 will be joint practices with the World Champion New England Patriots, who bounced the Texans from last year's playoffs.

The first preseason game will be Aug. 9 at the Carolina Panthers. The first home preseason game will be Aug. 19 against the Patriots. The Texans close preseason at the New Orleans Saints (Aug. 26) and at home against the Dallas Cowboys (Aug. 31).

The season opener will be at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 10, and the Texans will play four days later at Cincinnati on a Thursday night, and then 10 days later at New England.

The Texans will have a quarterback battle with Tom Savage and 2017 Draft pick DeShaun Watson, who last year guided Clemson University to the college national championship over Alabama.

Houston is picked all over the board in where they'll finish in the AFC South, including third place by the gamblers and last in Fansided's Torotimes.com.

Caption: Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99), right, talks with the media after a NFL football practice Wednesday June 14, 2017, in Houston.

Photo by Michael Wyke/Associated Press