(SportsRadio 610) -- Playing for the Texans in 2021 is like going to a new school.
There are so many fresh faces -- both players and coaches -- it's a task to learn everyone's name.
Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, entering his third season with Houston after being claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019, said learning identities of his teammates just plays out on the practice field.
The best parts about this change: having veterans who've been successful at various points in the NFL, and coaches who are open-mined to collaborating with players as opposed to dictating.
Personalities of former head coach Bill O'Brien and current coach David Culley could not be any different. While O'Brien held the reputation of being short-tempered and somewhat of a know-it-all, Culley is almost always positive, even when he's being critical of the team.
There also isn't the friction that existed early last season with O'Brien and then-defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, who had an infamous confrontation on the practice field before the head coach was eventually dismissed.
"They're understanding," Hargreaves told SportsRadio 610 after Thursday's practice. "They came in and didn't try to make it a dictatorship. They're new, and a lot of times it does go that way. But they let us do our thing, they let us be pros. They let us have fun, hang out. We appreciate that as a team."
While Hargreaves is not projected to be a starter for the Texans as he was a season ago, he should get plenty of snaps.
Mostly due to injuries, Hargreaves was the only member of the Texans' secondary to start all 16 games last season. He played in six games for Houston in 2019, starting in two.
Hargreaves, Bradley Roby and defensive lineman J.J. Watt were the only Texans players to record an interception in 2020.
Roby still has to serve the final of a six-game suspension levied last year for violating the banned substance policy, so expect Hargreaves to start in his place opposite newcomer Terrance Mitchell.
Hargreaves has struggled at times in Houston, but he's also grown as a player since joining the team nearly two years ago.
"It's the mental aspect," Hargreaves said. "Learning how to play football, learn the position, learning how to play corner. It's more than going out and covering people. Understand what's about to come. Understand who you're covering. That's where I've grown the most."
Hargreaves called into In The Loop after Thursday's practice and media session.
Listen to the entire interview here.