Texans Join Packers for Traditional Training Camp Bike Ride

The Houston Texans are taking part in joint practices with the Green Bay Packers this week as part [...]

By John Newby

The Houston Texans are taking part in joint practices with the Green Bay Packers this week as part of the preparation for the upcoming preseason matchup. As the team is learning, however, they can't simply just show up for practice and call it a day. No, they have to take part in a time-honored tradition that dates back to the time of Vince Lombardi.

JJ Watt and co. started their Monday off by taking part in the DreamDrive, the specially designed experience for Packers fans and families. This long-running tradition centers around Packers players riding children's bikes to and from practice, and the Texans had the unique opportunity to join in the fun.

Whether it was quarterback Deshaun Watson trading his autograph for a bicycle or running back Lamar Miller pulling a hot pink wagon, the Texans found ways to make this time-honored tradition more entertaining. Rookie offensive lineman Max Scharping even rode a little tricycle in his return to Wisconsin. Of course, the most touching moment came when defensive lineman Brandon Dunn passed up a bike ride so he could push a kid in a wheelchair to practice.

What's fascinating about the Texans taking part in this tradition is Watt actually watched the DreamDrive unfold when he was a child growing up in Wisconsin. As he explained back in mid-April, he didn't get to see a Packers player ride his bike to practice, but he did instead find out exactly what he wanted to pursue as a career.

"I got really excited, to be honest with you," Watt said. "I got really excited. I went to training camp in Green Bay as a kid. I saw them ride the bikes in, I saw them practice. I stood by the parking lot fence and asked for autographs, and I got autographs from guys that I had no clue who they were, but I was excited because I got an autograph on a shirt...For me to be able to get to go back to my home state, to play in front of those fans, in Lambeau. I missed the last trip to Lambeau, so for me to be able to travel to Lambeau, it's going to be special. It's going to be cool. I'm very excited about it.

"That was really one of the first times where I sat there and was like, 'that is the coolest job in the world.' When I sat in the bleachers, outside of the practice fields in Green Bay and I watched those guys practice, and I was like, 'think about this: they play football for a living. People come to watch them practice, and they get to do this every day.' That was really one of the first moments when I realized how cool and special it was and how hard I wanted to work towards it."

Well, there is no denying that seeing the DreamDrive up close and personal as a child had a very powerful effect on Watt's career. He has become one of the best defensive players in the NFL and has been named First-Team All-Pro five times. Will Watt have the same effect on another young fan in attendance?

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