K-Stated

The way Houston Texans coach Gary Kubiak praised Collin Klein over the weekend, it sounded like the former Kansas State quarterback was on his way to signing a free-agent contract with the NFL team.

“I tell you what, it was impressive,” Kubiak told reporters when asked about Klein’s weekend performance. “I’m fixing to go up and have a long talk with him. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, but to watch how far the guy came in two and a half days; (he) really played probably his best day out here today. He’s found a way his whole career, and he’s probably going to find a way this time, too.”

Klein will have to find a way with another NFL team, as it turns out. The Texans didn’t offer Klein a contract, and he left Houston still in search of a NFL home.

Those who watched the Texans’ rookie camp indicated Klein got off to a slow start, but showed rapid improvement.

“He’s got a ton (of talent),” Kubiak said. “For what he did in college and what Jake (Plummer) has been doing with him, he’s come a long way, as far as working under center and stuff. The arm strength is there. The delivery is a little different but you work with that. But his instincts as a football player you can’t coach; the way he just takes off and stuff like that.”
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Robert Rose had trouble sleeping the night before Kansas State’s spring game.

With starting running back John Hubert sidelined by an undisclosed injury (he could be seen walking with a limp) the seldom-used senior knew he was going to receive the bulk of the carries for the Purple Team. The opportunity excited him, and he took advantage of it by rushing for 141 yards and a touchdown on 17 touches.

His best run came on a 33-yard gain up the left side, but he looked good all afternoon against K-State’s overmatched second-string defense. Rose has played well in the spring game before, but he thinks this performance was a sign of things to come. He expects to take on a bigger role next season.

“I sure hope so. That would be great,” Rose said. “But I will just keep improving, go back and look at the spring game. Even though I did some things well I feel like I could have done some things better. Just go back and look at film and look and see what I can improve on and use this summer to propel me to a situation where I can say, ‘Now I feel like I should be playing somewhere in this offense.’ And they will fit me in the offense.”
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Collin Klein hoped he would get selected in the NFL Draft, but when it didn’t happen the former Kansas State quarterback remained confident about his NFL future — for good reason.

Interested teams began calling as soon as the draft ended, and he was quickly presented with several quality options.

After evaluating them with his family and his agent, he decided to sign a free-agent contract with the Houston Texans.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Klein said by phone. “I’m so happy to be able to compete and be a Texan.”

Klein will soon travel to Houston and compete for a roster spot at the team’s rookie camp. He said the Texans are interested in him as a quarterback, the position where he led K-State to 21 victories the past two seasons and was a Heisman Trophy finalist last season.

Many have doubted his ability to play quarterback at the next level, but he will soon get the opportunity.

“I think the coaching staff is excellent and I really feel like it’s where I need to be,” Klein said of the Texans organization. “I’m so thrilled and so excited to sink my teeth into the playbook and get working and get going.”

Construction at Bill Snyder Family Stadium is ahead of schedule, and you can already see the progress that has been made on the new football press box.

Kansas State athletic director John Currie took a handful of media members on a tour of the stadium, which is currently undergoing a $75 million renovation. When construction is complete, K-State will have a state-of-the-art press box that spans the length of the football field and offers fans added club-level seating, suites, wider concourses, larger restrooms and much more space to meet and move around during games.

I took photos from every level and angle of the new structure, but before we get to them here are a few noteworthy items about the stadium construction:

– Construction costs will exceed the original $75 million price tag, Currie said, because of the rising cost of steel and K-State’s desire to add a few extras onto the project during construction.

– Every area of the renovation will be ready for use in time for the season-opener on August 30. But student athletes won’t be able to use the new training table, where many athletes eat dinner, on a full-time basis until January.

– Only 150 club-level seats remain available for the upcoming season. Currie said those sales are well ahead of projections.

– The stadium’s new lighting system will be twice as bright as it was last season.

– K-State will need to hire several new workers to help maintain the press box after it is completed. Currie is expecting the athletic department’s staff to rise from about 130 to 150.

Now, on to more pictures:
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Tre Walker was held out of a full-contact scrimmage last week, and Bill Snyder doesn’t know if the senior linebacker will be able to take part in Kansas State’s spring football game on April 27.

That’s life for any player coming off a serious injury.

K-State coaches are being cautious with Walker, allowing him to practice only in a limited capacity, and Walker understands why. For now, he is pleased they are allowing him to suit up and get on the field.

“I shouldn’t even be running and jogging right now,” Walker said, “but I can honestly say I am cutting and running and doing the workouts. It’s kind of scary to the doctors, because they don’t feel that I should be back this early. But it really is nothing but a blessing.”

Walker missed the final five games last season after going down with an injury to his right knee against Texas Tech. Walker and K-State haven’t clarified the exact nature of the injury, but it required surgery and he spent several weeks on crutches.

After the procedure, doctors told Walker he would be able to return to the practice field in time for the start of summer practices. Walker pushed for an earlier return.

“The day I got out of surgery I got one day off and we got right back to the drawing board,” Walker said. “We do rehab every day. I lift extra twice a day, just so I can get back and catch up with the rest of the guys. It has been a true testament to where I am supposed to be and where I have been.”
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