Life in the NFL Travis LaBoy

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2 straight wins has us feeling good

TWO wins in a row. What a huge way for the team to start off the second part of the season.

Coach (Jeff) Fisher gave us a couple extra days of rest during the bye week following our win over the Redskins, and they certainly helped. Sometimes an extended break from football can cause a team to play sloppy when returning to the field. I think Coach thought that our team could use the extra time to recharge and rehabilitate, and he certainly was right.

I know I personally benefited from the extra time off. I was able to spend my down time tending to my body, working on getting as close to 100 percent as one possibly can playing this sport. In addition, the time off allowed me extra time in the playbook and film room.

I was able to look back on the first several games and go over the plays in which mistakes were made. I took notes of the things I had to work on and went through mental reps as I watched film from previous games as well as preparing for Houston.

We also still had the taste of victory and the confidence we developed after our win at the Redskins. Sometimes that is lost during a bye week. But when the players returned, we were all hungry for our second win. We left with a good feeling before the break, and we came back wanting more.

I am sure that all our players benefited from the extra days off, as we were firing on all cylinders this past weekend against the Texans. Even though the stat column won't show it, our offense had a real solid game.

The exceptional play of our defense and special teams allowed us to give our offense great field position and keep them on the field. When a team is able to pull in strong performances from all sides of the ball, it usually translates into a win. It certainly did for us.

Now we have a huge challenge ahead. This week we play the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville is one of the top teams in the NFL. They are strong on both sides of the ball and are very fast and physical. It is always a tough game in Jacksonville, and it is always good to see Vince (Manuwai) and Chad (Owens), even if they are on the other team.

Again, we will need another team effort in order to win and hopefully we can rise to the challenge as we have been doing. Our team has shown success with the absence of a lot of key players due to injury and suspensions.

It is always tough to lose a guy, no matter how it happens, but we have been able to rally while they are gone, but can't wait until we get those players back. We will be just that much better. With the talent we have on this team, playing to the level we can play at, who knows what this team can do?

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