Texans’ Adibi Battling For Job

Houston Texans linebacker Xavier Adibi has reportedly been packing on the pounds, in a good way, to boost his chances of winning a starting job at weakside linebacker. Adibi has bulked up from 220 pounds to 240 pounds as he tries to beat out former starter Zach Diles, who’s recuperating from a broken leg, and veteran addition Cato June, according to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Before getting hurt last year, Diles started eight games and recorded 66 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one interception. A former Indianapolis Colts starter who was named to the Pro Bowl in 2005, June played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the past few seasons before being cut during the offseason. “That position group will have a heck of a battle this training camp,” Texans General Manager Rick Smith said. “That’s one I’m looking forward to watching.” The thinking is that the added weight will help Adibi pack more punch on his tackles and when he’s taking on blocks. Plus, it could help his durability after playing in just seven games last season as a rookie and recording 35 tackles in five starts. “I was making sure I didn’t put on too much, I didn’t want to get to the 245-250 range,” Adibi said. “This is weight that I need just to get through the regular season playing 17 weeks of the NFL. “That’s one of my goals, make it through the season 100 percent, not miss any games. This is what I had to do and I feel good. I feel real good.” Of course, gaining weight typically means losing speed. The Texans insist that’s not the case with Adibi and aren’t worried about him gaining so much weight during one offseason. Meanwhile, the Texans have installed rookie Brian Cushing as an immediate starter on the strongside, and DeMeco Ryans is an entrenched standout at middle linebacker.