As left tackle Duane Brown got pushed one way and then the other by Mario Williams over the weekend, he tried to remind himself just how much easier Sundays will be if he survives the weekdays.

For the past three days, the Texans rookies got a crash course of what the NFL will be like. No one had more of a challenge than Brown, who saw an entirely different Williams than the one he faced three years ago in college.

In 2005, Brown was a sophomore at Virginia Tech making his first start at right tackle after converting from tight end. Williams, a junior at North Carolina State, had no idea he was just months away from being the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Texans.

Brown held his own against Williams in that game, which helped him jumpstart a journey that...