HOUSTON \u2013 For Texans strongman defensive tackle Tommy Togiai, the weight room is his cathedral.<\/p>\n
When Togiai was auditioning for the NFL at Ohio State. he was disappointed to only bench press 225 pounds 40 times. It\u2019s an impressive feat, obviously, but he had been hitting 45 reps during his training sessions. He has squatted 700 pounds in the Texans\u2019 weight room.<\/p>\n
At age 25, Togiai is one of the younger and stronger defensive linemen on the roster. He ran a 4.98 in the 40-yard dash and had a 32-inch vertical leap at his campus Pro Day .<\/p>\n
\u201cI think my strength comes from that I was training early on,\u201d said Togiai, a former Idaho High School Player of the Year. \u201cMy dad was big on raising us kids in the gym. I think that is where it started from.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, Togiai is on the Texans\u2019 roster for the second year in a row after signing a two-year extension during last season.<\/p>\n
Togiai does a lot of things right, especially being a consistent physical presence at the line of scrimmage.<\/p>\n
The former Cleveland Browns fourth-round draft pick had one sack in the preseason.<\/p>\n
\u201cTommy is one of the hardest-working players in our building,\u201d Texans general manager Nick Caserio said. \u201cProbably one of the most consistent players from the start of the offseason program until now. He started training in February. He\u2019s one of the strongest guys on the team. Tommy was a good football player at Ohio State, a fourth-round pick by the Browns. Didn\u2019t work out. <\/p>\n
\u201cHad some injuries, shortchanged him there a bit. But Tommy is an NFL football player. He\u2019s got the right mindset. He\u2019s got the right attitude. He works his tail off. He goes out there and makes plays. He\u2019s been really good to work with. He\u2019s taken advantage of the opportunities when they\u2019ve been provided. We\u2019re glad he\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n
It really wasn\u2019t a surprise that Togiai made the Texans\u2019 roster outright. Throughout training camp, he had been praised by coach DeMeco Ryans. There were few scenarios where they weren\u2019t keeping him around. Yes, Togiai has been released previously by the Browns and Atlanta Falcons. With the Texans, though, it has been an altogether different experience.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t take making the roster for granted, though.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been cut previously on other teams so I have always carried that chip on my shoulder and always want to strive to be better. I always fell back to my faith in God. Whatever his plan was for me, I would be good either way. Whether it was with the Texans or somewhere else. I always have my faith in that but I trust in the tape I put during preseason and what I did during camp and that is all I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Togiai got promoted from the Texans\u2019 practice squad last season and had a sack against the Tennessee Titans.<\/p>\n
Togiai played in eight games, recording 28 tackles, 1 1\/2 sacks and two tackles for losses last season.<\/p>\n
\u201cTommy hasn\u2019t exceeded expectations, Tommy expects high things from himself,\u201d Ryans said. \u201cI don\u2019t think there is a harder worker on our team than Tommy. I can vividly remember coming in the building in February after the playoffs and the first player I see in our weight room is Tommy. He\u2019s in there working out, squatting, grinding already.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a surprise to us what Tommy has done because in the background he\u2019s always working. As consistent as ever. That\u2019s what it takes to be a pro. Guys who make it in this league, guys who play for a long time, they\u2019re consistent. You can count on them. That\u2019s why he made our team. So, I\u2019m very proud of Tommy and very happy for him because he\u2019s a guy who definitely deserved to make our team. He made play after play throughout training camp. I know Tommy can help us win games.\u201d<\/p>\n
Togiai is an example of the outstanding depth on a defensive line headlined by Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe call the defensive line the engine,\u201d Togiai said. \u201cThe engine of the team, not just the defense but the team. In that room we have a great group of guys. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe feed off each other. Someone makes a play, we feed off of that energy. It makes me want to go make a play myself. I think that is a great room to have.\u201d<\/p>\n