WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. -- Tom Savage remains keenly aware of his primary homework assignment.

The Texans' starting quarterback is a classic pocket passer with a strong arm working in his favor.

Savage has paid for having too deliberate an approach in the past, though, absorbing some punishment when the pocket has collapsed.

The 6-4, 228-pound former fourth-round draft pick from Pitt is working on getting the football out of his hands quicker. He's admittedly been slower than ideal in the past, taking too long to make a decision.

"I think just getting the ball out of of my hands quicker," Savage said of his individual goals. "I think that's the No. 1 thing. We have a great line. They're going to do their best to protect. It's my job to get the ball out there."

Savage has yet to throw an NFL touchdown pass. Last season, he completed 63 percent of his throws for 461 yards and no interceptions in three games and two starts for an 80.9 passer rating.

Savage had a sharp practice Tuesday against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots' defense.

"It looked good," Savage said. "We've got to correct everything we saw. They're the world champs."

Savage completed eight consecutive passes against the Carolina Panthers, rebounding from a rough start mostly caused by shoddy pass protection.

Savage completed 9 of 11 passes for 69 yards and a 92.8 passer rating in the preseason opener.

If Savage remains healthy after experiencing a lot of durability issues in the past and is winning, he should be able to hold off the challenge of Watson.

"It's been awesome, the give-and-take we have," Savage said. "We're all helping each other out. We all want this team to win. That's our main focus."