HOUSTON (CBS HOUSTON) – The Texans used a third round selection in the 2014 draft on Louis Nix but didn’t see hardly any return on their investment, until tonight.

Starting in place of the regular Texans nose tackle, Vince Wilfork, Nix played real, live, actual football against an opponent today.

And he’s thrilled.

“I’m just happy I was able to get out there,” said Nix. “I haven’t played for a very long time. Had a lot of expectations.”

Perhaps the expectations weren’t met, Nix said he didn’t know how well he did, but it is a step after injury essentially erased his last two seasons of football.

“It was a frustrating time for me,” he said.

He went on to add that most people don’t know how hard the past tow years were on him.

“I feel more confident in myself. Being out for almost two years, not doing anything, a lot of people…they don’t know the mental side of things. How that can get you down. How you can feel with all the pressure coming from everywhere.”

Nix said his teammates and head coach Bill O’Brien didn’t lose faith in him and helped him get back to action. He said he especially leaned on Wilfork especially learning from the veteran about the system.

Nix was happy to be healthy but he wasn’t happy with his total performance noting he knows his coaches will want his conditioning to continue to improve.

“Coach wants a full go, so I need to get my motor going. I think I can do a little bit better.”

With the wheels working on the car, the Texans finally get to see just how impressive the engine is on Louis Nix.

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