Sophomore slump? Texans DBs Calen Bullock, Kamari Lassiter promise second season will be better

Another awesome story on Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock from the Chronicle:

It was 9:30 a.m. on a cloudy but hot Friday, and Calen Bullock and Kamari Lassiter, the two second-year defensive backs, came galloping down the steps from NRG Stadium toward the Texans' practice bubble.

Though they couldn’t remember the name of the songs, Bullock later said he was listening to EBK Jaaybo, while Lassiter was listening to NBA Youngboy, both of whom will have September tour stops in Houston. They kept the same stride, step for step.
“We just get in that mode before practice,” Bullock said.
“Every time we step on the field,” Lassiter added.

Bullock and Lassiter, nicknamed “Hawk” and “Lock,” respectively, are like a package deal. When you see one, the other is likely close by, if not by the other’s side.

When the NFL announced the finalists for defensive rookie of the year, neither Bullock nor Lassiter was on the list. The candidates for the award were Eagles cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, Rams linebacker Jared Verse and defensive tackle Braden Fiske, and Dolphins edge rusher Chop Robinson.

When asked how they felt about that, Lassiter’s facial expression changed to stone-cold serious. He nudged Bullock to go first.
“Really, I laughed it off,” Bullock said. “I mean, it was kind of disrespectful. But I know it’s politics that go into it also. Guys who were first- and second round, and we were picked later.”
Lassiter agreed.
“We both have long careers ahead of us, so it just adds more fuel to our fire,” Lassiter said.

“Our confidence level is out the roof right now going into our second year,” Bullock said. “We’ve been putting in the work and we know it’s going to show up on the field.”
“It’s going to show,” Lassiter added.
How confident?
“The highest,” Bullock said. “We’re trying to be All-Pro. We've seen Derek Stingley do it last year. He’s the standard. We’ve seen what it looks like. So that’s our goal.”

“Those guys have been here the whole offseason, been really working together,” defensive coordinator Matt Burke said of Bullock and Lassiter. “As we know, they’re kind of tied at the hip.
“I really like the intent and focus they’re showing. They’re kind of growing into a leadership role and into young veterans on the team pretty quickly, so it’s cool to see.”

What excites Bullock and Lassiter most, though, is the secondary’s potential this year as a whole.

“I think we’ve got the best DB room in the NFL,” Bullock said. “When I look to my left and my right, I see two great guys. When I look in front of me, I see (Pitre). I look next to me, I see another great safety. So I know, on our back end, we’re going to hold it down for sure.”

More here: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/texans/article/calen-bullock-kamari-lassiter-confident-20356331.php