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HOUSTON -- Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub stood on the practice field Tuesday chatting and laughing, smiles planted firmly on their faces.

It didn't take long for the Houston Texans' quiet Pro Bowl receiver to warm up to his new quarterback. On the first day of Houston's voluntary offseason workouts, the two looked like old friends.

"Every time we see each other we're just talking, trying to learn things about each other," Johnson said.

Many of the Texans joined Johnson and Schaub at the 45-minute conditioning workout, including last year's top draft pick Mario Williams and newly acquired running back Ahman Green.

Schaub came to Houston to replace David Carr in a trade March 22. Johnson thinks he's already got a feel for the former Falcons backup in the short time since then.

"Just from looking at the way he walks around the locker room and things like that, you can tell he's a leader," Johnson said. "That's something you want to have at the quarterback position."

It's one of the qualities Texans officials touted in Schaub, who has started just two games in his three-year career. He's serious about making Houston his team and has already began work on becoming a leader.

The respected but unproven player signed a six-year deal worth $48 million.

"I think this is the time of the year to do it," he said. "It's hard to start that once the season gets going because everything comes so quick and you've got to prepare for the games. It's ... getting to know one another on the field and asserting that leadership in the offseason rather than waiting for the season."

Schaub feels lucky to be moving into his first starting role in an offense that features Johnson.

"It's fantastic," he said. "It's a quarterback's dream to have a guy like that on the outside that can make people miss, go up and catch the deep ball and is fast like him. He's just a great asset to have."

While Johnson, who made his second Pro Bowl last season after catching a career-high 103 passes for 1,147 yards, embraced his new quarterback, he also shared some thoughts about the old one.

He said it was disappointing that Carr, who was the first pick in the 2002 draft, wasn't able to succeed in Houston and offered an opinion why. Johnson was the third overall pick in 2003.

"From my first year here, I think it was the way he was coached," Johnson said. "My first couple of years here he was pretty much just told where to throw the ball at, and a lot of people didn't know that. He was never really taught to go through reads and things like that. Once coach [Gary] Kubiak came in, that was his big thing, teaching him how to go through reads. So it was like he was starting all over again."

The Texans hoped Carr would blossom under the tutelage of Kubiak, a former quarterback, but he again struggled and Houston went 6-10 for its fifth losing season.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press