HOUSTON — Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt is on the cover of this week’s editions of Sports Illustrated and ESPN the Magazine. He was asked how he’s handling the national attention he’s getting this season.

“It’s really easy, actually,” he said. “I’m very fortunate to have a good team around me, but anybody who knows me — family, friends or people I work with — knows football comes first.

“I get all my work done. I put it in extra work, and you do all type of extra things, and then if there’s an opportunity to do something, then I take advantage of that.

“I also have my mom and a great team of people helping with my foundation, so they take that off me for the season. Great people here help me with everything. It’s really just time management. Like I’ve said before, when I don’t’ have too much going on outside of football in my life, it opens up opportunities to do many more things because my day is pretty wide open every day. It’s football, football, football and then anything else and go to sleep.”

Watt’s family and friends get a kick out of the recognition he’s receiving as the best defensive player in the NFL.

“I think that’s what’s great about my friends from back home,” he said about Pewaukee, Wisc. “They’re very proud, and they’ve seen all the hard work. And so it’s really cool to share these experiences with them because there are not too many people that you can call and say, ‘Man, did you see that? How cool was that,’ without sounding arrogant or something.

“And so I can call my buddies, and they can share right with me how unbelievable this whole ride is. It’s very neat to have people that understand.”

–Cornerback Johnathan Joseph has watched quarterback Ryan Mallett every day in practice since the Texans traded for him the week before regular season began.

Like his teammates, Joseph is eager to see how Mallett will play in his first start.

Joseph’s scouting report: “Very strong arm, sharp, on top of his thing from a playbook standpoint, understands the offense.

“I think having Fitz (Ryan Fitzpatrick) has helped him grow a certain degree. Playing under Tom Brady when he was in New England, I think helped develop him, but you know playing here and just being around a guy like Fitz, the way this team is built, I think helped him grow because now that he’s the quarterback he’s the leader of this team.

“Being a backup, you never know when it’s going to be your call to be the starter, so you have to prepare like you’re the starter at all times. I think he’s done a great job the first nine to 10 weeks of the season, preparing himself every week as if he’s going to be the guy to get the call to start.”

–Over the weekend, thieves broke into the home of linebackers coach Mike Vrabel. Among items stolen were the three Super Bowl rings he won as an outside linebacker with New England.

“That’s terrible,” Watt said. “You work so dang hard for something like that, especially three of them. It’s terribly sad, and I sure hope he gets those back.”

Police are searching for the culprits.

“I’m right down the street from him,” center Chris Myers said. “It’s one of those things that it doesn’t just affect the physical things you have, i.e. his Super Bowl rings, which, obviously, mean the world to him. To be able to get those back is going to be huge.

“But it affects the security of your family, and that’s the biggest thing that concerns me individually. The security of your family is the No. 1 thing you want to have when you’re not at work, and that got taken from them. That’s one thing you have to earn back.”