HOUSTON -- By the time the text message arrived, Houston Texans quarterback Tom Savage had already powered his hardy truck past the flooded streets that surrounded his apartment and was halfway to NRG Stadium.

Stay off the roads, practice is canceled, was the message sent last Tuesday morning. But Savage had already ignored the warnings of people who saw him heading to his truck, unaware of the extent of the flooding. He was determined to get to the Texans' facility and stay true to his routine.

"I’m still in the mood where I’m going to find a way to this facility or I’m in trouble," Savage said. "I didn’t even know who to call like, 'Hey my building’s flooded.'"

Routine is something Savage has added to his regimen this season. It's a tip he learned from veterans, ones he's playing with now and ones he met during the offseason. Entering his second NFL offseason after being drafted in the fourth round out of the University of Pittsburgh, Savage has impressed his coaches with his work ethic. He knew, as they did, he had a long way to go.

"I’ve been a second-year guy in this system," Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer said. "It really asks a lot of the quarterback. I think he’s made, from what I’ve seen on the cutups of film from last year to where he is now, to having conversations with him, his knowledge of the offense has gotten so much better. ...

"When you come into this system as a rookie, a lot is thrown at you and you’re just swimming. The best thing you can do is try to just hang on, survive, and learn."

That was essentially all Savage could do in his one bit of game action last season. He entered a most important game of the Texans' season -- a road contest against the Indianapolis Colts -- in the second quarter when Ryan Fitzpatrick broke his leg. Savage had a total QBR of just 13 and even struggled to make hand-offs. As the game progressed, Savage improved, but he suffered a hyperextended knee that ended his season.

"I’ve watched that game probably over 50 times," Savage said. "It still kind of haunts me a little bit. Not saying I’m happy I went through it that way -- I would’ve loved to get the win -- but it was good to get out there and see what it’s like."

Savage is quick to emphasize he has a lot to learn, but he's worked on a lot, too in the months since he last played. Timing is a big part of a quarterback's success in this offense. He focused this offseason on his footwork, on seeing his receivers better and enabling his mental clock to release the ball quicker.

"This offense, there’s always someone open," he said. "It’s our job to find them."

This offseason has been about learning, fixing and improving. Some of that was working at the Fischer Institute in Phoenix, where he sought the advice of quarterbacks like Drew Stanton and Carson Palmer. Part of their advice was to develop a routine.

So every morning Savage sets an alarm for 4:15 a.m. He wakes up his fiancée for just a moment, then lets her go back to bed as he heads off for work. He plays with his cat, has some coffee, then heads to the facility. He arrives there about 5:15 usually, gets some time in the hot tub and fills up his iPad with film he's already seen a lot of before having some breakfast. Then he heads to the meeting room, usually with Hoyer and Ryan Mallett, to watch more film for about an hour and a half.

"I think it's been a really, really big jump for me," Savage said. "From a confidence standpoint, I’m a lot more confident. I think I’m more vocal in the huddle, louder. The guys on our team helped me out. They helped me build up my confidence. ... I’ve got a lot to improve on, but for now that’s in the right direction."