Houston Texans Bull Site Week 0 Edition
Let the Games Begin
Less than one week remains before the regular season kicks off. Mark Sanchez will make his NFL debut quarterbacking the NY Jets at Reliant Stadium. For the Texans, LB Brian Cushing will make his debut in any kind of NFL action. He missed the preseason with a leg injury.
Many expect that this is the year the Texans will finally make the playoffs. The Texans drafted Cushing and DE Connor Barwin and signed DE Antonio Smith in hopes of bolstering the defensive front seven.
Defense Questions
In order to make the next leap forward, the defense must improve across the board.
How much will Cushing really help the Texans? Some message board posters speculated he will be injury prone due to his massive physic. They make the claim that he carries to much muscle on his frame. To much muscle can lead to injuries as tendons and ligaments can't stand up to the game day pounding while trying to keep the mass together. Cushing is a reputed work out fiend. Hopefully the Texans staff works with him to get him in playing shape and not just one large muscle running amok in the field.
Lance Zeurlin of the Houston Chronicle says that Antonio Smith has a devastating spin move. I hope he's right. Smith is going to have to make a big impact in order to free up Mario Williams. Williams is a beast by himself but imagine the pain he can inflict if his linemates step it up.
The other question is who emerged as the starter on the weak side? Initially the battle was thought to be between Xavier Adibi and Cato June. June allegedly reported to camp out of shape. He then sustained and injury that put an end to the competition. Instead the battle that emerged was between Adibi and Zac Diles. Diles started on the strong side last year and was having a solid year until he suffered a season ending injury on a special teams practice drill.
The versatility at linebacker also provides some depth. It is somewhat reassuring to know that Diles can play both outside spots and Kevin Bentley can back up all three slots. MLB DeMeco Ryans will not come off the field unless he is dragged off.
With Jacques Reeves out, things seemed thin at corner. Dunta Robinson reported to the team on Sunday for his physical and conditioning exam. He'll have his first practice on Tuesday. Robinson should be in shape and ready to go. He will need some study and film time though to get caught up with the new defense.
The current safeties are adequate. Based on preseason tackling needs some work. This is probably one area that the team definitely needs to address next year.
Will someone step up and play defensive tackle? Anyone? Please. Despite what some say, it's to early to label Amobi Okoye a bust. Travis Johnson was dealt for a case of jock straps. Frank Okam is lazy. Shaun Cody? He's getting playing time but isn't impressing anyone much. This may be the undoing of the team.
Offense Questions
The big bold question everyone is asking: Can Matt Schaub stay healthy an entire season? No further discussion needed.
The other questions are can Steve Slaton follow up a great rookie year and not hit the so called sophomore slump? Will left tackle Duane Brown improve or regress in his first year as full time starter? Last year he alternated and came out every third series. Keeping Schaub's blindside clean is key to his survival.
The offense seems to have most pieces in place. I'm not to worried about them yet. If they can match scoring with the yards they put up they will be fine.
Season Outlook
This is just my opinion but I think the Texans are one season away from competing for a playoff spot. If they can make big improvements on defense and the red zone their chances go up exponentially. They need to win within the division more and on the road more.
They are a great home team. In 2007 they lost one home game and in 2008 they lost two. So if they hold serve at home and can pull off three or more road wins they are in the thick of things.
The question begs: is head coach Gary Kubiak and his staff on the hot seat? Barring a Dom Comedy Caper 2-14 meltdown, no they aren't. Owner Bob McNair is trying to model the team on consistency. He knows patience and letting the football people take care of things is the best way to go.
New York Giants, New England, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh are teams McNair strives to copy. Those teams don't just have the same coaches but when a coach leaves there is a plan in place. Bill Cowher won a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh and three seasons later Mike Tomlin does it again. What did Tomlin change? Nothing. He knows the legacy of Steeler football. He didn't change a thing. When Tony Dungy left the Colts, a successor coach was already named well before Dungy retired. Tom Coughlin was on the verge of being shown the door but the owner relented and allowed him one more season. He won the Super Bowl that year. New England is the model franchise of the league.
The goal of those teams isn't to win the Super Bowl. The goal is to win multiple Super Bowls. They don't want to be one and done champs. They want to build a dynasty and lasting legacy. McNair seems to want that to.
Is Kubiak the man for the job? I don't know. I do know that it's wise to play out the season before making any judgments. The shoot from the hip and fair weather fans already have him fired based on preseason.
Be Careful What You Wish For
Sage Rosenpenis, he of helicopter fame, wanted out and wanted a chance to start. He was locked in mortal combat with Tarvaris Jackson for the Minnesota Vikings starting job. Some reports stated that The Penis had a slight advantage. Then Brett Favre the Drama Queen unretired. Again. Peter King masturbated to the thoughts of Favre's return. I digress. So Sage, named after an herb, to quote Nelson from the Simpsons,"Ha! Ha!"
The Return of a Blog
The Brett Favre of Texans blogs is back. After pretending to grow up and have adult things to do, DGDB&D is back.
I'm glad you guys are back. While the other blogs are informative and fun, no one approaches the level you guys entertain and ridicule all things NFL and Texans.
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