Week 6 - Total Football

Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Houston Texans played a total team game on Sunday. The very first offensive play from scrimmage was a sign of things to come. The play that finished that drive is usually a sign of things to come.

What to Like about this game? Just about everything.

The defense held Cedric Benson, the NFL leading rusher going into the game, to 44 yards on 16 carries and one TD. Not bad for a team that gave up 531 rushing yards in its first three games. The Texans held the previous two opponents to similar yardage but those two teams were the Cardinals and Raiders. Two teams not known for their rushing prowess. So holding Benson to low yardage is a big accomplishment for the Texans.

Offensively, they played efficient and killed the clock at the end with first downs.

Matt Schaub now leads the NFL in touchdown passes with 18. He is second only to Fat Ben (no longer called Big Ben by this blog) in passing yardage but still trails by two in the sexual allegations department. Come on, Matt, work on that.

Andre Johnson continues to be Angry 'dre.

The passing game excelled with Angry 'dre (135 yards), Owen Daniels (78, 2TDs) and Steve Slaton using screens (102, 1 TD).

The rushing game was adequate with 87 yards on 31 carries. Slaton and Chris Brown were interchangeable through the game. Slaton ran for 43 yard on 19 attempts while it took less than half as many carries for Brown to exceed Slaton (45 yards on 9 carries).

Miss Leading Stat?
I think Slaton's rushing stats are misleading for a few reasons. First, I don't care how my running back gets his yards as long as he gets them. Slaton is a play maker and he needs to be heavily involved in the game plan. Gary Kubiak and Kyle Shanahan decided to get Slaton involved by throwing the ball to him six times. So while he gained only 43 yards rushing, he gained 102 yards on pass plays including his second receiving touchdown of the year on a screen. Slaton accounted for 31% of the offense's yards and averaged 5.8 yards when he touched the ball. Nothing to sneeze at my friends.

Another reason I think his rushing stats is misleading is penalties. On the second to last drive Slaton had three good runs wiped out by holding penalties. The most costly perhaps was when he ran to the Bengals two and Daniels was called for holding. I didn't add up the lost yardage but it was significant. The other thing to note about those holding calls is they were not on offensive linemen. The offenders were FB Vonta Leach, TE Daniels and WR Kevin Walters.

The Center Doesn't Hold
Fans have been piling scorn on center Chris Meyers this season. I made it a point to watch his play in particular and the line play. I used rewind and slow motion plenty of times in my watching.

This game may have been an anomaly for Meyers (Spaz an anomaly is an unusual occurrence, thought I'd save you a trip to the dictionary). I'll pay more attention in future games. That disclaimer out of the way, he played well on Sunday. I paid particular attention from the middle of the second quarter on. Not once did he get blown up on a play or pushed back. In some plays he was the only lineman down field looking to block on the secondary.

Evidently Lance Zierlien, one of the few analysts I respect, agrees:

Chris Meyers had his best game of the year for the Texans and Studdard and Chris White played better as well.

The Rest of the Line
I'm concerned with the guard play. Kasey Studdard started at left guard and Chris White started at right. On several plays Studdard was pushed back. When they did get down field they whiffed on blocks on linebackers. Eric Winston at right tackle had his moments to. He had gained a reputation as being a nasty mauler but I don't see it this year. He missed way to many blocks this game.

One thing I like about left tackle Duane Brown is that you are not hearing his name called often. For a lineman that's good. Otherwise it means he is giving up penalties or allowing sacks. Brown gave up one sack in the game. The defender beat him on a stunt and went straight for Schaub. Brown made up for in the next play. On a screen to Slaton, Brown was down field and to the left. He blocked a would be tackler and it sprang Slaton for his TD.

Rookie Antoine Caldwell split time with White at right guard. Like the other two guards, I was less than impressed with his run blocking. I did like his pass protection though. On two plays he just stood up his defender and didn't budge an inch. He's true to the scouting report I read...he's a great blocker but don't ask him to move.

The Beast
It's official. Brian Cushing is a beast. A defense know for Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans and Dunta Robinson can now add Cushing to the list. He forced two fumbles and made interception at a critical time in the game. An receiver who made a catch like Cushing's interception would be proud.

Others are noticing. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week and Pro Football Weekly also picked him as one of their Players of the Week. Cushing also jumped to the top of PFW's Rookie of the Year Meter.

Closing Thoughts
The Texans return to Reliant Stadium next week and they need to defend it. Through three games they've already lost as many they did last year at home. Fortunately they've matched the road victory total of last year so things are even at 3-3.

An even record isn't good enough any more. Fans want wins and playoffs. Coming up short, like at Arizona and with the Jaguars, doesn't cut it.

For now they are still in the thick of the wildcard race. Now is the time to put a win streak together and for once remain competitive well into the season.

Week 5 - AAAAaaarrgghhhh

The home stand with 3 out of 4 at Reliant didn't go well. A dismal 1-2 record at home.

So the Texans took their Dog & Pony Show on the road where surprisingly they had a 1-0 record (until you consider the Titans are now 0-5).

The Usual Suspects

Once again the Texans came out ill prepared and out of sync. They committed a penalty on the opening kick off and fumbled the opening snap. Three and out.

On defense, Arizona sliced through the Texans and built a 21-0 lead.

The worst part of the deal? Despite playing terrible in the first half it looked like it would only be a 7-0 game at halftime.

Then the wheels came off in the last two minutes. Arizona scored two quick touchdowns and the game took on a different persona. 21-0.

The Other Texans Show Up For a While and Then The Real Ones Came Back

In the second half the defense held Kurt Warner in check and the offense battled back to tie the score. Only they couldn't seal the deal. David RosenSchaub threw a late interception for a TD and then RB Chris Brown again failed to find the endzone.

The Blame Game

There is plenty of blame to go around.

The coaches once again had the team unprepared for what was going to be thrown at them.

The offense was inept in the first half and inept when it counted at the end.

The defense gave up two quick scores to dig a bigger hole in the last two minutes.

The defense failed to harass Kurt Warner much until the second half. Warner was finally frustrated and out of sync when the Texans got pressure on him.

One board poster exclaimed that the only reason the Texans put any second half pressure on Warner was because the Texans started sending LBs Brian Cushing and DeMeco Ryans. He further went on to complain it was because the Cardinals had no run game but if it were any other team they would have run roughshod over the Texans. Here's a clue genius. It's called an in game adjustment. That thing people like you bitch about the Texans don't do. Here is a prime example of a game adjustment and you bitch about it?

Future of Kubiak
I'm not easily frustrated as a fan. After this week I am.

Is it time for Kubiak and staff to go? Really can't make that evaluation until the end of the season. Five games in and some dweebs are calling for their heads already.

I'm sure owner Bob McNair is sick of the mediocrity. Another 8-8 season full of close losses will probably keep Kubiak around for another year. If the season and players get away from Kubiak then he'll be gone.

Final Thoughts
It's very frustrating to watch the Texans lose two games at the one yard line in the closing minutes. I'm tired of it.

On the other hand, if a change is made, McNair must choose wisely. Some folks are pining for Bill Cowher or some other 3-4 coach. That's at least a two year building project. Who are the linebackers? What do you do with Mario Williams? I just don't see something that drastic happening.

See you at the same time, same bad channel.

Week 4 - It Was the Freaking Raiders!

I'd be impressed by the win but for one thing. It was the freaking Raiders. The Raiders!!!! The organization that brought us a real life Seinfeld episode. George Costanza (played by Lane Kiffin) keeps showing up for work even though Emperor Palpatine (played by Al Davis) tries to get him to quit by doing everything but barring Costanza from the team facilities.

For one week at least, the Texans stopped the oppositions run game. After being gashed and gored for three games, the defense manned up. But it's the Raiders. One of the things I like watching during the game is how the Texans defense lines up before a play. In the first two home games, one thing that stood out was the misalignment of the deep safety (for lack of a better term since the Texans call them both safeties and don't distinguish between free and strong). The deep safety would move in to support the run. Nice idea if he would stay at home on his assignment. What the Jags did was a thing of beauty. Their line sold the play going to the Texans right, faked an end around to the left that the safety and corner bought and then sprang a counter play to the left. The defense had over pursued to the right and the fake cleared out the corner and safety on the left side leaving a gaping hole for Drew-Jones to dance to the endzone.

Against the Raiders, the Texans made three changes in the secondary. Fred Bennett found a very nice spot on the bench. He receiver was David Garrad's favorite target. This week one of the rookies (Quin or McCain, I'll have to double check) took all the reps in Bennett's place. He did a nice job (against the Raiders). Bennett came on one play that I was told about. I never saw him. He came on in a nickel package and promptly gave up the first down yardage. I did spot him on special teams. The other major change was at safety. Bernard Pollard, the player who ruined Tom Brady last season, started. If nothing else I didn't notice him line up out of position. Which was nice to see.

Offensively the Texans had a very questionable second half. Like John McClain wrote,"...who told the offense they could leave at halftime?"

The plays called were horrible. I'll need to look at a play diagram but it appeared that the Texans decided to abandon the short to medium passes and go deep. I understand trying to go for the jugular. However each time the offense went deep they never connected. I remember one play distinctly the typified the half. Schaub dropped back to pass. He kept looking down field for someone to open up. About 15 yards in the middle Steve Slaton was uncovered with plenty of room to run after the catch. Schaub ended up throwing the ball incomplete.

Gary Kubiak stated in the post game press conference that they ran several run plays just for film study. I can kind of see where he's coming from on this point. They are playing the JV Raiders and needed to work on a few things. So why not take advantage and use a semi-pro team to work rather than going through the motions in practice.

Through four games some disturbing trends are developing.

First is the use of Andre Johnson. There are two All-Universe caliber receivers in the NFL....Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald. He is the Texans deadliest weapon. He makes defensive coordinators cry at night. According to ESPN poll of coordinators, Johnson is one of the few players in the league that defenses must game plan completely around. The trend this year has just been to line Johnson up and WR and run his routes. Last year Kyle Shanahan and Kubiak line Johnson up all over the place...in the slot, out of the backfield, in motion. It worked beautifully. Defenses have to account for him and moving him around puts the defense on their heels. By lining him almost exclusively at WR, the defense can roll the coverage his
direction and account for him almost from the time Schaub goes under center. Shanahan needs to return to last year's strategy.

Second thing that is bothersome is the lack of a running game. I see two things developing in the case. First is the offensive line is getting beat at the point of attack. Most zone blocking scheme are designed to push a defense out of the way in one direction and allow the running back to cut back against the play. This season the offensive line has had problems getting the play flowing in the direction they want. The defenses are either holding the point or pushing the offense back. When Steve Slaton hits the area he's supposed to cut there is no place to go. The defense is there waiting for him for minimal gain or caught behind the line of scrimmage.

The other thing affecting the running game has been Slaton's hesitation. I wonder if he's not seeing the hole to cut back to cause their isn't anywhere to go. On a message board some where, I think it was DGDB&D, said he thinks Slaton has been to impatient to see the flow of the play. Even if the line is getting held at the point, a direction of the play develops. The poster wondered if maybe Slaton was too impatient to let play and flow. There could be some merit to that point.

Coming up next is the Arizona Cardinals. Maybe, if I have time, I will try a brief preview and my prediction.

Dear Oakland Raider Fan

Dear Oakland Raider Fan,
Obviously you don't realize what an embarrassment you actually are. While you walked and strutted around Reliant Stadium everybody was laughing at you.

I'm not talking about the fans that showed up in Raider black to cheer their team. Those fans were pretty cool and I admire anyone who shows up to cheer their favorite team. It's part of the NFL experience.

I'm talking about the Raider fans that strut like they just won the Super Bowl and dress like it's Halloween every Sunday.

For starters, you aren't a street gang. Throwing up signs to each other as you pass other Raider fans is lame.

You are not in the military so why do you salute each other? You can't possibly be imitating the hated Denver Broncos and the Mile High Salute.

You are not on the field so fist bumps aren't necessary when you pass each other in the concourse.

You are not a motorcycle gang so you don't have to WALK two side by side in a line.

When the score is 29-6, you don't have to yell at the Texans fans that "they aren't shit...you're nobody."

When Texans fans reply to your smack talk, replying the following repeatedly isn't considered a witty reply: "I'm getting the last word. I'm getting the last word. I'm getting the last word."

In fact that reply is a two year old's...oh wait I'm talking about Raider fan.

After the game as everyone is headed to the parking lots, every Raider fan that passed another said,"We still got it." If by "still got it" you mean you still suck then congratulations. At least you can acknowledge to each other how bad your team is. If you are referring to the mythical Raider Mystique then I remind you of the the unofficial team motto: Commitment to Excrement.

And to all those pretend Raider fans that try to look tough, old ladies that sit in the Black Hole would kick your ass and make you cry.

Sincerely,

Houston Texans fans...as we point to the scoreboard one last time...29-6

The Jags? Are You Kidding Me?

After a courageous effort in a come from behind win over the Titans in week two, the Houston Texans returned to the horrid confines of Reliant Stadium.

In the "soft" part of the schedule, the Texans so far are 1-2. They have one more home game before embarking on an extended road trip. The Texans will play four of five games before the open date of November 15th. They failed to hold serve at home and now must try and make up those losses on the road. Given that they've only won three road games in the last two seasons, it's a tall order for these road warriors.

My quick recap and take on the Jaguar game.

The offense pretty much held up its end of the bargain aside from a last minute fumble by RB Chris Brown. Brown was visibly shaken after the game. He barely could keep his composure as he felt the weight of the loss. I feel bad for Brown. Normally I'm not sympathetic to players that make mistakes (like Sage Rosenpenis). The game never should have come down to a late Brown fumble.

The defense was an epic failure. Again. They once again allowed a long gain for a touchdown. They also never put any pressure on David Garrard's fat ass. He had all day to throw. I swear I saw him eating a sandwich and drinking a beer before he threw the ball on one play. The Jags constantly torched the secondary.

Initially the players were excited about no longer playing a read and react defense that former coordinator Richard Smith implemented. Instead new coordinator Frank Bush pledged a more aggressive defense. The defense has been more aggressive but very plain vanilla. They telegraph when and where the blitzes are coming. They line up exactly how they plan on blitzing. They also play a lot of man coverage. If a quarterback, even Garrard, knows the direction of the blitz and the coverage, he will know where to attack. Blockers know where to align themselves before the snap. A little creativity would go a long way in keep offenses guessing some.

How about that run defense? I'm not sure what's going on there. Most the time it seems like blown assignments. In all those long TD runs there is practically no contact at the line. Before the defense even knows what hit them the running back is out racing the defensive backs. In many of those plays the linebacker at the point of attack never sees the run. Is there a fatal flaw that offenses are seeing and the Texans fail to recognize?

Now back to why the game never should have come down to Brown's last minute fumble. Culprit number one: The Defense. Or lack there of. The defense really only needed to make two or three key stops. A few stops would have a.) kept the Jags points off the scoreboard and b.) probably given the offense a few more opportunities to put up points. Very simple. Keep the ball away from opponent and they can't score. Keep the ball and you can score. If the defense had done it's job, the more likely scenario is Chris Brown is running out the clock and not fumbling away the game.

Week 4 and the Raider game is a must win.