No updates due to personal matters but I haven't missed a minute of Texans football.
In this day and age of high flying offenses, it was refreshing to attend a football game where some serious ball control and hitting going on.
The Opening Drive
The Texans dominated the opening drive. The best way I can describe it? A thing of awesome beauty. Of things I've seen in person, it ranks up there with the Grand Canyon and the Vatican.
The Texans started the drive on the 5 yard line and drove the length of the field to go up 7-0. The amazing part was the time consumed. Time of possession on the drive was under 11 minutes. I was at the game but I watched the replay the other night. A few times the camera panned to Fat Ben Roethlisberger. As the drive progresses, it looked to me that Fat Ben got more restless and antsy.
On the field, the Texans dominated. Mixing up pass and run perfectly, the Texans kept the Steelers on their toes. Arian Foster carried the ball nine times for 41 yards and back up Ben Tate chipped a 20 yard scamper. Matt Schaub threw seven times while completing five for 52 yards and a touchdown.
Amazing things happen when the run game succeeds. On goal to go, Texans ran play action with Foster and the offensive line going right. Owen Daniels sold the play and slipped pass the line of scrimmage. Schaub floated the ball to him and Daniels hauled it in uncovered for about the easiest six the Texans ever scored.
Things went so right on that drive that even a few penalties did nothing to slow them down. They came out with a script and executed the plan perfectly.
The Defense
Two things always impressed me with Fat Ben. Because he is Fat Ben, he is hard to bring down. In spite of being Fat Ben, he scrambles well to buy time and more often than not complete a play.
Pittsburgh brought a patchwork line to Reliant Stadium. It showed.
Wade Phillip's 3-4 constantly harassed, hit and terrorized Fat Ben. On the stat sheet, the Texans defense sacked Roethlisberger five times and delivered eight QB hits. They also limited Mike Wallace, on a six game 100+ yard game streak, to 77 yards.
Things are working right when Pittsburgh is held to 9 possession that ended in punt, punt, blocked FG, TD, punt, punt, turn over on downs, interception.
The Texans defense had a brief lull coming of out of half time. Despite the makeshift offensive line, the Steelers had their way in the opening possession. The Steelers came out throwing with short completions and a few long passes before Rashard Mendenhall punched in the ball on a student body right play for a TD.
Again the Texans seemed flat footed on the Steelers second possession. Isaac Redmen just molested the defense. In consecutive plays, Redmen ran for 18, 6, 2 and 5 yards. Mewelde Moore spelled Redmen after the 5 yard run and took the ball for 15 yards.
The Texans managed enough of a stop to hold Pittsburgh to a field goal but the Steelers flipped the time of possession table on the Texans. Houston held the ball for a total of one minute and 38 seconds in the 3rd quarter.
The 4th Quarter
With the game knotted at 10, Gary Kubiak lit into the offense before the start of the 4th. I don't know what he said but it worked.
It took five plays and under three minutes but the Texans took control away from the Steelers. Foster followed up a Schaub 30 yard pass to Daniels with a 42 yard touchdown.
Given the lead, the rest was up to the defense. After the touchdown, the Steelers, due mainly to the Texans offense going three and out, possessed the football four more times.
The first post TD possession key play was a sack of Roethlisberger. The distance mandated a pass down field. Cornerback Jason Allen separated Hines Ward from a first down catch with a wallop.
With time becoming a factor, the Steelers had no choice but to go down field. When you have an offensive line in shambles that makes for a bad situation. At crunch time the Texans defense held and ended the game by Allen picking off a deep pass.
What To Like
The game opening drive is the way all football should be played.
The defense coming up at the end and keeping the Steelers off the board in the 4th quarter. That more than likely would not happen last year.
Arian Foster is back and healthy.
155 yards rushing on any Steeler defense is an accomplishment in any decade.
What Not To Like
Andre Johnson going out. Foster's running keeps teams off Johnson and make him a dangerous weapon. The same the other way. Teams have to play Foster or Johnson will make them pay. The team stepped it up while Foster was hurt...now they have to do the same for Angry Dre.
Penalties. Joel Dressen had two holding penalties that set the offense back in the opening drive. Fortunately the offense overcame them but they could have been drive killers.
The biggest killers were the illegal block in the back on the blocked field goal. Why Danieal Manning hit the place holder once Johnathan Joseph had the ball is beyond me. The punter would not run Joseph down and the penalty took a TD off the board.
The second penalty wasn't JJ Watt's fault as he appeared to be blocked into Fat Ben's knees. Some say as the rule is written, the ref had no choice but to call it. Another blog I read pulled out the rule book and quoted scripture. By the letter of the law, if a player is pushed into the quarterback then it is not a penalty. One more score was erased on that play.
Man of the Match
Arian Foster - the hammy is officially healed. Foster carried 30 times for 155 yards including his 42 yard TD.
