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Houston Texans In-Season thread (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter coolnerd
- Start date
It is nice, but you have to admit there is an ominous feeling that taints it.
It is a shame this had to happen under these circumstances
but at least I'm going into the playoffs not expecting anything. If Schaub was healthy then I'd get all worked up and pissed off when we lost. Now anything at all will be an unexpected surprise.
It is a shame this had to happen under these circumstances
but at least I'm going into the playoffs not expecting anything. If Schaub was healthy then I'd get all worked up and pissed off when we lost. Now anything at all will be an unexpected surprise.More injuries for this Texans team:
Source: John McClain of the Houston Chronicle
"One day after the Texans beat Cincinnati 20-19 to win the AFC South and earn their first playoff appearance, they lost right guard Mike Brisiel."
"Coach Gary Kubiak said today that Brisiel won’t be placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery this morning to repair a fractured fibula. Kubiak said they’re hoping Brisiel, who played more than a half of the game with the injury, will be able to make a recovery like free safety Danieal Manning and be available for the playoffs."
"Once the Texans determined what the injury was, they had Brisiel undergo surgery as soon as possible. Manning missed three games after having the same operation."
"Antoine Caldwell, who has started in Brisiel’s place in the past, will start at right guard next to Eric Winston."
"Meanwhile, the Texans placed veteran receiver Derrick Mason on waivers. Kubiak said the move was made to help special teams. The Texans need players who can cover on kickoffs and punts. Cornerback Sherrick McManis, who was returning kickoffs, suffered an ankle injury and could miss some games."
Source: John McClain of the Houston Chronicle
"One day after the Texans beat Cincinnati 20-19 to win the AFC South and earn their first playoff appearance, they lost right guard Mike Brisiel."
"Coach Gary Kubiak said today that Brisiel won’t be placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery this morning to repair a fractured fibula. Kubiak said they’re hoping Brisiel, who played more than a half of the game with the injury, will be able to make a recovery like free safety Danieal Manning and be available for the playoffs."
"Once the Texans determined what the injury was, they had Brisiel undergo surgery as soon as possible. Manning missed three games after having the same operation."
"Antoine Caldwell, who has started in Brisiel’s place in the past, will start at right guard next to Eric Winston."
"Meanwhile, the Texans placed veteran receiver Derrick Mason on waivers. Kubiak said the move was made to help special teams. The Texans need players who can cover on kickoffs and punts. Cornerback Sherrick McManis, who was returning kickoffs, suffered an ankle injury and could miss some games."
Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
Good for Houston. 
GregR
Footballguy
I'm still holding out hope for a Houston-Detroit Super Bowl. It's a tiny hope, but it's still there.Good for Houston.
GregR
Footballguy
Huh. That leaves us with 3 active receivers unless Andre is ready to go. Unless they sign a kick-returning, special teams-playing WR to replace Mason.
Nate
Footballguy
That's fair but, no, my enjoyment of this week is not tainted. I didn't start the season expecting a super bowl. All I wanted was playoffs. Clinching the division with 3 weeks to spare in spite of losing so many key players for so much time is all gravy.It is nice, but you have to admit there is an ominous feeling that taints it.It is a shame this had to happen under these circumstances
Major
Footballguy
Not to mention the horror of being an Oilers fan many years prior. It's about damn time.I'd like to express congratulations to my fellow Texans fans, especially those that have been on this horrible ride since 2002. It's been a long 10 years!
GregR
Footballguy
Quick heads up for anyone looking for playoff tickets. Season ticket holder payment for playoff tickets has to be in by the 15th. After that they will offer any remaining tickets to the general public via Ticketmaster. Details on the latter haven't been published yet, so if you're going that route keep an eye on the Texans website. They have a link for playoff tickets in the menus that is the place to check.
Heard on 610Am this morning that probably Jeff Maehl or less likely Trindon Holiday will be activated from the practice squad.Mason didn't catch enough balls to trigger the provisions in the trade with the Jets so Houston doesn't lose a pick for Mason.
coolnerd
Footballguy
I will be in town for the game this weekend...Celebrate Texans
Nate
Footballguy
I do hope you meant "AFC South Champions", so as not to invite much negative karma.
Stupid cellphone. I have edited away the jinx, your turn!
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Texans Wade Phillips is taking Medical Leave of Absence
Should be back in the regular season.
Also, Wade Wants to be a Head Coach Again.
Should be back in the regular season.
Also, Wade Wants to be a Head Coach Again.
GregR
Footballguy
The loss definitely hurt our first round bye chances, but the losses by Baltimore and the Steelers still have us in the running.
Assuming we can win our last 2 games, we would direct tiebreaks against the Pats (via AFC record) and the Steelers (via head to head). We would also win any 3-way tie against Pats and one of Ravens/Steelers via AFC record.
The only tiebreak we don't win is straight up against the Ravens. Which is the problem right now. Pats are a game ahead of everyone, and our tiebreak is with just Baltimore.
So if the Pats lose at least 1 game, or the Ravens lose at least 1 game, if we win out we'll end up with a first round bye. And if the Pats lose just 1 game we'd likely end with the #1 seed. If the Ravens lose a game but the Pats win out, we'd get the #2 seed.
Pats have Miami and Buffalo. Ravens have Browns and Bengals. So hope for one of those games to be an upset, and for the Texans to take care of business.
Assuming we can win our last 2 games, we would direct tiebreaks against the Pats (via AFC record) and the Steelers (via head to head). We would also win any 3-way tie against Pats and one of Ravens/Steelers via AFC record.
The only tiebreak we don't win is straight up against the Ravens. Which is the problem right now. Pats are a game ahead of everyone, and our tiebreak is with just Baltimore.
So if the Pats lose at least 1 game, or the Ravens lose at least 1 game, if we win out we'll end up with a first round bye. And if the Pats lose just 1 game we'd likely end with the #1 seed. If the Ravens lose a game but the Pats win out, we'd get the #2 seed.
Pats have Miami and Buffalo. Ravens have Browns and Bengals. So hope for one of those games to be an upset, and for the Texans to take care of business.
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dhockster
Footballguy
They are locked into the #3 slot. Meaningless game this week in terms of playoff positioning.Since it is, in essence a practice game, I would like Kubiak to do one of two things
lay Yates, but open up the offense downfield. Don't just encourage him to throw downfield, bench him if he doesn't. Having Andre play will help in this regard.-Play Delholmme, but open up the offense downfield. Don't just encourage him to throw downfield, bench him if he doesn't.The Texans are not going to do anything in the playoffs unless they can challenge an opposing defense down the field. You havea rookie QB who hasn't really been willing to go downfield, and you have a back-up who is a question mark in terms of where hisgame is at, and his fit in this offense with these players. Use Sunday's game to try to help address those issues.
GregR
Footballguy
Foster and Joseph made the Pro Bowl.
OLB Connor Barwin, LT Duane Brown, ILB Brian Cushing, TE Owen Daniels, WR Andre Johnson, KR Jacoby Jones, C Chris Myers, DE Antonio Smith and DE J.J. Watt were named as alternates for the AFC squad.
Cushing and Myers should have been starters. Andre really shouldn't be on the list with how many games he's missed.
OLB Connor Barwin, LT Duane Brown, ILB Brian Cushing, TE Owen Daniels, WR Andre Johnson, KR Jacoby Jones, C Chris Myers, DE Antonio Smith and DE J.J. Watt were named as alternates for the AFC squad.
Cushing and Myers should have been starters. Andre really shouldn't be on the list with how many games he's missed.
GregR
Footballguy
Article in the ESPN AFC South blog at http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/32491/reacting-to-texans-not-in-pro-bowl that I pretty much agree with.
I would like to see us kick the snot out of the former Oilers and destroy any chance of a division rival making the playoffs. They better be treating this like a real game, they need to end the season on a high note (especially the offense.)They are locked into the #3 slot. Meaningless game this week in terms of playoff positioning.Since it is, in essence a practice game, I would like Kubiak to do one of two things
GregR
Footballguy
I think having a game with Yates and Andre and the whole offense there would be a good thing. While I totally understand the "don't get your starters injured" mantra, I think the Texans probably stand to do better getting a real game under their belt with the offense together. I just don't see them going anywhere in the playoffs if they can't keep the opposition's defense honest, and that means opening up the playbook and throwing to Andre deep sometimes.
I'd rather see them play this like a normal game, and if that means a starter gets injured, I'll live with it.
I'd rather see them play this like a normal game, and if that means a starter gets injured, I'll live with it.
The_Man
Footballguy
I think the Texans would be crazy to risk their starters. Get AJ out there for a few snaps to shake off the rust and connect with Yates a little, but I would give Foster 2 or 3 carries at most and have all the starters on the bench well before halftime. The Texans still have a legit shot to make a playoff run and this is their Bye week to get ready for that. Also, there's a significant chance that if the Titans win, the Texans would face them again next week - if the Titans and Jets win, the Titans are in if the Bengals and either Oakland or Denver lose. I think the Texans would rather face the Titans than the Bengals, plus they don't want to show them much if they're playing again next week.
Just my two cents from the outside looking in.... Tough break for the Texans this year. With Schaub playing, I think they would be the Super Bowl favorite from the AFC.
Just my two cents from the outside looking in.... Tough break for the Texans this year. With Schaub playing, I think they would be the Super Bowl favorite from the AFC.
Major
Footballguy
with Kubiak coaching
leave a whisper
Footballguy
is Foster gonna play this week?
if no, is Tate or Ward the play?
(week 17 Foster owner)
if no, is Tate or Ward the play?
(week 17 Foster owner)
coolnerd
Footballguy
There has been no indication that Kubiak is going to "rest" his starters this game largely because of the poor play overall from the team over the last couple of weeks. That's a long winded way to say, i really don't know.
THE SNOWMAN
Footballguy
Isn't the Texans locked into the #3 spot regardless of game outcome? I wouldn't be surprised to see them lighten the load of Foster.
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rizzler
Footballguy
Texans need to play their starters for at least 2-3 quarters at minimum.
With Yates at QB, andre rusty as all hell etc etc... this team needs as much gametime gelling as possible.
as a texans fan, youre playoff hopes took a major hit with the loss of schaub... They went from potential favourites, to mid-lower tier.
Id play them out to try and iron out any kinks... and as mentioned above, if any injuries come of it, so be it.
without really trying to make things click, especially in the passing game, Houston likely wont get too far
With Yates at QB, andre rusty as all hell etc etc... this team needs as much gametime gelling as possible.
as a texans fan, youre playoff hopes took a major hit with the loss of schaub... They went from potential favourites, to mid-lower tier.
Id play them out to try and iron out any kinks... and as mentioned above, if any injuries come of it, so be it.
without really trying to make things click, especially in the passing game, Houston likely wont get too far
GregR
Footballguy
Yes, locked in at #3 regardless.Kubiak's public statements have been that they are treating it the same as any other game. That Andre is playing but will be on a play count, things like that. But it won't surprise any of us if they play a couple of quarters and then sit them. We're all guessing though.For what it's worth, I'm starting JJ Watt, and Foster over Tate in a championship game and am benching Owen Daniels as he was used as the #2 TE last week and was again limited in practice this week.
cheese
Footballguy
Looking forward to playing you guys this week. Its a really interesting matchup because both teams spent most of the season controlling the line of scrimmage so it will be strength against strength. Pat Sims is out now for Cincy which really hurts the run D, but that means more snaps for Atkins and Dunlap is back which means the pass rush gets even better. All I keep hearing from the media is about the Bengals being 9-0 against non-playoff teams and 0-7 against playoff teams. I wouldn't read too much into that. If you look at the games, we needed some last second heroics to beat a lot of bad teams like the Browns and Cardinals and were seconds away from winning almost every game we lost. I wouldn't say we really played any better against the weaker teams.
I think one key will be if the Bengals D can stay disciplined enough to not give up the huge run. We are a very aggressive run blitz team that stops a ton of runs at the line of scrimmage. If you take a look at Rice last week or almost any good back we play, they can sometimes make up for that all in one run by a cutback lane being wide open or bursting through a stacked box for 70 yards. This is something Foster is more than capable of.
Of course the big matchup will be Green/Joseph. You don't have to tell anyone in Cincy how good of a cover guy Joseph can be. The Bengals have good tackles and Cook is really improving at center, so hopefully they have time to take a lot of shots down the field and pull double moves. You just cannot run a basic route against Joseph and expect to beat him. Green is really, really good though so even a jump ball is probably OK for us.
Obviously, both teams are going to pound the ball as long as it stays close. You will probably see more of Scott this week than you did in week 14. He is solid as a pure runner, but I worry about him in pass protection against Wade Phillips.
Andre Johnson being back could be huge. With Leon Hall on IR, the Bengals are relying on Pacman and Clements. My guess is they put Clements on him when possible because he is such a good tackler. He does give up a ton of easy catches on slants and underneath stuff, but he can prevent Andre's run after catch. Pacman is a pretty good cover corner that is just decent at pretty much everything. Our nickel guys (Jennings usually) have been a disaster. Between that and our linebackers, we normally can't cover tight ends or slot guys very well. Just take a look at the Texans GW TD in Cincy for evidence.
Anyway, we already know this one is coming down to a big play in the final minutes. Good luck guys.
I think one key will be if the Bengals D can stay disciplined enough to not give up the huge run. We are a very aggressive run blitz team that stops a ton of runs at the line of scrimmage. If you take a look at Rice last week or almost any good back we play, they can sometimes make up for that all in one run by a cutback lane being wide open or bursting through a stacked box for 70 yards. This is something Foster is more than capable of.
Of course the big matchup will be Green/Joseph. You don't have to tell anyone in Cincy how good of a cover guy Joseph can be. The Bengals have good tackles and Cook is really improving at center, so hopefully they have time to take a lot of shots down the field and pull double moves. You just cannot run a basic route against Joseph and expect to beat him. Green is really, really good though so even a jump ball is probably OK for us.
Obviously, both teams are going to pound the ball as long as it stays close. You will probably see more of Scott this week than you did in week 14. He is solid as a pure runner, but I worry about him in pass protection against Wade Phillips.
Andre Johnson being back could be huge. With Leon Hall on IR, the Bengals are relying on Pacman and Clements. My guess is they put Clements on him when possible because he is such a good tackler. He does give up a ton of easy catches on slants and underneath stuff, but he can prevent Andre's run after catch. Pacman is a pretty good cover corner that is just decent at pretty much everything. Our nickel guys (Jennings usually) have been a disaster. Between that and our linebackers, we normally can't cover tight ends or slot guys very well. Just take a look at the Texans GW TD in Cincy for evidence.
Anyway, we already know this one is coming down to a big play in the final minutes. Good luck guys.
coolnerd
Footballguy
I appreicate the break down...Excellent
dhockster
Footballguy
Good analysis.I do think the beating non-playoff teams and losing to playoff teams probably tells us something about where the Bengals are from a talent level perspective. They probably have more talent than the non-playoff teams and the least talent amoung the playoff teams. Seeing as they are the last seed in the AFC this seems to make sense.I think the Texans are probably equal or better than the Bengals at all positions with one exception at a very important position: QB. However, I don't think the gap between Dalton and Yates is that big, and I think Dalton's advantage is mitigated some by him having to play on the road. He also may feel some added pressure playing in front of family and friends (he played high school ball just outside of Houston).I think the fact that Yates has seen the Bengals before and had success against them in a pressure situation, the fact that the Texans are at home, and the fact that the Texans have Andre Johnson back, all point to the Texans winning, probably by a score of about 20-10.
dhockster
Footballguy
Great win by the Texans on Saturday. I definitely think Baltimore will be a much harder task, especially with Yates going against a veteran,
aggressive defense in a hostile environment. I think the key will be whether the Texans defense can stop the long ball to Torrey Smith and shut down Ray Rice, and force some TO's. If they can give Yates some short fields to work with and the Texans get a lead, then they have a decent shot. If they get behind, it is going to be really hard for Yates to lead a comeback.
One thing I find fascinating about the Texans this year: The injuries they have incurred make their chance at a super bowl a long shot. With that being said, I don't know if I have seen a team have it's off-season question marks turn into positive answers the way the Texans have.
Off-Season Question Marks:
-Will the teams first two picks help the defense? Watts and Reed have been everything the Texans could have hoped for.
-How will Ryans and Cushing respond to injury and a down year? Ryans has been solid and Cushing has been great.
-Will Manning and Joseph solidify the secondary? Better coverage has helped the pass rush and a better pass rush has helped improve coverage
and interception capability.
-How quickly will the players adjust to Phillips defense? Very quickly and very well. They are playing great team defense.
-Will Arian Foster have a sophomore starter slump? Nope. Great year for Arian.
-Will the loss of Vonte Leach hurt the running game? If does not seem to have made much of a difference.
-How will Ben Tate come back from his injury? He had an amazing year as 2nd RB. With Ward, the Texans probably have the strongest trio of
RB's in the league.
I really can't come up with a question mark coming into the season that has been answered negatively for the Texans.
aggressive defense in a hostile environment. I think the key will be whether the Texans defense can stop the long ball to Torrey Smith and shut down Ray Rice, and force some TO's. If they can give Yates some short fields to work with and the Texans get a lead, then they have a decent shot. If they get behind, it is going to be really hard for Yates to lead a comeback.
One thing I find fascinating about the Texans this year: The injuries they have incurred make their chance at a super bowl a long shot. With that being said, I don't know if I have seen a team have it's off-season question marks turn into positive answers the way the Texans have.
Off-Season Question Marks:
-Will the teams first two picks help the defense? Watts and Reed have been everything the Texans could have hoped for.
-How will Ryans and Cushing respond to injury and a down year? Ryans has been solid and Cushing has been great.
-Will Manning and Joseph solidify the secondary? Better coverage has helped the pass rush and a better pass rush has helped improve coverage
and interception capability.
-How quickly will the players adjust to Phillips defense? Very quickly and very well. They are playing great team defense.
-Will Arian Foster have a sophomore starter slump? Nope. Great year for Arian.
-Will the loss of Vonte Leach hurt the running game? If does not seem to have made much of a difference.
-How will Ben Tate come back from his injury? He had an amazing year as 2nd RB. With Ward, the Texans probably have the strongest trio of
RB's in the league.
I really can't come up with a question mark coming into the season that has been answered negatively for the Texans.
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The_Man
Footballguy
Howdy, Texans!I've been impressed with your team all season. Nothing I've seen has changed my opinion above that they could well be Super Bowl-bound with Schaub.That being said, I think winning here in Baltimore will be a tall order this week. The Ravens are 8-0 at home, I think 18-1 in their last 19 home games, and are the kind of veteran team that really benefits from a Bye week - it rests their old bones, but they don't lose focus or come out rusty.The Texans won the turnover battle 2-0 earlier this year in Baltimore (a Flacco fumble at the 20 set up one Houston TD) and still lost by 15 points. The Ravens generally handle the stretch running game well - they're an extremely disciplined team, so there shouldn't be the opportunities for huge cutback gains that Cincy's overpursuit allowed. If they can do that again this week and force the Houston offense to become one-dimensional with Yates having to throw vs. the Baltimore pass rush, it will be a big edge to the Ravens.You seem to have a classy franchise and I look forward to a good week of football talk.
Wade Phillips interviewing with the Buc's this Friday.
Have also seen him mentioned as a candidate for the Dolphins head coaching spot. Who knows if any of teams are really interested or not. I still think it will take probably 1 more year of being a DC before someone tabs him for a head coach spot again.
Have also seen him mentioned as a candidate for the Dolphins head coaching spot. Who knows if any of teams are really interested or not. I still think it will take probably 1 more year of being a DC before someone tabs him for a head coach spot again.
jamil
Footballguy
I heard he's interviewing for the Tampa job as well. Keep wade in Houston!But right now... Let's enjoy the second round fellas!!!
Major
Footballguy
You think they're going to resign Mario? seems like a lot of
given the performance of the defense w/o him.
GregR
Footballguy
I think they'll pursue it, but if he is looking for the biggest paycheck he can get, he may not be willing to sign for something they can live with. I love the rotation of Mario, Barwin and Reed. I can't say I like the rotation of Barwin, Reed and Jesse Nading nearly as much just because of the injury risk. If Mario goes then we're needing to find some depth at OLB. I'm also casting an eye on next year or the year after when Wade Phillips may leave to be a head coach somewhere, and having Mario gives you a lot more flexibility for the system of whomever you bring in. Even if Wade stays, one could make an argument that to get your best players on the field you might want to move Mario back to DE and move Antonio Smith inside to DT. If Smith can stand up in the 1-gap role that Wade's nose tackles have, that would be a ferocious pass rush and you wouldn't need to switch out players on running vs passing downs.You think they're going to resign Mario? seems like a lot of
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dhockster
Footballguy
Our O-lineman is going to leave to be a Head coach? I am sure you meant Wade Phillips.I think they'll pursue it, but if he is looking for the biggest paycheck he can get, he may not be willing to sign for something they can live with. I love the rotation of Mario, Barwin and Reed. I can't say I like the rotation of Barwin, Reed and Jesse Nading nearly as much just because of the injury risk. If Mario goes then we're needing to find some depth at OLB. I'm also casting an eye on next year or the year after when Wade Smith may leave to be a head coach somewhere, and having Mario gives you a lot more flexibility for the system of whomever you bring in. Even if Wade stays, one could make an argument that to get your best players on the field you might want to move Mario back to DE and move Antonio Smith inside to DT. If Smith can stand up in the 1-gap role that Wade's nose tackles have, that would be a ferocious pass rush and you wouldn't need to switch out players on running vs passing downs.You think they're going to resign Mario? seems like a lot of
GregR
Footballguy
Yeah, cold medicine is a wonderful thing...Our O-lineman is going to leave to be a Head coach? I am sure you meant Wade Phillips.I think they'll pursue it, but if he is looking for the biggest paycheck he can get, he may not be willing to sign for something they can live with. I love the rotation of Mario, Barwin and Reed. I can't say I like the rotation of Barwin, Reed and Jesse Nading nearly as much just because of the injury risk. If Mario goes then we're needing to find some depth at OLB. I'm also casting an eye on next year or the year after when Wade Smith may leave to be a head coach somewhere, and having Mario gives you a lot more flexibility for the system of whomever you bring in. Even if Wade stays, one could make an argument that to get your best players on the field you might want to move Mario back to DE and move Antonio Smith inside to DT. If Smith can stand up in the 1-gap role that Wade's nose tackles have, that would be a ferocious pass rush and you wouldn't need to switch out players on running vs passing downs.You think they're going to resign Mario? seems like a lot of
