SB Nation - Eric Winston

The Thief Of The 2009 Season: The Running Game

Jake — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:24:42 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

The 2009 season for the Houston Texans has been wildly inconsistent and disappointing. For the third straight year, they find themselves looking at a 6-7 record and possibly a third consecutive .500 season. Although the numbers in the W and L columns are the same, the way they got there is different.

Back in the offseason, many Texans fans speculated that even a slightly improved defense, combined with the impressive offense, would catapult this team directly into the playoffs. Since the record is the same, the casual observer would assume that the defense failed to make this minor improvement, but they'd be wrong. Frank Bush's defensive squad is currently ranked 13th in total defense thus far after finishing 22nd last year.

So what gives? Matt Schaub is having a career year and doing his best to shake to "injury prone" description commonly associated with him. Andre Johnson is again leading the league in receiving yards and has equaled his touchdown total from last year. There's only one possibility left--the run game.

Last year Steve Slaton was seriously considered for the title of Offensive Rookie of the Year. 1,659 all-purpose yards made General Manager Rick Smith look like a genius for drafting Slaton in the third round despite widespread belief that he was too small to be an every-down back. This week Slaton was placed on the injured reserve with 437 rushing yards and 3.3 yards per attempt, a full yard and a half down from his average of 2008.

Slaton's sophomore slump was mostly mental prior to his season-ending neck injury. Slaton didn't show the conviction to hit holes when they appeared and also lost 7 fumbles in just 11 games. To put it all on Slaton would be unfair though. As of last week, Slaton had 40 more receiving yards than last year, averaging 15 more yards through the air per game than he did last season. The increased involvement of Slaton in the passing game was an attempt to get Slaton out in space, a strategy made necessary because of a lack of holes to run through.

Alex Gibbs is widely considered one of the best positional coaches in all of the NFL. Wherever he has coached offensive lines throughout his career, the rushing attacks have been good to dominant, including the Texans last year. The entire Texans offensive line starting all 16 games last year was a phenomenon that was new to even him, however, and that continuity allowed those players to gel and produce fantastic results down the stretch.

The line has not been so lucky with injuries this year. Left guard Chester Pitts was placed on the injured reserve after Week 2, and right guard Mike Brisiel followed after Week 5. The team wasn't exactly dominating the line of scrimmage in those initial games of the season, but two of the four 100 yard rushing games came during that period. By way of comparison, the Texans rushed for 100 yards in all but five games in 2008.

Chester Pitts will be an unrestricted free agent following this year. As long as it is determined that he is healthy, he needs to be re-signed at all costs. His and Brisiel's absence has highlighted how substandard Chris Myers is at the center position. Myers continually loses at the point of attack while run blocking. If you want to see for yourself, watch him block throughout the Seattle game to see opposing defensive tackles push him aside. Then watch rookie Antoine Caldwell in the one play after Myers is hurt push his man five yards down the field.

That brings me to my next point. Why isn't Caldwell getting a shot at center? Myers not only loses regularly while run blocking, but he continues to have issues with larger defensive tackles while in pass protection. Myers is a great story, going from a practice squad to starting every game last year, but without good to great guards to help him, he is simply too small to be effective.

Another factor that has adversely affected the Texans in general this year, especially in the run game, is a lack of depth. Once Slaton started his mental problems, Gary Kubiak had Chris Brown, Arian Foster and Ryan Moats to rely on, which is woefully inadequate. Furthermore, Kasey Studdard and Chris White might not be terrible guards but when both are thrust into the lineup at the same time next to an inferior center, bad things will happen. All the same, an acquisition of a more quality interior lineman for next year couldn't hurt.

One last aspect that cannot be overlooked is the absence of Owen Daniels. Obviously Matt Schaub misses him as a target, but a tight end that can run routes and catch as well as run block is an enormous benefit for the run game. Daniels has deceiving blocking ability but his prolific talent as a receiver keeps a linebacker or a safety from attacking the line of scrimmage automatically. Both offensive tackles Duane Brown and Eric Winston have played well this year, but if OD clears out a linebacker, that frees one of them to get to the next level in order to block downfield.

Keep in mind how inconsistent this team has been this year. The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde halves, the fourth quarter collapses...they can all be partially attributed to the lack of running success. The Texans have been successful converting 3rd or 4th and 2 yards or less 64% of the time running to the right, and a terrible 44% running up the middle. No matter how successful you are with the pass, if you continually live by the sword, you will eventually die by the sword. Take for example Matt Schaub's 13 interceptions. That sounds a little high until you take into account that equals one INT for every 36.4 attempts. That's still a little high, but when opposing defenses know that you have to pass to move the ball whether you have a lead or not, it stacks the deck against you.

Gary Kubiak has come under intense scrutiny because of game situations that have cost the Texans several games near the end. This season, Kubiak finally got a better defense, only to lose his running game. Last year's average of 115 yards per game would be the fourth best rushing output for this year's team. I'm trying to avoid the apologist angle, but if the running game was even close to last year's, I don't think that we would be discussing the jeopardy of Kubiak's future in Houston. Even yesterday's offensive outpouring included only 85 yards on the ground. In my opinion, Bob McNair should worry more about the replacement of a few offensive linemen and running backs, rather than a head coach.

Playing The Expectations Game

bigfatdrunk — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:04:24 -0000

Over the years, I've had the pleasure of working for some of the most grossly inept and incompetent managers in known history. A couple of them would make the Pointy Haired Boss absolutely brilliant by comparison. Recent games have reminded me of a conversation I had with one of those rocket scienticians.

At the time, I was managing asset portfolios for wealthy investors. My portfolios were absolutely skyrocketing, but my boss' were doing horribly. Worst of all, he had most of the assets under his control, and he refused to change his strategy, relinquish control, or just do anything different. As a result, we were bleeding clients and money.

I had the audacity to lay out a concrete plan for him to follow in order to keep clients, but he erupted into one of his typical histrionic displays. I gave notice about an hour later.

When he tried to convince me to stay, he claimed he had done a poor job setting my expectations about his portfolios' performance. His argument was asinine. It wasn't *his* fault the portfolios were doing so poorly; it was the market's fault, and I had to stay and convince clients of this "fact." I was stunned by the lack of logic and the earnestness in which he avoided culpability. Needless to say, I left, and the company is out of business today.

By now you are probably asking yourself: What is your point? Great question! I'm so glad you asked.

I believe we, and by "we" I mean we as fans and the team, have failed the expectations game. Allow me to explain what I mean.

After back-to-back years of 8-8 ball, it's fair to have greater expectations and believe we'll be better year-in/year-out as fans. The reality is this isn't so easy to accomplish. Every fan base has this expectation (except for the Lions, of course) that their team is good enough to compete. So we get excited and hopeful. Gary Kubiak should also have these expectations, especially from a younger team.

Where we have failed is recognizing that our talent is still simply not there. Talent acquisition is, sadly, a prolonged process. The team Kubiak and Rick Smith inherited was almost completely devoid of NFL-quality talent. Not only do I believe we need time to build and diversify our talent base, I'm not convinced we are adequately addressing our weaknesses.

Now, this isn't to say we aren't trying, but it is clear we have serious holes throughout our starting 22 and depth problems everywhere except for TE and WLB (which needs a real quality starter).

Here's an example: Our offensive line has become a true weakness thanks in part to injuries, but also due to the lack of talent here. Duane Brown and Eric Winston have been decent but beatable. Our G and C play has been absolutely atrocious this year, even before injuries took down Chester Pitts and Mike Brisiel.

In other words, if we aren't winning the most basic, in-the-trenches battles, how can we possibly expect to win games?

Then, of course, are our expectations of FAIL. The team, at least. I had hoped the Miami game last year moved us beyond this. Or even the first BE-SF game this year. Especially in the second game against the Colts, you could see our body language change in the fourth quarter. We played down to our expectations, and it was depressing. If the Colts were in this position, there's no way they'd be hanging their heads in the same situation.

Obviously, part of the problem is Kubiak. I don't believe the team is under-prepared as much as poorly managed, both from a personnel and in-game perspective. But the lack of quality personnel is still the primary issue. However, Kubiak has got to do a better job in getting this team to play a full 60 minute game. The closest we've come to this was against the Bengals and somewhat versus the Bills. This is not acceptable.

Do I believe we need to fire Kubiak? I don't know. The offense especially is built around Kubiak's offensive style. The simple fact he believes Chris Brown is a legitimate goal-line back is an indictment of his ability to build a roster. Kubiak needs a more firm hand, and a better grip, of building his roster to meet his needs. At the same time, he has improved his in-game skills from last year (did somebody finally buy him Madden?).

Here's what I would like to see from a purely coaching standpoint:

Replace Bill Kollar (defensive line coach), Frank Bush, or both. I'm not sure who thought either of these guys would be a solution, but they clearly are not. When a Bills fan is taunting you about Kollar, you damn well know something is wrong.
Joe Marciano, special teams coach, should clearly go away. Not only do we make copious amounts of penalties, but he's managed to turn Andre Davis into a tip-toer on returns.
And we give Kubiak one. More. Year. That's it. No mas.

Again, I simply do not think we have the talent, on a personnel basis, to compete today. When you throw in the tremendous number of injuries to key elements of the team (Chester Pitts, Mike Brisiel, Owen Daniels, Antwaun Molden, Steve Slaton, Glover Quin, Eugene Wilson), we are going to be in trouble. Injuries are exacerbated by our obvious lack of depth, a problem that cannot be fixed in just one, two, or even three years. This is about expectations, and thoughts that we were a 12-4 team were optimistic and obviously misplaced. With a few breaks, was this possible? Chris Brown says "yes." We are, however probably better than 5-7 as well.

At this point, I don't see firing Kubiak as the answer. We need to let our current crop of rookies age just one more year, and another year of drafting will be helpful. This team was a massive sack of shit when Smithiak took over, and we have seen improvement. We all hoped the consolidation phase was over, but it was not. I think they deserve one more year to prove themselves incapable.

Beware: Vince Young Fan Boys Soon To Be On The Prowl

Mike Kerns — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:00:13 -0000

We are sure to see and hear plenty of Vince Young supporters at Reliant stadium for Monday Night Football this year.

View full size photo »

Texans fans better begin preparing themselves for the biggest threat the Tennessee Titans will bring to Houston on Monday Night Football on November 23^rd. No, I’m not talking about the stiff rivalry these two teams have developed. No, not Chris Johnson, who tore the Houston defense to shreds in Week Two. And, no, not Kyle Vanden Bosch and his inevitable war with Eric Winston. The weapon that I am talking about is the devout and undying man-love of the Vince Young fan boys. You know who you are.

Now, I know everyone in Houston remembers the war that went on between the Reggie Bush fans and the Vince Young fans before the 2006 NFL draft. It was painful and something none of us wish to relive. Plenty of things were said and outrageous (sometimes asinine) claims made. And in the end, Houston didn’t draft either of those guys. Which turned out to be the right pick, truthfully (and if you still doubt this, Mario should come to your house and kick you in your throat).

In his rookie season, Vince Young seemed to prove many of his detractors, myself included, wrong by winning the Offensive Rookie of The Year. But plenty weren’t fooled. Again, myself included. All the things being said about Vince Young’s game were all the same things said about Michael Vick. And we all saw how much Vick’s game declined once defenses learned how to stop him. And for my money, Vick was probably better than Vince ever was. But that isn’t the debate here. Many of us knew that Vince’s reign in Tennessee was going to be short lived. So his benching in favor of journeyman Kerry Collins came as no surprise to most.

Let’s be honest: When you can’t beat out Kerry Collins for the starting job, you may be a little overrated. And he still wouldn't be playing if Titans owner Bud Adams hadn't forced Jeff Fisher's hand. VY fan boys love to throw out the phrase "All Vince Young does is win!" That is complete garbage. If the defense has five sacks, two interceptions and a return for a touchdown, it has nothing to do with Vince. Yet, they seem to claim he "wills" them to victory. It is quite ridiculous.

Then there are the ones who call into local sports radio and say Vince is better than Matt Schaub. Again, a complete joke. I mean, reading some of the stuff said on blogs and message boards is downright laughable. There are even guys who claim VY is better than Schaub because he is better looking. No kidding. And then they wonder why I accuse them of having an unhealthy crush on VY. Please...Matt Schaub is being mentioned with guys like Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees and Carson Palmer now. And you’re comparing "125 yards passing" Vince Young to him?

WAKE UP!!!!!

The funny thing is that I always get called a "UT hater" because I don’t have unquestionable devotion for Vince. Which is unbelievable when you factor in that I am a University of Texas fan. Quite a big one. I cheered for Vince in college. I liked him. But there are several players I liked in college that I don’t judge the same in the pros. I don’t care what you did in college and I don't care what city you were born in. Reggie Bush did a lot in college, too, didn’t he? How's that working out? The NFL is a completely different world. So that accusation holds absolutely no water.

Look, if you want to be a Vince fan, that is your choice. I don’t have anything personal against the guy. I just think he is overrated by the Houston sports fan. And I am pretty sure that this is the only city in America that it still happens in. I am simply saying that if you’re going to defend Vince, come up with some better points than "All he does is win." Because I remember a guy named Trent Dilfer that did nothing but win in 2000. And I am pretty sure it wasn’t all because of him.

If you want to flame me and say I am against the "hometown guy," go for it in the comments section below. But it is just untrue. I am certain this is about to cause a lot of debate between the pro-VY and anti-VY camps, but that is kind of the point. What else are we going to do during a bye week? I guess we can all watch Vince walk on water or cure the blind or something.

Bring the pain and fire away in the comments below.

Titans vs Texans coverage

Take The Half-Season Poll: Most Outstanding Offensive Player For Your Houston Texans?

Tim — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:33:50 -0000

Let's turn our attention to the other side of the ball. Through nine games, who has been the most outstanding offensive player for your Houston Texans? Once again, note that I said "most outstanding" as opposed to "most valuable." In other words, who's been the absolute best on that side of the ball so far? The "Brian Cushing of the Offense," if you will? Vote in the poll below and let us know why you voted the way you did in the Comments.

Poll

Who Has Been the Most Outstanding Player on the Texans' Offense Through Nine Games?

Matt Schaub

386 votes

Andre Johnson

121 votes

Owen Daniels

119 votes

Duane Brown

2 votes

Eric Winston

0 votes

Apostrophe Davis

0 votes

Jacoby Jones

8 votes

Steve Slaton

5 votes

Ryan Moats

9 votes

David Anderson (feel free to factor in the hilarity that is his presence on 1560 The Game)

2 votes

652 votes | Poll has closed

San Francisco 49ers vs. Houston Texans: A Prospector's Guide

Fooch — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:00:22 -0000

Hallelujah, we've made it through the bye week and we can finally bring you another edition of the "Prospector's Guide." The 49ers face one heck of a challenge coming out of the bye, heading down deep int he heart of Texas to take on the Houston Texans. It's been a rather eventful bye week for the 49ers as they've made multiple lineup changes, potentially culminating in the starting debut of Michael Crabtree. Even if Crabtree doesn't start the game, he'll still get to make his playing debut in his home state. The Texans on the other hand remain a bit of an enigma this season. They're coming off a bit win over the surprising Bengals, but up to this point, the Texans have alternated wins and losses.

The 49ers travel to Houston to face the Texans in what will be the second meeting between the two teams, dating back to 2005. In the only contest played in the series, the 49ers defetated the Texans 20-17 in overtime at Candlestick Park in the 2005 season finale. Prior to 2005, the last time the 49ers had played a regular season game in Houston was in 1996 against the Houston Oilers.

While Houston might not be a familiar place to many current 49ers, Mike Singletary knows the city very well. The 49ers head coach was born there and has a large contingent of family and friends in the area. The 49ers will look to make Singletary’s homecoming a special one after coming off a bye week. San Francisco went 3-0 in the division to start the season and maintains a 3-2 overall record. In each of the past two years, the 49ers have gone 2-2 against AFC opponents. San Francisco enters this week’s game with a current streak of seven consecutive games with at least one interception and has won 8 of its past 12 games, dating back to 2008.

49ers-Texans Connections
Coaching Connections
• 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye coached alongside Texans assistant head coach/offense Alex Gibbs with the Kansas City Chiefs for two seasons (1993-94).
• 49ers QB coach Mike Johnson coached Texans QB Matt Schaub for two seasons (2004-05) with the Atlanta Falcons.
• Texans head coach Gary Kubiak started his coaching in career in the NFL as a QB coach with the 49ers in 1994.
• Texans WR coach Larry Kirksey served in the same capacity with the 49ers from 1994 – 99.
• Texans TE coach Brian Pariani was a 49ers scouting assistant in 1990 and then a offensive coaches assistant from 1991-94.
• Texans senior defensive assistant Ray Rhodes was an assistant secondary coach with the 49ers from 1981-82 before being promoted DBs coach from 1983 - 91. Rhodes also served as defensive coordinator for the 49ers 1994 World Championship team.
• Texans Assistant OL Coach Frank Pollack was a 6th-round pick by the 49ers in 1990 and played for SF from 1990-91, 1994-98

Players
FORMER TEXANS - 49ers FB Moran Norris played with the Texans from 2002-05.

FORMER 49ERS - Texans Director of Pro Personnel Brian Gardner spent 10 seasons as a scout with the 49ers from 1995-05.

HOUSTON TIES – 49ers head coach Mike Singletary, S Michael Lewis and FB Moran Norris are originally from Houston, TX.

RE "U" NITED – 49ers RB Frank Gore ran behind lanes cleared by Texans T Rashad Butler, C Chris Myers, and T Eric Winston when they were all teammates at The University of Miami (Fla.) from 2002-04.

Series Highlights
The 49ers and Texans have only played once. The 49ers lead the series 1-0, with a recap below.

SAN FRANCISCO 20, ST. LOUIS 17 (OT)
At San Francisco, CA, January 1, 2006

The San Francisco 49ers rallied from a 10-0 1st quarter deficit for a 20-17 overtime victory over the Houston Texans to close out the 2005 campaign with two consecutive wins for a 4-12 record. The 49ers dominated the line of scrimmage, gaining 182 rushing yds. and controlling the clock for 44:03. The 49ers used a combination of RB Frank Gore (108 yds.) and RB Maurice Hicks (64 yds.) to take control on the ground.

S Mike Adams was the star of the game on defense after finishing with 2 INTs, one that was returned for a TD and the other that led to the game-winning FG in overtime. Adams, who made his first NFL start at cornerback, intercepted QB Tony Banks at the end of the 3rd quarter and returned it 40 yds. for a TD to tie the game at 17-17. Then in overtime, Banks went deep, but Adams intercepted the pass and lateraled to S Ben Emanuel, who ran 35 yds. to the Houston 21-yd. line. After two short runs, K Joe Nedney nailed a 33-yard FG to give the 49ers a 20-17 victory.

QB Alex Smith helped lead the 49ers to a TD at the end of the 1st half by converting a key 3rd-and-13 situation with a 14-yd. strike to WR Brandon Lloyd, and then three plays later ,threw his first NFL TD pass when he rolled to his right and found Lloyd in the back of the end zone for a 14-yard score. The 49ers took the 2nd half kick and went on a 14-play, 56-yd. drive that ended with a 42-yard FG by Nedney to tie the game at 10-10. Houston responded when Banks fired a 31-yd. pass to WR Corey Bradford to get into San Francisco territory followed by a 25-yd. TD pass to Bradford to retake the lead at 17-10. Houston took advantage of good field position in the 1st quarter to take the 10-0 lead. P Andy Lee struggled in the 30-mile per hour winds, shanking a punt that allowed Houston to start a drive at the San Francisco 21-yd. line to set up a FG. The 49ers next drive ended when Lee’s punt from his own 25-yd. line was blocked, allowing Houston to begin a drive at the 49ers 17-yd. line. Houston responded with a 3-yard TD run by RB Vernand Morency.

2009 Statistics

49ERS (rank)		TEXANS (rank)
3-2 (t-1st NFCW)	Record	3-3 (t-2nd AFCS)
22.4 (t-15th)	Points per game	23.8 (t-12th)
267.0 (29th)	Total Offense	369.5 (8th)
106.2 (16th)	Rushing Offense	77.3 (30th)
160.8 (28th)	Passing Offense	292.2 (3rd)
29:32 (18th)	Possession Avg	31:23 (8th)
19.6 (t-12th)	Points allowed/gm	22.8 (22nd)
322.6 (15th)	Total Defense	351.8 (20th)
88.6 (7th)	Rushing Defense	125.0 (24th)
234.0 (20th)	Passing Defense	226.8 (19th)
11 (t-21st)	Sacks	7 (t-29th)
47.5 (5th)	Punting Avg (Gross)	41.5 (28th)
+4 (t-8th)	Turnover Differential	+2 (t-11th)

The Offensive Line Part 2: The Transition

John Morgan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:58:30 -0000

This is the season Seattle lost Steve Hutchinson and the foundation of its offensive line began to crumble. Walter Jones was still among the very best at his position, but he was 32 and would turn 33 less than a week after Seattle was bumped out of the playoffs.

That run was paved in part by Tim Ruskell's first ever pick, Chris Spencer, replacing an effectively retired Robbie Tobeck, and rookie Rob Sims replacing the irreplaceable Hutchinson. When Spencer and Sims helped spring an already washed-up Shaun Alexander for 108 yards and two touchdowns against the sixth-ranked Bears rush defense, all was right, Ruskell was in good graces and the future of the Seattle Seahawks seemed bright.

The line was crumbling though. Jones was approaching old, and the intolerance to pain medication that once stood as a testament to his greatness began to loom as a horrible "what if?" Sims could not replace Hutchinson. Chris Gray was 36. Without that insane left side to protect him, Sean Locklear could no longer be trumped up by contrived stats. Seattle was halfway between the collapse of an all-time great offensive line and a rebuilding effort that couldn't possibly be as successful.

Seattle did not invest much into rebuilding the line in 2006. The draft was a bit top heavy and talent poor. Seattle could have selected Guy Whimper with its Sims pick, Willie Colon, Chris Kuper or Jeromey Clary, but if Sims has maybe not been the most valuable lineman selected in the second day, he has been a good player for the pick and more successful than much of his class.

Seattle could have spent an earlier pick but didn't. It's almost impossible to argue that had Seattle kept spent its first or second round picks on offensive linemen, it would be a better team today. Its first round pick, Kelly Jennings, has busted, but so has Winston Justice, selected 39^th, and neither Deuce Latui, 41^st, nor Daryn Colledge, 47^th, strike me as significantly better players than Sims. It could have made a play at a tackle like Marcus McNeill, Andrew Whitworth, Jeremy Trueblood or Eric Winston, but it believed itself set at tackle, and it seemed to be.

Instead, Ruskell added Tom Ashworth. Ashworth was awful: Another body on the pile of winners and veterans that Ruskell has burdened the team with. But Ashworth was fourth string and therefore as likely to play as Kyle Williams. Sean Locklear had been healthy to that point. Ashworth was behind Jones, Locklear, Ray Willis and even Floyd Womack.

Injuries became a factor. Locklear missed five games. Willis missed 15 and was put on IR. Womack was starting at left guard. Locklear's injury forced Ashworth into action and he played like the fourth string tackle he was. The line did not play well and compared to 2005, it was awful.

The talent Ruskell had added was good. It was young and cheap and seemed promising. The line had declined from a peak it could not possibly reach again, but where it had been expensive, aged, but elite, it was now turning into cheap, young and serviceable.

Three And Out: Useless Predictions For Sunday's Game

Tim — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:47:04 -0000

No doubt about it--last week's "Three And Out" was likely as close as I'll ever get to credibility. You might think I'd quit while I was (relatively) ahead. But when has that philosophy ever worked? Besides in Vegas, I mean? Onward!

1. Your starting offensive line, barring another season-ending injury to someone while deplaning, will likely be Duane Brown, Kasey Studdard, Chris Myers, Antoine Caldwell, and Eric Winston. In other words, 40% of your starting OL is absent. What's more, the new 40% of your line flanks a center who's repeatedly been victimized. Methinks this bodes rather terribly for Steve Slaton and/or, God forbid, Chris "No Yards and a Cloud of Dust" Brown. Total rushing yards for your Houston Texans on Sunday: 79. And only because Kubes is going to insist upon 20+ carries.

2. Once upon a time, Kevin Walter was a Bengal. When K-Dub played his former team last year, he went off for 70 yards and 2 TDs. This year, I foresee more yards and less TDs. I'm calling 82 yards receiving and 1 TD.

3. If this one comes to pass, I'm on the next flight to Sin City: Tim Bulman strips Carson Palmer. Said fumble is recovered by Antonio Smith.

PUT YOUR NAME ON IT: Say what you will about Kubiak, but he's shown a knack for getting his charges ready to play the week after a loss. And aren't the Bengals primed for a letdown after the emotional intradivision wins they've had the past few weeks? It's very easy to talk yourself into predicting a Texans upset on Sunday. Too easy, I think. Cincinnati's defense is salty, and unlike the Texans, their offense boasts a running game that complements the passing game. In other words, the Bengals are a pretty balanced team. The Texans, of course, are not. Give me the balanced team playing at home over the unbalanced team playing on the road, letdown potential be damned. Texans 23, Bengals 27.

Texans vs Bengals coverage

Texans Five on Five: Week Four

Jake — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:02:10 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

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The battle between two 1-2 teams might not be very exciting for the majority of the league outside of fantasy football geeks, but the game between the Houston Texans and the Oakland Raiders may be a huge determining factor for the future of the Texans franchise. Kubiak and Co. will need this win to get back to .500 and have a chance of putting a winning season together. Here are the five matchups that are most important for that to happen:

1. Darren McFadden vs. Bernard Pollard - You knew McFadden was goingto be first on this list. We've given career days so far to both Maurice Jones-Drew and Chris Johnson, mostly because of our inability to tackle and position correctly in the secondary. Kubiak has given Pollard first team reps all week long, and it looks like he will be getting the start over John Busing and Domanique Barber. Pollard is known for his sub-standard coverage skills but his exceptional run support. Hopefully he can keep McFadden's 3.9 yards per carry average at its current low level.

2. Michael Huff vs. Andre Johnson/Kevin Walter - You might have expect to see Nnamdi Asomugha's name here, but Scrabble hasn't been himself this season. He has allowed a TD to each of the No. 1 receivers he's faced this year--Vincent Jackson, Dwayne Bowe and Brandon Marshall. Huff, however, has finally started to show why he was picked 7th overall by picking off 3 passes so far. Considering the Texans' inability to run the ball so far, it is imperative that the deep ball stays a viable option for this offense to succeed.

3. Brian Cushing vs. Zach Miller - Miller may play for one of the worst offenses in the league, but he is one of the most talented TEs in the game. JaMarcus Russell is terrible at throwing outside of the hash marks but is decent at throwing down the seam, which would explain why Miller was the Raiders' leading receiver last season. Miller is very good at breaking off routes and finding an empty spot for his quarterback, which scares me given Cushing's deficiencies in coverage thus far. If Bush continues to strive for regular pressure, Russell will look Miller's way often on Sunday.

4. Mario Williams vs. Mario Henderson - Henderson won the Battle of the Marios last year by keeping Williams without a sack in Oakland's Week 16 win over the Texans. Williams has only one sack this year, although he has produced the most pressure of anyone on the defensive line. A breakout game by #90 would go a long way to helping compensate for the struggling secondary.

5. Eric Winston vs. Greg Ellis - Most people think of Richard Seymour as the best defensive lineman for the Raiders because of his recent high profile trade and his 6 tackles and 2 sacks against the Chargers' beleaguered offensive line. Since then, though, Ellis has far outshined Seymour, with 7 tackles and 2 sacks in the last two games, not to mention that his game against San Diego wasn't that shabby either (1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 3 tackles). Winston is a terrific run blocker but has been beaten by better pass rushing LDEs recently.

The key to this game, in my opinion, will be to build an early lead. JaMarcus Russell has a 41% completion percentage this season, so needless to say, the Raiders aren't designed to surmount a large deficit. If the Texans allow big plays like they have been this season, the Raiders are more than capable of running the ball and controling the clock. I predict a win for the Texans this week, 27-17.

Thursday Thoughts: On Fines, Chester Pitts, Kasey Studdard, And The Like

Tim — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:04:48 -0000

First off...whew. As great as it's been basking in that victory over Tennessee, a small part of me was just waiting for the other shoe, in the form of suspensions, to drop. Freaking fantastic to see that your Houston Texans will not be without the services of the best wide receiver on the planet. In a related story, freaking terrifying to see that your Houston Texans will not be without the services of quite possibly the shakiest return man in the NFL.

I've given some more thought to the idea of an offensive line without Chester Pitts, and I'm getting increasingly concerned about it. First and foremost, you have to feel for Pitts. Dude has never missed a start and now, on the cusp of free agency, he goes down and undergoes a procedure that isn't exactly conducive to bouncing back, much less bouncing back and getting big dollars on the free agent market. We've seen a version of this song before; remember Fred Weary and his broken leg? While Chester Pitts may not ever take the field as a Texan again, I'm going to be rooting for him to make it back from this injury somewhere.

In terms of how Pitts' absence affects the Texans on the field, I'm perturbed. Kasey Studdard has shown flashes of competence in the limited time he's seen the field, but you have to wonder if he's ready for the increased responsibility and wearing a bullseye for opposing defenses. And I say that as someone who absolutely loved the Studdard pick back in '07. I'm hopeful he steps in and the OL doesn't miss a beat, but Pitts is leaving fairly big shoes to fill. Pitts made it that much harder for defenses to blow up the left side of the line, and that's HUGE, considering Duane Brown isn't exactly a ten-year starter. It's going to be on Eric Winston, Chris Myers, Mike Brisiel and, most importantly, Alex Gibbs, to cover for Studdard during the transition. If Studdard can't get the job done, Antoine Caldwell or Chris White had better be ready to go.

From a long-term standpoint, Pitts' injury could feasibly benefit the Texans. The Texans get to see if Studdard can be a viable solution at guard, and presumably Caldwell should get some more work as well. The stars were aligning for the Texans to have a very hard decision to make about Pitts at the end of the season. Now, the decision, at least football-wise, would appear to be much easier. For the purpose of putting the best team out there this year, though? Little doubt the Texans suffered a sizable blow in Nashville a few days ago.

Thoughts From The Game: Week Two

Jake — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:02:12 -0000

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NFL Replay is a great program. I watched most of the game live on Sunday, and then I watched it again that night (DVR is a beautiful thing), but seeing the big plays with NFL Films replays and player analysis from post-game conferences is amazing. Tim did an outstanding job reviewing the overall performance of the Texans against the Titans in Week Two, so I'll just write some thoughts about what I saw. This might come off as more of rant about random players, but again, after bfd and Tim, I don't think we need another intricately detailed wrap-up.

- Matt Schaub is amazing when he has time. He made big throw after big throw which is as much of a tribute to the pass blocking as it is to #8. In the first half alone, not only did he throw the three TD passes, but every single catch by the TEs was for a first down. That's a sign of him using all of the weapons at his disposal.

- Steve Slaton has had problems, but they can get better. Every time he got the ball with a little bit of room to run (i.e., screen pass), he ran with conviction. I don't know what the secret is to make him run that way on regular hand-offs, but the coaching staff needs to figure it out for this team to be able to take advantage of the opposing team's pass rush effectively.

- Andre Johnson is the best WR in the NFL. The tip to himself was an All-Pro catch. The wide open TD may have seen like just a blown coverage due to play action, but as Lance Zierlein pointed out, it was also because of Johnson selling the route by starting off at medium speed and then accelerating at the perfect time. Johnson also made a couple of tough catches in the second half, including the one when he went up for a ball even though he knew a hit by two defenders was coming.

- Jacoby Jones is too inconsistent to be a starter on this team. He shows flashes, like the TD catch, but he constantly regresses with drops both on punts and passes. It is frustrating, but I just don't think Jacoby will ever be a regular contributor the Texans can count on.

- You already know this, but this team has an abundance of talented tight ends. Owen Daniels is making a case that he is irreplaceable by making clutch "hands" catches, and Joel Dreessen might be a starter on several other teams, considering the key catches he makes (i.e., the fourth down conversion). Between the two of them and the up-and-comer James Casey (who is proving his worth on special teams), this is a great problem to have.

- The offensive line was feast or famine this week. Although they showed great ability to keep Schaub upright, they didn't do a good job at opening holes for Slaton or Chris Brown. Schaub did make the Titans pay for selling out against the run, but when we play defenses like the Jets who can defend both the pass and the run at the same time, that won't cut it. I did relish the clip of Eric Winston telling Kyle Vanden Bosch exactly what he thought of him though.

- As much as I love Connor Barwin, he has a little bit to go until he can be an every-down player. On the first long TD run by Chris Johnson, the Titans exploited Barwin's straight up the field rush by simply pushing him out of the way. He also committed a couple of costly offside penalties during the field goal drive to end the second half. I think Barwin will eventually be a great player; he just needs some seasoning.

- Mario Williams is a beast but he needs more help on the defensive line. He was getting a regular bull rush to get into the backfield. Amobi Okoye had a pretty good game penetrating, but until the Texans get better play out of the other DT, the D line will be susceptible to up-the-middle runs. Mario WIlliams' ability against the run is what makes him an elite DE, as opposed to players like Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, who got shredded by the run last night.

- The linebacker corps is as good at is have ever been in franchise history. One of the big reasons why is because of Brian Cushing. I have to admit that I very well may have been wrong about #56 (I can eat crow, too; Rip, kudos). I had two concerns about Cushing when he was drafted--(1) tackling ability and (2) durability. Only time staying healthy will tell about the second concern, but he certainly has shown big time ability at stopping the run. He did make some mistakes in coverage, but for just his second game of his pro career (including the preseason), he is playing much better than I expected. I am very glad to be wrong so far. Keep it up Cush.

- Eugene Wilson makes our secondary better. He is definitely not a great tackler, but he is the best Texans safety in coverage by FAR. The interception was a bad throw by Collins and Wilson was in the right place at the right time, but he made other good plays in coverage throughout the game, including the fourth down play when he forced Justin Gage toward the sideline to make the catch out of bounds.

- The Texans CBs are the liability of the defense. Fred Bennett has been abused in coverage, but at least he made some good open field tackles. Dunta Robinson not only whiffed on a couple of key tackles, but he made a blatant late hit that wasn't called in the first quarter. Brice McCain may be okay in coverage (when he gets the assignment right), but Kenny Britt easily took him out of the play on the first long Chris Johnson TD. The rookies can improve, but I am very worried about Bennett and Robinson.

- Both Texans kickers are playing amazingly. Kris Brown is Mister Automatic which is to be expected, but Matt Turk is giving the defense great help by pinning the opposing teams as deep as possible on almost every play. Both are underrated and huge weapons for this team.

Offense: Despite the problems running the ball, it is hard to criticize the offense from this game. I would give Matt Schaub the offensive game ball because he remained poised despite the incredible physicality that both teams played with. It's been said several times already, but battling back from an early 21-7 deficit takes a lot of grit. You have to give a lot of that credit to Schaub, who is undoubtedly the most criticized offensive Texans player.

Defense: They tried their best to induce as many massive coronaries as possible in Houston by giving up those huge plays to Chris Johnson, but you can see the signs of improvement otherwise. We all expected an immediate change with the ousting of Richard Smith, but whole units don't change overnight. I'm not saying that they are the Steel Curtain reborn, but giving up only 7 second half points is an undeniable show of improvement. Defensive game ball goes to Cushing in my opinion. I know Mario played out of his mind, but Cushing played with a fire that was contagious. If he can find a way to stay on the field both on third downs and without injury, he could be special.

Bonus Thought: Cortland Finnegan has now made my list of "People I'd Pay To See Hit By a Mack Truck". Not only does he play cheap, but he gets abused by good receivers (see Santonio Holmes and Andre Johnson). Without the dominant pass rush from last year, he's in for a long season. Another insight that NFL Replay gave, however, was that the source of the sideline brawl was Andre Johnson and Finnegan getting into it. It takes a lot to get Andre heated, which makes me feel that my hate for Finnegan is that much more justified.