Okay, I was non-existent for this week's live game blog and it was with good reason, I was fulfilling my commitment to the USAFR.  Now, be being the true fan that I am, I had my better half record it and didn't watch what happened until after the game had long been decided.  That's not to say that I didn't have an idea of what happened - a chance meeting with my unit's only other proclaimed Texans fan pretty much clued me in - his expression told me all I needed to know...

So with the power of DVR, I watched the game twice... first time building a buzz, and the next stinking drunk.  Now, the funny thing is that I didn't start taking game notes until the second game.  The following is based on what I saw with my two bloodshot eyes.

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With the ghost of Ike still maintaining a strangle hold on Tim's power grid, I've again been given the opportunity to pick up the proverbial ball here at the BRB and run with it.  So here goes the latest installment of Three and Out: Useless Predictions for Sunday's game.

1. We'll see the Texans will effectively pressure Kerry Collins in 3^rd and long situations. I can't see Kerry being able to avoid the pass rush of DE Mario Williams. Mario gets a sack and a half. Side bet: DT Amobi Okoye has a big game and also picks up a sack and a half.

 

2. The Texans will be forced to get RB Steve Slaton the ball in open space. Expect to see the Texans use a bevy of screens and sweeps. I expect Slaton to go 17 for 73, with two runs over 8 yards. Side bet: RB Chris Taylor gets the call and finds the end zone from the red zone.

 

3. Kerry Collins is has a career 73.5 quarterback rating and has almost a one to one ratio on his TDs to Interceptions (175:172). That being the case, I think we see the ball hawking kid from South Cackalaky have a much easier time this week than he did in week one. I expect Fred Bennett to have a gem of a game. Side bet: Jacques Reeves endears himself to Texans fans with his first interception.

PUT YOUR NAME ON IT:  I've gone on record as saying that the Texans would sweep Tennessee this year.  I won't let one shaky start and a stupid hurricane change my opinion.  Texans come out guns ablazin' and win 24 - 14.    Hell yeah.

With Tim still blogging by candlelight, I was given the opportunity to interview Jimmy of the Music City Miracles for this week's installment of the pre-game recon.  I tried to keep the Vince Young questions to a minimum... but who am I kidding?  The burning question is whether or not we've seen the last of Vince Young.   So with out furher ado, here's how it went: 

With the Jags and Colts both off to a slow start, and the Titans in sole control of first place, how likely is it that the Titans will finish the season as the top team in the AFC South?

It is entirely too early to declare anything, but I think the Titans have a great shot to win the division.  They have a really good defense and running game, and the gap that was between them and the Colts is pretty much gone.  I don't think there was ever much of a gap between them and the Jaguars.  This division is wide open, and the Titans have as good of a shot as anyone to win it.

***

The Titans had a top-five defense in 2007 and are looking every bit as impressive this year, but that wasn't always the case.  In 2006 they were dead last, allowing a league worst 369.7 yards a game.  Who gets the credit for this dramatic turn around?  Which defensive player could you least afford to lose?

It was a combination of things; Albert Haynesworth finally turned into the dominating player they thought he was going to be when they drafted him.  The Titans signed David Thornton and Chris Hope before the 2006 season, and they finally got acclimated to the defense.  Cortland Finnegan moved from the nickel back to corner and played really well.  Antwan Odom and Travis LaBoy stayed healthy for most of the season.  All of those things came together at the same time and made for a dominant defense.

The answer to the 2^nd question is Fat Albert.  He collapses the middle of an offensive line and opens everything up for the rest of the team.

***

With a career passer rating of 68.3 (45.6 in 2008), Vince Young is clearly not the next Steve Young.  Did the Titans fail Vince Young or did Vince Young fail the Titans? Who takes the blame? 

I am not sure that anyone has failed yet, but if I had to answer your question it would be VY that failed the Titans.  He showed the playmaking ability and leadership in his rookie season that the Titans knew he had when they drafted him.  Something happened between the end of that season and the start of the next season, and he lost that competitive fire.  It is too early to close the book on VY's career.

***

Think back to the 2006 NFL Draft.  Where do you think this team would be right now if the Titans had drafted Vanderbilt's own Jay Cutler instead of Vince Young? 

Not real sure how to answer this one.  Cutler would not have led the 2006 team to an 8-8 record, but it is pretty obvious that Cutler is a better quarterback than VY right now.  Put Cutler with this defense and running game and the Titans could probably go 14-2.

***

With Jeff Fisher saying that he will stick with Kerry Collins as long as the Titans are winning, how close are we to seeing the end of the Vince Young era?  Is it possible that we would see Vince play another position?

The VY era is far from being over.  This might be Kerry's team for this season, but VY will get his shot again in training camp next season, if not earlier.  You don't take a guy #3 overall and give up on him after less than 30 starts.

I don't see VY moving to another position.

***

So far, Chris Johnson has lived up to his game breaker billing.  He's averaging nearly six yards a carry through the first two games. We know the kid is fast as lightning (a record 4.24 at the combine), but what is it about his game that makes him so effective on the field?

Well it starts up front with the offensive line.  The Titans have one of the best O lines in the NFL.  He also has really good patience and vision to go along with his speed, and he catches the ball well out of the backfield.

***

Extra Point: The final score between the Texans and Titans will be  24-10 Titans  because the Titans will play really good defense and run the ball effectively.

Our many thanks to Jimmy for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions.  You can see my answers to his questions here.

When the Texans' original schedule was released, most of us in the fan base were ecstatic with the placement of our bye week (Week 8).  But unfortunately for us,  Hurricane Ike had different ideas...

With Ike wreaking havoc along the Coastal Bend and knocking holes in the roof at Reliant Stadium, it left little chance that the Texans would host a home game any time soon.  And because the game of football doesn't lend itself to playing doubleheaders, the only real solution was to rearrange the schedule and soldier on. 

Now, the participants in Week One live game thread can attest to the fact that I held out until sometime in the third quarter before I lost all hope.  Regardless of the situation, I usually try to remain optimistic.  Much like last year's Carolina game, when the chips were down, the Texans clawed their way back into that game and kicked some ass... while history didn't repeat itself in week one, the lesson still remains.  

So why do I mention it?  Because as fans, we can bitch and moan about having to burn our bye week only one game into the season...or we can try to focus on the positives.  So without further ado, here are five (5) silver linings that came from the clouds of Hurricane Ike.

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In the face of an impending hurricane, the Texans carried on with this week's practices with one thing on their minds - preparing for the Baltimore Ravens.  With last Sunday's debacle in rear view mirror, the Texans have only one goal, prove to everyone that they are better than their week one showing.

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As reported at HoustonTexans.com, the game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens has been moved to Monday, 7:30 pm CST. This move was made to give all those along the gulf coast a chance to prepare for Hurricane Ike as it sets its sights on the Houston area.

Those in the Houston/Baltimore areas will be able to watch the games from the comfort of their own homes.  Taken from the news release:

The Texans-Ravens Monday night game will be televised on local CBS stations in the primary and secondary markets of the Texans (Houston, Beaumont-Port Arthur, and Bryan, Texas) and the Ravens (Baltimore; Washington, DC; Salisbury, MD; and Harrisburg, PA).

I was hoping for the Texans game to be moved to San Antonio, but I think I was the only one.  In any case, I have a feeling that this prime time showing will be as good as their last.  Go Texans!

This is only the first game.

Okay, this is the first of many post-game diatribes to come, as I'm sure Tim will have a post-game breakdown that will shed more light on what went wrong today.

I have a couple of things that I need to get off of my chest. 

Offensive Woes

First - we couldn't stop the pass rush.  I understand that Pittsburgh is a monster because of the exotic blitz packages they throw at you, but it looked like no one on our line could stop the onslaught. 

As expected, the rookie looked like a rookie, but the rest of the guys have no real excuse.  For example, when we were threatening in the red zone after Mario's and DeMeco's outstanding defensive play, Myers got knocked off the block so quickly, that Myers himself should have been credited with the tackle on Slaton.  

The play calling was also suspect as we never opened up the passing game.  Sure, you could say that Schaub never had the time, but still, most of the pass plays were to the flat or on a west coast slant route.

Schaub himself looked nervous in the pocket.  I never saw the devil-may-care attitude that a quarterback needs in the face of pressure.  I understand that that is easier said than done, but again, I never got the sense that he rallied the offense to respond.  

The running game was hard to judge at times because the team didn't  stick to it.  While Ahman Green showed that he still has some burst left in those legs, he only had five carries.  BRB favorite Steve Slaton carried the majority of the load with 13 carries for 43 yards.  That's not going to cut it.  And even though I'm slightly inebriated and haven't replayed the game on my DVR, I can't remember Slaton running the ball once to the outside ala Fast Willie Parker.  

Where was Owen Daniels in the first half, never mind the game?  When the blitz came, he should have been there to pick up an easy six or seven yards.   For him to only haul in one pass in the first half (late in the 2nd qtr) and a couple in garbage time in the 4th is not acceptable.  He's a Pro Bowler waiting to blossom.  Use the M'er F'er.

Defensive Woes

Why can't we stop the sweep in the red zone?  I understand that the field gets shortened, but really, that should be to the defense's advantage.  Our team got beat each and every time in the red zone.  Nothing was sacred.

Jacques Reeves actually looked decent in coverage.  He had a couple of balls caught on him, but they were of the nearly indefensible varitety (quick in routes).

The Fred on the other hand has some work to do.  He got taken to school by Hines Ward, who again proved that you don't have to be the fleetest of foot to win the race.  Hines used his veteran savvy to keep Bennett off balance all game.

Other than Mario, no one on the D-line stepped up to the plate.  That pretty much falls in line with what we all knew: Mario is a beast, six tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. He was phenomenally fantastic.

Our safeties looked slow.  I know we brought Eugene Wilson in to play corner... but can we please look at him at safety?  That would mean moving Demps to strong safety, but I think I like that combo better than Demps and Brown. 

Overall

The team needs to do some serious soul searching as they begin preparing for the home opener next week.  They should have a much easier time with the Ravens, and I fully expect to see us at an even .500 this time next week. 

Until then, I'll be eating my vitamins and saying my prayers in hopes of a better tomorrow.  For Kubiak and Co., it's back to the drawing board.

Back by popular demand... its the second half thread.  Leave your comments, questions, concerns, and suicide notes in the comments below.