briancushing56.com

Check out Cushing's Blog if you have time, he has some interesting tidbits in his two posts so far.

On living in Houston: "The people of Houston have been great to me and I’m falling in love with the state of Texas."

On Playing with DeMeco:"It’s going to be awesome to play next to an All-Pro like DeMeco Ryans and be able to learn from him."

and

"DeMeco Ryans has been a big influence on me. He’s already been a big help. He’s a great pro and somebody I can look up to."

What he's been up to:"It’s boring to hear this, but mostly I’m just staying in my room, learning our schemes and trying to get up to speed as fast as I can.  I’m trying to use every waking minute on and off the field to be well prepared for our first game."

He may not be Tim's all time favorite draft pick, but the guy is saying all the right things and seems to be working hard.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afcsouth/0-8-104/Texans-add-size-to-interior-with-Cody.html

John Clayton reports the Texans sign Detroit free agent DT Shaun Cody. I guess this pretty much eliminates any chances we draft a DT on the first day. I think Cody could really push Travis Johnson for a starting spot. This also makes me wonder about Frank Okam's progress, but we probablly shouldn't read to much into it.

Did anybody else see this in McClains chat from yestreday?

[Comment From Benard]
What type of contract ext do u see DeMeco getting?

Whats the deal with DeMeco and Dunta turning down these extensions? It just makes me think they want out of Houston. Hopefully we can go on a playoff run and they'll change their minds. Thoughts BRB ?

I first saw this story on Mike and Mike this morning. OTL is reporting a CBA violation by the Texans related to Contact Drills being required during OTA's. Stevenson blames these drills for his season ending injury and possibly ending his career. Former Texans, Jordan Black and Fred Weary have also signed a affidavit supporting Stevensons claims.

Personally I think this probably happens with every team in the league. I have no idea why they would single us out. I can understand the guy is upset, given that his career may be over, but at the same time I can't help but think "grow a pair".

What do you all think?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=3885900

 Matt Cassel is blowing up in New England and It's his contract year. The guy sat behind Leinart at USC and is proving he can handle the NFL better than Matt. I'm sure you've noticed but our Houston Texans could use a decent QB. So what do you think BRB? Should we pursue Cassel? I'm all for it. I've seen enough of Schaub. He can't stay healthy, he gets rattled easily,etc. This is a situation where Bob McNair should step in and order Smithiak to make a move.

Cassel Contract via Dead Spin

The Texans have reached the halfway point and we're 3-5. This just hasn't been our season so far. If you believe in the football gods, they are angry with us for some reason. Fumbles, red zone interceptions, hurricanes, you name it, it's happened to the Texans this season. You can make a good argument that we could be at least 4-4 if not 5-3, but you are what your record says you are. Let's take a look at the remaining games.

Opponent               Prediction          Comments

v Baltimore             Loss               Physical teams make us look JV

@ Indy                     Loss               Not the same old Colts, but we're the same ol Texans

@ Browns               Loss               We can't win on the road, It'll be cold, Quinn improving

v Jax                          Win                 Reliant will be rocking for MNF, against the hated Jags

@ Packers             Loss              Another road embarasement

v Titans                    Loss            The best team in the NFL lays the smack down, again.

@ Raiders             Loss              Raiders pull out a home win.

Bears                     Loss               Bears battle for home playoff game. We just want to go home

I know the odds of us going 1-7 down the stretch are slim, but that's just the way I see it. Physical teams, such as Baltimore, kick the crap out of us and our guys just take it (see Pitt, Tenn, Vikings). We can't win on the road to save our damn lives. We can't beat the Titans to save our damn lives, or the Colts. We just have to be honest about this. I do think we could beat the Ravens and Raiders. But I just don't see us beating the Titans,Bears, Packers, or Colts. Maybe the Browns, but Cleveland is a very unplesant place to play and they're getting better.

Is a 4-12 record likely? Probablly not. But 6-10 is staring us in the face.

What are your predictions for the rest of the season BRB?

ESPN has posted their AFC Preview and only two brave souls have selected our Houston Texans to make their first playoff appearance. KC Joyner the 'Football Scientist' and Bill Williamson . KC has Indy winning the division and Jacksonville missing the playoffs in favor of the Browns while Bill predicts that Jacksonville will win the division with Houston and the Colts with the Wild Card. 5 out of 16 have both wild card winners coming from the AFC South. Bill and Matt Williamson (scouts inc) both predicted Gary Kubiac will be Coach of the Year. Matt Willamson also predicts Mario will win Defensive Player of the Year. So Matt says we'll have coach of the year and the defensive player of the year, yet we miss the playoffs in favor of the Jets. Huh?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/preview08/news/story?id=3552727

**edited awful spelling.

So I ran into the "Fan Nation" Team rankings over at the four letter networks' website and I couldn't resist ranking all 32 teams. And well..I have the Texans at number 11. This seems extremely high but when I look at the teams I have ranked below them I can't say that I really feel any of those teams are head and shoulders above us. What say you  BRB? Am I a certifiable homer or do you think that's close?

For the record "Fan Nation" has us ranked at 22. That is just indicative of the national perception of our franchise.

 My Rankings :

1. 1.Patriots
2. 2.Chargers
3. 3.Cowboys
4. 4.Colts
5. 5.Saints
6. 6.Jaguars
7. 7.Giants
8. 8.Browns
9. 9.Steelers
10. 10.Eagles
11. 11.Texans
12. 12.Vikings
13. 13.Broncos
14. 14.Packers
15. 15.Seahawks
16. 16.Buccaneers
17. 17.Redskins
18. 18.Bengals
19. 19.Titans
20. 20.Lions
21. 21.Cardinals
22. 22.Rams
23. 23.Bears
24. 24.Panthers
25. 25.Bills
26. 26.Jets
27. 27.Raiders
28. 28.49ers
29. 29.Ravens
30. 30.Chiefs
31. 31.Falcons
32. 32.Dolphins

I found this draft recap of our division, and it's the one of the best post draft articles I've read. Enjoy :

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2008-05-02-afc-south-draft-recap_N.htm

-Tyler

HOUSTON TEXANS

Once the Texans couldn't draft offensive linemen Chris Williams or Branden Albert with the 18th overall pick, they went to Plan B.

They traded down eight picks to No. 26 and held their breath for Duane Brown out of Virginia Tech. Assistant head coach/offense Alex Gibbs fell in love with Brown and convinced the staff that he was going to fit perfectly into the team's zone-blocking scheme.

Coach Gary Kubiak was nervous Brown would be taken before No. 26, but for once the team got lucky at left tackle. For the first time in franchise history, they took an offensive lineman in the first round. Now, they just hope he can develop quickly and solve their long-time issue at that position.

"We're just very excited to get Duane, and obviously we're calling on him to help this football team very, very early," Kubiak said.

It really was a solid pick for the Texans. They picked up an athletic offensive lineman, one capable of starting soon. In addition, they picked up an additional third-round pick and a sixth-round pick, which was crucial in a draft that they entered with no second- or sixth-round picks.

Another key addition could be running back Steve Slaton, the Texans' second pick in the third round. He will likely make an immediate impact as a rookie with the Texans targeting him to become their third-down back. The Texans have lacked speed at running back the past two seasons, and Slaton adds speed and playmaking ability.

"We see him as kind of a change-up kind of guy," Kubiak said. "He's got home run ability as far as his speed. He makes a lot of big plays. There's a place in the National Football League right now for what people describe as third-down backs, guys that can catch the ball out of the backfield do those types of things. So he's got that dimension. He's a very smart young man. This kid had 1,700 yards two years ago. We know he's a great kid and we know he'll catch up with us real fast as far as what we do. We just think he gives us a little bit of a speed element that we may have been missing."

The biggest surprise pick was the fifth-round selection of Frank Okam. They needed a defensive end, but couldn't find one all weekend. Instead they took a risk by drafting Okam, whose motivation to play the game has been questioned. They interviewed him just last week, and are convinced he will be good in the NFL. He's already dropped 20 pounds since the NFL scouting combine and is weighing around 328 pounds.

"Okam adds an element to our team," general manager Rick Smith said. "We didn't have a big massive man with quickness in his body and a very intelligent guy."

The Texans are somewhat undersized at tackle, and Okam adds a big presence and a solid run stopper.