Agreed - they can't evaluate special teams on touchbacks. I agree - I saw plenty of creative plays Saturday. Loved the one misdirection trap where they put him far left, and at the snap he didn't even pull - he shot like a rocket across to chop block the (end? OLB? can't remember) on the far right to open up the huge gaping hole for the designed cutback. The rule committee strongly considered making touchbacks go out to the 25 (and 30 was also on the table) as a part of this rule....but coaches shot it down. I'm with you - given how it already is such a waste of time (Score! Kick! Timeout! 15 sec kickoff! Timeout!)...I wish they'd just let teams offer to skip the kick and put it on the 20. It will SUCK to have well ~6-7 minutes of dead time for a nonplay. Disagree that he was "quite effective" against the run - missed the second, but one of his two tackles came when they ran away from him and he was literally unblocked. Any time they went his direction, he was knocked out of the play. Chronicle was quick to credit him for a fumble recovery...but Smith was the guy that made that play happen - Mario was knocked completely wide of the pocket and was free to run down the batted loose ball. He should continue to improve, and maybe he's not going full tilt yet. I wouldn't call him a liability against the Saints, but he was pretty much a non-factor and miles away from what I would call a "havoc-wreaking edge rusher" He's got to be more explosive off the ball, and has got to find a way to shed blocks. The Saints handled him with one man nearly every down.
We've got this high pressure Ric system moving across and into a justtxyank on the Gulf, with the possibility of a rezdawg and emjohn forming to the Northeast, things don't look good, folks. Brace yourself for a category 4 or higher poopicane.
Casey really adds an interestng angle to this offense; they literally have guys pouring out of every conceivable crack that can hurt you right now and I would imagine gameplanning against this offense is going to be a nightmare. Kubiak needs to show a willingness to get out of his own way and ride what's working before I totally buy-in - but, man: on paper, it impressive. And you know what continues to amaze me, and I have no idea if its scheme or skill or a combo of both - but how is AJ *that* consistently wide open? I remember at least two catches Saturday where there wasn't a guy within 5 yards of him. I wonder what Wade's expectations are? I thought he looked just fine. (And I'm not giving him credit for recovering a fumble.) He handled his assignments well beyond pressuring the QB. I still think he'd be better on the line but... willing to give it two more weeks. The good news is that they're getting pressure and creating turnovers, regardless. I nearly cried when they sacked Brees and forced the fumble - it's been a long time. Guys on 790 this morning said that, offensively, Kubiak is constantly pulling guys over and teaching, teaching, teaching. Antonio told them that, prior to this year, no one ever did that of the defensive side of the ball. That has apparently changed. I suspect it'll be a little bit of a leaky defense early but that by mid-season-ish, it'll be rounding into form. I wish the schedule was reversed. 4-4 at the mid-point is going to be a challenge if they're not consistently pressuing the QB and forcing either turnovers or punts.
It's both. AJ runs ridiculous routes, and Schaub knows exactly what he's going to do at all times. There was one play on Saturday when he had 3 guys covering him. He just ran a perfect route, curled in the soft spot (well as soft as you can get when you're triple teamed) and caught a perfectly timed pass from Schaub. It's been said over and over, but AJ is too fast, too strong, too skilled, too precise, and has too much chemistry with his QB for anyone to even hope to guard him. If you can't triple team a guy and shut him down, you might as well stop trying. Walter and OD run some nice routes too. Our passing offense is essentially a machine. And to think that our ground game could very well overshadow our passing game this year. Gosh, that's exciting.
And we're starting to see synergy - the boot and playaction are virtually indefinisible when teams have to be concerned about our backs springing for big gain runs. I recall at least one of the AJ deep bombs feeding off a playaction (run left), Andre running a deep post from the right. And we've definitely got to appreciate having a receiver that can't be guarded by most CB-S combos in the league.
What's not so exciting is thinking about how Kubiak will inevitably bring our offense down to average for entire halves of games due to stubbornness and boneheaded-ness. He created such a beautiful thing yet he gets so far ahead of himself sometimes. If they can play consistently great on offense and the defense can force some turnovers, it will be very fun to watch.
He has an obsession with being balanced. There were so many drives last year where we would run the ball for good gains and get easy 1st downs. Then we would stall at the opponent's 40 with 3 incomplete passes in a row. I know this is an oversimplification and you have to go with what the defense is showing... but if it ain't broke don't fix it. If teams can't stop the run... run it every freaking down and wear out the opposing defense. Carolina was successful in doing this with their RB combos in the past. You can see how much our O-line loves to run the ball. We could be such a dominant clock eating team, but he hasn't shown that he knows how to make good in-game decisions or gameplans for that matter. He might get bailed out this year by the sheer talent level of our offense and our (thank the lord) mediocre defense.
And while the ZBS likely could turn run-of-the-mill backs into 1,000-yard rushers, Foster is a cut (or 3) above; Portis-in-his-prime-like with the way he elevates the position. He makes such lightening-quick decisions and then just EXPLODES. If he stays healthy, that guy is going to be a beast this year, good Lord. Even Tate, who looked great, isn't on the same planet. Who compared him to Marcus Allen? That's perfect, imo. He seems to be moving at a different speed than the other 21 players on the field. I'm telling you - if they stay healthy: DCs are going to have a fit with this team. They can beat you so many different ways.
Nooooo..I'm a fan. I'm critical of Kubiak, but what can I criticize when they look that good? I was pumped about them last year, too. I share some concerns about Mario...but I'm not sweating it, really.
We probably all should take a collective deep breath. This is the preseason and everything changes when the regular games start. AND, the Texans have ALWAYS disappointed their fans. BUT, they look so athletic this year! (Mario looks very athletic on the sidelines). I wonder if Cushing and Ryans have anything left. The offense looks lethal; the defense looks much better. BUT, Kubiak is still the coach, injuries happen, and the Texans have rich history of losing. (Deep Breath!!!)
Texans got worked by the Saints last preseason, while our offense was in sync as usual. This year, it just feels different. Like, it's not really fools gold, but actual real gold. I'm still holding down my expectations until Week 1, but it is hard to not get excited about this team. With a good defense, Kubiak and the offensive playcalling should be much better. They don't have to carry the team anymore and know the defense can make stops/cause turnovers.
I'm sorry to bring up a pre-season thread, but hey, I got some shots of the game and tailgating if you are interested! I'm hoping to shoot a few more Texans home games this season. So I'll be sure to post them in a more appropriate time frame.
