Our running game is excruciating to watch

You don't really want to see us as unbalanced as we were today (48 passes, 28 rushes), but I think lightening Arian's load today helped a lot.

We don't run to set up the play action. We run the play action to set up the run. When we make the defense honor the pass, they can't load up on the run and Arian has more holes to run through.

 

I think it's becoming more evident that Foster is diving on purpose to save himself and once the game get's tighter, he goes back to his former self.

It's probably been mentioned, but diving forward may also help minimize the risk of fumbling.

 

Yeah, that's what I see too. He's stepping out of bounds instead of taking hits at the ends of runs. Looks like he's trying to keep himself fresh for the playoffs. Pretty smart if you can get away with it.

 

Foster was never the breaking-tackles, bone-crusher runner but I have to agree with what y'all are saying. He's a finesse runner but he's also getting stopped by the first tackle often.

I also agree the 2nd half was much better

 

All I know is I want to see more excruciating running games going forward like today and I'll be happy...

 

Did anyone see the play where Foster dislocated his finger laterally, got it set and taped by the trainer and then got back in the game after missing a down? #Tough #Anti-Royce White

 

Yes. Impressive.

 

Its why I said "PERHAPS", because its an amended guess on what I first said.

(The "3 yards and cloud of dust" comment was a bit misleading.) Thats FULL-on run mode, but I only meant just "run-mode", because the Texans don't ALWAYS have a lead after halftime. I meant that they emphasis the run more, just regular conservative football having your lead back try to carry the team, the whole "he gets stronger as the game goes" myth.

Keep in mind that was after seeing the stats that the Texans are a much worse running team in 2nd halves. Though if you have the best running back in your conference, wouldnt you try to have him kill a little more clock, do some force feeding? And then LIKE YOU SAID that the ONLY purpose of the run game is for setting up play action pass, perhaps things are STILL set up better with Foster on the field rather than Forsett. Perhaps that 1 extra guy in the box keying on Foster will get burned later by playcalling.

Which all that is moot discussion, when you already conclude that its a FAIL that they should ditch and need to limit Foster's carries.

Still, I look at other teams running games and on the measure of being WATCHABLE, other teams are effective but really aren't all that dynamic looking either. Alfred Morris plodding through the line isnt some nice aesthetic to look at, and thats from zone-block master Mike Shanahan. Or it means the Texans actually looks more crisp on offense than it'd seem even if when they're not at optimum effectiveness.

 

Related to the running game,...fun fact..as of today, Justin Forsett has more rushing yards than DeAngelo Williams from Panthers, and only 14 yards less than Fred Jackson from Buffalo....amazing what one phantom run can do...lol

 

Andre Johnson would have just popped it back into place himself and tied it up with barbwire.

 

Not an overreaction at all. That's exactly what happened.

 

Same thing happened against the Giants a couple of years ago; this offense will grind to a halt if teams can keep the running game in check. The Texans couldn't beat the Patriots through the air with Receivers not getting open and Schaub missing throws when they were open. It really looked like Schaub, Foster, and even AJ were in a daze for most of the game. You're starting to see Forsett and Tate hit the hole harder than Foster has been of late, and that's something that's probably a function of the bad blocking upfront (compared to last year). Without the cutback lanes, Foster should just run hard to the the playside rather than waiting, waiting, waiting for a lane that never materializes on the backside.

A lot was made of the Texans not being able to run their favored 2 TE or 3 TE sets on Monday Night. Why didn't they spread it out and go "muddle huddle" with 4 WRs and 1 RB or 3 WRs/1TE/1RB and help change what New England had prepared for by giving them a different look? It just boggles my mind that they kept trying to line up and run against a front that was designed to take away what the Texans like to do best.

 

I'm a Kubiak fan, but one of his biggest weaknesses is the inability to break from the mold he has constructed in his head. It's the same reason why the Texans are never the type of team to rush to the line of scrimmage to avoid the other team from challenging, or why other teams can pull fast ones on us (like Green Bay staying on the field for 4th down, and us waiting 30 seconds before calling a timeout) while we stand around twiddling our thumbs. He can dial up high-octane plays, but they have to come within his sets. I almost makes me feel like they don't even really spend much time practicing 4-wide or 5-wide sets.

 

I agree with this. But it's not just the offense, the defense is the same. They come up with great game plans but don't seem to know when/how to adjust during the game.

 

I said the Texans run game is still aesthetically nice to WATCH, there's a rhythm and fluidity to it when it gets going.

But I think I'm okay with a Ben Tate straight-line stomp up the gut for a chunk of yards, than a Foster run smoothly with precision falling forward for a 1.8 yard gain every other carry.

This random stat off ESPN, sorry if repost:

So yes, its part on Foster. Foster isnt even as effective in the passing game this year, where thats his biggest strength against the other RBs.

The line still needs to be better, but hopefully Tate is back healthy and they'll start to platoon a bit more. The Texans could stand for a "diversified" passing approach, but I don't think they're designed to be effective in that approach, so they need the run game to be more effective.

 

But didn't you see him line Andre up in the back field and have him motion out like he does with Casey? I mean, wasn't that awesome? That throws the defense off because they get scared that Andre will be a bone crushing lead blocker. Or they freak out thinking there is a new receiver who is better than Andre and that is why he is not out wide.

If Chris Myers had snapped the ball a little better then I think the Texans would have murdered the Pats out of that formation.

 

While I understand the point you're trying to make and agree for the most part, Casey isn't exactly a bone crushing blocker either and Andre is a more than capable blocker in certain situations. I'm not totally against moving Andre around like that because it doesn't allow the defense to key on him as much and I think the texans can still run with Andre put in motion, or at the very least, giving him backside contain.

With that being said, if the texans have to depend on that well then they are in trouble.

 

To me, that was akin to having Andrew Gardner line up as our second TE. Yes, they threw the ball once in his direction (in the end zone nonetheless!), but you're pretty much telegraphing a run play. I haven't gone back and re-watched the game, but how many times did they run out of the set where AJ started out in the backfield? I think they do that with AJ and their TEs (Daniels and Graham) from time to time, but I'd be curious to see how many runs vs. passes they run out of that look.

Texans had chances to make plays: two passes to Jean that weren't complete, the couple of 4th down passes that were dropped/short, and the INT in the end zone. They just weren't crisp, and I wish Kubiak had done something to change the pace of the game for the offense. Even in the Jacksonville and Detroit games (or the Baltimore Sunday night game a couple of years ago), when they got down, they went to a hurry-up and it gave Schaub the rhythm he was lacking previously.

 

We better draft a tackle in the first or second.

ILB with coverage skills (for added depth) and tackle are our biggest needs.