My recency bias is reminding me of the 36 yards of offense in the second half against the Bills. Mills did some yeomans work and I appreciate it but to pretend like the offense is better with him is insane.
Whats worse than missed throws and 30ish yards of offense? You better stick your fingers down your throat and vomit out that pill.
Missed throws, interceptions, and running backwards for 20 yard sacks instead of throwing the ball away.
There seems to be a trend of divisiveness brewing. 1. Those of us that love the Defense, but hope the offense improves. We have every reason to HOPE. 2. Those that hate the Offense because OFFENSE IS EVERYTHING and the Best Offense ALWAYS WINS. We're in HELL! I'm in the former. Indianapolis - Lose to Houston 2x - 0-2. Split against Jacksonville 1-1. Split against SEA and SF 1-1. Record 10-7 with 3-3 Div. Jacksonville - Win to Tennessee 2x - 2-0. Split against Jacksonville 1-1. Split against NYJ and DEN. Record 10-7 with 4-2 Div. Tennessee - Lose Out - Record 1-16 and 2026 Number one draft choice. Houston - Win both against IND - 2-0. Win 3 of 4 against KC, ARI, LV and LAC. Record 11-6 with 5-1 DIV. A very REAL possibility Houston takes the Division AND JAX and IND get wildcards.
Davis Mills had one good quarter. & his drive at the end of the 1H v Buffalo was great. Otherwise, he was exceedingly mediocre & theyll need better QB play than that if they want to make the playoffs. Mills was the benefactor of Caley starting to figure it out, including remembering that he has really good rookies he should be playing, and the OL getting better. Stroud was starting to see some of that, too. Mills did not, at any time, look anywhere near as good as Stroud did in his last full game (v 49ers) - not even the 4Q v Jacksonville.
Its beyond insane. To the point that Mills would be calling the people in here advocating for him idiots (and he basically did that after the Bills game... calling out reporters for suggesting any sort of controversy.... he full on admitted he's a backup and will do his best to serve that role well).
Nobody who has eyes and understands football thinks that Mills is a better QB than Stroud. Recency bias. Texans O line was just graded the highest for week 12. The line is clicking and Mills has benefited from that. Stroud has done nothing to lose the starting job. He just got a concussion. Mills can get you to the playoffs, Stroud can win you a superbowl. There’s levels to this.
If we can win at Indy then we can make it to the Super Bowl. KC, Baltimore, and Buffalo are all down. New England is the beneficiary of a soft schedule. If we can get it done in Indy we can win the AFC.
Excuses for the slow start. 1. No Bell cow RB. Most expected to have Mixon back when in Training Camp. When it looked like it may be a mid season return, we acquired Chubbs to fill the gap. While some see Marx as a response to an immediate need, I see him as an eventual replacement because of the age of the bell cows and backfield receiver until then. 2. We were installing a new offense. No matter how it works out, it's never something that works overnight. 3. The OL was never expected to be great, we just needed it to be average and it's taken awhile to get there. 4. Houston STARTED THE SEASON with the type of excuse injuries now common with the teams diving in the rankings. 5. For most of the season, we've had one of the top 5 Strength of Schedule rankings, usually behind Tennessee who doesn't get to play themselves twice in the division.
The differences between a RUN ONLY offense and a BALL CONTROL offense. We often think they are the same. But the run only offense is suited to clock management and forcing time-outs. If there is a need to take more time and keep it away from the opposition offense, you incorporate high percentage passes which act as a long hand-off or pitch. It introduces coverage responsibilities not present in a run only environment. I sometimes think the two are confused because those with great lines and a premium back can get away with it. I sometime fantasize what our team would look like with Prime Earl Campbell as our primary RB. Prime Mixon or Prime Chubb might be as good or better, but I'm a Campbell fan since his HS days at Tyler John Tyler.
Not having Mixon was huge. Marks has come along nicely. I believe the OL is playing much better. I also believe that our two drafted receivers have come along. It's also probable that Caley has become better at knowing what his offense can and cannot do. Let's hope that CJ returns to his 23' form. If we beat Indy I think we're going to the Super Bowl! Who wants what I'm smoking?!
I will always believe that Earl was the best of all time. At least tied for the best. He ran over people.
