Uhhhh.....I certainly can and do compare the 2. Are you familiar with the history of this franchise? Some truly grueling years of fanhood on my part. I don't know how I did it, but I stayed committed to the "team". That 2010 support was deserving of MVP honors, but I was snubbed.
The Texans need to employ the exact same defense as the Falcons did. They essentially were testing Peyton's arm. You drop everybody back in coverage and see if he can make NFL throws, which right now it doesn't look like he can. Manning had all the time in the world last night and continued to make bad decisions. Actually they were good decisions, his arm just can't get it there before the hole closes anymore.
I don't think any of the players could possibly have a problem with fans saying "we" when referring to the team. I would venture to say they would prefer it that way. This is a very swoly-d-esque stance to be taking. Just kind of odd, but whatever. I think we should win this game. Denver lost to an Atlanta team that we beat last year with our 3rd string QB. If Peyton was confused by some of the looks Atlanta's defense was giving him, wait until he sees what Wade throws at him. That being said, this week feels kind of like the weeks before the Saints game last year and the cowboys game the year before. We seem to be cursed when it comes to getting to 3-0. And Houston football teams have a long-standing tradition of choking at Mile High...
This is what I saw too. You could tell Peyton was getting irritated at himself not because he was necessarily making bad decisions, but because he was making decisions that would have been perfectly fine two years ago. But now with his weakened arm, he is going to have to start changing his normal decision making to allow for his limitations. That could take some serious time. Edit: I think you guys are letting this Montaro guy troll you a bit. I'm sure he understands that fans are not equating their role with regard to the team as similar to battlefighting out on the field, he is just stirring the pot. Don't give him the satisfaction.
The Texans marketing slogan is WE Are Texans. Seems that the Texans always have a tough 3rd game opponent. They are 1-9 in the 3 game of the season in franchise history.
Denver led the league in rushing last year and actually tallied the 22nd-most 3-and-outs last year (24th in %). So they had their fair share of short possessions - but I wouldn't think enough to negatively impact their defense too much, especially when (I'm guessing, based on # of rushes), even some of those three-and-outs were a little longer than average.
FWIW, Football Outsiders 2011 Defensive Rankings were: #1 Baltimore #6 Houston #18 Denver #32 Carolina http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef2011 They haven't updated since Week 1 yet, but Houston was #2 and Denver #3. Personally, I think they lie in the middle of #18 and #3 (#11 or so). The Steelers offense has a tendency to trip over its own feet in certain games. The defense suffered some last year because the offense often hurt them both in field position and time of possession. They're also a defense built more to protect leads. They're much weaker against the run than they are the pass. Pittsburgh had a 35:25 Time of Possession advantage that kept them in the hunt until late. Atlanta had a 5 minute advantage last night, too. This game will be very interesting. They are a huge test, and we would be foolish to get sure of ourselves after MNF. On the flipside, we are starting to hear the first whispers that Peyton is not able to consistently or effortlessly put proper zip on his throws. He's got a shortened week to bounce back, and it's possible that the workload is going to slowly wear down his arm. This isn't a top tier O-Line, so we should have an opportunity to make life hard on Peyton and McGahee. It's critical that Jackson build on his nice game last week and hold down Eric Decker. Offensively, Kubiak would be smart to follow last week's game plan. Control the clock, wear down the front 4, don't get impatient and try to force the deep ball. This will be a major test against a QB that will know how to attack Wade's scheme. Texans are very capable overcoming that, and a win would put us all in serious feel good mode. It would be a dream if we can stock up on wins before facing the Packers-Ravens double header before the bye.
Haha, no I'm not trying to troll, stir the pot. My bad if you think I'm trying to do that. Let's just end it here so we get back on topic.
Big game for both teams. Gambler wouldn't touch this game with a 10 foot pole. That being said this will be the best defense Manning will have faced and the best running game the defense will have faced. Peyton will have to beat us through the air (Jax and Mia have elite or upper tier RBs who couldn't run consistently, what chance does McGahee have?). He does know Kubiak though. Texans take it 24-13.
Chapter 1 is here. Keys to the game: Pressure Manning Kareem vs Decker RUN the ball Schaub shut up Ubigred
We got this! Denver cant hang with my Texans, Foster and Tate will eat up the clock and I expect one of our young receivers to have a big game, can't wait for Martin or Jean to have a big game for us. Atlanta may have a more explosive passing game but we have a better defense, a much better rushing attack and we still have the "Natural" Andre Johnson.
more than anything...manning was floating passes and had a terrible read of coverages early on...that is credit to ATL defense...will it happens again this week? I dont think so...The Texans shouldn't plan on getting in a shoot out, but instead the best weapon against Manning is keeping the ball away from him... We all know what and how things would have gone down if Julio Jones dropped that 3rd down pass before the 2 min warning...we all know... Secondly...I dont know why Manning didnt elect to change more plays to running plays...especially the one where he took a sack...Denver OL was craving up the ATL Dline...and their RBs got significant yards...Denver as poorly as they played had a real chance to win last night...and they blew it...
I've been a season ticket holder for 6 years, and have invested my time, money, and emotions into the team since their inception. While the players are the ones busting their tails physically, I am every bit as committed to the winning cause as they are. I say "we" because it's a sign of unity between me the fan, and they the players. As far as the game goes, if we can get pressure on Peyton early and often, we can mess with his mind-games. It seems like his offense isn't on the same page as him yet, so if our defense can throw some exotic blitzes, and stunts their way, I'm not sure if Peyton will be able make his reads quite as smoothly as before. Our run defense needs to play as well as they did this past Sunday to eliminate that facet of their gameplan. Offensively, their secondary is aging, but I don't know if the likes of Kevin Walter and LeStar Jean can take advantage of that. Andre is going to have to go beast mode on Champ Bailey if our WRs are going to make any noise. However, where I do see yards coming from in the passing game is Owen Daniels, Garrett Graham, and Arian Foster. This is going to be a grind-it-out game for our offense again, where we take the yards that the defense is giving us. I still like the Texans to come out on top though.
Peyton Manning needs our prayers. Dial 1-800-PRAYFORPEYTON. May God have mercy on his soul, because the Texans won't. Peyton, if you read this:grin:, your best approach on Sunday may be to take the snap and go into the fetal position.
the only way for denver to win is if they run the ball really well. peyton will somehow, some way, get some points via his manningness. we hold the run down though, they are toast. they need to keep it a low scoring game. they will run a lot and throw lots of short slants. they wanna move the chains. this might be a fistfight more than a football game. i'm curious to see how we do against their defense. if our offense brings it's A game, we'll blow them out.
When I fly up to New England later this year with the plane ticket I purchased with my hard earned money, to stay at the hotel I reserved with my hard earned money, so that I can attend the Texans Patriots game with tickets that I bought with my hard earned money, to watch my team get a well deserved victory.....I am going to say, "WE won this game!" You know why?? Because if it wasn't for fans like me and the other guys on this board, there would be no team in Houston. So yeah, I'm gonna keep saying WE. Deal with it.
