The defense can also use this game to be more ready on how to contain a running QB with Tenn. up next week.
Me, too. On the flip side, I'm sure they'd like their chances better if David Carr were still our QB!
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/5204931.html Oct. 11, 2007, 12:36AM With Davis, Texans may have keeper By RICHARD JUSTICE Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle TOOLS The Texans can't actually say that André Davis has surpassed expectations, because they didn't really have any. That's the thing they'll tell you now. They knew he could run, and on a team lacking speed, that was a place to start. Beyond that, there wasn't much to go on. Davis had played for three teams the last three seasons and was coming off a season in which he caught a grand total of two passes for the Buffalo Bills. The Texans considered him such a hot commodity that they signed him after their offseason workouts had begun. To collect on his $850,000 salary, he had to make the team. He might not be their biggest surprise, but he's on the short list. Davis is leading the NFL with 20.5 yards per catch and in three starts has 13 catches, including three that have gone for 49, 45 and 41 yards. When the Texans are whole again, they may be even better because Davis got a chance to get on the field and show he can make plays. He'll never make coaches forget Andre Johnson or Jacoby Jones, but he may have done enough to stay in the rotation once they return. Hard worker Gary Kubiak speaks in glowing terms about his team's work ethic and how it has given him everything he could hope for in terms of effort and com- mitment. Davis is one of the reasons Kubiak loves his team. ''You don't know if a player's taking care of his business when he's not playing until all of a sudden he plays," Kubiak said. ''And what this tells you is that this guy has been keeping up, taking care of his business, and he's ready for his chance to play." Davis was inactive for the first two games, and after getting mostly special-teams work last year in Buffalo, he must have wondered if his NFL career was slipping away. ''You lose a little confidence just for the fact that you're not out there," he said. ''There are always scouts looking at games, but there was no tape on me. People were going to think I'd lost a step or didn't have it anymore. I knew if I had another opportunity, I wasn't going to let it go." Great expectations The Cleveland Browns took Davis in the second round of the 2002 draft, and he seemed headed for stardom after catching 77 passes and scoring 11 touchdowns in his first two years. Injuries and inconsistency followed, and he bounced from the Browns to the Patriots to the Bills between 2004 and 2006. And now the Texans. He has been on the edge enough to know that nothing is guaranteed. ''I want to make it as hard as I can on these coaches when Jacoby and Andre come back," Davis said. ''I'm looking forward to it. They're special players, guys we need out on the field to help us win. I'm just looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunity. The rest will play itself out." He took the long road. He grew up in Niskayuna, N.Y., a suburb of Albany, the son of Jamaican immigrants. His mother is a registered nurse, his dad a steel company employee. He has a sister and a brother, both college graduates. He played soccer and ran track until his junior year in high school. Some friendly teasing from a friend prompted him to give football a try. ''I wanted to find the least likely position to get hit," Davis said. He played wide receiver and safety, but recruiters didn't knock down his door. Some surely considered him a track guy after he won the state Class A 200-meter competition and was second in the 100. His scholarship offers were limited to a few Division II schools. He got Virginia Tech interested when a cousin took a highlight video to coaches. ''I knew they were on TV," Davis said. ''I figured if I could have one good TV game, that would give me a chance to play at the next level." He was a three-year starter for the Hokies, graduated with a degree in residential property management in four years, and was off to the NFL. Things haven't worked out as planned, but at the moment, they're working out. ''People are scared of his speed," Kubiak said. ''We tried to get him on a double move the other day, and he drew a big penalty on the corner. His toughness and the way he's playing the game has been an added bonus." Davis laughs about how much his life has changed. He and his wife, a veterinarian, are expecting their first child early next year. His parents once knew almost nothing about football. Now they're NFL Network junkies. ''My mom will call up during the week and ask, 'Did you hear what Chad Johnson said?' " Davis said, laughing. ''I love my mom, but I have to calm her down now and then. I have to tell my parents I'm preparing for a game and don't want to hear about anything else. "But they love it, and it's fun to hear the excitement in their voices." The Texans are somewhat excited about the way things have worked out with André Davis. They think there may be more to come. richard.justice@chron.com
andre davis has been a very pleasant surprise.... johnson, jones, and davis is a solid receiving corp.
Yep...he has been HUGE for us since AJ and Jones went down. I think it'll be interesting to see how gameplans change if you put in a deepthreat like Davis in the game with AJ.
It should, at the very least, open up running lanes. Safeties will have to respect both Andre's and won't be able to sit on the run...even moreso when JJ is in there.
Maybe this year so far, but I would put my money on Culpepper when all is said and done this season. Culpepper has far more upside and because of his height and build would be much more formidable an opponent IMO than Garrard. Yeah, I'll give you that. So far, Garrard 4 TDS, 0 INTS. Impressive, but their passing game is averaging at least 100 less than the Texans. Plus, our history vs Garrard lends me to believe we can solve him just like we did Wrong-wich.
Every "expert" for ESPN and Yahoo! picked the Jagoffs. And if you look at the odds, we're the 3rd biggest dogs just behind the winless Rams against the Ravens and the Raiders against the Chargers.
All the more reason to piss in their cheerios, so Berman can have that "I can't believe it's not butter" gaping look. Yeah, the biggest fruitcake I found was Pete Prisco on cbssportsline. The funny thing is usually his picks are pretty reasonable, logical. This time on this game, NO! He's saying the Jagoffs 20, Texans 7. Huh? Has J-Ville EVEN scored 20? Unless I missed something, 17 vs KC is their high water mark on offense. Like I said, ridiculous assertion. Time to dole out some humble pie to the Kitties. What will their excuse be this time !?! Gitter done, Texans!!!
wish mario could get this pumped up <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/M4cXZGkRMCY"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/M4cXZGkRMCY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
Yeah, forgot about Denver. 23-14. My mistake. Then they beat the mighty falcons 13-7, chiefs 17-7 and I cannot recall the other game. Denver !?! Man, talk about a team needing a heart transplant! Who would've thunk Denver's D go to sh*t like this? I'm not going to get too excited because it is a long season but, we fix our rushing attack and we should be able to beat Denver later this season.
Yes, agreed. But, if we can start out with a lead early, they tend to not be as difficult. For all their strengths they are not a good comeback team. Thus, you can at least slow down their running attack by getting an early lead and eat clock. Important for the Texans to get many quality drives and at least strive FG in at least 2/3 of those drives. No 3 and outs! Don't allow J-Ville any momentum in this game. Make them sweat blood for everything they get.
