Same old Carr. Two of his 5 attempts looked like they were to Kansas City players. And you brought up a good point about him missing a wide open Andre Johnson to hit Moulds on a 6-8 yard play. Clearly he is not going through his progressions; forcing passes on top of completely missing open players. You can say all you want about going against second teamers or anything else of that nature, but Sage actually looked like a quarterback back there. I'm still baffled by how much slack Carr gets. The guy has all the makings of a bust. Carr is the NFL quarterback equivalent of a "driving range pro".
I don't think you watched that second pass to the Kansas City player too closely. It really was a perfect pass to Andre that would have hit him in stride and open had it gotten over the LB. The LB jumped up, stretched out and just barely got his fingers on the ball tipping it away. The LB made a good play on what would have been a good pass. I don't see it as a mistake, because most of the time that pass gets through for a big gain (since I think AJ only had one guy to beat, if that DB makes a bad tackle...touchdown). I'm not arguing that Carr looked good, but I don't think he looked bad and I'm not willing to annoint any negative opinion of Carr as proven based on FIVE pass attempts in the first preseason game in a new offensive system. And as for the first pass that should have been intercepted...I don't think it was a bad decision. A bit risky maybe, but not necessarily bad. AJ wasn't covered there, his defender was behind him. Carr just threw behind him, so Andre had to break up the INT. Had Carr made a good accurate throw, the worst that happens is the DB makes a great play and breaks up the completion.
haha true. i really hate saying this, but i seriously agree that he might be a bust. personally, i wish that somehow leinart fell into our laps. hahah just saying anyway, hopefully this new system really is exciting to me. and i mean honestly carr threw 5 passes. plus it is a preseason game. the weight that this game carries is very minimal. basically its a scrimage. i dont know how everyone can be so down on d-carr after a preseason game.
I understand that you are trying to be positive, but to say that wasn't a bad decision is ridiculous. he threw into double coverage.
Like PG posted, Carr threw into double coverage which is never a good thing. But more than anything, it was poorly thrown ball. But it was 5 passes in a preseason game so I don't want to put too much stock into it.
Well, if it was double coverage then yes, it was a bad decision. I didn't notice the second defender, just the guy behind AJ that had the shot at the interception.
John McClain was saying on the radio that Kubes wasn't too happy with the receivers after the game. He said there were lots of 'MA's' which stands for missed assignments. Keep that in mind when evaluating Carr. I'm still a little concerned about Carr's throwing motion. He still looks like he's throwing a shotput instead of a football. Man, it aint pretty too look at. I still think that Carr is shell-shocked from all those sacks the last few years, and that it will take some time for him to get over. I think (hope) he eventually will and all will be fine, but it ain't gonna happen 5 plays into the preseason. According to Kubiak, Mario "played like a rookie". This doesn't concern me because......well, he's a rookie. Again, I'm not ready to proclaim him the next Courtney Brown because of 11 preseason plays without a sack..... Coach K delivers an A-OK Texans staff likes what it sees during victory; outlook on Davis remains mystery By JOHN MCCLAIN When a new coach takes over a bad team, especially one that was the NFL's worst, the priority is to try to change the losing atmosphere that permeated through the dressing room. "We're trying to build a winning attitude," coach Gary Kubiak said Sunday, a day after the Texans' 24-14 victory over Kansas City in the preseason opener. "I told the players we want to learn to win, and let's not wait until September." Last week, cornerback Dunta Robinson said the Texans should have a goal of finishing 4-0 in preseason to prepare them for the regular-season opener against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 10. Kubiak won't go as far as saying the Texans want to go undefeated in preseason, but winning those games is one objective, even if it's not the most important one as the team tries to rebound from a 2-14 season. The coaches are using the preseason to evaluate players, of course, and a big part of that evaluation is attitude. "After watching the tape, I saw a lot I liked, but I saw some negatives, too," Kubiak said. "The main thing is how hard we played. I was happy about that, but I wasn't surprised. I know how hard these guys have been working in camp. "Offensively, the best thing is that we didn't commit a turnover or allow a sack, and penalties didn't hurt us. And once we got going, we ran the ball well." Indeed, rushing for a franchise- record 173 yards in preseason would please any coach, especially one with his starting running back (Domanick Davis) on the sideline nursing a knee injury. Rookies Wali Lundy and Chris Taylor combined to rush for 114 yards. Rookie Damien Rhodes scored the last touchdown. "We've got an interesting battle at running back," Kubiak said. "Wali and Chris ran hard and did what they were supposed to do in this system: make one cut and get going downhill fast." Kubiak said he and general manager Rick Smith met with Davis to get a better idea of what he's experiencing with his sore knee. "We told him we were patient, and that we'd wait on him, but we also wanted to know what he's thinking," Kubiak said. "He says he's feeling better. "He's got a bad bruise on his knee, and we've got to get it back to where it was when camp began. I was encouraged after our meeting, but we still don't know when he's going to be able to practice or play." Kubiak's analysis of the offense began with the linemen. "I liked what I saw up front," he said. "When you move the quarterback around like we do, that's going to take some pressure off the linemen." Kubiak singled out veteran guard Fred Weary and rookie offensive tackle Charles Spencer for their performances. "Fred played real well at both guards," Kubiak said. "I thought he would, because he's been so good in practice. Usually, if you're doing it in practice, it's going to carry over into games. ... I was very impressed with Spencer. He played extremely well. He showed quickness and strength." Quarterback David Carr said he was ecstatic about the performance up front. "They did a great job," he said. "It's been awhile since we haven't had a sack." Runs impress Kubiak Carr was 3-of-5 for 23 yards. He ran four times for 20 yards and two first downs. "I told David to make plays but to be smart about it," Kubiak said. "He's very athletic. Man, can he run. He's intelligent enough to know when to slide and run out of bounds. "On our pass attempts, about half were on the move. That helps a quarterback to know he's not always going to be in the pocket, where the defense can zero in on him." On his one series, Carr engineered a touchdown drive that ended with Lundy's 3-yard run. That's as many touchdown drives as Carr led in four preseason games in 2005. "We were sloppy at times, but we got it in the end zone, and I was excited about that," Carr said. "Winning this game was good for coach Kubiak. He got his first win as a Texan, preseason or not." Kubiak wasn't happy about some things. "I want to see us throw and catch better," he said. "I didn't like some of our short-yardage runs. I want to see the fullback position play better. I think Jameel (Cook) and Nick (Lachey) will split the reps in practice this week. We might use (tight end) Bennie (Joppru) more at fullback because he's been doing so well." The defense surrendered two touchdowns to Kansas City but had five sacks. Chiefs turned back "The defense had seven three-and-outs," Kubiak said. "Considering the problems we had in the secondary because of injuries, I thought (defensive backs coach) Jon (Hoke) did a great job of having them prepared. "No. 59 (rookie DeMeco Ryans) showed why he's going to be a heck of a player. He's a leader who plays with energy and makes plays all over the field. We've got good competition at the outside spots. We need linebackers to step up and solidify those positions. I'm confident that we will." john.mcclain@chron.com TEXANS SUMMARY Joppru on move Gary Kubiak wasn't happy with the play of his fullbacks. He's going to split time between starter Jameel Cook and Nick Luchey. Tight end Bennie Joppru, who has been impressive since camp began, is a combination of tight end, H-back and fullback. "We may work Bennie at fullback some more," Kubiak said. "We did that early in camp, but we were afraid it might impede his progress. But now I think he's ready. It's an advantage if you're a dual-role guy. "Our fullback has to be sharp, and he has to be able to diagnose what we're doing up front. He makes a lot of adjustments at the line of scrimmage in this scheme. On third-and-one, he's got to block the linebacker and help us move the chains. He also figures in our play-action game, too." Praise for TEs It's more obvious by the week that the Texans have more depth at tight end than they do at receiver. No receiver stood out Saturday after the first three of Andre Johnson, Eric Moulds and Kevin Walter. Tight end was different. With Mark Bruener, Jeb Putzier, Owen Daniels, Bennie Joppru and Patrick Hape, the coaches are going to have to keep an extra tight end or two or make some tough cuts. "Daniels played the most and showed receiving and blocking ability," coach Gary Kubiak said. Skinny on Mario Because defensive end Mario Williams was the first pick in the draft, he's going to be scrutinized more than any player on the team. He had one assisted tackle in limited action, but that didn't bother coach Gary Kubiak. "He played like a rookie," Kubiak said. "He missed a couple of assignments. We moved him around, and he was out of alignment a couple of times. "Mario played hard. He makes people around him better. When he pushes the pocket and gets pressure up the middle, that frees up our edge rushers. I was encouraged by what I saw on film." Better view Gary Kubiak was on the sideline for the first time in four years during the Kansas City game. As Denver's offensive coordinator, he worked games from the coaches booth in the press box. Offensive coordinator Troy Calhoun worked from the press box on Saturday. "Troy and I are going to do it like Mike ( Shanahan) and I did it in Denver," Kubiak said. "Troy calls plays that'll go through me." LINK
It bothers me that Kubiak is concerned about the fullback position when he cut the one FB we had on the team that was worth a damn, Moran Norris. I always thought Norris did a good job for us, and he got cut. I'm wondering if Gary wishes he had that decision back.
Moran Norris isn't the type of FB that Kubiak likes. He was a good blocking back, but that was it. He's not much of a pass catching threat. I highly doubt he regrets the decision. It's probably why they're looking at moving Joppru over there.
Nice sig, KK will win the what? They pump that guy up so much and he just benifits from that system see BJ Symons and Kliff Kingsberry. Kobb looked good his freshman year with that good o-line and a smaller playbook now over the last two seasons you have seen this kids poor decision making on the field really come to the fore front. I hope the Coogs do well but I would not hold my breath on KK being in New York come December.
I understand that, but I still think that for what fullbacks are asked to do, including what Kubiak will ask his to do, Norris should have at least been given a shot to earn his starting spot.
One game and NO SACKS is pretty damn exciting. The Texans did score on David Carr's only drive, so let's not hang him just yet. The one thing about the game that did bother me was our punt returners. Scary to think what it might look like this when the season starts. I have a feeling we might end up picking up a returner that gets cut from another team.
David Carr's day: 3 - 5 for 23 yards. 20 rush yards. Sage Rosenfels first 5 passes: 3 - 5 for 21 yards. including a drive leading to a punt Quinton Porter's Day: 4 - 4 for 51 yards. he might be a frontrunner now I guess... Let's see what Carr does with 12-15 passes, 3 drives and more. He migtha been shaky but the team did score a TD with him in there. Sage got the extra chances to get going, Carr didnt. Forget finally-signed-a-contract Matt Leinart. Reggie Bush still had to have the awareness and speed around the end to make his long run happen. If Carr's gonna get discredited for not hitting Andre when the defense allowed it then gotta credit Bush for taking advantage of the oppurtunity the defense gave him.
Good points...However, the Titans simply lost containment on Bush. It's a first-game-of-the-preaseason mistake that most teams won't make. What you should have said was, "If Carr's gonna get discredited for not hitting Andre when the defense allowed, then it's gotta not give too much credit for Bush simply taking advantage of a defensive mistake."
first of all, I that was the broadcast that pointed it out. second, its not a good comparison. if bush didn't take advantage of the situation and took an eight yard gain instead of a 44 or whatever it was, that would be a good comparison.
They showed Mario getting "thrown around" on NFL Live. I hope he has a good yr cuz were gonna need him big time.
Allegedly, he's put that behind him. Besides, this is a contract year for him. Look for him to have a very good year and probably start across from Dunta.
