We're finally coming out of the cellar and I believe that we are one of those teams that will beat the teams that we are supposed to beat. Last year, that Oakland game was just a disaster. We should beat those types of teams this year. On the other hand, can we hang with the big guys on a consistent basis? We'll find out next week. I think we can be competitive with those teams, but I still think we are a ways off to be mentioned in the same sentence as the Pats, Colts, etc. I think 9-7 is a very realistic record with an outside shot at 10-6.
Texans have really impressed this year defensing the run. I think they are going to give a lot of run-first teams trouble. The Texan defense also has consistently put pressure of the opposing QB, which helps their DBs (their weakness positions imo). Texans have also show that they can run the ball, starting in the second half of last year and continuing this year. They have especially shown that they can have long drives to eat time in the fourth quarter, in the last two games. The opposing defense knows we are going to run the ball and can not stop it. I am still not completely sold on Schaub. He is damn lucky that he didn't get picked on that long drive in the first half. Take away the touchdown after the dropped pick and today's game is completely different. Schaub also hung AJ out to dry in the fourth on the play AJ got hurt; Schaub should not have made that throw. If Carr makes that throw last year, we would have got 20 pages of b****ing about how Carr is shortening all of our receivers careers. The play of the OL and DL I think will carry the team this year. 10-6 is not out of the question.
^^^ I thought the same about that schaub throw to AJ where he got hit but when i replayed the game i saw that pocket had collapsed and schaub had to get rid of it. He saw AJ and he threw it. About the interceptions. I would rather see schaub throw those passes than not throw them at all. You have to take risk to take in the reward. I think everybody is very confident in our defensive ability and believe that they can stop the elite teams.
The Texans run defense will stop Indy's run game next week, which will give the league best QB more attempts against our relatively weak secondary. What could go wrong?
What could go right, is the Texans will realize the secondary is the only relatively weak point to be concerned with and address it over the next few days...
Sun 9/9 Kansas City W 20-3 Sun 9/16 at Carolina W 34-21 Sun 9/23 Indianapolis 1:00 pm Sun 9/30 at Atlanta 1:00 pm Sun 10/7 Miami 1:00 pm Sun 10/14 at Jacksonville 1:00 pm Sun 10/21 Tennessee 1:00 pm Sun 10/28 at San Diego 4:05 pm Sun 11/4 at Oakland 4:15 pm bye Sun 11/18 New Orleans 1:00 pm Sun 11/25 at Cleveland 1:00 pm Sun 12/2 at Tennessee 1:00 pm Sun 12/9 Tampa Bay 1:00 pm Thu 12/13 Denver 8:15 pm Sun 12/23 at Indianapolis 1:00 pm Sun 12/30 Jacksonville 1:00 pm based on this remaining schedule, you have to feel good about our shot at 10 wins wouldn't that be sweet...
I was at the game today, and even if my first ever in-person NFL game is influencing my opinion, but this is a playoff team folks. Never thought I'd realize that passing Bush and Young last year was not the worst decision ever....oh and that 19 year old the Texans got on D - omg. Hope everyone in Houston is ecstatic over this team! Schaub to Johnson all day!
From Don Banks of SI.COM... • At this point, I think we have to acknowledge that Matt Schaub looks like the real deal in Houston. And for that matter, so do the 2-0 Texans. While Carolina can be maddening to try and figure out, that wasn't Kansas City that Houston just manhandled. The Texans were down 14-0 on the road -- a situation that always spelled defeat for Houston in the past -- and went on to score the game's next 34 points. Wow. Gary Kubiak and Co. have something nice building deep in the heart of Texas. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/don_banks/09/16/snap.judgments/index.html?eref=T1
The Texans are easily the best team in Texas or Oklahoma. I still worry about the ability to stop a good passing team, but we'll see that next weekend. Depth has certainly improved in the secondary, and there's some hitters out there, but I wonder about coverage ability, especially past the linebackers. The front seven are really, really good, and they're really young. I expect this defense to be one of the very best in the league over the next few years. It's amazing to think that the Texans can put in Mario, Okoye, Kalu, and Weaver, and have 4 playmakers on the DL. Zone blocking is working as we were promised, so the OL is better than the sum of its parts. I really worry about depth there, though. The OL reserves aren't very good at all. Skill positions on offense are pretty good. With health on the OL, I think this is a playoff team. An injury to Salaam or McKinney, and it could be a losing season.
It always cool to watch a road game especially when the good guys win, but let's not get carried away. Although the media has been hyping the Panthers as a potential playoff team, let's not forget that they were only 8 - 8 last year. We just beat an average team. I am sure the Colts will give us a real dose of reality next Sunday.
http://blogs.chron.com/nfl/2007/09/big_win_adds_to_texans_momentu.html September 16, 2007 Big win adds to Texans' momentum; nickname for 'D'? Look out football, here we come, Houston Texans No. 1! Houston has the Texans, The greatest football team, We'll take the ball from goal to goal Like no one's ever seen. We're in the air, we're on the ground, Always in control. And when you say the Texans You're talkin' Super Bowl. Now that's a fight song! I saw two things Sunday that made me think of that song: Bob Costas' feature on Earl Campbell on HBO and the Texans' remarkable 34-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers. No, I'm not getting carried away after two weeks, but it's hard not to get excited about the first 2-0 record in six years. Everybody loves a winner, right? It makes writing for the Chronicle, blogging for Chron.com, doing talk shows for Sports Radio 610 and a television show on Fox 26 even more fun when the Texans are winning. Let's see how I can put it. How about this: Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the unbeaten Houston Texans. Seems strange, doesn't it? Do you like the way it sounds? Thanks to the come-from-behind victory over Carolina at Bank of America Stadium, the Texans have a four-game winning streak. I owe $100 to the Citizens for Animal Production. I think I'll just make out that check for $200. Hey, check this one: A reader, Edwin Turner, sent in something after the game that caught my attention. He called the Texans' defense "the Raging Bull Defense." I like it. What do you think? Should we give them that nickname? Raging Bull is one of my all-time favorite movies. Anyway, as long as they continue to play like the first two weeks, I'm calling them the Raging Bull Defense. Thanks, Edwin. By the way, guess who the Texans defeated to start their current four-game winning streak? Yep, the Colts - 27-24 on Christmas Eve. The defending Super Bowl champions also are 2-0 after escaping Tennessee with a 22-20 victory. Now the Colts are coming to Reliant Stadium for a rematch. The winner will be 3-0 and will own sole possession of first place in the AFC South. Can you imagine how wild it's going to be Sunday? Holy Toledo, Milo! Hey, check this out: The Colts are 36-7 in their last 43 games, and they haven't lost a game in September since their 2004 opener. Incredible, huh? It's just my opinion, but I think many of you will agree with me: If the Texans defeat the Colts, their nemesis who has a 9-1 record against them, it'll replace the Dallas game as the most significant in franchise history. Even if they lose, they'll still be 2-1 going to Atlanta, which is 0-2. But if they win, imagine the homecoming reception Matt Schaub will receive in the Georgia Dome. I've got to tell you the truth: I still can't believe what I saw Sunday. When I'm blogging during the game, I write about what I see and feel at that moment. There will be highs and lows during the game. Now, how many of you thought they'd bounce back from the 14-0 deficit? Tell the truth now. I certainly didn't. I was blasting the heck out of them at that point. I picked the Panthers 19-16. I was wrong. I picked the Texans to finish 8-8. I'm feeling good about that one. Many of you picked them to have a winning record. Don't get cocky so early in the season. Yes, we're only two games in, but let's face it: This team is different. This team isn't fazed when something bad happens, and that attitude starts with two people - Gary Kubiak and Matt Schaub. Teams usually mirror their head coach and quarterback. Kubiak and Schaub are cool and calm under pressure, no matter how maddening. Sunday was a good example. One thing I liked is that Kubiak didn't get conservative in his play calls when they were behind. He made some gutsy calls, and the players loved it. By the way, the Texans set a team record by scoring 34 points. It was the second-biggest comeback in franchise history and the biggest on the road. They scored a team record 34 consecutive points against a Panthers defense that is regarded as one of the league's best. All the news wasn't good Sunday. Receiver Andre Johnson, who had seven catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns, suffered a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his knee. He was limping after the game and will undergo an MRI today to determine how long he'll be out - if he's out at all. Johnson, who led the NFL with 103 catches last season, is off to the best start of his career with three touchdowns in two games. After beginning the season with a 20-3 victory over Kansas City, the Texans got off to a terrible start at Carolina. Quarterback Jake Delhomme threw touchdown passes of 7 and 12 yards to Steve Smith, who beat cornerback DeMarcus Faggins on both touchdowns. The second one was set up by tight end Owen Daniels' fumble, giving Carolina the ball at the Texans' 13. "In the past, we would have folded with a deficit like that, but not this team," said cornerback Dunta Robinson, who intercepted a pass for the second game in a row. "This is a different team with a different attitude. We didn't panic when we were down because we put ourselves in that hole." The comeback began when Schaub combined with Johnson on receptions of 33 and 31 yards, the latter good for a touchdown, Johnson's second of the season. In the second quarter, Schaub and Johnson collaborated again, this time for a 9-yard touchdown that made it 14-14. Kris Brown's 25-yard field goal gave the Texans a 17-14 halftime lead. The dominance continued in the second half. On the first series, Ahman Green scored on a 13-yard run. On the next kickoff, Faggins drilled Nick Goings, and he fumbled. Kevin Walter recovered in the end zone to make it 31-14. Brown's 33-yard field goal in the third quarter elevated the lead to 34-14. The defense let Smith get loose again. He scored on a 74-yard touchdown - his third of the day and his fourth in two games. This victory was accomplished because of superior performances by a lot of players - none more important than the offensive line. Tackles Ephraim Salaam and Eric Winston, guards Chester Pitts and Fred Weary and center Steve McKinney should take bows for an outstanding performance. Just think, a week ago Kubiak got into a sideline shouting match with Pitts. Maybe Kubiak should scream at Faggins before Marin Harrison and Reggie Wayne come to town. What do you think? The Texans didn't allow a sack against one of the league's best defensive lines. Julius Peppers was limited to only two tackles in his battle against Winston. In two games, Schaub has been sacked two times. Schaub was 20-of-28 for 227 yards and two touchdowns. He didn't throw an interception. His passer rating was 119.2. In two games, Schaub is 36-of-50 (72 percent) for 452 yards. He has three touchdown passes and one interception. He's been sacked twice. His passer rating is 111.4. Those two second-round picks don't look so bad now, do they? Owen Daniels and Vonta Leach had five catches each. Daniels, who lost a fumble, made some nifty catches cutting across the middle. Leach, who is primarily a lead blocker, was utilized much more than usual. Green carried 15 times for 71 yards and Ron Dayne 18 times for 44 yards. Once again, the running game didn't gain a lot of yards - 119 on 36 carries - but it helped the Texans control the ball for 34:48 to the Panthers' 25:12. Amobi Okoye had the first two sacks of his career. Anthony Maddox had the other. I was impressed the way Mario Williams tied up blockers and chased plays. The Panthers definitely game planned for him. Safety Von Hutchins, in his first start, had a team-leading 11 unassisted tackles. The defense limited the Panthers to 66 yards rushing and a 3.7 average per carry. Delhomme threw for 307 yards. Smith had eight catches for 153 yards and three touchdowns. Here's what the Texans need by the Colts game: Johnson to be healthy. Travis Johnson to be back. Oh, and Faggins to be better. What do you think? Posted by John McClain at September 16, 2007 05:58 PM
10 -6 if healthy and with a dominant defense leading the way into the playoffs we go.......toss in momentum and a secondary that gels with Bennettt,Boulware and Demps integrated......you never know.
The Texans are gonna need a lot of pressure from the front 4 and they are gonna have to bring the blitz packages against Peyton. Indy has had 2 games to get a load of our run defense and they aren't gonna waste time trying to establish the ground game. Why should they? They are gonna come out with Peyton gunning and I would expect a lot of 3 step drops and pop pop over the middle, quick slants to Harrison and Wayne, setting our d-backs up for the out route. We're gonna have to bring Shante with a 5 man front, and hopefully Clark can cover a TE. I would expect Peyton to get over 50 passing attempts as they attempt to use the pass to establish the run and then use Addai out of the backfield as a receiver and run him from the spread formation after they have established their passing attack. It'll be interesting to see what the total points over/under is.
healthy--- pretty good. We are at that point where we have a pretty good starting team. We keep building depth and improving and we will be playing with the elite teams. It would be no shame to lose to Indy, but the Texans have a good shot at beating the Colts. That says alot about how this team is progressing. At this point we need to see if they maintain intensity or if they start reading their own press.
