Titans game thoughts

[barrett]

I said it before the game and I will say it again, the Titans are not very good. And we did exactly what a good team that needs a win does to bad teams. We kicked them around for 60 minutes of get well football. We got Arian Foster happy. We kept Matt Schaub off the ground. We built some confidence in the secondary. And we took the heat off of our coach. A real get well game. A win over Jacksonville next week and we are rolling at the midway point despite a nasty injury bug. If AJ is totally healthy after the bye we will be hosting a playoff game with a real chance at winning it.

Cushing was the key of the defense and was a beast. He is about as violent a tackler as there is in the NFL, and Chris Johnson started tiptoeing after the first few carries. Some guys keep themselves in great shape during a lockout. CJ most likely spent the lockout not working out and making rain in the local club. He is now an albatross around the neck of that team. Cushing may not be our best defender (Mario) or our most important (joseph), but he is the heart beat of our defense. 148 yards allowed is getting after it.

The rest of the front 7 was great in the run game but we really didn't pressure Hasselback much. Our blitzes didn't get home and our LBs got no edge rush for the most part. Our DEs pushed the pocket, but other than that Hasselback had all day.

Our secondary more than picked up the slack. Aside from Kareem Jackson tackling a guy on a ball he had no chance of catching they were great. Joseph is looking like a steal even at almost $10 million per. Manning was in perfect position for his INT and hopefully he is back after the bye. Nolan cannot cover but he is a very solid in zone. Allen outplayed KJ again, and it is getting more clear that McCain is our best nickel CB. I am really not sure how much longer they can justify keeping Jackson on the field. Best Texans secondary performance since the Aaron Glenn days.

Foster was great and the OL gets a lot of the credit. They got the stretch play out the door and it made everything else work. I liked the play calling in the run game too, attacking the outside more, and giving Tate plays that were quicker to the hole.

Our WRs had little impact, but made every play they had a shot at. I doubt we threw it more than 5 times in the 2nd half. The opening drive of the 3rd where we went to Walter to get off our goalline and then stuffed Foster/Tate/Foster/Tate down their throat broke their back. TEs were great as usual. And I am guessing that OD catches about 10 deep drags off the bootleg the rest of the season, since we now have 3 straight games with a throwback off the boot for a TD. All 3 to different guys. All 3 with great play design. Opposing safeties are going to have to start backpedaling the second they see pass and OD should live off that. Great use of our talent and tendencies.

And this is the first Tennessee game I have watched this year and they had every bit the sloppiness of Fisher's teams with little of the toughness. Penalties and false bravado.

And it is shocking to me, but Gary Kubiak is the hands down best coach in our division. I guess that explains why our division is 8-18 with the Colts to add another L tonight.

[WMH]

Yep, yep, and yep.

Nice to see what we can do when both sides of the ball play well. Also, very frustrating to see what we can do when both sides of the ball play well. Need to be consistent. That has been a buzz word around this place for a while.

I fear the loss of Manning more than I feared the loss of Mario. I'm "hopeful" it will be closer to the 4-5 week mark, as opposed to the 10 mark. Would absolutely be a dream to get that kid back after the bye week, but at least by week 13 so he can tune it up for a playoff game, or two, or three ;)

[nunusguy]

For years and years the AFC South teams had to play against Peyton (and the Refs), but with him on the sidelines this year and the problems/transition-pains plaguing the Titans and Jags this division has become at the very least the worst in the whole conference and perhaps the whole league, so the division-title/playoffs are there for the taking for the Texans.
We've had a good offensive unit for several years now, but the big difference this year for the Texans is clearly the defense and I don't think there's anyway to overrate the contribution Wade has made.
Due to lingering problems from his season-ending injury last year, DeMeco was a non factor in yesterdays game - his name didn't appear on the stats sheet and Mario is gone for the year yet Phillips still has the D playing at a high-level just as he did for the most part of the rest of this years games.
Credit that to a large extent to personnel changes in the offseason which Wade certainly must have been primarily responsible for including their new corner JoeJoe (yes, he is our most valuable defender), and a solid defensive draft led by JJ & Reed, and most of all an amazingly successful implementation of a new defense which for all practical purposes was accomplished without an offseason. Wade has been a miracle-worker IMO !

[Arky]

Very impressive and much needed feel-good win. Yesterday's team was the team some of us have been envisioning all along....

They really should be at least 5-2 right now - IMO, makes the Oakland game look like the unfocused slopfest that it was - a game where they fooled around and lost. Unfortunately, can't get it back now.... must go forward...

They really should do something similar to the next two opponents - Jacksonville and to a lesser extent, Cleveland. Early line against Jax is Texans by 10.

Unofficially, Schaub was 5 for 5 passing in the second half. For the game, the Texans ran it 47 times and passed it 23 times.

The Texans are really the most talented team in the AFC South and, at least this year, it may even turn in to a Cinderella and her three ugly sisters situation.... And I for one am really tired of being an ugly sister... ;)

[TheMatrix31]

Great win. Don't know what else to say.

There are a few people at "another" Texans board that are playing the role of pessimistic, agenda-driven downers. They are incapable of taking things week to week.

You'd think the Titans were world-beaters considering how those guys, and a lot of other people in the media (and even Vegas) propped them up. Then we lay a drubbing on them and they come back to the thought that I had all along that the Titans simply aren't very good at all.

Everything worked on pretty much all cylinders. Schaub was generally mistake free if not a little inaccurate (especially early). The return of the run game was a sight for sore eyes. Cushing and Johnathan Joseph were simply animalistic. Great blocking. Great coaching job by Kubiak and Phillips not letting the boys let up, going for it on fourth down, pulling Kareem Jackson after sucking early, dialing it up for Foster in the passing game, etc. Foster was thrown to often in the Ravens game but dropped them. This week, the execution was there. A prime example of how sometimes it's not coaching but execution.

Just a solid, solid win. And a really important one. Now let's beat Jacksoffville and not let them have a very Jacksoffvillian win against us. And let's do it with Andre back on board.

[NBT]

I was really impressed with the way that Cushing played. He really shut down the Titans run game. It was a real shame that Daneil Manning broke his tibia making an int. He and JJo have really helped our secondary. I am really glad that we have Wade Phillips and his 3-4D. We can't let down against the Jags, or the Browns in the next 2 weeks. Just keep on keepin on!

[WMH]

Interesting read from Pro Football Focus:
http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2011/10/24/re-focused-texans-titans-week-7/

[nunusguy]

Interesting read from Pro Football Focus:
http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2011/10/24/re-focused-texans-titans-week-7/

That's a good find WMH, had not seen that website before.