Playoffs: The upcoming Bengal game 1/7/12

[Arky]

The Texans (10-6) host their first ever playoff game this Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) in a late afternoon game on NBC. Ironically, the Texans clinched against these very same Bengals in Week 14 at Cincinnati with a 1-point victory (20-19) in what was rookie QB TJ Yates' coming-out-party. The Texans haven't won since going 0-3 over their final three games. Yates is expected to start. Wide receiver Andre Johnson will play. The Texans opted to rest many starters and some played just a half in their final game of the regular season, so teamwide, they should be relatively healthy.

Since playing the Texans in Week 14, the Bengals have gone 2-1 defeating both Arizona and St. Louis by 7 and losing by 8 to Baltimore in their season finale. With the exception of a 34-12 win over Seattle in Week 8 and 35-7 blowout loss to Pittsburgh in Week 13, every Bengal game has been decided by 10 points or less. So, one could say they have a pretty good grasp of how to stay in the game and keep it close. Look for rookie QB Andy Dalton to hand off to RB Cedric Benson (1,067/3.9 ypc) and chuck the ball to favorite wideouts AJ Green (1,057/16.3 ypc) and Jerome "stick-the-landing" Simpson (725/14.5 ypc).

This is a good "starter game" for the Texans as they get their first introduction to the playoffs. They match up well against the Bengals and have a very good chance of winning.


TV = NBC (channel 2 local) 3:30 pm CST, Saturday, Jan 7

Announcers = Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock, Alex Flanagan

Favorite (http://www.sbrforum.com/betting-odds/nfl-football/) = Texans by 3

[HPF Bob]

I've been able to watch every game since mid-season but I've committed to be somewhere else Saturday evening so, rather than watch half and then miss the second half, I'm recording the entire game and will try to avoid any result until I see it later that night. So, I won't be commenting here until well after the game and I will take it as a matter of faith that the Texans will do better than they did a month ago in Cincinnati.

As with anything the Texans ever do, we cannot take for granted that they won't play like a giant clusterf but I have to believe that we are better going in this week at home than we were when we beat them earlier (with Yates but without AJ). The only significant losses since then are Briseil and Hartmann, which I think can be overcome.

[nunusguy]

I've been able to watch every game since mid-season but I've committed to be somewhere else Saturday evening so, rather than watch half and then miss the second half, I'm recording the entire game and will try to avoid any result until I see it later that night. So, I won't be commenting here until well after the game and I will take it as a matter of faith that the Texans will do better than they did a month ago in Cincinnati.

As with anything the Texans ever do, we cannot take for granted that they won't play like a giant clusterf but I have to believe that we are better going in this week at home than we were when we beat them earlier (with Yates but without AJ). The only significant losses since then are Briseil and Hartmann, which I think can be overcome.
Wow, that must be some commitment to cause you to miss real-time viewing of the Texans' first-ever P-O game ?

[WMH]

Very excited about this weekend. :D

I'll be curious to see how the gameplan unfolds with Dre in the mix. Yates seems to be a calm one, so hopefully his sphincter won't curl up under the bright lights.

Can't wait to be in the stadium, and feel the energy from the crowd when on D. Really can't wait to see the Cushing transformation on the big stage. I have a feeling that dude is going to go in psychotic mode. All the D will be pumped and ready to roll.

LESH GEAUX!

[cadams]

i would like to see the game begin with the exact same play as the one they started with in cincinatti last month. with the substitution of aj for jj.

stretch the field to start the game

[painekiller]

Wow, that must be some commitment to cause you to miss real-time viewing of the Texans' first-ever P-O game ?

I'm having to do the same thing. I have a commitment that can not be changed, so I will go into lock down, no phone or radio until I can see the dvr'd game

[Keith]

I will go into lock down, no phone or radio until I can see the dvr'd game
Easier said than done. I have had to be away during gametime for my son's baseball tournaments a couple times this fall, and darn it if Arky's commentary doesn't always call out to me from my smartphone. Plus it doesn't help if others you are with aren't checking their phones for updates, too.

[WMH]

This is nothing short of amazing 3 weeks in, or pharmaceutical.... ;)

From the Chronic:
http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2012/01/only-one-player-misses-texans-practice-yates-brisiel-look-good/

"Kubiak said right guard Mike Brisiel looked so good for the second consecutive practice that he’ll be ready to start against the Bengals. Antoine Caldwell, who started the last three games while Brisiel recovered from surgery to repair a fractured fibula, will return to the bench. Caldwell is expected to play while Brisiel works himself back into playing shape."

[barrett]

Mark Schlereth had a piece today on ESPN where he talked about how Yates is in trouble because of how good Cincinnatti's defense is. He then went on to say they are not very talented but are a very relentless bunch of no names (his words).

Then the amazing part. To show their relentlessness, he shows a sack they got against Yates with less than 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter. It was a coverage sack where they never gave up. So to show how Yates will struggle, he picked out a bad play from the GAME WINNING TD drive Yates led against Cincy. It was about as misleading a use of highlights as I've ever seen. Then he closed out his remarks by saying they were very good against Baltimore EXCEPT for allowing two long TD runs and how those runs were not really even their fault, just that they had issues on those plays with Gap integrity. No mention of how the Texans and Foster take advantage of gap integrity better than any NFL team.

I am not a big believer in Houston right now, but the media dismissal of them for a more broken Cincy team that backed into the last wildcard is amazing me. Especially since Yates beat them already...without Andre...on the road...in his first ever start.

I think our season ends January 15 in Baltimore, but we have more than enough for this Bungles team.

[WMH]

Mark Schlereth had a piece today on ESPN where he talked about how Yates is in trouble because of how good Cincinnatti's defense is. He then went on to say they are not very talented but are a very relentless bunch of no names (his words).

Then the amazing part. To show their relentlessness, he shows a sack they got against Yates with less than 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter. It was a coverage sack where they never gave up. So to show how Yates will struggle, he picked out a bad play from the GAME WINNING TD drive Yates led against Cincy. It was about as misleading a use of highlights as I've ever seen. Then he closed out his remarks by saying they were very good against Baltimore EXCEPT for allowing two long TD runs and how those runs were not really even their fault, just that they had issues on those plays with Gap integrity. No mention of how the Texans and Foster take advantage of gap integrity better than any NFL team.

I am not a big believer in Houston right now, but the media dismissal of them for a more broken Cincy team that backed into the last wildcard is amazing me. Especially since Yates beat them already...without Andre...on the road...in his first ever start.

I think our season ends January 15 in Baltimore, but we have more than enough for this Bungles team.

This is precisely why I have zero respect for the media. So many of them are looking for that "moment" that they seldom report on facts.

[chuck]

'Antoine Caldwell' and 'bench' harmonize beautifully in the same sentence, don't you think?

[Nconroe]

I'm happy Texans and especially AJ made it to playoffs this year.

I guess we have a reasonable chance to win this game.

[HPF Bob]

The Atlanta game was Yates' first start but the Cincy game was his first road start.

[HPF Bob]

Last time the Bengals won a postseason game: 1990

Their opponent: The Houston Oilers.

[HPF Bob]

It may not be a factor but Dalton has struggled with the flu this week. I know from experience that one of the worst things to endure with the flu is a plane flight. The confinement, the cabin pressure, the recirculated air...

[cadams]

maybe someone should offer to drive him down and accidenatlly end up in denver tomorrow morning

[WMH]

Leggo!!!!!!!

[chuck]

I'm sure you guys noticed that the Texans' defense last week was about as pre-season plain as it gets. Simple three- and four-man rushes all day. My takeaway from this is that the defense is going to unleash all sorts of weird formations and blitzes that Cincy won't have on film. I'll be looking forward to this.

[nunusguy]

This is nothing short of amazing 3 weeks in, or pharmaceutical.... ;)

From the Chronic:
http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2012/01/only-one-player-misses-texans-practice-yates-brisiel-look-good/

"Kubiak said right guard Mike Brisiel looked so good for the second consecutive practice that he’ll be ready to start against the Bengals. Antoine Caldwell, who started the last three games while Brisiel recovered from surgery to repair a fractured fibula, will return to the bench. Caldwell is expected to play while Brisiel works himself back into playing shape."
As amazing as this recovery is, what I find just as baffling is how can this guy have the conditioning to contemplate taking most of the snaps
Saturday ? I know he's a pro athlete and a young man, but he's been off of his feet without exercise for a month ? Without regular exercise,
muscle tone normally depreciates very quickly.

[cadams]

As amazing as this recovery is, what I find just as baffling is how can this guy have the conditioning to contemplate taking most of the snaps
Saturday ? I know he's a pro athlete and a young man, but he's been off of his feet without exercise for a month ? Without regular exercise,
muscle tone normally depreciates very quickly.

i don't think he will be taking anywhere near all the snaps though. i think i heard something about a 60/40 split between him and caldwell

[HPF Bob]

I'm sure you guys noticed that the Texans' defense last week was about as pre-season plain as it gets. Simple three- and four-man rushes all day. My takeaway from this is that the defense is going to unleash all sorts of weird formations and blitzes that Cincy won't have on film. I'll be looking forward to this.

I thought the Texans' defense was rather vanilla last week because they didn't want to put anything exotic on film just in case the Titans were also our playoff opponent this week. I agree, if the Texans are going to do anything unusual, it will be this week not last week. But..PLEASE... no white boy reverses and no halfback passes from the 5 yard line.

[NBT]

Vanilla, yes! But the reason, besides Kubiak going Mr. Conservative again, was all the injuries to key players, and the fact that most of the starters (at least on defense) were pulled after the first quarter. Even so the turkey trot Titans barely beat us because we blew the snap on the try for two, when Austin snapped the ball over the QB's head.

This week, as all season - in for a dime, in for a dollar; so I say we win and then beat Baltimore to advance to the AFC Championships. Oh, did I say my glass is still half-full? :D

[barrett]

Vanilla, yes! But the reason, besides Kubiak going Mr. Conservative again, was all the injuries to key players, and the fact that most of the starters (at least on defense) were pulled after the first quarter. Even so the turkey trot Titans barely beat us because we blew the snap on the try for two, when Austin snapped the ball over the QB's head.

This week, as all season - in for a dime, in for a dollar; so I say we win and then beat Baltimore to advance to the AFC Championships. Oh, did I say my glass is still half-full? :D

Kubiak has nothing to do with the defensive calls. If they went conservative it was because the game was meaningless. Not to mention they got good pressure with the 3 and 4 man vanilla rushes.

When Wade was out they talked to Kubs about if he would be more involved with the Defense. He said he would have the same involvement, then explained that meant almost none in terms of game planning and calls. He said all he does is look at their plan from an offensive perspective after they make it and tell them how he would attack it.

Kubs should get almost none of the credit for the defense (except hiring the right guy), and he should get almost none of the blame for the defense other than being ultimately accountable for what causes wins and losses.

[barrett]

I thought the Texans' defense was rather vanilla last week because they didn't want to put anything exotic on film just in case the Titans were also our playoff opponent this week. I agree, if the Texans are going to do anything unusual, it will be this week not last week. But..PLEASE... no white boy reverses and no halfback passes from the 5 yard line.

Are reverses to black players allowed?

[HPF Bob]

Are reverses to black players allowed?

Always, so long as they can run faster than Kevin Walter.

Okay. PLEASE no reverses where Antoine Caldwell carries the ball either! Happy now?

[barrett]

Always, so long as they can run faster than Kevin Walter.

Okay. PLEASE no reverses where Antoine Caldwell carries the ball either! Happy now?

Walter doesn't have a run since 2009 so we are probably safe. Now JJ has run the reverse even worse since then so hopefully we don't go for any bad reverses period.

But James Casey did have a nice run where we motioned him into an empty backfield and gave him a pitch that he took for a first down. It's not a reverse but is it ok if James Casey gets a white boy toss play?

[chuck]

It's not a reverse but is it ok if James Casey gets a white boy toss play?

What Bob complains about aren't reverses, either. Thankfully, along with the halfback pass they seem to have been eliminated from the team's playbook this year.

[HPF Bob]

And I'm aware that Walter hasn't had a carry and that there have been no halfback passes this year. That's why my post was meant to be tongue in cheek and a flashback to past disasters.

But just to set the record straight, Jones had a better YPC in 2009 than Walter, the last year both players were used as runners and Jones does have a 15-yard carry this year.

[angrydre]

I'm a grown man that's so excited about a football game he can't sleep, even at 4 o'clock in the morning. This has been a long time coming, boys!

[barrett]

And I'm aware that Walter hasn't had a carry and that there have been no halfback passes this year. That's why my post was meant to be tongue in cheek and a flashback to past disasters.

But just to set the record straight, Jones had a better YPC in 2009 than Walter, the last year both players were used as runners and Jones does have a 15-yard carry this year.

The reverse is meant to give the backside defenders something to think about, and to make them pay if they don't stay home. Basically the same principal as the bootleg. We run the bootleg so often and so well that the backside is already staying home. It makes our reverses terrible and pointless since we already accomplish all of that. Everytime we run a reverse it's like the OC decided it was time for a gimmick.

[HPF Bob]

The reverse is meant to give the backside defenders something to think about, and to make them pay if they don't stay home. Basically the same principal as the bootleg. We run the bootleg so often and so well that the backside is already staying home. It makes our reverses terrible and pointless since we already accomplish all of that. Everytime we run a reverse it's like the OC decided it was time for a gimmick.

Good point. The bootleg is typically our gateway to the long downfield pass and it wasn't really that effective until we had a credible ground game to draw the edges to leave their position and defend the run.

I'm happy that we've largely abandoned the gimmicks this year although it makes me more worried that one will be tossed out today because we haven't done one yet I'm sure there are gadget plays in our playbook. How about an AJ pass off the WR screen?