View Full Version : Official Texans @ Cowboys Game Thread, 10/5/2014
The 3-1 Texans travel up to AT&T stadium in Dallas this Sunday to take on the 3-1 Cowboys in an early game. The Texans are coming off a home win over the Bills 23-17. The Cowboys are coming off a 38-17 shellacking of the Saints on SNF.
The Texans jumped up 7 spots to #13 in the Week 5 ESPN power rankings (http://espn.go.com/nfl/powerrankings). The Cowboys moved up 8 spots to #10.
TV = CBS (channel 11 local), Sunday, noon, Oct 5
Announcers (http://506sports.com/nfl.php?yr=2014&wk=5) = Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts
The line (http://www.madduxsports.com/nfl-odds.php) = Cowboys (now) by 6 to 7
The public loves the Cowboys here but Dallas hasn't been too hot as a home favorite in the new stadium. The Texans might be the pick to, at least, cover the points. If the Cowboys convincingly throttle the Texans, then they would appear to be a real contender and seemingly playoff-bound....
HPF Bob
10-01-2014, 06:01 PM
To win, the Texans will need to:
a) limit turnovers.
b) establish the run game.
c) play against "Bad Romo" instead of "Good Romo".
Failure to do any of those three and I think they'll lose.
Nconroe
10-01-2014, 06:04 PM
Texans seem to have a lot of guys fairly bruised and sat out practice today
Wednesday (10/1/14)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
CB A.J. Bouye Groin
T Duane Brown Knee
OLB Jadeveon Clowney Knee
LB Brian Cushing Knee
RB Arian Foster Hamstring
DE Tim Jamison Groin
WR Andre Johnson Ankle
G Ben Jones Knee
P Shane Lechler L. Hip
CB Darryl Morris Ankle
S Eddie Pleasant Ankle
DE J.J. Watt Thigh
I expect a close well played game and perhaps Texans can win the turn over battle.
Seems the Texans and Cowboys have a very similar schedule and strength of schedule for this year.
Nconroe
10-01-2014, 07:45 PM
So, how is Texans OL doing so far?
Overall not bad, but seems to me they could do a better job opening holes for the run game, giving Fitz a little more time for passes, and reducing penalties,
Looks like almost no substituions going in along the OL so far.
Houston scout blog site had these stats so far through four games:
Duane Brown Ben Jones Chris Myers Brandon Brooks Derek Newton
QB Hits 5 1 0 0 2
QB Hit/Snap 54.2 273.0 N/a N/a 136.5
QB Hurries 6 6 3 3 7
QB Hurries/Snap 45.2 45.5 91 91 39
QB Sacks 0 1 1 0 0
Snaps 271 273 273 273 273
Penalties 4 0 2 4 1
Texans offensive line penalties }
Duane Brown (4) Offensive Pass interference, False Start, Unnecessary Roughness, Offside on Free Kick
Brandon Brooks (4) False Start, Illegal Use of Hands, Chop Block, Holding
Chris Myers (2) Holding x 2
Derek Newton (1) Offensive Holding
HPF Bob
10-05-2014, 05:15 AM
Saw a tweet on Friday that Foster was listed as probable and AJ was listed as questionable. Clowney is out for this game and the Colts game Thursday. Expected to return after that.
Ya, Cowboys today, Colts on Thursday. The Ravens, playing the Colts today, look pretty formidable so far and might just beat the Colts.
After the Thursday game against the Colts, it's 10-11 days till the Texans play the Steelers on MNF. After that, no mo' prime time - noon starts the rest of the year...
Here we go...
--------------------------
Manning downs the kickoff in the end zone, touchback. Texan's ball at their 20.
Flag presnap. False start on Fido, -5. 1st and 15 coming up.
Foster for no gain.
Pass to Hopkins good for almost 5. 3rd and 10 coming up.
Fitz is pressured and throws it away, inc. Texans have to punt.
Cowboys bring the punt back to their 36 yard line. Cowboy's ball. Flag down against the Cowboys on the return. Ball at the Cowboy 9 yard line.
Murray for no gain. 2nd and 10 coming up.
Pass to Bryant is ruled inc. 3rd and 10 coming up.
Dumpoff to Murray goes inc. Cowboys will have to punt.
K Martin fair catches the punt at the Texan 40. Texan's ball.
Quick pass to Griffin goes for 8.
Pass to AJ over the middle goes inc. 3rd and 2 coming up.
Pass to AJ goes for 12 and the 1st down at the Cowboy 40.
Oy, Fitz throws the INT in the flat. Cowboys take over at their 34 yard line.
11:12 left in the 1st qtr.
Murray for 5.
Pass to Beasley good for 4.
On 3rd and 1, Murray plows for 5.
Murray for 1.
Romo hits Harris for 18 and a 1st down.
Murray for 5. Ball at the Texan 28.
Romo sacked by Cushing! Brings up 3rd and 13.
Pass to Bryant goes for 14 and the 1st down.
Screen to Harris gets 4. 2nd and 6 coming up.
Murray gets 5. 3rd and 1 coming up.
Murray coughs it up! Recovered by Tuggle! Texan's ball at the Cowboy 14.
Foster for 2.
Pass to Hopkins gets 7. 3rd and 1 coming up.
Foster gets the 1 for the 1st down.
Foster for about 14.
Foster for 3. 2nd and 7 coming up.
Fitz scrambles for about 7 but flag on B Jones for holding. Makes it 2nd and 17 coming up.
Pass is tipped and goes inc. 3rd and 17 coming up.
Draw to Foster goes for about 14..... Texans will have to punt.
Harris brings the ball back to about the Cowboy 29 but holding on the Cowboys places the ball at the Cowboy 6.
22 seconds left in the 1st qtr.
Keith
10-05-2014, 12:42 PM
Watt getting doubled regularly. Kareem looked like he took a stinger to his shoulder tackling Dez Bryant.
Not sure about Romeo choosing to drop 9 into coverage on Romo... he can be rattled.
Pass to Bryant gets 2.
End of the 1st qtr.
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On 2nd and 8, pass to Williams bounces inc. 3rd and 8 coming up.
Pass to Witten gets 9 and the 1st down.
Murray gets 5 up the gut.
Pass to Murray off his hands, inc. 3rd and 5 coming up.
Dumpoff to Murray gets 10 and the 1st down.
Murray goes left for 9. 2nd and 1 coming up. Ball at the Cowboy 42.
Randle(?) for 2 and the 1st down.
Randle for 2.
On 2nd an 8, Romo dumps off to Witten for a gain of 4. 3rd and 4 coming up.
Pass to Bryant too high, inc. Cowboys will have to punt from midfield.
K Martin brings the punt back to the Texan 11. Texan's ball.
Blue for 4.
Blue for 5. 3rd and 1 coming up.
Fitz sneaks for the 2 and a 1st down.
Pass to AJ off the mark, inc. 2nd and 10 coming up.
Pass to Hopkins gets 5 but flag down.....D Brown downfield (ineligible), -5. Makes it 2nd and 15 coming up.
Screen to AJ just gets 3. 3rd and 12 coming up.
Flags presnap.... Delay of game on the Texans, -5. Makes it 3rd and 17 coming up.
Foster gets 3 or 4 on the draw. Texans will have to punt.
Punt is returned and fumbled! Texans recover! Blue on the recovery. Illegal block in the back on Cowboys is declined. Texan's ball at the Cowboy 43.
Gotta take advantage of these TO's....
Pass to AJ down the sideline inc. 2nd and 10 coming up.
Screen to Hopkins only goes for 2. 3rd and 8 coming up at the Cowboy 41.
Pass over the middle to D Johnson goes inc. Texans to punt.
Punt goes into the end zone, touchback. Cowboy's ball at their 20.
4:48 left in the half.
Pass to Williams goes for 28.
Murray for 7.
Murray for about 6. Ball at the Texan 39.
Murray for 4. 2nd and 6 coming up.
2 minute warning.
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Screen to Beasley goes for 8 and the 1st down.
Murray plows for 4. 2nd and 6 coming up.
Pass to Bryant gets 2. 3rd and 4 coming up. Ball at the Texan 21. Timeout Cowboys at the 1:01 mark.
Romo's pass to Beasley good for 8 and the 1st down at the Texan 13.
Flags presnap. False start, Cowboys, -5. 1st and 15 coming up. Cowboys use a timeout (#2) w/35 seconds left in the half.
Romo's pass is dropped by Williams near the goal line.
On 2nd and 15, dumpoff pass to Murray gets maybe 3. Cowboys use their last timeout with 23 seconds left in the half.
On 3rd and 12, pass in the endzone to Williams broken up by Hal, inc. Cowboys to go for the FG.
Bailey's 33 yard FG is good.
Cowboys 3, Texans 0
11 seconds left in the half.
The ensuing kickoff goes out of the end zone, touchback. Texan's ball at their 20.
Texans kneel it.
Halftime.
HPF Bob
10-05-2014, 01:22 PM
I still can't figure out if I'm watching a bad good team or a good bad team with these Texans. I keep thinking the score should be worse than it is almost every week and yet we are still in this. Three points down on the road - we just need a couple of big plays if we can get them.
Halftime stats:
Passing: 6/13, 36 yards, 1 INT
Rushing: Foster 7/40, Blue 2/9
Receiving: AJ 2/14, Hopkins 3/14, Griffin 1/8
Tackles: KJ 7, JJo 4, Swearinger/Tuggle/Cush 3 each, Lewis/Reed/Tarpinian/Mercilus 2 each
1st downs: Texans 4, Cowboys 10
Time of possession: Texans 12:22, Cowboys 17:38
Total yards: Texans 86, Cowboys 165
3rd down efficiency: Texans 3/7, Cowboys 5/9
Red zone: Texans 0/0, Cowboys 0/2
Penalties: Texans 4/25, Cowboys 3/21
Turnovers: Texans 1, Cowboys 2
Keith
10-05-2014, 01:27 PM
I still can't figure out if I'm watching a bad good team or a good bad team with these Texans.
You're watching a great defense and a bad offense.
The Texans need to pound the ball more. The Cowboys are suspect vs the run, and the team seems too happy to keep letting Fitzpatrick throw behind his receivers.
2nd half kickoff sails out of the end zone, touchback. Cowboy's ball at their 20.
-----------------------
Murray for about 3.
Pass to Bryant good for 4. 3rd and 3 coming up.
Pass to Beasley gets the 3 and the 1st down.
Murray for 5. 2nd and 5 coming up.
Pass to Williams off the mark, inc. 3rd and 5 coming up.
Deep ball to Bryant sails over his head, inc. Cowboys will have to punt.
K Martin brings the punt back to about the Texan 29. Texan's ball.
Keith
10-05-2014, 01:42 PM
Pound, pound.
TD Foster!
Foster for 5.
Foster for 2. 3rd and 3 coming up.
Fitz hits Hop for 12 and the 1st down.
Foster for 4. 2nd and 6 coming up. Ball in Cowboy territory.
Foster busts one for 33! Ball at the Cowboy 15.
Foster plows it in from 15! Touchdown!
Texans 7, Cowboys 3
8:49 left in the 3rd qtr.
The ensuing kickoff is brought out to about the Cowboy 22. Cowboy's ball.
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Dumpoff to Murray gets 5. JJo injured on the play.
On 2nd and 5, Murray gets 4 but flag down. Holding on the Cowboys, -10. Makes it 2nd and 15 coming up.
Romo's pass to Witten complete for 34 yards. Ball at midfield.
Murray for 6. 2nd and 4 coming up.
Romo's deep pass to Williams in the end zone goes for the TD. Dang, Watt missed the sack, Lewis fall down in coverage....
Cowboys 10, Texans 7
6:08 left in the 3rd qtr.
The ensuing kickoff is downed by Manning in the end zone. Texan's ball at their 20.
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Foster caught for -1.
Foster gets loose for a nice gainer (18 yards) but Brooks was holding. Makes it 2nd and 21.
Blue for 1. 3rd and 20 coming up.
Screen to AJ goes for 14. Texans will have to punt.
Cowboys bring the punt back to their 39 yard line. Cowboy's ball.
chuck
10-05-2014, 02:01 PM
It's just absolutely mind boggling that both OGs have been called for killer penalties yet the 33rd overall pick is standing around on the sideline making as much impact on the game as I am. What do we have to show from the draft, Andre Hal? Disgusting.
Murray for 8. 2nd and 2 coming up. About 3 minutes left in the 3rd qtr.
Murray for 10 and a 1st down.
Murray for 2.
Pass to Bryant goes for 11 and the 1st down.
Murray TFL'ed by Swearinger. Makes it 2nd and 11 coming up.
Pass to Witten gets 12 and the 1st down at the Texan 20.
End of the 3rd qtr.
Murray for no gain. Brings up 2nd and 10.
Lewis with the INT! Texans get the ball at their 8 yard line!
Foster for maybe 2. 2nd and 8 coming up.
Foster for 2. Brings up 3rd and 6.
Dumpoff to Graham only gets 4. Texans will have to punt.
Harris brings the punt all the way back to the Texan 30. Cowboy's ball.
Murray goes right side for 17. Ball at the Texan 13.
Murray for 6. 2nd and 4 coming up.
Murray gets 5. 1st and goal at the Texan 2.
Bryant pushes off for the TD pass from Romo.
Cowboys 17, Texans 7
9:44 left in the game.
The ensuing kickoff is brought out by Manning to the Texan 13. Texan's ball.
----------------------------------
Foster for 11.
Foster for 5. 2nd and 5 coming up.
Pass to AJ goes to the 40 yard line for a 1st down.
Foster sweeps left for 3.
Pass to Hopkins goes to the Cowboy 39. 1st down.
Foster for no gain.
Dumpoff to Foster only gets 1. 3rd and 9 coming up.
Pass to K Martin goes for aobut 5. Texans to go for it on 4th and 4.
Pass to Foster goes for 16 and the 1st down at the Cowboy 17.
Blue for 4. About 3.5 minutes left in the game.
Fitz scrambles for 1. 3rd and 5 coming up.
Fitz's pass off the mark, inc. Texans to go for the FG.
Bullock's 29-yarder is good but just 2:27 left in the game.
Cowboys 17, Texans 10
The ensuing Texan's kickoff is downed in the end zone, touchback. Cowboy's ball at their 20.
---------------------------------
Murray for 1. Timeout Texans (#1). 2:23 left in the game.
Delay of game on the Cowboys, -5. 2nd and 14 coming up.
Screen to Harris goes for 8. 3rd and 6 coming up. Texans use timeout #2.
Romo's pass sails inc down the sideline. Flag down on Romo for intentional grounding. Cowboys will have to punt from their end zone w/2:10 remaining.
K Martin brings the punt back to the Cowboy 45.
2 minute warning.
Screen to AJ goes for 20.
Pass to Hopkins goes to the 6 yard line.
Foster to the 1. 2nd and goal at the 1.
Foster punches it in!
Texans 17, Cowboys 17
41 seconds left in the game.
Bullock's ensuing kickoff is brought out to the Cowboy 17. Cowboy's ball.
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Dumpoff to Murray goes for 8. 29 seconds left in the game.
Dumpoff to Murray goes for 16. 23 seconds left in the game.
Screen to Bryant is dropped, inc. 2nd and 10 coming up.
Pass to Murray goes for 15. Ball at the Texan 45. 12 seconds left in the game.
Pass to Bryant goes for 8. Ball at the Texan 37. 7 seconds left in the game.
Murray for 2. 3 seconds left. Cowboys use their last timeout. Cowboys to attempt the 53 yard FG.
Texans use their last timeout.
Bailey's 53-yarder is no good.....Eheh.
Let's go to OT....
Keith
10-05-2014, 02:57 PM
Didn't care much for that prevent D in the Cowboys' final drive of regulation, but final result was a long, missed field goal.
Nice to see all the Battle Red in the stands in Arlington.
Texans win the toss in OT and will receive.
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The kickoff sails out of the end zone, touchback. Texans will have the ball at their 20.
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Foster pops loose for 24.
Foster for 6. 2nd and 4 coming up. Ball at midfield.
Blue for 2. 3rd and 2 coming up.
Pass to Foster goes inc. Texans will punt.
Punt is touched at the 20 yard line but holding on the Cowboys backs it up more. Cowboys will have the ball at their 9.5 yard line.
Murray for 5. 2nd and 5 coming up.
Pass to Bryant gets 4. 3rd and 1 coming up.
Murray gets 11 and the 1st down. Ball at the Cowboy 30.
Romo's pass off the mark, inc. 2nd and 10 coming up.
Timeout Dallas.
Murray for 1. Brings up 3rd and 9.
Jeez, Romo throws it up for grabs and Bryant comes down with it. Big gainer. Ball at the Texan 31.
Murray for no gain.
Murray for no gain. Brings up 3rd and 10. Bailey on for the FG on 3rd down.
Bailey's 49-yarder is good.
Final score:
Cowboys 20, Texans 17
----------------------
Dang, a winnable game slips away.......
chuck
10-05-2014, 03:17 PM
The team has to blitz to get any sort of pass rush and the secondary is vulnerable. The OLBs are invisible and the injuries to the secondary have really hurt.
On the bright side Foster ran a lot better against a good defense than I thought he would.
Year after year after year of terrible drafts is impossible to overcome.
barrett
10-05-2014, 03:30 PM
Chuck, the roster is turned over when a new staff arrives. Recent bad drafts may have helped Kubiak get fired (yay!), but they have little to do with today. This year's draft is the only truly relevant one to this team. Clowney's absence when we continue to get nothing from our OLB is rough. If he isn't healthy and having an impact this year, we blew the pick. Fitzpatrick's incompetence is an issue with the draft this year since we could have addressed that need in the draft.
As for the secondary, they played great today even with everyone hurt. We gave up 1 TD when Watt couldn't bring down a gimp (even JJ makes mistakes I guess), and we gave up a long play in OT when a superhuman player made a superhuman play. Even the other TD was an obvious penalty and a better/healthier CB is not going to get pushed any less by Dez Bryant. None of that is on the secondary, even with all the injuries.
The truth is I am just not that invested in this team winning or losing right now. We have no QB and it's all pretend until we do. Until then I will have fun watching but I have zero expectations no matter how many wins we steal.
chuck
10-05-2014, 03:41 PM
This team has very little talent and no depth at all. Bad drafting has almost everything to do with that.
Anyone who's invested in this team winning is mentally ill.
barrett
10-05-2014, 03:51 PM
I understand the bad drafting (especially on middle round picks) leaves us hurting, but when you start over with a new staff you turn over the roster anyways. Good drafting those years means we are watching a different coach/qb/team. We are not. This is year 1 and everything going forward is what I can realistically evaluate an O'Brien team on.
Either way the lack of DB depth and OLB talent is not what I finger when we give up 20 points in an OT game and our offense has less that 100 yards of passing offense in the 4th quarter. This team played great on defense today. This team played terrible on offense like we do every week. That is not because of draft issues (unless you count not drafting a QB).
chuck
10-05-2014, 04:19 PM
My overall point has always been unless the team miraculously figures out how to have at least average drafts they will always suck. They wasted Andre's career and I suspect we'll watch them waste JJ's.
HPF Bob
10-05-2014, 04:58 PM
I can't criticize JJo's coverage on the catch by Dez.
I did feel like if we did not cash in on the first OT possession, we were going to lose because our defense looked spent.
We busted two great runs with Foster and I wondered why we got away from it if they couldn't stop it. 2 downs, 2 yards. I wanted them to go for it on fourth down either way and if it failed, it only shortened the death march in the other direction.
As for the draft, let's see what Clowney has after he comes back in two weeks. I heard Su's-Filo did play in the second half but I didn't see how much. Fedorowicz made rookie mistakes but also made some good blocks on the edge.
chuck
10-05-2014, 05:24 PM
Su'a-Filo played one series.
Early lines (http://www.madduxsports.com/nfl-odds.php) are coming in on the Thursday Night game. Looks like the Colts are being favored by 2.5 to 3.
---------------------------------------------
Foster was brilliant today. Hope he's got something left for the Colts....
barrett
10-05-2014, 06:52 PM
My overall point has always been unless the team miraculously figures out how to have at least average drafts they will always suck. They wasted Andre's career and I suspect we'll watch them waste JJ's.
And I think wasting AJ's career had little to do with the draft and some perceived team wide lack of talent. I think the wasting of JJ's career has little to do with the same.
We have played 5 games and not one of those teams was more talented than us outside of the QB position. Today we lost in OT on the road when their QB was 10Xs better than us. That is not the sign of some talent deficient team.
We are losing because we have no QB. It is a drafting issue because we ignored it in the draft, but we have plenty of secondary depth and OLB production to win if we had a league average QB. We have plenty of everything to win a lot if we had a top 10 QB (Andy Dalton/Tony Romo range). We have enough talent to win a superbowl if we had a truly elite top 3 QB. This roster is no worse than the Ravens team that won 2 years ago or either Giants team, or the Packers team. Flawed teams win the superbowl almost every year. We are a flawed team, but we are good enough to win if we properly address the QB problem (hardest thing to do in football and trying to address it is no guarantee we will).
nunusguy
10-05-2014, 07:04 PM
Su'a-Filo played one series.
C'mon now, we are gonna write-off the entire Draft already ? Sure, I'm with you in being very disappointed about it to this point, but we just played the first game of the second quarter of O'Biren's rookie season, that's all, his career here in Houston is most likely in its embryonic stage - it takes time in this league to develop a winner and a winning record thru winning Drafts. And it takes time to effectively analyze a Draft, can't do it in one month, and certainly not the first month.
chuck
10-05-2014, 09:22 PM
Su'a-Filo's kicking Bennie Joppru's ass, that's for sure.
HPF Bob
10-05-2014, 09:51 PM
I disagree that the only thing missing is a great QB. I don't think the OL is very good. The TEs are ordinary at best. We let ordinary backs (not Murray, I'm thinking of previous weeks) gash big gains against us and the DBs, while much improved, still scare me except JJo. I don't think we were nearly as bad as the 2-14 record we had last year but I don't think we're as good as the 3-2 record we have now. This is not playoff caliber and I don't care what quarterback you drop into the huddle, it's still not a playoff team. By next year, maybe. But not now.
Keith
10-05-2014, 11:23 PM
Tough loss, but the Cowboys won with 3 unique plays where if any of them don't go in their favor, maybe they don't win.
1. The heaving hail mary from Romo as J.J. Watt misses what seems to be an automatic sack.
2. The OPI that wasn't called on the TD to Dez.
3. The heaving hail mary to Dez in OT where Joseph had wonderful coverage... the ball just fell onto Dez to set up the game-winning field goal.
Bottom line is that this is a road loss for the Texans to an NFC opponent. The Texans are 3-0 vs. AFC opponents. Their biggest game of the season is Thursday at home against the Colts. Win that, and this can be an interesting season.
Lastly, congrats to the fans who met Ebola risks head on and made the trip to Arlington. I cannot remember a NFL game where visiting fans had such a presence... maybe Cowboys fans at Arizona games during their Lombardi runs in the 90s. These are fans though of a 2-14 team a year ago, not some Emmitt and Troy bandwagonning jock chompers who already live in a state where NFL hadn't existed the decade previous.
Nconroe
10-05-2014, 11:52 PM
Foster really had a good game today.
And seems some blame play calling of going away from Arian for atleast one reason we had the loss in overtime.
And defense won the turnover battle so that helped make it an exciting game. Two turnovers by defense and one turnover by special teams.
Hopefully the dumb penalties which gave us long yardage on 3rd down can be cleaned up as new coaches learn players and players learn the new playbook.
barrett
10-06-2014, 08:18 AM
I disagree that the only thing missing is a great QB. I don't think the OL is very good. The TEs are ordinary at best. We let ordinary backs (not Murray, I'm thinking of previous weeks) gash big gains against us and the DBs, while much improved, still scare me except JJo. I don't think we were nearly as bad as the 2-14 record we had last year but I don't think we're as good as the 3-2 record we have now. This is not playoff caliber and I don't care what quarterback you drop into the huddle, it's still not a playoff team. By next year, maybe. But not now.
I don't get the OL griping (and I can't believe you and Chuck agree on something).
In the 3 games with a healthy Arian Foster we are rushing for over 150 yards per game while allowing ZERO sacks. All with Fitzpatrick at QB. This is a good OL.
As for the run defense, I agree it's soft, but I'm not particularly worried about it. I can remember 2 games in the last 2 years where I'd call the run defense a major factor in a loss (and we've lost 16 games in that time). Oddly, both of those games featured Rashad Jennings running wild on us. But even if you think it's been a problem more often, it doesn't change the fact we are allowing the 4th fewest points per game in the NFL. That is good enough to be a playoff team if we had league average QB production.
Our OL has blocked and protected, we have good skill position guys, our defense has played great. There are 10 positions we can/need to upgrade. Guess what, the Broncos have a bunch of spots they need to upgrade, and so do the other 11 eventual playoff teams this year. Flawed teams win superbowls, and seriously flawed teams make the playoffs every year.
The Colts have a terrible Roster, draft worse than us (Bjeorn Werner?), wasted money in FA, traded a first round pick for a 3 ypc RB, and will be a threat every year because they have a QB.
This Texans team has one huge problem that hamstrings us and we didn't even try to address it.
HPF Bob
10-06-2014, 09:41 AM
The lack of sacks is actually a credit to Fitzpatrick. How often have we seen him get the throw off a half second before getting flattened or had to run for his life to pick up yardage or throw the ball away?
The Texans aren't like the Broncos where their QB's jersey is clean and neatly pressed after 60 minutes. Fitz is taking hits. But part of that is a difference in release (all on the QB) and a lack of open receivers (all on the receivers) so the line isn't totally to blame but it's not like the lack of sacks is because our OL has been some impenetrable wall.
BTW, nice hold by Brandon Brooks to erase that key run late in the game. Nice "man downfield" penalty on Brown during that bubble screen.
Joshua
10-06-2014, 10:04 AM
The lack of sacks is actually a credit to Fitzpatrick. How often have we seen him get the throw off a half second before getting flattened or had to run for his life to pick up yardage or throw the ball away?
The Texans aren't like the Broncos where their QB's jersey is clean and neatly pressed after 60 minutes. Fitz is taking hits. But part of that is a difference in release (all on the QB) and a lack of open receivers (all on the receivers) so the line isn't totally to blame but it's not like the lack of sacks is because our OL has been some impenetrable wall.
BTW, nice hold by Brandon Brooks to erase that key run late in the game. Nice "man downfield" penalty on Brown during that bubble screen.
Come on, you can't give Fitzpatrick credit for avoiding sacks then turn around and downplay Peyton freakin' Manning's ability to do the same. Peyton is probably the best to ever play the game at getting rid of the ball. He's made countless pedestrian linemen look like hall of famers.
Agree with Barrett. It all depends on the QB. Get a good-to-great one and this team is good enough. Keep trotting out mediocre ones and you can fill in gaps till the cows come home but you'll likely never be more than first round fodder. Take last year, the 4 AFC teams playing on wildcard weekend were Indy, KC, Chargers and Bengals. Setting aside the QB position, which of these teams would you trade rosters with? I'm not sure I would trade with any of them.
barrett
10-06-2014, 10:29 AM
The lack of sacks is actually a credit to Fitzpatrick. How often have we seen him get the throw off a half second before getting flattened or had to run for his life to pick up yardage or throw the ball away?
The Texans aren't like the Broncos where their QB's jersey is clean and neatly pressed after 60 minutes. Fitz is taking hits. But part of that is a difference in release (all on the QB) and a lack of open receivers (all on the receivers) so the line isn't totally to blame but it's not like the lack of sacks is because our OL has been some impenetrable wall.
BTW, nice hold by Brandon Brooks to erase that key run late in the game. Nice "man downfield" penalty on Brown during that bubble screen.
You're right Bob. Why would I let facts get in the way of a gut feeling.
Even if you count the games without Foster we are 4th in the NFL for fewest sacks allowed and the 3 teams ahead of us have all played 1 less game. And we still run for 127 ypg even with those games. There is no way a team can be above average in every imaginable OL category and have a bad OL.
And if you want to insist that it's Fitzpatrick's greatness, the guy is being sacked half as often on this team as he has been in his career.
Nconroe
10-06-2014, 02:36 PM
I'd agree if we had Luck or Rodgers or perhaps Wilson at QB this team would be good enough for playoffs and perhaps with a few lucky bounces to Super Bowl.
But I don't see any of top 4 QB drafted this past draft as being that good. But maybe, who knows 2 or 3 years from now.
And I like how scrappy Fitzpatrick is, he and team needs a lot more consistency if we are going to win games this year.
The salary cap is one reason lost many good drafted players the past 5 years,hoping that is under control for building the next several years.
The lack of sacks is actually a credit to Fitzpatrick. How often have we seen him get the throw off a half second before getting flattened or had to run for his life to pick up yardage or throw the ball away?
The Texans aren't like the Broncos where their QB's jersey is clean and neatly pressed after 60 minutes. Fitz is taking hits. But part of that is a difference in release (all on the QB) and a lack of open receivers (all on the receivers) so the line isn't totally to blame but it's not like the lack of sacks is because our OL has been some impenetrable wall.
BTW, nice hold by Brandon Brooks to erase that key run late in the game. Nice "man downfield" penalty on Brown during that bubble screen.
If it makes you feel any better, Teddy Johnson of 610 radio agrees with you. The Texans had 5 penalties yesterday, all on the offense. The defense had a big goose egg.
So, what was the bone of contention again? The Texan OL: not very good or good? :rolleyes:
IMHO, the OL is not the #1 problem with the offense but the whole group can be very dysfunctional at times...
Warren
10-06-2014, 05:13 PM
Lastly, congrats to the fans who met Ebola risks head on and made the trip to Arlington. I cannot remember a NFL game where visiting fans had such a presence... maybe Cowboys fans at Arizona games during their Lombardi runs in the 90s. These are fans though of a 2-14 team a year ago, not some Emmitt and Troy bandwagonning jock chompers who already live in a state where NFL hadn't existed the decade previous.Very impressive performance by the Texans fans at NRG Stadium North -- the Cowboys had to use a silent snap count at home (http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/cowboys-go-to-silent-count-because-of-opponent-crowd-noise-----in-dallas-214256522.html).
Very impressive performance by the Texans fans at NRG Stadium North -- the Cowboys had to use a silent snap count at home (http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/cowboys-go-to-silent-count-because-of-opponent-crowd-noise-----in-dallas-214256522.html).
I was at the game, and yes, it was very impressive. It was truly a 50/50 crowd, maybe 60/40, but it definitely made an impact.
As for as the actual game, tale of 2 halves for the O, solid effort for the D all the way around. I'm sure they were gassed. I thought the O played pretty decent in the 2nd half. Haven't watched the DVR yet, so TV may have shown otherwise.
If our anemic O can put together even 3 of 4 quarters, we sholuld be competitive in more games than not, even with our schedule.
chuck
10-06-2014, 09:00 PM
IMHO, the OL is not the #1 problem with the offense but the whole group can be very dysfunctional at times...
No, clearly the main problem with the offense is that we don't have an elite quarterback, or even a top-half quarterback. Again, I harp on the OL because this is an area of concern and the team has done a poor job trying to address it. The team obviously agrees with me that their interior line play sucks otherwise they wouldn't have drafted Disappear-O. Hell, the interior line play is so poor that we haven't even had time to bitch about Newton (who's been playing pretty well, actually).
No, clearly the main problem with the offense is that we don't have an elite quarterback, or even a top-half quarterback. Again, I harp on the OL because this is an area of concern and the team has done a poor job trying to address it. The team obviously agrees with me that their interior line play sucks otherwise they wouldn't have drafted Disappear-O. Hell, the interior line play is so poor that we haven't even had time to bitch about Newton (who's been playing pretty well, actually).
I thought that is what I suggested (no QB).
Re: OL, in pass protection you may have a point but Foster is one of only two RB's that's averaging 100+yds/gm. They're doing something right.
Who's your gripe against specifically on the OL? Brown, Myers and Newton (these days) are usually steady. B Jones? B Brooks?
Nconroe
10-07-2014, 03:17 AM
Maybe I'm wrong but I think Duane Brown has the most penalties this year with either 7 or 8.
nunusguy
10-07-2014, 09:49 AM
Foster got > 150 yards and Fitzgerald was not sacked a single time, so that's not a shabby performance by the OLine by anybodies definition.
But our QB obviously has limited passing skills, but if he and Foster were just on the same page when it came to passing plays to Foster, that could have been the difference in the game on two very critical plays.
popanot
10-07-2014, 03:19 PM
95% of the time Fitzpatrick's throws are off target. It's hard for me to even recall maybe 2 or 3 passes where he actually lead the WR in stride. The worst part about him is he has played just well enough to stay on the field.
I'm fairly certain Mallett isn't the long-term answer, but it sure would be nice to see him get some snaps just to see if he's any better and to see what we have in him.
barrett
10-07-2014, 04:05 PM
95% of the time Fitzpatrick's throws are off target. It's hard for me to even recall maybe 2 or 3 passes where he actually lead the WR in stride. The worst part about him is he has played just well enough to stay on the field.
I'm fairly certain Mallett isn't the long-term answer, but it sure would be nice to see him get some snaps just to see if he's any better and to see what we have in him.
I agree. I find myself secretly rooting against Fitzpatrick, who I kind of like as a player, just because I am eager to see (and likely dismiss), the other 2 QBs on the roster. At least a young, unproven guy offers hope. An older, mediocre guy is only ever going to be mediocre. Although Lovie Smith was able to convince himself a mediocre 30 something year old (McCown) was secretly good despite a decade that proved otherwise.
Keith
10-07-2014, 08:07 PM
I get it, Fitzy is limited. But I am not ready to say things like y'all are posting until the team starts losing a couple division games.
The Texans are 3-0 vs. AFC opponents right now and get the Colts at home on a short week in a couple days. Why experiment so soon?
Y'all are posting like the 2014 season is already fait accompli. They've played five games and have been competitive thru 4.5 of them, only losing road games to non-conference opponents. Don't throw dirt on them yet.
barrett
10-07-2014, 09:11 PM
I get it, Fitzy is limited. But I am not ready to say things like y'all are posing until the team starts losing a couple division games.
The Texans are 3-0 vs. AFC opponents right now and get the Colts at home on a short week in a couple days. Why experiment so soon?
Y'all are posting like the 2014 season is already fait accompli. They've played five games and have been competitive thru 4.5 of them, only losing road games to non-conference opponents. Don't throw dirt on them yet.
I don't want it to happen yet. I am happy to watch competitive football. I am glad we are over achievers for the first time in Franchise history. I hope we can watch meaningful football all season. Last year was terrible. If we never get a chance to look at the rest of our QB roster because we are playoff competitive to the end I'll be happy. I just think no matter how well coached, or high effort we are this year, no matter how many wins we steal, it's a bit of a lame duck season. Foster, AJ, and Fitz are the cornerstones of this offense, and the odds of any of them being on this team in 2 years are almost zero. It is hard to really invest in a team of place holders, no matter how likable those place holders are.
So I will enjoy our relevance all season, and maybe into a first round playoff game in the weak AFC. But I am already more excited about guys like Blue and Morris than Foster and JJ. I already want answers about Jones as a Center more than I want to see 11 more games of Myers being reliable. Like you said, this team is far from dead, but I am just much more excited about the limitless future than the surprisingly above average present.
HPF Bob
10-08-2014, 02:13 PM
I don't want it to happen yet. I am happy to watch competitive football. I am glad we are over achievers for the first time in Franchise history. I hope we can watch meaningful football all season. Last year was terrible. If we never get a chance to look at the rest of our QB roster because we are playoff competitive to the end I'll be happy. I just think no matter how well coached, or high effort we are this year, no matter how many wins we steal, it's a bit of a lame duck season. Foster, AJ, and Fitz are the cornerstones of this offense, and the odds of any of them being on this team in 2 years are almost zero. It is hard to really invest in a team of place holders, no matter how likable those place holders are.
So I will enjoy our relevance all season, and maybe into a first round playoff game in the weak AFC. But I am already more excited about guys like Blue and Morris than Foster and JJ. I already want answers about Jones as a Center more than I want to see 11 more games of Myers being reliable. Like you said, this team is far from dead, but I am just much more excited about the limitless future than the surprisingly above average present.
I can agree with most of this and, unlike Chuck, I haven't given up on this year's draft class. Nix may wind up being the next Joppru and Clowney could become ordinary as soon as he loses that quick first step but I still like most of what was done in the draft even though, as usual, these weren't the guys I was pinning my hopes on.
And, yes, we'd all love a super QB to lead the team but it's likely there were no great QBs in this year's draft and I'm not gobsmacked by any of the ones I see coming out of college next year either. I got to watch Mariota and Hundley last weekend and wasn't greatly impressed by either one in losing efforts. The great ones pull those sort of games out down the stretch.
popanot
10-09-2014, 12:21 PM
I don't think saying Fitz sucks and is painful to watch is saying I give up and want the season to tank like last year. I'll even go so far as saying I'd rather watch a .400 team of young potential than a .600 team knowing it'll never achieve anything but mediocrity.
We have 3 W's. All three against crappy teams and two of which were because of good D and in spite of our offense. In our two losses, save for one half of Foster-of-yore running game, the O was again pathetic - especially the QB and passing game play. I'm wanting more. Can Mallett give us more? I don't know, but I'd certainly be excited in watching and finding out. Maybe he's not ready yet. But when he is, which will hopefully be before or after the bye, we traded for him so let's see what he's got. I can't imagine he'd be any worse than .500 or more boring to watch than Fitz. I'll have to admit, watching Fitz is a little less boring than watching the David Carr era after Year 1. Worst case is Mallett sucks and we go back to Fitz knowing for sure we need a new QB next year.
Foster, AJ, Meyers are a little different, IMO, because I can envision a scenario where they're still here next year if we can get some decent QB play or have hope at QB. No way Fitz is here next year, so let's move on with the QB progression. Next man up!
popanot
10-09-2014, 12:27 PM
And let me just add, I highly doubt we'll see Mallett until after the bye or unless something happens to Fitz or he just totally stinks up the joint.
barrett
10-09-2014, 01:54 PM
Foster has a $9 million cap hit next year. If he is cut it would be $4 million in cap savings (9 minus the 5 million in dead money). He will also be 29 before next season starts. It is possible he survives one more year, but probably not. And either way he is gone by 2016. So even though I love Arian Foster and would probably call him my favorite offensive Texan ever, I am ready to see him move on since he is not a part of the plans for when this team is winning 2nd round playoff games and beyond in the glorious Bill O'Brien future I see through my Battle Red colored glasses.
Myers could easily be back. I just mentioned him because Ben Jones stands in the way of Su'a-Filo, but there is a chance Jones could play center (didn't he play it in college). The perfect scenario is the rookie develops into a great LG and Jones is far better at C than he is at LG. Now I am not even sure we have 1 good interior OL, let alone 3, but this is the type of season where I want to see that question answered definitively. The same is true with Morris/Bouye, Nix, Mercilous, Mallet, Savage, etc... I want to know beyond any doubt whether these guys belong in our future plans. And since the answers are more relevant to our future than the present is, I am more excited about those answers than I am about wins/losses.
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