View Full Version : Official Texans vs. Broncos Fake Game Thread - 8/22/2015
The Texans are hosting the Denver Broncos tonight in a preseason game. Ryan Mallet starts for the Texans and Peyton Manning is expected to see quite a bit of action for the Broncos.
Gametime = 7pm CST, ABC 13 in the Houston area.
Spread (http://www.madduxsports.com/nfl-odds.php) = Texans by 1 to 3 pts.
One wag (http://www.sportsbookreview.com/video/broncos-vs-texans-nfl-picks-v-28234/) sees the Broncos as coming out on top. So does another (http://www.sportsbookreview.com/nfl-football/free-picks/nfl-picks-texas-home-edge-defense-won-t-hold-strong-against-broncos-3-a-60563/). Gary Kubiak is 20-11-2 ATS in preseason games.
Preseason games are for evaluating talent but I think both coaches will tell you getting the W is important, too....
I think the game will be decided in the 2nd half. Can Tom Savage lead the Texans to a victory like he did in the preseason game in Denver last year?
Will be interesting to see if OB handles the QBS like he did last week, just reversed. I'd also like to see Polk get in the mix with the 1's to see what he can do, before he gets hurt.
Keith
08-22-2015, 06:42 PM
Gary Kubiak is 20-11-2 ATS in preseason games.
Coach August! The Fake Season Czar™!
good times...
Honestly though... Savage gives the Texans a good shot at winning this game. Really impressed with his improvement since last season.
1st quarter ends with no score - neither team doing much of anything. Worthy had a dropped punt but recovered, Mumphrey took a chance that worked out OK. Charles James with a couple of good plays on ST's.
chuck
08-22-2015, 08:06 PM
James has made a couple of exciting plays. Everyone else looks flat. Very vanilla on both sides of the ball.
Broncos connect on a deep one - Osweiler to Caldwell, 57 yards. Bouye gets toasted.
Broncos 7, Texans 0
7:21 left in the half.
barrett
08-22-2015, 08:29 PM
Are the Broncos QBs wearing red jerseys or is there another reason we won't go within 5 feet of them?
Halftime and the score remains:
Broncos 7, Texans 0
Texan offense is looking woeful but the Denver defense has something to do with that. I would really like to see a few more passes in the intermediate and deeper areas.... The dink and dunk stuff ain't going nowhere...perhaps OB will let Savage cut it loose in the 2nd half...
There's a nice pass... Savage to Lee for about 20 (?) yards...
Bullock's 32-yarder is good.
Broncos 7, Texans 3
8:37 left in the 3rd quarter.
Kourtnei Brown with the pick 6! 69 yards!
Texans 10, Broncos 7
3:09 left in the 3rd quarter.
Nconroe
08-22-2015, 09:22 PM
Pretty competitive at LB, but would like to see Courtney Brown make team.
Bah, EZ was hit by the defender before the ball got there in the end zone. Broncos takeover at their 2 with a little over 9 minutes left in the game. Score still:
Texans 10, Broncos 7
Broncos takes the lead on a 26-yard pass from Siemian to Louks.
Broncos 14, Texans 10
1:44 left in the game.
Broncos hang on as the Texans run out time. Final Score:
Broncos 14, Texans 10
------------------------------
Man, I dunno, if I was OB, I'd let this QB competition run another week and make a decision immediately after the Saints game..
Keith
08-22-2015, 11:21 PM
Man, I dunno, if I was OB, I'd let this QB competition run another week and make a decision immediately after the Saints game..
I think OB has all the data he needs now. The question he should ask himself is "which QB gives my team the best chance to beat the Chiefs?" Keep it that simple.
Some vanilla decision making by both QBs today, and the ineffective run game was not helping. Last season, with Arian Foster, NFL Films cameras caught OB saying "That's the formula! Run, run, run, take a shot!" during the opener. And with Foster paired with a caretaker at QB, that's not a bad formula.
But Foster is out for the Chiefs opener, and I am not sure this formula works with Hoyer running the offense without Foster. Makes me wonder if Mallett is the choice over Hoyer because of the Foster injury. At least I think it should be. But in the end, like in the other thread discussing contrarian strategies, the fear of failure usually wins out. And that line of thinking would put Hoyer under center as the "safer" choice.
nunusguy
08-23-2015, 09:25 AM
This coach clearly prefers safe over risky even if there's potentially a big up side. But I still don't understand why he won't let Mallet or Hoyer between them throw the ball downfield, vertically a single time in the first 2 preseason games.
This coach clearly prefers safe over risky even if there's potentially a big up side. But I still don't understand why he won't let Mallet or Hoyer between them throw the ball downfield, vertically a single time in the first 2 preseason games.
Belicheat disciple. He's worried about competitive advantage.
Blah, blah blah.
Stats aside, I thought Mallett had better control of the O last night. Hoyer looked timid, but he did have a crappier OL to deal with. I'm still waiting to see Polk behind the 1st team OLine. If we don't see it Sunday, guess I'll have to wait till the KC game.
HPF Bob
08-23-2015, 01:25 PM
Not sure I'll watch the replay. It sure sounded like both teams were pretty flat. Perhaps the defensive personnel was just better but I don't think either team was putting their best foot forward.
barrett
08-23-2015, 03:42 PM
Not sure I'll watch the replay. It sure sounded like both teams were pretty flat. Perhaps the defensive personnel was just better but I don't think either team was putting their best foot forward.
If our defensive personnel is better than the Broncos Offense without Watt/Joseph/Wilfork than we have a 85 Bears level defense. I think you are probably right about both teams being flat.
31 observations from Texans vs. Broncos (http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/31-observations-from-Texans-vs-Broncos/b2490080-3954-42e6-856c-4ece5ba468fb)
John Harris
Texans Analyst
It wasn’t the prettiest night for the Texans on a number of different levels, but we’ll trudge on to the next one.
Here are my observations from Saturday night’s loss to the Broncos.
1. The Broncos’ first offensive play was a smoke screen to Demaryius Thomas and CB Kareem Jackson made a textbook tackle on him for little to no gain. But, the one thing that stood out was that the Broncos were in an empty formation and QB Peyton Manning was in the gun. He actually made a run, play action fake before he threw the ball, again with no back in the backfield. Defenders will freeze for a split second out of instinct but it worked against Peyton as it gave Jackson the extra time to attack Thomas for no gain.
2. Rookie corner Kevin Johnson took the challenge of Demaryius Thomas head on and it wasn’t as if Peyton Manning shied away from it. Johnson knocked down the first throw to Thomas, gave up a completion on the second and then was in Thomas’ hip pocket on an incompletion on the third. Other than the one completion and a questionable holding call, Johnson played very well in his second outing as a Texan.
3. The Texans ran power a few times on the first drive and it didn’t look all that bad for the most part. The first time Alfred Blue powered through LB Brandon Marshall for a significant gain. On the second one, he had a massive hole about to emerge but the kick out block missed Broncos OLB Von Miller as LG Jeff Adams had eyes, wrapping around, for the linebacker. That play could’ve popped if Miller had been just nudged out of the way.
4. I noted last night on the broadcast and perhaps last week in my game observations, the loss of Arian Foster truly shows up in the outside zone running game. Not that he can always gets the edge, it’s the cutback or cut up runs back behind the center where Foster flourishes. The outside zone on the first offensive drive went for a loss that put this offense behind schedule.
5. Last week, QB Ryan Mallett got called for a penalty, inducing the defense with his head movement, but last night, he stole five yards on third down with the hard count on the first drive. As he said in the San Francisco game, captured on Hard Knocks, “Hey, I learned that ---- watching Brady.” I guess he learned that one too.
6. There’s a logjam at cornerback, we know that, but Charles James II used last night’s opportunity on special teams to make a statement that he doesn’t want a new zip code at the end of pre-season. He made two brilliant special teams plays, making a sound open field tackle on the punt and then downing the ball inside the five later in the first half. He’s quickly become a team favorite, a fan favorite and a coaching staff favorite too.
7. The return of Gary Kubiak to Denver meant a return to the outside zone run game and, in particular, cut blocks on the backside. The Texans defensive line and outside linebackers took on those blocks all game long and struggled a bit against it. However, DE Jared Crick got cut down on one play and as he was on his wallet made a tackle for no gain.
8. Whitney Mercilus typically wins with his pass rush up the field, but a great sign was pressure he put on Peyton Manning beating rookie tackle Ty Sambrailo inside with a strong rip with his outside arm. A few more snaps for Mercilus in that game and he’d have ended up beating Sambrailo for certain.
9. Then, on the very next snap, a three step throw, Mercilus beat Sambrailo with a quick inside move, leaving the rookie OT holding on for dear life. Stressing the holding on part. Manning got rid of the ball just in the nick of time.
10. If there’s a rookie standing out more and more each week, it’s the former Rice defensive tackle Christian Covington. He continues to get more and more reps with the first group in sub-package stuff and even was on the field in the first quarter in base over the nose. He’s a tasmanian devil chasing the ball all over the yard and even on the play he was high/lowed, he still helped on the tackle.
(more at link)
chuck
08-23-2015, 04:56 PM
Not sure I'll watch the replay. It sure sounded like both teams were pretty flat. Perhaps the defensive personnel was just better but I don't think either team was putting their best foot forward.
If you were going to choose a game to skip this would be the one.
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