State of the Union: Texans at the bye, 3-5 record
 

I really didn't think the Texans would be 3-5 at the bye but it is what it is. It's what the the "Kirby Cafeteria" is serving so you either have to digest it or go elsewhere.... Complaining won't change anything except giving one a vehicle for venting....

The word "underachievers" comes to mind especially when applied to the defense - a lot of high picks and contract money on that side of the ball. The offense is less to blame than the defense, IMO, though there does seem to be a bit of a teamwide plague going on....... they have not bailed each other out very well especially in the blowout losses.....

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I started to make a list of who I think has been stinking it up and who hasn't but I think most already know where the stink is coming from....

Not too many bright spots but Watt (of course) and Hopkins deserve a mention. Also, newcomer Charles James has made the ST punt coverage bearable to watch....

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It seems like finishing 8-8 would take divine intervention at this point in time though the defense did show signs of waking up in today's win against the Titans. The Bengals, Jets, Saints, Bills and Patriots are next up and I expect the Texans to be dogs against all these, heavy dogs against the Bengals (road) and Pats (home).

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Julio Jones had a big day today and retook the receiver yardage lead over Hop, 892 to 870. Hop is on a Pro Bowl pace so far....

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Say what you will about Hoyer but he's adapting and is becoming very solid, IMO. His recent stats are very acceptable. If he doesn't get killed, perhaps he can keep going with the good game manager stuff....

Will be interesting to see how long Fitzmagic's thumb injury keeps him out. The Jets were terrible without him today. A revenge-minded Fitzy in Houston is a much scarier opponent than one without him. Remember how he did the Titans last year?

The Texans need to find at least four more wins in their next eight games to win the division. Beating the Colts in Indy would be a good start. The Jets and Bills are the other candidates. Can't see the Texans keeping up with the Saints in a shootout like the one they played today. Maybe the Texans can get an "any given Sunday" effort after the bye and catch the Bengals looking ahead.

To do any of this, the Texans need a healthy OL. The Titans seemed content to let Hoyer beat them through the air. Lots of single coverage today and blitzes. Going to need the run game to improve without Foster.

Thought I'd post this here...

October 2015 was the site's most active month in the last two years. Not entirely sure why (I certainly don't churn out fresh content anymore), but we have thousands of lurkers each month on our forums.

You are welcome to join the conversation. Tweet or email me if you are interested but having sign-up issues. I have tremendous robot issues on this site, so I've made signing up difficult.

Kevin Johnson has looked good. Our run of mostly 1st round successes and failures 2-5 looks to continue.

Is Mercilous coming alive just in time to get overpaid? Or has he turned the corner?

Are we watching the end of Brian Cushing in Houston? Sad to watch what injuries have made him. He was such a complete LB 3 years ago.

And how depressing is it when your season is cooked and you have no QB but there isn't even a young QB on the roster to evaluate?

Mercilus signed a 4-year extension in May, $10.8M guaranteed, $5.25M signing bonus. Roster bonus of $250k in 2016 and $500k the next three years after. So he's under contract thru 2019.

Base salaries through the extension:
2016 - $4.5M (guaranteed salary in 2016)
2017 - $4.5M
2018 - $4.75M
2019 - $5.75M

So that answers that question. For some reason I thought he was in the final year. Thanks for clearing it up Keith.

That lends me to think he is finally figuring it out. Bad OL, Bad QB aside, he looked a bit like a Robert Mathis type (pure speed rusher, great value against the pass when the team is leading).

Definitely agree with you Arky on the D. If there is a major disappointment for me, that's where it lies. Figured the O would be mediocre at best, but the lack of production of the D is truly puzzling. It's not like RAC forgot schemes between last season and this one.

Since we're just as likely to win one we're supposed to lose as we are win one that we're not, truly a guess as to whether or not we can find 4-5 more wins for a home game in January.

Hopefully, they can at least make it entertaining for us.

Ted Ginn and family tried to screw it up for the Texans late with a worse-than-Nate-Washington drop, but the Panthers pulled it off in overtime to beat the Colts. As such, both the Texans and Colts are 3-5 with the Colts facing the Broncos next week while the Texans have a bye. So, entirely possible the Texans have the division lead in six more days.

The Bengals game against the Cardinals the week after facing Houston has just been flexed to Sunday Night. This means the Bengals have primetime games on either side of their match with the Texans (Thurs vs Cleveland, Sunday vs Houston, Sunday Night @ Arizona). The Bengals have laid some duds during night games, so maybe their game with the Texans becomes something of a trap game for them. Here's hoping, at least.

Oy, that drop was awful. I had "interests" in the outcome but the big one was mainly that the Colts lose. As I watched the Panther defense fritter away the 17 pt. lead, I was thinking, "Don't they know? Don't they know about Luck + 4th qtr comebacks = smiling Colt faces in the end?" ;)

But the Panthers hung on so maybe the worm has turned.....

Welcome to the new season. The AFC South is now officially wide open.... Opportunity is a-knockin'.... will the Texans answer the door?

As I understand the draft rules, all of the non-playoff teams are slotted in front of the playoff teams regardless of record. So if the Texans win the division and make the playoffs, the absolute best pick we can get in the upcoming draft is No. 21. Making the playoffs despite an awful record could really drop us in the draft. Quite frankly, I'd rather have the high draft pick.

Totally disagree. You play the game for a shot at the prize, not a draft pick. While I am in no way saying this is even remotely close to a Superbowl team, having a January game should mean way more than draft slot.

And it's not just the AFC South that's comparatively bad as I believe only 5 teams in the AFC are > .500, so much for parity in the NFL. It just goes to further demonstrate the extreme importance of a QB. Without one a team is pretty much out of it.
I've seen a couple stories suggesting the Texans should make a bid for the Bears QB Cutler before the trade deadline. He's got a great arm but of course he's also a real head-case.

Losing to the Texans will now get you fired.

Kinda blows the theory of a rookie QB buying the HC additional time.

Well, probably every where but Houston......

I saw a stat that in his last 50 games as a head coach, Wisenhunt was 6-44.

Apparently coasting for a long time on just the strength of his rep of being a SB coach.
Guy on radio 610 (Sean Pendergast ), wondered if the Titans might like to trade some draft picks to Philly for its HC so he and Mariota could be reunited from their days together at Oregon ?

This is the last season where his salary is guaranteed and where it is cheaper cap-wise to keep him rather than cut him, so it very well may be.

I think the only good thing about the bye week is you can enjoy the other NFL games and not sweat how the Texans are doing.....

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Sunday viewing in the Houston area:

CBS (early) - Tennessee @ New Orleans -- Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon

CBS (late) - Denver @ Indianapolis -- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms

FOX (early) - Green Bay @ Carolina -- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

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Prime time:

TNF = Cincinnati @ Cleveland (NFLN)

SNF = Philadelphia @ Dallas (NBC)

MNF = Chicago @ San Diego (ESPN)

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Teams on bye: Detroit, Kansas City, Arizona, Seattle, Baltimore, Houston

So this last game the offense and defense both looked best they have looked all year. Hope that is Texans improving, not only a result of poor Titans.

Seems no trades by the trade deadline for Texans.

I thought Cushing is improving as time goes, he leads the team in tackles doesn't he.

If we manage to beat the Colts in Indy, that would be something, but Colts seem to be panicking. Shows the value of the Oline. and receivers who can catch.

Seems Texans OL is having lots of injuries and position changes and in game rotation this year. With an injury to rookie Greg Mancz
Texans picked up Eric Kush for OL depth this week, he was 6th round pick for Kansas in 2013.

And Ryan Griffin returns to practice this week, under the IR designated to return program. Not sure, hope he will help our TE production sometime soon.

I guess Chuck is still here.

You know the Chuckster is still lurking. Actually he's probably in deep depression since he won't be able to see his beloved Texans this weekend because of their bye.
RE Griffin. Why or why didn't O'Brien use the designated IR thing on Savage this year after the QB was hurt in preseason instead of his third string TE ?

I agree with wasting it on Griffin, but as for Savage, OB probably didn't use it on him because he knows Savage is nothing more than another wasted draft pick.

I know there will some against this, but just posting it as another option if the Texans somehow manage to end up in the middle of RD1 and out of striking distance for one of the top rookie QBs. A #2 for Stafford is a gamble I'd likely make.

Make it a 3rd and I could get behind it. He'd still be playing under his Lions contract, right? And, IIRC, he signed for a contract on promise, not production, so it is pretty steep.

Still, he's a Texas product with a strong arm and you can't blame a QB from bombing in Detroit any more than you can blame a pitcher for bombing in Colorado.

Hey, if we could package Stafford and Megatron without giving up Hopkins or Watt, I could really get behind that.

Thinking that they were playing the odds. Likelihood that the QB3 will ever see the field is statically small. Especially vs. the starting TE.

Guessing he really did believe in the QB situation more than any other human being ........