Texans vs. Patriots Pre-Game Discussion
 

Let's go to NE and give those mofos a game.

Eheh, can't wait to see the spread..... 10 pts? 12 pts?....

Patriots play such clinical football... gonna be a tough one....

OB better not try the we're-tougher-than-you strategy, again....

Break out the varsity jackets!!

Getting to play this inept rookie QB in the play offs was a gift from the football gods but now it's time to play a real game which probably means going to NE for the divisional round.
If anybody knows you can't beat Brady with FGs that should be O'Brien so maybe they will let the Texans open up their offense for better or worse to score some TDs for the game in Foxburro.

I see it opposite. How many playoff shootouts have the Patriots lost? When the Pats go down, it is in a defensive struggle, and it has everything to do with guys hitting Brady. If we don't get to him we lose by 30. If we do, we might get lucky. Either way, we aren't winning this game by opening up the playbook and winning a shootout.

Exactly. The Texans have to knock the shit out of Brady, win the TO battle, maybe score off of one, maybe get a ST score (quit laughing), and run the ball effectively. Don't turn the ball over. It's not rocket science.

I assume they'll lose by 30 but the Patriots are not unbeatable. You just have to play better than they do. Their quarterback is going to play better than our quarterback. Everyone else is going to have to step tf up.

Haha!

Patriots favored by 16 over Houston.

So, if the game was in Houston, it would be roughly Pats by 10 which is still a bunch.... Just no respect for a playoff team - but it could indeed be a blowout ....

Looks like gametime temp will be in the low 30's in Foxboro. Freezing. The Texans didn't do so well in Green Bay but hopefully they learned a few things about playing in cold weather...

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How many punts/kickoffs has Tyler Ervin muffed this year? Dunno, but it seems like a bunch. If you aren't going to use Akeem Hunt in the offense, at least, let him handle the punt/kick return duties.....

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Capt. Obvious keys to the game:

The defense has got us this far and they will have to get it done on Saturday. Everytime Edelman catches a ball, he needs to be punished. Brady needs to feel the heat. Brady is experienced and tough enough (for a QB) to deal with pressure, but when the opportunities present themselves, the defense needs to make him pay.

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Patriot defense has gone somewhat under the radar. They're actually #1 in pts allowed/game with 15.6.

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L Miller is obviously OB's go-to guy but did anyone else notice how effective the fresh legs of Grimes were later in the game? Sometimes, it's like our coaching staff doesn't pick up on these things....

So it will be interesting to see where the money goes here late. This smells like an over-reaction to the regular season game outcome when Brady was still suspended. Sure the Texans could get blown out again, but even a backdoor cover here seems too good to pass up.

The worse the weather the better for the Texans imo Anything to help level the playing field. The Texans defense isn't allowing 4 TDs to anyone.

Ya, that's kind of where I'm at. Just too many points to pass up. Texans outright (money line = +1000) is least probable but pays handsomely.... $100 bet returns $1000 if the Texans win. Betting the big dogs, though, can leave you crying...

In the betting forums, I'm seeing overwhelming Patriots support:

Although a few like the Texans and the points:

And then you got your NFL conspiracy theories:

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Frankly, I don't see the Patriots having a markedly greater talent level. I think our athletes can match up with any teams athletes. Yep, we're weak at QB and OL. But I think the biggest difference is with the head coach/coaching. Now, I like OB OK and think he will eventually become a very good HC but right now, Belichick is light years ahead of him.... If he (OB) puckers up or plays scared, it'll be the like the first game all over again....

I don't think we're that bad at OL. Brock's biggest issues are with the blitz, so he gets blitzed a lot and doesn't recognize it well. When he did a better job this past week of recognizing it, we shutout Khalil Mack and our QB was not even hit, let alone sacked. I think a good QB can make an OL look good and a bad one can make them look bad.

Well, you left out OL run blocking. Most recently, L Miller, 31/73, 2.4 avg. Take away Miller's long of 19 and it becomes a 1.8 avg. Brutal.

Who would you rather have, the Texans OL or the Pats OL? See what I mean?

We definitely aren't a good run blocking team, but Miller tries to bounce everything. He created multiple negative runs the other day by trying to bounce. We run blocked much better when Grimes took the ball and got up field.

So, with our OL, would you start Grimes ahead of Miller?

See, this is one of my gripes with our coaching staff. It's like they're oblivious to what's working sometimes. Case in point: Akeem Hunt. To say Hunt has been used sparingly is an understatement. He's been stopped a few times (which is quite normal) but more than once, he comes in, rips off a 16-19 yarder or catches a screen for a similar gain and then it's "back to the bench with you, young man". What are they saving him for? Use him!

Blue, Grimes and Hunt should all be getting at least 5 touches/game, IMO. Mix it up and take a load off L Miller while you're doing it....

Ervin was a fourth-round pick. Hunt was undrafted and has mostly been a practice squad guy. I see what everyone else sees with Hunt - production. But this may be a case of draft status favoritism.

Anyway, if they let Ervin return punts Saturday, and I assume they will, it will tell us quite a bit about the organization.

By the way, I don't recall a single pass to anyone out of the backfield last week. Am I wrong? Hang on. Nope. I don't understand why RBs aren't more incorporated into the passing game, especially given BO's many limitations.

A stroll down memory lane - Texans vs Pats recent history:

2009, Wk 17: Texans get their only victory against the Pats 34-27 behind Schaub and Foster. Pats were in rest-up mode for the playoffs but Belichick kept Brady in quite a bit going for the W. The win gave the Texans a 9-7 record for the year and their franchise first winning season.

2012, Wk 14: The 11-1 Texans travel to Foxboro for MNF and lose 42-14 in the infamous "varsity jacket game" (Expect CBS not to let this little nugget go by on Saturday's coverage). Schaub threw for no TDs and had one INT. Foster was locked down for 15/46. It was 42-7 at one point as TJ Yates finished the game with a QB sneak TD at the 2 minute mark.

2012, Divisional playoff: Texans head to Foxboro again, played better but still get eliminated from the playoffs losing 41-28. Schaub threw for 343 and 2 TDs but had the only turnover by both teams, an INT.

2013, Week 13: Case Keenum nearly leads the upset but the Texans fall 34-31 at Reliant/NRG. The Texans entered the game on a 9-game losing streak and finished the season 2-14.

2015, Week 14: The Brian Hoyer led Texans only get 7 first downs and fall to the Pats 27-6 @ NRG. JJ Watt had broken his hand earlier in the week and played with a club-like cast on his left hand.

2016, Week 3: The Texans go to Foxboro and lay an egg 27-0 on TNF. The Texans had 3 turnovers, Pats had none. Charles James and Tyler Ervin both had lost fumbles, Brock Osweiler had 1 INT.

That's a good point. Who knows?

I'm still waiting for Oz to take about 10 step drop, have the linemen peel off their blocks to set up the screen and softly lob it to the RB.... When it's done right, the RB will have 2 or 3 linemen waiting to move him upfield. Beautiful when done correctly and a great blitz buster for a QB feeling harassed...

Maybe BOB has held out those RB screens all year waiting for this one game. Shock the Pats!!! Ah, hell, who am I kidding... It's probably more due to the fact BO has no touch and fires fastballs on every throw.

I would not start Grimes. Miller is the better back. But there is no reason for Miller to get 31 carries. He doesn't get better as the game goes on. He doesn't wear down a defense. And he doesn't like hammering away on inside runs. So give Grimes 5 carries and Blue/Hunt/whoever's active 5 carries. Then Miller can carry it 20Xs and that might leave him fresh to make a few catches.

Who knows why Ervin is even rostered at this point. I actually hope it is a draft position thing, because stubborn is slightly more forgivable than cluelessness.