Official Texans vs. Vikings Game Thread, 8/31/2009

[chuck]

Originally Posted by TheMatrix31

It's preseason, dude. The Lions went 4-0 last year.

I'm watching the first team on both sides of the ball. If you're not seeing what I'm seeing then you will shortly. Cushing should help the linebackers but I don't see any help for the secondary even when Dunta returns. The safeties are if anything worse than last year.

I can only hope that the play calling will be more creative when other teams sell everything to stop the run. This team is literally going to have to score five TDs and add some FGs to beat a decent team.

Roy - I loved Duane Brown's play, too. He looks very solid over there in pass protection.

[TheMatrix31]

Originally Posted by chuck

I'm watching the first team on both sides of the ball. If you're not seeing what I'm seeing then you will shortly. Cushing should help the linebackers but I don't see any help for the secondary even when Dunta returns. The safeties are if anything worse than last year.

I can only hope that the play calling will be more creative when other teams sell everything to stop the run. This team is literally going to have to score five TDs and add some FGs to beat a decent team.

Roy - I loved Duane Brown's play, too. He looks very solid over there in pass protection.

Oh I know, I'm watching the first team too, and it was ugly. Preseason is just a different beast though.

The secondary is a major concern, and has been for years, so I don't know what to think of it.

Playcalling will be fine. Kubiak is creative as hell.

[Keith]

http://www.inthebullseye.com/archive/2009/20090831.html

Xavier Adibi and the safeties just turned in a brutal performance. I don't think that Zac Diles was worth writing home about, but once Cushing returns, I wonder if Diles should start at WLB in place of Adibi. Man oh man. And I can't remember thinking many good things about Dominique Barber since he started playing more with the 1's. Sad thing is I'm not sure there's better alternative on the roster.

[Keith]

Originally Posted by TheMatrix31

Playcalling will be fine. Kubiak is creative as hell.

I'm not one to gripe much about preseason playcalling, but the decision to run the ball against the league's best run defense with nine seconds left in the first half was a head scratcher.

I suppose Baby Shan thought he could maybe sneak something past the defense since everyone was thinking deep pass, but then again, everyone was thinking a deep pass was the right playcall there for good reason.

Watching ESPN back home afterward, it looked like Kubiak walked up to and past Baby Shan after that playcall and said something to him. And I can't read lips, but it seemed to me like Baby Shan said something to the effect of 'my bad' in return. But maybe I was reading too much into it, I dunno.

[TheMatrix31]

Originally Posted by Keith

I'm not one to gripe much about preseason playcalling, but the decision to run the ball against the league's best run defense with nine seconds left in the first half was a head scratcher.

I suppose Baby Shan thought he could maybe sneak something past the defense since everyone was thinking deep pass, but then again, everyone was thinking a deep pass was the right playcall there for good reason.

Watching ESPN back home afterward, it looked like Kubiak walked up to and past Baby Shan after that playcall and said something to him. And I can't read lips, but it seemed to me like Baby Shan said something to the effect of 'my bad' in return. But maybe I was reading too much into it, I dunno.

Yeah that was awful dude.

[Joshua]

Originally Posted by Keith

I'm not one to gripe much about preseason playcalling, but the decision to run the ball against the league's best run defense with nine seconds left in the first half was a head scratcher.

I suppose Baby Shan thought he could maybe sneak something past the defense since everyone was thinking deep pass, but then again, everyone was thinking a deep pass was the right playcall there for good reason.

Watching ESPN back home afterward, it looked like Kubiak walked up to and past Baby Shan after that playcall and said something to him. And I can't read lips, but it seemed to me like Baby Shan said something to the effect of 'my bad' in return. But maybe I was reading too much into it, I dunno.

Although it really didn't work, I told my buddy before the play that I expected a run there. I think Shanahan's thinking was just to put us in the best position to try a FG. They were too far out to have a realistic shot at a TD with only 1 real play left and a sack could have possibly taken them out of FG range. I think they were just hoping to catch Minn. off guard and pick up an additional 5 yards or so to give Brown a better shot at 3. I actually thought it was probably the right play call, it just didn't really work.