Official Texans @ Dolphins Game Thread, 10/25/2015

[Keith]

There are obviously no quick fixes to a decade's worth of mostly poor personnel decisions, but there is one thing the Texans can do defensively to save themselves at least a TD per game... and that is for the front seven to read and react to the screen plays.

Crennel has given Watt some leeway to freelance out there, and this worked very well in 2014 when Watt should have been MVP of the league. This year, however, offenses have figured out that the Texans defense only cares about pursuit which leaves them very vulnerable to players getting the football out in space, ESPECIALLY when the LBs and safeties are slow and severely lacking NFL-caliber talent.

Take advantage of the speed Watt and Clowney (and, ahem, you too Mercilus) to remove the screen game from opposing offenses, and this D likely goes back to looking like a bend-but-don't-break defense loaded with first rounders.

[sinnister]

Another thing would be to tighten the coverage. Give Watt and Clowney a chance to make a play and eliminate all the quick throws. Also, always rush at least 5 players. Mercilus isn't much use, so at least let him use his speed to get after the qb, and maybe get a few cleanup sacks. I would line Clowney on Watts side, Mercilus on the other, and do a lot of praying. Maybe hire a full time chaplain.

[Arky]

Pertinent to earlier discussion, article from Jason LaCanfora....

Inside Football: Time for heads to roll in Houston, but not Bill O'Brien's

Status quo won't cut it for the Houston Texans. Something has to give.

This team has been pounded into submission far too frequently. It has reached epidemic proportions on both sides of the ball.

Sunday's dumpster fire of a loss to the Dolphins -- punctuated by Arian Foster tearing his Achilles -- was just the latest embarrassment in a season full of them. Where to start? From Ryan Mallett sleeping through his workday after losing his starting job to the quick hook for Brian Hoyer not even three-full quarters into Week 1, to the bizarre in-game quarterback shuffling, to Mallett missing the team charter to Miami, to the defense that can neither pressure nor cover nor tackle, to the offense that can do nothing consistently other then throw balls up for grabs for DeAndre Hopkins, nothing has gone right in Houston.

This franchise is broken right now. And I can't imagine change is not on the horizon. Some smaller changes now, perhaps, and certainly greater ones yet after the season.

This was a mini-playoff game at Miami, a chance for Houston to salvage a horrible start to the season by finding a way to get to 3-4. What the Texans conspired to do instead can not really be quantified as football.

It was horrific, really. Like if Alabama played a mediocre high school team. Miami -- a middling outfit at best -- led 41-0 at the half and racked up like 450 yards in the process. The Dolphins had a yardage advantage of 275-4 at one point. Miami -- ridiculed for the past three years or so for having zero big-play pop in its offense -- was ripping off 50-yard chunk plays at will.

This was a collective failure of spirit, discipline, effort, pride, the degree of which is rarely seen in the NFL. This was one team playing its guts out and the other gassing up the bus to the plane. Hopefully someone managed to escort Mallett from the locker room on to the right flight and all, although cutting him in South Beach may have actually be more apropos.

Drastic changes this soon in the season rarely elicit much response, though these same Dolphins would offer a contrarian view on that at this point. And Bill O'Brien, as much as he's made a meal of this season, isn't going anywhere. He's the most influential figure in this organization and he's got a ton of money still due to him.

More at link...

[WMH]

Originally Posted by Keith

There are obviously no quick fixes to a decade's worth of mostly poor personnel decisions, but there is one thing the Texans can do defensively to save themselves at least a TD per game... and that is for the front seven to read and react to the screen plays.

Crennel has given Watt some leeway to freelance out there, and this worked very well in 2014 when Watt should have been MVP of the league. This year, however, offenses have figured out that the Texans defense only cares about pursuit which leaves them very vulnerable to players getting the football out in space, ESPECIALLY when the LBs and safeties are slow and severely lacking NFL-caliber talent.

Take advantage of the speed Watt and Clowney (and, ahem, you too Mercilus) to remove the screen game from opposing offenses, and this D likely goes back to looking like a bend-but-don't-break defense loaded with first rounders.

Saw one play yesterday where Clowney sniffed out a WR screen. Unfortunately the other 10+ worked like a charm, but that 1 was a pretty good play.

[Arky]

A "local" outlook:

Houston Texans Are Failing At All Levels of the Organization

Patrick Starr

Fire Rick Smith?

Fire Romeo Crennel?

Fire Bill O’Brien?

At this point the Houston Texans are bad for the city of Houston and, for the second time in seven weeks, they were outclassed on the field. Looking at those two games, they were completely manhandled by the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins. The Texans put up a big zero while being outscored 69-0 combined in the first halves of those games.

The bigger concern is how things have spiraled downward for the Texans on the field. Missed tackles, zero production from he offense (when it counts), and a team that sometimes appears disinterested are the red flags that continue to get bigger week to week.

The Texans beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a kicker missing multiple field goals and beat a Jacksonville Jaguars team who could possibly be worse than the Texans. No film review will help the Texans correct this; the only thing that will help change what is going on is someone being made an example of, but "who?" is the real question.

At this point it doesn’t matter who because the structure of the Texans is the issue. Rick Smith is required to find the players who Bill O’Brien wants to on his team. The 53-man roster is constructed by O’Brien with input from his coaches. If the Texans should have moved on from Smith, the time to do so was when the Gary Kubiak regime was scrapped. It wasn’t done then and now Smith is attached to the O’Brien era more than ever.

O’Brien chose to attach himself to Brian Hoyer when free agency started, then decided to keep the quarterback competition a day to day question mark all the way through the 3rd week of the preseason. Then, after deciding Hoyer was the guy, O'Brien pulled the plug on him three quarters later in week one, switching to Ryan Mallett. Mallett's awful last three starts along with today's missing of the team flight to Miami more than likely have left him positioned with no way out of the O’Brien doghouse.

The reality is that until the structure of the Texans changes, it will not improve. Let the coaches coach and have a general manager help construct the team and ultimately have the final say in personnel. O’Brien has complete control of the 53-man roster and these are his guys on his roster but the production is not there. The Texans continue to be out-coached and outclassed between the white lines.

More at link.....

[WMH]

Here comes the power struggle....

From Brian Smith's twitter
O'Brien tried and wanted to cut Mallett on Saturday after he missed team plane. GM Rick Smith wouldn't allow it and overruled #Texans' coach

[popanot]

Originally Posted by WMH

Here comes the power struggle....

From Brian Smith's twitter
O'Brien tried and wanted to cut Mallett on Saturday after he missed team plane. GM Rick Smith wouldn't allow it and overruled #Texans' coach

Smith should be fired along with Mallett. That is absolutely ridiculous a GM overrules a coach on cutting loose a freaking useless, backup malcontent. I can understand it if it is a key player making millions under a longterm contract, but a crappy backup under a 1-yr contrct??. WTH could Smith possibly be thinking here? If you're going to make a complete asswipe move like this and undermine the HC, then just fire him. I'm really beginning to depise this organization with Smith at the helm.

[sinnister]

I am hoping this is Rick Smith's farewell season.

[WMH]

Originally Posted by popanot

Smith should be fired along with Mallett. That is absolutely ridiculous a GM overrules a coach on cutting loose a freaking useless, backup malcontent. I can understand it if it is a key player making millions under a longterm contract, but a crappy backup under a 1-yr contrct??. WTH could Smith possibly be thinking here? If you're going to make a complete asswipe move like this and undermine the HC, then just fire him. I'm really beginning to depise this organization with Smith at the helm.

Sorta agree. If OB was in the heat of the moment and. Rick talked him off the ledge, I'd be ok with it. You can't go into a game with your punter as the QB2.

The real tell will be if Mallett survives today. If he does, Rick wins. If he doesn't, they compromised for the sake of the team on game day.

Regardless, it's never good when stuff like this is leaked to the media. We shouldn't even know about it. Drama is always bad, but especially bad for a struggling squad.

[popanot]

I haven't read the article because I refuse to register at chron.com just to get "insider" access to read some hack sports article. But yes, timing is key here. If this went down before the Miami game, then I can understand Smith overruling OB and hopefully it gets corrected today. But if it went down after the game, then they might as well fire OB because, IMO, it totally undermines his authority in the locker room. How I see this playing out is, if Mallett remains on the roster, I can see a scenario where OB flags him as Inactive from here on and brings up Dysert (or signs someone else) at the expense of a currently rostered player. And that's unfortunate because it impacts OB's authority as well as another player who doesn't deserve to get cut just because the idiot, inept GM wants to make a power play for a useless player.

[HPF Bob]

FWIW, Mallett is not on a 1-year contract. Cutting Mallett now, if I read the cap details right, takes his 2-yr deal and puts it against this year's cap but then there's nothing against next year's cap, saving $3.5 million in 2016. $1.75 million of the contract is guaranteed which is all 2015 money.

Frankly, cutting Mallett does not fix the problem nor does it send the right message. it's not going to light a fire under these players. I suspect O'Brien has overused his profanity-laced tirades and the players have begun tuning it out.

[popanot]

Originally Posted by HPF Bob

Frankly, cutting Mallett does not fix the problem nor does it send the right message. it's not going to light a fire under these players. I suspect O'Brien has overused his profanity-laced tirades and the players have begun tuning it out.

Texans disagree. It solves one problem... Getting a pouty, malcontent, dumbass off the roster. Texans aren't out any big money so I'm glad they did it.

Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet · 5m5 minutes ago
The #Texans informed QB Ryan Mallett of his release, as @McClain_on_NFL said. They'll sign/trade for a veteran to back up Brian Hoyer

Tania Ganguli ‏@taniaganguli · 23m23 minutes ago
The #Texans have released Ryan Mallett and are working to bring back T.J. Yates as their backup quarterback.

[barrett]

I'm thinking I might go over to Reliant and ask for a QB tryout. I need to exercise more anyways so it is a win/win for all parties.