Texans vs. Redskins Preview
Game time: 3:15 CT Sunday, September 19th
Game location: FedEx Field, Washington D.C.
The Texans need to win this game for many reasons. One is momentum heading into week 3, if we get a win on the road then we have a much greater chance at beating the Cowboys because the crowd at Reliant will be on its feet the entire game. I doubt there would be any empty seats at all at that game seeing as those ever present Cowboy fans from across Texas will probably come from far and wide to see the game. Reason number two is consistency, if we are going to be a playoff team we have to be able to put up the same quality performance week in and week out. Whether it be that we get it done on offense by Schaub passing for over 300 yards this week or Foster running for over 150 or a combination of both passing and running, we simply must get it done. Whether its Mario dominating again or Okoye stepping up or Antonio Smith with a breakout game, one way or another we have to pressure McNabb the way we pressured Manning.
Kubiak has to have a firm grip on his team if he wants to establish himself as a good coach in this league. If he beats Shannahan this week he will move to .500 (32-32) all time as a head coach. Meanwhile Shanahan is trying to improve on his .598 career winning percentage and 2 Super Bowl ring credentials. Kubiak needs to understand the situation at hand and react accordingly. I just hope that Schaub has a good game throwing the football and that our defense can limit the Skins offense which will ultimately lead to a victory for the Texans.
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Brian Orakpo, a Houston native, will be coming after Matt Schaub all game. His relentless pass rush helped the Redskins beat the Cowboys in week 1 and Duane Brown will have his hands full with him in week 2.
Texans Defeat Colts 34-24
Final Score Houston-34 Indianapolis-24
Sunday was a glorious day for Texans fans. The Texans had a huge game on their hands and they exceeded expectations by beating the Colts at home. The crowd at Reliant Stadium was loud the entire game and made an impact on the outcome for sure. Arian Foster was the star for the Texans, he had a monster game rushing for a team record 231 yards and 3 TDs . He busted big runs and pounded the Colts defense. Matt Schaub and the passing game didn’t have a great day but they didn’t need to considering how well the Texans were running the ball. Foster was dynamite; he made great cuts, ran with patience and vision, he made a nice one handed catch out of the backfield and most importantly he held onto the football the whole game. Foster is the type of workhorse that a team can ride to victory and thats exactly what the Texans did on Sunday. The defense did its part in the win as well, sacking Peyton Manning, forcing a turnover and limiting the Colt’s opportunities. Bernard Pollard and the secondary were torched for over 400 yards passing but held the Colts to under 50 yards rushing. Mario Williams and Antonio Smith combined on a sack and linebacker Zac Diles lead the team with 12 total tackles. It was a great performance by the Texans on both sides of the ball, I’m extremely proud of them. They have a big test next week against the Redskins in Washington D.C. but I think they can handle it after the way they silenced the Colts in week 1.
[picappgallerysingle id="9747462"]Arian Foster rushed for a franchise record 231 yards and 3 TD’s in the Texans victory over the Colts. His 231 yards is the 2nd highest total in NFL history on opening day.
A New Season Is Upon Us
The Houston Texans are about to kickoff the 2010 season this Sunday against their divisional rival the Indianapolis Colts. In the Texan’s short history the Colts have been a brick wall; everything they throw at them either doesn’t work or bounces back and hits them in the face. The Texans have been in the NFL for 8 seasons now and have only beat the Colts one time. But this is a new season. Forget what happened last season. Forget what happened in training camp. This is a new season. A chance to finally prove that the Texans belong inthe playoffs with the elite teams of the NFL. A chance to finally prove that trading for Matt Schaub was a great move, that drafting Mario Williams over Vince Young and Reggie Bush was a great move and that head coach Gary Kubiak along with GM Rick Smith have in just 4 years transformed the Texans from a 2-14 team with the first pick in the draft into a playoff football team. The task at hand weighs heavily on the shoulders of Matt Schaub. If the city of Houston is going to have its first playoff football team since the Oilers it is going to be because Schaub led them there. The Texans were criticized and criticized when they drafted Mario Williams and yet in the last 3 years only 2 players in the entire NFL have had more sacks than Super Mario. The Texans were laughed at by NFL fans when they traded two 2nd round picks for a quarterback who had been nothing more than a backup and yet last season Schaub threw for more yards than any Quarterback in the league last year including the “invincible” Peyton Manning. Now is the time for the Texans to make good on their promise to the fans, now is the time for them to make it to the playoffs.
A new season is upon us, fresh with the sense of renewal. The Texans are wiping the slate clean; they are not dwelling on how close they were to being in the playoffs last year, they are not dwelling on how they had a winning record for the first time last year, they are hungry for more. You can sense it in the way the players talk about the upcoming season; they speak as if their entire lives depended on it. The fans expect nothing less than the playoffs, the players expect nothing less than the playoffs and the coaches expect nothing less than the playoffs. The Houston Texans are the only professional sports franchise to never make it to the playoffs but in 2010 all of that is going to change. The Texans have the talent needed, they have the head coach with playoff experience and most importantly they have the support of the 4th largest city in the United States of America. The Texans need to stay absolutely focused and play hard every single week if they are going to make it. It all starts with the 1st game and I’m going to be there at Reliant Stadium to see them start on their quest in beautiful, clean Liberty White.[picappgallerysingle id="7847490"]Peyton Manning has been nothing short of a menace to the Houston Texans. The Texans are going to have to beat him in week 1 if they want to prove they are a worthy contender in the AFC South.
Texans Cut Roster to 53
After their Thursday Night loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the Texans had some decisions to make. They decided to cut Jacques Reeves, the cornerback they signed in free agency 2 years ago and make 1st round draft pick Kareem Jackson the starter at corner. The Texans also cut Kris Brown, the last original Texan remaining on the roster, now Neil Rackers is now the starting kicker. They also release numerous other players; Jack Corcoran Derek Fine, Isaiah Greenhouse, Brett Helms, Steve Maneri, Mark Parson, Will Patterson, Cole Pemberton, Nicholas Polk, DelJuan Robinson, Malcolm Sheppard, Adam Stenavich, Derrick Townsel, Mitch Unrein, Chris White, Bobby Williams and Torri Williams all received the axe but will continue to look for work on other NFL team’s rosters. This time of the year is always hard for players who have to clean out their lockers and continue on their journey elsewhere but it is a necessary part of the process for NFL teams. The Texans also placed Jeremiah Johnson on waivers even though many people, myself included, thought would make the team. Yesterday they signed runningback Derek Ward to replace Johnson who is battling a toe injury and will remain on the practice squad if no one claims him off waivers. Now the Texans have 3 runningbacks going into the Indianapolis game with Foster as the starter, Slaton as the change of pace/3rd down back and Ward as the backup. I was glad to see that Dorin Dickerson made the team because I think he has so much potential. Dickerson looked great in the game against Tampa Bay at times and made a spectacular one handed catch down the sideline for a big gain. The Texans roster has a lot of talent on it right now; they just need to bring in guys that have a winning attitude. If they can bring in more Bernard Pollard type guys this team is going to go a long way.
Texans vs. Buccaneers Preview
The Texans play their last preseason game (finally) tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. at home in Reliant stadium. The starters will probably not play at all so that no one will even have the chance to get hurt. I just can’t wait for the regular season to start. I might go to the Colts game because I feel like its such a tremendous occasion. The Tampa game tomorrow will mostly serve as a final test for the players on the edge of making the team. I think Dorin Dickerson will get a lot of looks, the backup offensive linemen are going to get a good look, the depth at linebacker at defensive end will be looked at and of course the backup quarterbacks Grossman and Orlovsky are going to be evaluated on their performance. Win or lose, the regular season is only a week and 4 days away. Thats when the real action starts.
