Thread for some National Praise I guess... Nothing really new. Looking for a playoff sleeper? Try Houston By Greg Cosell - SportingNews Greg Cosell SportingNews.com Come December, Houston will be in the playoff conversation. That conversation begins with coach Gary Kubiak and the offensive philosophy he brought from Denver after spending 11 years as Mike Shanahan's offensive coordinator. The foundation is a strong running game, but it must be complemented by explosive plays in the passing game. And Kubiak, like Shanahan, is adept at producing big pass plays with formations that scream "run." A great example is the 77-yard touchdown pass from Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson in Week 1. It came out of a two-back, two-tight end package on first down; Johnson was the only wide receiver on the field. The Texans had running personnel in a running formation. The Chiefs' defense responded accordingly, and Johnson got behind the secondary for the touchdown. That's smart game-planning. Schaub is impressive. He understands the timing and rhythm of the passing game, makes quick, smart decisions and is accurate. He also gets the ball out quickly to the right receiver, which will make the Texans' line, long ridiculed for its inability to protect David Carr, a better unit. You won't find the Texans near the bottom of the NFL rankings in sacks allowed anymore. The line has showed signs of being solid overall, and Ahman Green's skills have not deteriorated. He remains a strong downhill runner who attacks the line of scrimmage and keeps the offense out of long-yardage situations. The Texans now can finish games by pounding the ball on the ground, a critical component to playoff contention. On defense, Houston starts three former first-round picks up front -- end Mario Williams and tackles Amobi Okoye and Travis Johnson -- and is demonstrating consistent improvement against the run. Williams, vilified a year ago because he wasn't Reggie Bush, will never be a quickness-and-speed pass rusher, but he is showing signs of playing with power and leverage. Dunta Robinson, another former first-round pick, is ready to emerge as an elite corner. He's physically tough, confident and has a short memory, a must for the position. Each time I study Houston on film, Robinson flashes. And there's DeMeco Ryans, one of the few middle linebackers who never comes off the field. The Texans remain a work in progress, but the foundation is there. Don't be surprised when they are playing meaningful games in December. Greg Cosell of NFL Films analyzes coaching tape and is executive producer of State Farm NFL Matchup. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...g=lookingforaplayoffsleepe&prov=tsn&type=lgns -------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's starting. Hopefully we can give the Colts a real challenge and win. Last week on the Yahoo power rankings, they had one guy rank the Texans at 26th I believe and the other guy had us at 18 or so. I'm not completely sure but it was close to that. That one guy that ranked us that low was a real homer!!
Looking at the schedule right now, realistically, if we play like we are, and don't have a meltdown, we can win 10 games. For once our schedule is nice. I'm loving it. None of the Bills fans here are making fun of me anymore for being a Texans fan. It's the opposite now.
most of these so-called football experts had the texans having a 4-12, 5-11, or 6-10 record. why should i read their articles now that they are trying to save face?
We beat the Colts, watch the national media bandwagon explode and Kuby get effusive praise. It may be wrong but, it is what it is. We go 3-0 we are a legitimate playoff contender especially if AJ can't go on Sunday and Jacoby shines in the spotlight like he did in preseason. This may be a blessing in disguise. Love AJ but this may just be the situation to season Jacoby into being our second go to guy.
My thoughts exactly. Any reason why Jacoby wasn't in the mix too much on the Offense on Sunday? My concern with us not having Andre is Bob Sanders. He's emerging as a physical legit player, and we need Andre's size to counter that.
Why is it wrong? You're going to get praise if you're good. The national media won't and shouldn't praise the Texans for potential or because they should be or might be good. They'll praise them if and then they are good - just like what would happen with every other team. It's new for the Texans because they've never been particularly good before, but I don't see why there's anything wrong with it?
Exactly. In order to get praise, especially after being mostly ineffective for 5 years, you have to succeed first. The media is responding to our strong play by giving us props, and in all honesty, I'm surprised it's coming this early. With teams like the Packers, the Niners, and the Redskins all at 2-0, I'm actually glad the Texans are the team that everyone is hitching their trailer to.
New Rankings are out! ESPN: 11 (25) Texans 2-0-0 Wow, the Texans got good in a hurry, didn't they? But with a 2-0 start, they'll have a stern test this week against the defending champs. To make things tougher, star wide receiver Andre Johnson is doubtful due to a sprained knee. http://proxy.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking?season=2007&week=3 FOX SPORTS: 12 Texans 17 (+5) 12/25 The Matt Schaub era is off to a wonderful start in Houston. As former Texans quarterback David Carr watched from the Carolina sidelines Sunday, Schaub — the current Texans gunslinger — played a near perfect game. The ex-Falcon went 20-of-28 for 227 yards and tossed two touchdowns in Houston's 34-21 win. The most telling stat? Schaub wasn't sacked once. Houston's 2-0 with the defending Super Bowl champion Colts on the slate for Sunday. http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/powerRankings
I need to quote that SportingNews idiot's article. There. Much better. Is everyone in the national sports media eating paint chips? Do they not get that we wanted (and most of us STILL WANT) Vince Young?
Yeah I know that, I guess it's some rust of disbelief of what's going on you know? The Texans=good team? I watched the KC game at BW3 up in the Woodlands and told my friend "oh my god, we actually look like a football team." Last week, watching the Carolina game I saw true character and determination being forged upon the faces of our heroes. Pardon me for needing to come up for air but, imagine this, we beat the Colts it's not out of the realm of possibility that we may not lose for another 4-5 weeks? BTW, I'm not smoking any wacky weed while doing this post. Even then we have the Saints at home who only seem to be leading in Reggie Bush endorsements (while the team is blowing chunks all over the place on TV) and the Bolts, who looked anything but impressive in Foxboro on Sunday nite. I remember Steve McKinney remarking about the quick turnaround in the Colts from 98-99, coincidentally with the emergence of a one Peyton Manning from 4-12 to 13-3. I'm not saying that this can and will happen but, with every week we win it decreases the likelihood we will finish just 9-7 or even 10-6. Anyway, it's just great for once that it looks like the Texans are on a level playing field talent and skill wise. Truly having a REAL QB makes ALL the difference doesn't it?
Here, here. "Most of us" probably just want to move on, regardless of the side of the VY fence on which we fell.
Yeah, that I agree with. I've only seen highlights of the team for the most part, but they look like an actual, functional team instead of the bumbling mess they have been in the past. I'm curious to see an actual game this weekend to see the difference in QBs and such.
Still want? no. Ever wanted? not really....I was one that still thought carr had something left in him. (no we know...) I actually wanted that loser RB at #1....thank god we didn't get him. From the way our D looks now, I'll take Shaub and Mario ANY DAY. Mario is in on almost every play. When Robinson get's a great tackle, he's there helping...same with okeye etc. Mario is always there to finish the play, or be double teamed to open it up for others.
he threw a pick in game 1 and almost threw another in game 2 (in the red zone). i would much rather see him over throw the ball than under throw it. he still has little room for improvement but he is playing great so far
