Just confirmed by Casserly on Inside The Game (channel 13)... I know it was posted in the game thread but I thought it deserved it's own thread. This is very bad news.....
Yea, I should have started a thread after I read on texans website that it was true. It does get buried in the game thread. thanks id2k
I winced and turned away when I saw the replay. It looked ugly. I didn't believe the announcers when they said it was just a sprained knee, but I was hoping it wouldn't be of this magnitude. It always hurts to lose a good dl, but it hurts even more when you're a 2nd year expansion team with little depth. Maybe they'll have Ragone lineup in a 3-point stance ...
Damn it! He was tearin' it up (no pun intended). We can't send a defense out there next week without Payne and Walker; please return to action Gary!
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But seriously, this is very bad news. Payne was a monster up front, a run stuffer and an o-line tie up machine. I bet our linebackers are pissed
Actually, in this case, shouldn't it be butt seriously? I think this could be overcome if not for Walker's injury. As it stands now, this is devestating. Anyone know when (if) Walker is coming back? I can't find any info.
Agreed About Seth Payne, he ties multiple offensive lineman so well it allows our DE's and LB's to get man on man matchups on the corners and during blitzs. I hope Gary Walker can come back strong but without Payne in there, I don't know if he can be as affective as he was last year.
I sent the 610 guys an email since I couldn't listen to the Dom Capers Show and here is what Rich sent back: Texans haven't completely ruled out the Chiefs game, but it's looking like next week versus Jacksonville at the earliest. EDIT: They were talking about Gary Walker, BTW...
Martin steps into bright lights to replace injured Payne By CARLTON THOMPSON Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle ------------------------------------------ Terrance Martin admittedly has a difficult time relaxing, and it was evident Monday when he went through as atypical a day as he's had since he first set foot on the Reliant Park grounds as a rookie five months ago. For starters, when Martin walked into the Texans locker room, the large crowd of reporters that usually huddles around the stall of the veteran du jour was waiting for him. Understandably, he had that "Who, me?" look on his face. Martin, apparently out of sorts with the newfound infatuation with him, positioned himself in front of Seth Payne's locker for the impromptu news conference. Payne is the player Martin will be replacing in the Texans' starting lineup Sunday against Kansas City. Out of respect for Payne, who suffered a torn ACL in his left knee against New Orleans and is out for the season, Martin quickly moved the gathering to his own stall once he realized the mistake. The 23-year-old rookie has no illusions of filling Payne's shoes, and he certainly doesn't want to steal his locker. All Martin wants to do is make good on the promise he made to Texans coach Dom Capers when he signed as an undrafted free agent in May. "I told coach Capers when I came here that I would never let him down and I would never fail him," Martin said. "I feel that come Sunday, I will be ready." That's why while the majority of players throughout the NFL are enjoying today's league-wide day of rest on golf courses or relaxing with their families, Martin will have his head buried in the Texans' defensive playbook. His new responsibilities are many. Payne was the quarterback of the defensive line at nose tackle. He called audibles, made checks, and generally made sure the three linemen were on the same page. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio no doubt will scale back some of the schemes up front to ease the burden on Martin, but the challenge is huge nonetheless. Because Pro Bowl defensive end Gary Walker is still trying to recover from a badly sprained shoulder, the Texans will play the Chiefs without two-thirds of their starting defensive line. Martin joins veterans Corey Sears and Jerry DeLoach, the only remaining starter of the bunch, to form the Texans' new defensive line. Junior Ioane and eight-year veteran Steve Martin -- no relation to Terrance -- are the reserves. The Texans worked out a few defensive linemen Monday morning at Reliant Park before deciding Steve Martin, whom the team signed, was the best fit. Capers said it was too early to determine how much Steve Martin will play against the Chiefs, considering he was in the process of getting a crash course in the system Monday. "When you lose a good football player, everyone around him has to play a little better," Capers said. "Seth stepped up and played outstanding against Miami, and we needed him to do that with Gary out. Now we need someone to step up and do that now that Seth is not in there. It's hard to say (how much Steve Martin will play). He's a veteran, and he's been with a number of different clubs. He's had to learn different systems. He knows what he's up against." Fact is, Terrance Martin will be counted on more Sunday, and DeLoach and Sears have vowed to do whatever they can to help, as have Walker and Payne. Terrance Martin will need all the help he can get against an explosive Kansas City offense that features a strong running game built around Priest Holmes. Sears' advice? "Know your plays," he said. "There are no special tricks. You just have to play gap-control defense and get to the ball. One breakdown could be a touchdown. I think he'll do all right. He made it this far, so why back down now? "Seth is hurt, and that's unfortunate, but we have to keep it going. Seth is like the choreographer of the defensive line. He makes all the calls and pretty much tells us where to go. I have confidence in Terrance. Me and J.D. (DeLoach) are going to take him under our wings and get it done." Terrance Martin is one of only two undrafted free agents to make the Texans' roster -- linebacker Jimmy McClain is the other -- and he will become the first such player to start a game for the second-year franchise. The 6-2, 290-pound defensive lineman first caught the Texans' attention at the Senior Bowl, where Capers and his staff coached one of the teams. Although Martin was injured and didn't get much practice time, he impressed defensive line coach Todd Grantham, and Capers said the Texans actually had Martin rated higher than some of the defensive linemen who were drafted. Martin, who has more practice time at defensive end than nose tackle, had some obstacles along his road to the NFL. The Virginia native wanted to play his college football at West Virginia but was a non-qualifier and had to spend two years at Hinds Community College in Mississippi. From there, he went to North Carolina State, where he started 13 games in two years. The fact Martin will start an NFL game Sunday would certainly have been considered improbable, considering he was a long shot to make the roster out of training camp. Draft picks and more experienced players were ahead of him on the depth chart, but Martin kept showing up on practice and game film and outlasted the pack to earn a spot. "I've had to take the hard road before, and if I have to come through the back door again, that's how I'll do it," he said. "It's going to be hard on me because I have a lot to learn in a short period of time, but I feel like I can get it done. "It's an incredible feeling knowing I'm going to be out there starting Sunday. I'm going to do my best to hold it down. I know I have to be responsible and take care of my job, but I feel I can do that. I feel I'm a person they can trust."
