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"Watch Out. Here Come The Texans"--Houston v. Carolina Postgame Breakdown

I think Amobi Okoye said it all here:

"I tell you what -- we have something special here," said rookie defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, who registered the first two sacks of his career. "We really do have something special here. And coming on the road and winning is a real big thing.

"Watch out. Here come the Texans."

What else can you say?  First 2-0 start in franchise history.  Most points scored in franchise history.  Scoring 31 unanswered points.  On the road.  After being down 14-0.  To a team that many pundits picked to make some noise in the NFC.  To put it in context...I think it's the third biggest win in franchise history, behind the inaugural win over Dallas, and last season's Christmas Eve win over the Colts.  Bottom line is that your Houston Texans showed the kind of guts and, more importantly, got the kind of results, that have been in extremely short supply since the franchise took the field for the first time on September 8, 2002.  So let's take a closer look at yesterday's amazing game...

  1.  Although there was no shortage of standout performances yesterday, the headline, to me, has to be the defense.  In particular, the run defense.  Do you realize the Panthers racked up one (1!) first down via the rush all day?  And only had 66 total yards on the ground?  That is insane.  It seemed like every time a Panther got the ball in the backfield, there was a swarm of Texans converging on him.  It was truly a sight to see.
  2.  Keeping the focus on that defensive line...that Okoye kid sure is a bust, huh?  I'm no accountant, but I count four (4) sacks, one (1) forced fumble, one (1) fumble recovery, one (1) TD, and eleven (11) tackles in two (2) games between The Biggest Draft Blunder In The History Of Sport and this year's horrible mistake.  Allow me to be the first to say it...keep on being terrible, fellas.
2(a).  The stat line shows that Super Mario only recorded one tackle and defended only one pass, but anyone that watched the game knows what a beast he was.  I counted no less than three (3) times that he was oh-so-close to removing Jake Delhomme's head from his body.

2(b).  Welcome back, Anthony Weaver.

2(c).  You know what I like best about Anthony Maddox?  No, it's not his ability to deliver furniture.  It's the sacks.  Hear that, Travis Johnson?

2(d).  Cedric Killings played like his hair was on fire in limited action.  I loved it.

  1.  How much of a stud are you when your seven (7) tackles (including a couple of drive killing snuffs at the line of scrimmage) is simply seen as an average day at the office?  Ask DeMeco.
  2.  Do not sleep on Von Hutchins.  Ideally, you don't want your safety notching eleven (11) tackles; it usually means you're getting beat badly.  But Von's 11 weren't like that.
4(a).  Seriously, that is easily the quietest 11 tackle performance I've ever seen.  I'm not even sure if Steve Tasker knew who he was.
  1.  Will Demps just makes plays.  I mean, "play."  He would've done more, but he is still getting caught up on the scheme.  And by "getting caught up on the scheme," I mean "making the sheets at the Charlotte Airport Ramada reek of Drakkar Noir."
  2.  Dunta Robinson is a Pro Bowler.  I don't need another fourteen (14) games to determine this.
  3.  Petey Faggins, on the other hand, is not a Pro Bowler.  He is, however, an All Star when it comes to making me question the existence of a kind and benevolent Creator.  And he's All World when it comes to making me drink angry.  When I need a liver transplant in five (5) years, I'm sending him, Phillip Buchanon, and Matt Stevens the bill.
7(a).  Uhhhhh...that second TD by Steve Smith?  That attempt at a tackle gave me a flashback of P-Buc's "ole!" effort against the Steelers in the home opener of the 2005 season.  And then I passed out.

7(b).  But I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that Petey was the one who caused the fumble that Kevin Walter recovered in the endzone.  So he's got that going for him, which is nice.

  1.  I've never felt as strongly about a punter as I do about Matt Turk.  After those two (2) pins at the one yard line, I'm disturbingly close to commissioning Michael Bolton to write a song about him.  Something original, too.  Like "When A Man Loves A Punter."
  2.  Kris Brown is...automatic?  I don't want to jinx this, particularly with what is sure to be a week's worth of highlights of his FG to win the Colts game as time expired last season.
  3.  Jacoby Jones is close to breaking one.  I can feel it.
10(a).  Call me stupid, but I think that Jacoby's presence is pushing Jerome Mathis to be better too.  He seems to be returning kicks with a renewed sense of purpose.  Or maybe it's just that Kubes told him he can't have his motorcycle back until he scores a TD.  Either way, I'm happy.

11.  The offensive line was, in a word, effingamazing.  The Schaub wasn't sacked, and you can count the number of times he was even touched on one hand.

11(a).  Steve McKinney simply dominated.  After last week's down performance, that's a great sign.

11(b).  Kris Jenkins, who scared the bejeezus out of me going into yesterday's game, was harmless.  Completely neutralized, which I never would have guessed.

11(c).  After that first drive, I didn't hear Julius Peppers' name again.  We have Ephraim Salaam to thank for that, folks.  And if he can shut Peppers down, I feel damn good about how he'll fare week in and week out.

12.  There's so much to love about The Schaub that I don't even know where to start.  The quick release?  The unflappable calm, even in the face of a two TD deficit?  The willingness to stand strong in the pocket until the last possible second (e.g., the first TD pass to 'Dre)?  The fact that his hair isn't long enough to merit a ponytail?  His steadfast refusal to don dainty white gloves that would be better suited for a tea party than a football game?  I'm not sure.  I just know that I feel like a complete idiot for ever questioning whether Smithiak gave up too much for him.

12(a).  As The Schaub said after throwing that INT (that was reversed), "I promise that won't happen again."

13.  That Ahman Green fellow (15 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD) sure is past his prime.

13(a).  Shoulda drafted Reggie who?

13(b).  Few things make me happier than watching Ron Dayne fall forward for three yards at a time when the Texans are winning.  When he began staying in for every snap in the late third quarter, you knew the Panthers were going to get all they could take of the Dayne Diet.

  1.  Probably the most underrated option on the Texans offense?  Vonta Leach.  He is a legitimate option catching screens out of the backfield.  He had five (5) catches yesterday for 26 yards.
  2.  Nice recovery by Owen Daniels after that initial fumble.  Shows you that the guy won't let himself get beat down.
  3.  Andre Johnson is one of the three (3) best wide receivers in the NFL.  End of discussion.  That said, I really hope he doesn't rush back from the knee sprain; 'Dre is far too important to this offense to risk greater injury by coming back too soon.  If he's healthy on Sunday, great...get him out there.  But if he's not...the season is a marathon, not a sprint.  I'd rather have him at 100% in November than on the IR in October.
  4.  Kubes for Coach of the Year.
  5.  Rick Smith for Executive of the Year.
  6.  Smithiak for Exoach of the Year.
  7. Fake Game Balls:  On Defense--Amobi Okoye.  On Offense--The Offensive Line.  On Special Teams--Matt Turk.
  8. Bring on the champs.  They'll be favored to win, as they should be. But Sunday should be a lot of fun.
This is what football season is supposed to be about...a legitimate chance to win every game.  For the first time since the team's inception, the Texans have that chance, largely because they're winning the battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball.  I could not be any more stoked.

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2005 Opening game...
was against Buffalo, but the home opener was against 'burgh.

by Triple347 on Sep 18, 2007 1:22 AM CDT   0 recs

Re: 2005
You're absolutely right...that's my bad.  How could I have forgotten about the massive egg the team laid in Game One in what was supposed to be the continued march to respectability after the 7-9 season?

Thanks for the catch; I've corrected it in the post.

Looking forward to a day when being a Texans fan doesn't mean that April is the highlight of my season...

by Tim on Sep 18, 2007 9:19 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Color me crazy...
but I thought Peppers lined up at LDE most of the game, going against Eric Winston.  I mean, he was a non-factor either way, but I assumed that was because Winston is as good as I think he is and not because Salaam suddenly got 72% better.
Is it too early to hook Jacoby Jones up with Darcy Maeda?

by MDC on Sep 18, 2007 8:07 AM CDT   0 recs

Question
With Eric & Ephraim playing as our 2 primary tackles, should we refer to them as Smoking Salaami or Smoked Salaami?

These kinds of details are extremely important if we plan to beat the Colts.

We can be critical of the draft picks, but in the end we always support the new Texan.

by Shake on Sep 18, 2007 9:11 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

if those are our choices
I have to go with Smoked Salaami. Smoking Salaami sounds like the title of a porn film.

by knave64 on Sep 19, 2007 2:45 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Re: Peppers
Did he?  I remember that going into the game, some people were talking about how Peppers was going to abuse Winston.  But then I recall Johnson and Tasker introducing the Texans OL and saying that Salaam was going to have his hands full with Peppers all day.  Can someone clarify this?

Regardless, you're right--the Poor Man's Mario Williams was a non-factor either way.  And Eric Winston is a hoss, whether he shut out Peppers or Rucker.

Looking forward to a day when being a Texans fan doesn't mean that April is the highlight of my season...

by Tim on Sep 18, 2007 9:23 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Peppers Lines up
over the RT usually, though the Panthers have been moving him around lately. Seems like I saw him on the left side once or twice.
I blog the Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com

by Jaxon on Sep 18, 2007 11:35 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

re:
Also, notice a big difference here.  This team is full of confidence.  They can play a little D.  They can keep Teh Schaub clean (not curling up in the fetal position every other play helps).  They think they can win.

This is a monumental difference between the 2007 and 2006 version of the Texans.

by bigfatdrunk on Sep 18, 2007 9:08 AM CDT   0 recs

Oh come on
You must admit, it's pretty pathetic that they have yet to eclipse the win total of the '05 team.
We can be critical of the draft picks, but in the end we always support the new Texan.

by Shake on Sep 18, 2007 9:12 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Panther Blogger Responds
1. The Texan run defense was good, fo sho! Panther turnovers changed the game and prevented a come back. Take away the miscues and its a close game. These two teams match up pretty well.

2a. Okoye is the bomb. I'll give you Jenkins and a Steve Smith bobblehead for him :)

2b. I thought Travelle Wharton handled Super Mario pretty well.

2d. Killings is your back-up? He abused our starting center Hartwig who I called out on my blog for the second week in a row.

  1. Why didn't the Panthers pick up Will Demps? dumb asses.
  2. Robinson is a Gamecock so we know how good he is.
  3. Faggins got used but I'm not gloating at all. It was our only bright spot.
  4. Jones probably is close to breaking one. He looked dangerous.
  5. The o-line did a great job. Would the announcers please stop saying the Panthers have a great front 7? I haven't seen it in a while.
  6. Leach is a weapon. He was pissing me off. Round, chubby big ass guys like that are supposed to drop every other ball.
  7. Owen Daniel just killed us. I think our linebackers couldn't cover my sister.
Andre Johnson is one of the top 5 WR in the league. I'm pissed I didn't draft him for either of my Fantasy leagues.

I also called out Pep for disappearing after the first couple series. We needed a play and he didn't deliver.

Enjoyed it guys (except for the losing part). thanks for keeping it good natured and not going over the top. You can see my detailed write-up of the game over on my site.

Nice post Tim. I'll be pulling for the Texans over the other chumps in your division. Maybe you guys will be the feel-good story of the year!

I blog the Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com

by Jaxon on Sep 18, 2007 11:33 AM CDT   0 recs

Wait a second...
I thought BFD castration was the feel good story of the year.

(This fulfills my once weekly reference to BFD's junk)

Is it too early to hook Jacoby Jones up with Darcy Maeda?

by MDC on Sep 18, 2007 11:42 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Noted
Nice job continuing to meet your quota.
We can be critical of the draft picks, but in the end we always support the new Texan.

by Shake on Sep 18, 2007 11:43 AM CDT to parent up   0 recs

fortunately....
...I'm used to people laughing at my junk.

Nice post, Jaxon.

Ya know, I kinda like this equal smack opportunity posting by both Chiefs and Jaxon.  It's a nice twist with a homer spin.  I am kinda scared about the Raiders guy, but I might be able to find a Mozilla plug-in filter for that.*

* I met a charming Oakland re-transplant to Austin over the weekend who basically said that, no matter how the Raiders fans look on TV, the stench is far, far worse.

by bigfatdrunk on Sep 18, 2007 12:13 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Mario's one tackle
I know it was just one, but does anybody remember what it looked like? That was the best hit I've ever seen him lay on a RB. DeShaun Foster is going to be hurting from that one today.

by Nashmeister on Sep 18, 2007 12:54 PM CDT   0 recs

Yeah
That was great.  You could almost hear Gus Johnson flinch as he called it.
Is it too early to hook Jacoby Jones up with Darcy Maeda?

by MDC on Sep 18, 2007 2:16 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Mario
That hit was great.  It looked quite a lot like the one that Peppers got on Green earlier, and it was a lot more athletic and explosive than I've seen from him lately.  He came flying out of nowhere.  Maybe he does have fast-twitch muscles after all (despite what Brian Baldinger says)!

by bv on Sep 18, 2007 2:27 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Carr
Did the coach make him wear the gloves because he kept fumbling the clipboard?

by WhiteGloveMagic on Sep 18, 2007 4:44 PM CDT   0 recs

nice nym!
Zoolander is the new michael jackson.

by bigfatdrunk on Sep 18, 2007 4:52 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

Re: White Gloves
I think he wears them because he wants to see if there's any evidence of hair breaking (from overmoussing) or falling out (from stress...those five (5) years in H-Town took a toll) when he runs his fingers through that glorious mane of his.
Looking forward to a day when being a Texans fan doesn't mean that April is the highlight of my season...

by Tim on Sep 18, 2007 5:46 PM CDT to parent up   0 recs

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