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Thoughts From The Game: Week Two


NFL Replay is a great program.  I watched most of the game live on Sunday, and then I watched it again that night (DVR is a beautiful thing), but seeing the big plays with NFL Films replays and player analysis from post-game conferences is amazing.  Tim did an outstanding job reviewing the overall performance of the Texans against the Titans in Week Two, so I'll just write some thoughts about what I saw.  This might come off as more of rant about random players, but again, after bfd and Tim, I don't think we need another intricately detailed wrap-up.

- Matt Schaub is amazing when he has time.  He made big throw after big throw which is as much of a tribute to the pass blocking as it is to #8.  In the first half alone, not only did he throw the three TD passes, but every single catch by the TEs was for a first down.  That's a sign of him using all of the weapons at his disposal. 

- Steve Slaton has had problems, but they can get better.  Every time he got the ball with a little bit of room to run (i.e., screen pass), he ran with conviction.  I don't know what the secret is to make him run that way on regular hand-offs, but the coaching staff needs to figure it out for this team to be able to take advantage of the opposing team's pass rush effectively.

- Andre Johnson is the best WR in the NFL.  The tip to himself was an All-Pro catch.  The wide open TD may have seen like just a blown coverage due to play action, but as Lance Zierlein pointed out, it was also because of Johnson selling the route by starting off at medium speed and then accelerating at the perfect time.  Johnson also made a couple of tough catches in the second half, including the one when he went up for a ball even though he knew a hit by two defenders was coming.

- Jacoby Jones is too inconsistent to be a starter on this team.  He shows flashes, like the TD catch, but he constantly regresses with drops both on punts and passes.  It is frustrating, but I just don't think Jacoby will ever be a regular contributor the Texans can count on.

- You already know this, but this team has an abundance of talented tight ends.  Owen Daniels is making a case that he is irreplaceable by making clutch "hands" catches, and Joel Dreessen might be a starter on several other teams, considering the key catches he makes (i.e., the fourth down conversion).  Between the two of them and the up-and-comer James Casey (who is proving his worth on special teams), this is a great problem to have.

- The offensive line was feast or famine this week.  Although they showed great ability to keep Schaub upright, they didn't do a good job at opening holes for Slaton or Chris Brown.  Schaub did make the Titans pay for selling out against the run, but when we play defenses like the Jets who can defend both the pass and the run at the same time, that won't cut it.  I did relish the clip of Eric Winston telling Kyle Vanden Bosch exactly what he thought of him though.

- As much as I love Connor Barwin, he has a little bit to go until he can be an every-down player.  On the first long TD run by Chris Johnson, the Titans exploited Barwin's straight up the field rush by simply pushing him out of the way.  He also committed a couple of costly offside penalties during the field goal drive to end the second half.  I think Barwin will eventually be a great player; he just needs some seasoning.

- Mario Williams is a beast but he needs more help on the defensive line.  He was getting a regular bull rush to get into the backfield.  Amobi Okoye had a pretty good game penetrating, but until the Texans get better play out of the other DT, the D line will be susceptible to up-the-middle runs.  Mario WIlliams' ability against the run is what makes him an elite DE, as opposed to players like Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, who got shredded by the run last night.

- The linebacker corps is as good at is have ever been in franchise history.  One of the big reasons why is because of Brian Cushing.  I have to admit that I very well may have been wrong about #56 (I can eat crow, too; Rip, kudos).  I had two concerns about Cushing when he was drafted--(1) tackling ability and (2) durability.  Only time staying healthy will tell about the second concern, but he certainly has shown big time ability at stopping the run.  He did make some mistakes in coverage, but for just his second game of his pro career (including the preseason), he is playing much better than I expected.  I am very glad to be wrong so far.  Keep it up Cush.

- Eugene Wilson makes our secondary better.  He is definitely not a great tackler, but he is the best Texans safety in coverage by FAR.  The interception was a bad throw by Collins and Wilson was in the right place at the right time, but he made other good plays in coverage throughout the game, including the fourth down play when he forced Justin Gage toward the sideline to make the catch out of bounds.

- The Texans CBs are the liability of the defense.  Fred Bennett has been abused in coverage, but at least he made some good open field tackles.  Dunta Robinson not only whiffed on a couple of key tackles, but he made a blatant late hit that wasn't called in the first quarter.  Brice McCain may be okay in coverage (when he gets the assignment right), but Kenny Britt easily took him out of the play on the first long Chris Johnson TD.  The rookies can improve, but I am very worried about Bennett and Robinson.

- Both Texans kickers are playing amazingly.  Kris Brown is Mister Automatic which is to be expected, but Matt Turk is giving the defense great help by pinning the opposing teams as deep as possible on almost every play.  Both are underrated and huge weapons for this team.

Offense:  Despite the problems running the ball, it is hard to criticize the offense from this game.  I would give Matt Schaub the offensive game ball because he remained poised despite the incredible physicality that both teams played with.  It's been said several times already, but battling back from an early 21-7 deficit takes a lot of grit.  You have to give a lot of that credit to Schaub, who is undoubtedly the most criticized offensive Texans player.

Defense:  They tried their best to induce as many massive coronaries as possible in Houston by giving up those huge plays to Chris Johnson, but you can see the signs of improvement otherwise.  We all expected an immediate change with the ousting of Richard Smith, but whole units don't change overnight.  I'm not saying that they are the Steel Curtain reborn, but giving up only 7 second half points is an undeniable show of improvement.  Defensive game ball goes to Cushing in my opinion.  I know Mario played out of his mind, but Cushing played with a fire that was contagious.  If he can find a way to stay on the field both on third downs and without injury, he could be special.

Bonus Thought:  Cortland Finnegan has now made my list of "People I'd Pay To See Hit By a Mack Truck".  Not only does he play cheap, but he gets abused by good receivers (see Santonio Holmes and Andre Johnson).  Without the dominant pass rush from last year, he's in for a long season.  Another insight that NFL Replay gave, however, was that the source of the sideline brawl was Andre Johnson and Finnegan getting into it.  It takes a lot to get Andre heated, which makes me feel that my hate for Finnegan is that much more justified.

2 recs  |  Comment 22 comments |

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Finally

Been waiting all day to see your thoughts :-)

Note to self: Insert something witty here.

by bigfatdrunk on Sep 22, 2009 9:19 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Question, Jake

From watching the replay, did you get a better idea who blew his assignment on the Chris Johnson TD reception?

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 22, 2009 9:26 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

I have to agree with Chris

As he stated just below this, Cushing shifted to the left side of the field with the TE. I couldn’t see exactly who it was, but the safety on the right side of the field didn’t recognize that he needed to pick up Johnson.

On another note though, it’s partially on DeMeco. As the MLB and captain of that squad, he needs to make sure that kind of thing doesn’t happen. That might be a reach, but a defense with so many young and inexperienced players needs an extra measure of control, imo.

You know... for kids.

by Jake on Sep 23, 2009 6:52 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Barber

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2009092007/2009/REG2/texans@titans#tab:watch

I believe it was Barber for a couple of reasons. First, when Crumpler shifted out to the strong side, that would be Cushing’s man. Diles should then have responsibility for Hall in the backfield. Barber is the guy with his head turned, looking the wrong way. Secondly, Barber didn’t see much PT after that play. Busing and Wilson were out there for most of the second half of the game, though I’d love to see a play count to verify.

Note to self: Insert something witty here.

by bigfatdrunk on Sep 23, 2009 8:18 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

lol

thats exactly what diles was thinking… and that’s why he missed CJ. in that setup, meco (not blitzing) has Hall, the FB. if Diles blitzed, THEN it goes to the FS, who should be matched up with anybody who comes to that side of the field. the coaches, somebody upstairs, ANYBODY could have seen he was wide open, but nobody called timeout.

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Now you are banned. That is what you wanted, right?

by chrisd21 on Sep 23, 2009 9:30 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions   0 recs

#23

is going downhill fast on my cool meter. he made, by my count, 2 tackles, both assists. but it wasnt his fault on that long run. he was locked up on gage on the strong side. that was a created play that took advantage of:
a. our weak side LB. by sending the TE in motion, cush follows. now diles is matched with CJ out the backfield.
b. our FS. with them going twins right, both corners are man 2 man on the strong side.
when both players brain fart… you have the easiest TD in NFL history. (according to that dumb ass Steve Tasker)

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by chrisd21 on Sep 22, 2009 9:46 PM CDT via mobile reply actions   0 recs

You know you're a bonafide asshole

When Andre Johnson beats the shit out of you.

by WhiskeyR on Sep 22, 2009 10:02 PM CDT reply actions   1 recs

Shhhhh

I haven’t watched it yet, you’re gonna spoil the ending

In Canada our balls are bigger

by canadian texan on Sep 22, 2009 11:03 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

hurray!

i’ve seen all those movies….and thanks to the nfl network a condensed version of the game too!

In Canada our balls are bigger

by canadian texan on Sep 23, 2009 6:29 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Better but...

The Texans definitely responded with one of the most inspired games they have every played! I loved the Winston – Vandenbosch altercation, Andre Johnson -Finegan jawing and even the sideline mess. At some point they had to stand up and show that they refuse to have sand kicked in they face and not respond! I loved the way that they never gave up for sixty minutes.

I still have two great concerns: 1) Run defense and 2) Texans Running Game. Can’t win consistently in the NFL; especially the AFC South without both! Great effort but need to corrrect both asap to get to the next level.

by Pastor Jerry on Sep 23, 2009 9:16 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

concerns

The good thing is, it would APPEAR that these concerns can be fixed. Missing tackles, when in position, is an issue that can be fixed. And we know the team can run the ball, based on last year. I think we’re just limping out of the gate in the running game, but we can fix whatever’s wrong and get it going.
We can all take solace in that last year, Steve didn’t really take over the starting gig until week 4 or so, and he ended up with pretty respectable stats, so this is nothing new.

Bacon tastes good... Pork chops taste good.

by beefy on Sep 23, 2009 10:04 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

From a defensive perspective...

..the issue is really the big plays.

Most of those seem to be blown assignments, which is really a technical issue, not necessarily a talent issue. So that can be addressed in general by people spending more time in the defense and studying the playbook/assignments.

We will still give up big plays here and there, but in general, the defense seems to be improving on a down by down basis.

"An open mind is like a fortress with it's gates unbarred and unguarded."

The ROSENFAIL : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAKAKE-uq-8&feature=related

by TexansForever on Sep 23, 2009 10:57 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Agree

I think we’re going to give up big plays, due to being more agressive both on the line and in the blitzing. Can we make more big plays than we give up, is the million dollar question? I think with better tackling and playing assignments, we can.

Bacon tastes good... Pork chops taste good.

by beefy on Sep 23, 2009 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Agreed

But I’m worried. We have one sack the first two games, and we rarely blitzed on Sunday. Are we already reverting back to Richard Smith-ness to cover the suckiness of our secondary and pass coverage in general?

Note to self: Insert something witty here.

by bigfatdrunk on Sep 23, 2009 12:08 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Given the changes to the tone of the defense....

…and not necessarily the overarching scheme, I think this will be a different defense by the fourth game of the season. You need a few games to adjust to the new faces and tempo.

If they are not a significantly better defense by game 4, I will begin to be seriously worried. For now I would say I am moderately worried.

"An open mind is like a fortress with it's gates unbarred and unguarded."

The ROSENFAIL : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAKAKE-uq-8&feature=related

by TexansForever on Sep 23, 2009 1:12 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Why was Antonio Smith benched

for opening of game? Conduct detrimental to the team?

If you think education is expensive, try ignorance....

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Happy Now Tits?

by CFHTim on Sep 23, 2009 1:39 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Great Thoughts, Jake!

On Barwin; it is like he is on auto-pilot acting on orders from the control tower. They say rush the passer; he rushes the passer. I seriously think they are asking him to not think, but make the play that is called. But, at least, he is getting valuable experience at a position that he only has one season of experience playing. And, he gets video to watch later. If they want him to see things in live action, he has to do it. The field vision and ability to react will come later.

On Cushing; it is useless for anyone to deny that he is a talented rookie, even based on just the two games that we have seen. So, let’s all just sit back and enjoy the kid, seriously. He IS a run-stopper, though, isn’t he?…and that is enjoyable to watch! I have a feeling his coverage skills will improve as the season moves on. Until then, let’s relish in getting more third and longs.

On offense and Finnegan; the Texans took what the Titans gave them and I don’t know if there was anyone watching that game that enjoyed it more than me, seeing Finnegan get toyed with like that by Schaub and the receiving corps. Oh Man!!! I thought the guy was gonna pop a blood vessel in his temple!

On the cornerbacks; YES, they are the weak link, but hope is not lost. Still, the defensive line is not pressuring the QB enough to cover for their faults. With more pressure will come more opportunistic interceptions like the one that Wilson had. That is the coaches job to do, because I believe that defensive scheming is a big part of a good D-line rush. If it comes with the aid of blitzes, stunts, or whatever, the coaches need to find an offense’s weakness and exploit it. I put it on the coaches to make the adjustments here. Look for that to be an area of improvement this weekend against the Jags.

I suppose if all of the stars, moons and planets align it could be possible, but what are the chances of that?

by Rip Jersey on Sep 23, 2009 10:08 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

I certainly agree that the Corners are the weak link. I also expect the corners to get better as the year goes along, with Mccain Molden and Quinn all being pretty young, but supposedly physically talented.

by nolander on Sep 24, 2009 11:50 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Molden looks like a corner.

But he hasn’t been able to stay healthy so far. He was a beast on special teams last year.

If you think education is expensive, try ignorance....

You are banned from Music City Miracles.
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Happy Now Tits?

by CFHTim on Sep 24, 2009 6:21 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

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