After your Houston Texans parted with Brandon Frye yesterday, I wondered who would be claiming his roster spot. Seems like we now have an answer, as the Chronicle reports that the team is expected to sign Eugene Wilson today.

While his career stats don't scream "impact player" and I immediately fear that Wilson is simply Rosevelt Colvin, Jr. (witness his eerily similar release by his new employer), the fact remains that Wilson has the potential to alleviate some of the concerns at CB (and to a much lesser degree, safety). That alone makes me a fan of the move. What's more, we know that Smithiak has had some success adding free agent defensive backs at seemingly inopportune times. Doubtful that Eugene Wilson does much in Pittsburgh in a few days (or possibly even for the next few weeks), but I'm encouraged by his presence on the roster as an option at CB. Here's hoping he's more Will Demps than Michael Boulware.

According to the official team site, the following twenty-one (21) players were waived this afternoon:

Jon Abbate
Shane Boyd
Alex Brink
Kevis Coley
Rosevelt Colvin
Glenn Earl
Greg Eslinger
Jamar Fletcher
Darnell Jenkins
Ryan Krause
Gabe Long
Anthony Maddox
LeRon McCoy
Ben Moffitt
Jesse Nading
Derrick Roberson
Marcel Shipp
Mark Simmons
Torrin Tucker
Darius Walker
Dexter Wynn

One more player (Chris Brown? Petey Faggins?) must still be released to get down to the 53-man maximum. I'll have much more on this on this later, but a few quick thoughts:

1. That Rosevelt Colvin Experiment didn't take long, did it?

2. Sorry to see Darius Walker go; I hope he makes it through waivers, as I'd love to see him on the Houston practice squad.

3. Glenn Earl entered the 2007 season as a starter. Then he got injured in the first preseason game, and now he's unemployed. Things sure can turn on a dime in the NFL.

4. If I was the GM of a team that carried three (3) QBs, I'd be awfully intrigued by Shane Boyd and/or Alex Brink. Hopefully at least one of them makes it through waivers and can be stashed on the practice squad.

5. Maybe I'm alone here, but I'm sad to see Anthony Maddox go. He didn't look good at all until last night, but I'll always look back on that furniture-moving SOB with fondness.

6. How in the world did both Chris Brown and Petey Faggins survive this cut? One of them has to be gonzo tommorrow, right? Right?

7. How did Kubes keep Petey over Fletcher? Or Brown over Walker? What's going on here?

As Brooke Bentley at the official site notes, today's the first deadline for teams around the NFL to trim their rosters. By 5 p.m., the roster must be whittled to seventy-five (75) players. While the tough decisions are typically made in the final round of cuts, we could nevertheless see some rather big names hit the waiver wire before the day is through.

So I ask you this: Who do you see getting cut by day's end? I'm betting we see one trumpeted free-agent acquisition on the Texans' cut list today; I just can't see any reason for the Texans to keep Chris Brown on the roster. He hasn't been on the field long enough to show the slightest justification for remaining gainfully employed. When you factor in the low amount of guaranteed money lost by cutting him, the improved play of Chris Taylor, the promise of Steve Slaton, Darius Walker's health, and Smithiak's puzzling continued love affair with Ahman Green, I simply don't see a place for Brown (absent Ahman spraining his index finger in a tragic remote control incident). Doesn't seem to make any sense to keep Brown around for another day, so I think he's gonzo.

Rosevelt Colvin could also be looking for work this afternoon, but I think the failure of anyone else (cough...Anthony Weaver...cough) to show a semblance of productivity opposite Super Mario will buy him a few more days and another preseason game. Thoughts?

Due to a failed two-point conversion (that I'm betting even Wade Phillips would've rather seen converted if it meant getting to avoid overtime and the risk of injury to anyone on his squad), this year's Governor's Cup returns to Dallas. Make no mistake, though--if not for a couple of costly/timely turnovers by the opposition, this game would've gotten ugly. Here's the final box score.

Critiquing after preseason games is tough. As fans, we really have no idea how closely the coaches played it to the vest. If you're truly trying to win a football game, you play your best players as much as possible; you don't sit them after a half or three (3) quarters. With that in mind, I think we all need to take a deep breath and not completely lose our collective mind just yet. Three (3) preseason games is, however, enough of a sample size for us to note one fairly troubling pattern:

Your Houston Texans defense has not stopped the opposition with anything approaching regularity.

No need to panic yet, but Richard Smith & Co. are not exactly engendering confidence amongst the battle red masses. Save the hysteria until we see how the squad does at Pittsburgh and at home hosting Baltimore. A few other observations:

1. Keep those good thoughts coming for Harry Williams. Surgery was apparently successful yesterday, and all of our best should go to Williams and his family.

2. Still no pass rush. At all. And yes, I know: Super Mario was working against double and triple teams most of the evening. But you know what? That should, in theory, mean that other players were free to get to Tony Romo, who had all the time in the world to do whatever he wanted on Friday night. Dallas' OL is one of the best in the league, but to not disrupt the offense at all? Inexcusable, regardless of whether Richard Smith refused to unveil any of his plus packages or schemes.

3. If I was Rosevelt Colvin, I'd be rather worried that I was going to get Keenan McCardelled in a day or five. Colvin's done next to nothing in game action.

4. If Chris Brown makes this team, I'll be flabbergasted. The guy is a walking justification for the non-guaranteed contract system embraced by the NFL.

5. For reasons unknown to me, Kubes continues to insist that Ahman Green will be ready to play by Week One. If he in fact is deemed "healthy," he's going to start. And when Green inevitably pulls a hamstring during the national anthem, Steve Slaton will be your new No. 1 RB.

6. Good to see Andre Johnson back on the field, but it was pretty clear his timing was off. He was a complete non-factor.

7. The Schaub looked absolutely brutal for the first quarter of Friday night's game before transforming into the QB we saw dissect New Orleans a week ago. While the OL didn't surrender a sack, Schaub and Rosenfels were forced to deliver the ball earlier than they would've liked for the majority of the night.

8. Kevin Walter won't sneak up on opposing teams this year, but I think the guy's still going to improve on last year's numbers. He just has a knack for making the tough catch, and I think Schaub is very comfortable going to him in any situation.

9. Apostrophe Davis is what Jacoby Jones should be.

10. Nice to see Owen Daniels raising his game as the preseason has progressed. Honestly, can you give me another team's 3 WR/1 TE set that you'd rather have than 'Dre/Walter/Apostrophe/Daniels?

11. Aside from Super Mario's goal line strip (recovered by Frank Okam), the run defense was abysmal on Friday night. And the pass defense wasn't any better. I'm no expert, but you're going to have problems winning football games if you can't stop the other team on the ground or through the air. At this point in the analysis, I'm of the mind that we're going to see an awful lot of shootouts this season.

12. Jacques Reeves continues to implicitly encourage the NFL to replace the numbers on the back of his jersey with a bullseye.

13. DeMeco Ryans looked like DeMeco Ryans on Friday night.

14. Zac Diles is your starter at SLB. There should be no further debate, especially since that INT he snagged in the end zone almost made me spontaneously combust.

15. We're counting on Fred Bennett to be a No. 1, shutdown CB. It's only preseason, but he has not looked like one yet. Considering he's going to have The Human Torch or a rookie on the other side of the field from him, this terrifies me.

16. Kris Brown seems to get better every game. The guy is automatic.

I've rambled enough. What say you, BRB? Who's impressed you? Made you question the existence of a benevolent Creator? Share your takes in the Comments below.

They often say that the truth hurts.  And when they say your team has been struggling to find a ground game and can’t rush the quarterback – there’s no denying the sting of reality. 

Whether they make you happy or mad, the guys at ColdHardFootballFacts.com are always willing to let you know how good or how bad your team is – not based on opinion, but based on statistical analysis (a/k/a the cold hard facts).

With a sabermetrics-like approach to covering every aspect of football, they again came up with a bottom line that left me shaking my head.  Let's take a look at their latest breakdown as they applied their Fillability Index to the teams of the AFC South.

Continue reading this post »

Last Saturday, I was again fortunate enough to appear on another podcast to discuss your Houston Texans; this time, it was via the excellent fantasy football site Dynasty Rogues. If you're interested in hearing the latest edition of my audible idiocy (including my fantasy sleeper prediction), click here and take a gander about halfway down the page.

Thanks to John McClain's latest blog entry, we now know the terms of the three (3) year deal Rosevelt Colvin inked with your Houston Texans. And they are:

I LOVE this contract. Very little guaranteed money throughout the deal for a potential pass-rushing bookend for Super Mario, and only $500,000.00 guaranteed in Year One. In other words, if Colvin doesn't work out come training camp, the team can part ways with him without having to take a Casserly-esque cap hit. Looks like another excellent signing by Rick Smith, who is quickly becoming one of the most shrewd executives around. What say you, BRB?

According to Megan Manfull, your Houston Texans are set to sign LB Rosevelt Colvin (career stats here) today.

Solis did a nice job filling us in on Colvin's background, highlighting the injury and age concerns that offset the lure of his possible productivity as an edge rusher opposite Super Mario. In my opinion, the terms of Colvin's deal will be the clear deciding factor in determining whether this is a deal we should get excited about. Small amount of guaranteed money and tons of incentive opportunities? Love the deal. Significant guaranteed money? I'm not nearly as much a fan of the signing.

As we wait for details of the deal to leak out, let us know your preliminary thoughts in the Comments below.

Monday morning brought about the news that the Texans would not retain the services of Jordan Black or Quinn Gray.  In the wake of the final day of OTAs, GM Rick Smith and Coach Kubiak addressed several questions from the media.  Smithiak discussed what was, what is, and what will be as the Texans put the OTAs behind them and prepare to head into training camp.  All quotes courtesy of www.houstontexans.com.

Continue reading this post »

 

The blitz was something on an endangered species last season for the Houston Texans.  Much ink was spilled going back and forth between the need to blitz more and the desire not to get a patchwork secondary smoked.

 

Defensive coordinator Richard Smith can't be afraid to call blitzes, even if they don't work the first time. If the Texans have to surrender one big play for a chance to make two, then do it. Playing defense the way the Texans need to, from start to finish, is a mindset that's nurtured during the week as part of hours and hours of preparation.

 

Thankfully, a lot has changed since then.  The secondary has gotten deeper.  The linebackers have gotten faster and the defensive line has gotten nastier.  Mario Williams has set the world on fire.  Amobi Okoye is building on his solid rookie season.  Frank Okam could be a beast in the middle.  And the secondary has improved too.  Fred Bennett is no longer a rookie cornerback.  He's a proven commodity that can make plays.  This year, the Texans are joined by speedsters Antwaun Molden and Jacques Reeves.  At some point, Dunta Robinson will return to the field.

 

So, who is going to hit Peyton Manning?  My guess--the linebackers.  No one has come out and openly said it, but all through the offseason and into OTAs, people have been dropping hints that opposing offenses will be seeing linebacker blitzes this year.

 

Continue reading this post »