Pardon the blatant abuse of Bon Jovi in the title to this post, if you will. As I was debating how to recap yesterday's game, I was struck by the duality of your Houston Texans after their loss to the Jaguars of Jacksonville. On one hand, the passing game looked terrific. On the other hand, the running game continued to look like it has since the franchise's inception. Which is to say, inconsistent at best, and nonexistent at worst. Still, that middling effort was far better than what we saw out of the defense, particularly in the second half. And no matter what kind of spin we try to put on it, the fact remains that your Houston Texans have lost three (3) in a row, two (2) of which were within the division. Dress it up all you want, but that burns.

The breaking dawn on the horizon, of course, is that the good guys don't have to leave their new open-air stadium for the next month. And while I'd certainly rather be catching the Colts with a semblance of momentum and/or not coming off their bye week, they haven't looked like the Colts we've grown accustomed to crushing our collective will to live playing, and they've got some real injury issues of their own. After Indy, the Texans host Miami, Detroit, and Cincinnati. While it's admittedly unreasonable to think the hometown team is going to rattle off four (4) wins in a row, it's not entirely insane to hope that they take three (3) of the next four.

So how does this tie in to yesterday afternoon's loss? Before yesterday, the Texans had not given us a reason to think they were capable of winning three (3) games all season, much less three of their next four. Now? We can at least hope. As I've realized that being a Texans fan is the sporting equivalent of being Andy Dufresne, all I can say is that hope is a good thing, and no good thing ever dies. Unless your secondary murders it. Segue, baby!

1. I really have nothing good to say about any of the Houston defensive backs. They can't tackle, and they can't cover. I'm no expert, but I think the chronic failure to do both of those things bodes very poorly for them (and by extension, us) for the rest of the season.

2. Staying on the secondary, C.C. Brown broke his arm and is out for the season. Normally, it'd be a huge blow to lose your starting strong safety. And hell, maybe it will be in C.C.'s case. But I believe there's an excellent chance that whoever takes over the starting gig (Dominique Barber? Nick Ferguson?) cannot be any worse. So we've got that going for us, which is nice.

3. Jacques Reeves can stay stride for stride with any WR in the league. Unfortunately for us, playing CB requires the occasional movement of one's arms and/or turning of one's head. Both of those qualities seem to be beyond Pepe Le Pew's skill set.

4. Fred Bennett just makes me sad. Remember how good he was last year?

5. DeMeco made some unreal plays yesterday, but he also missed what might have been the biggest tackle of his professional career in overtime (ended up setting up the winning FG for Scobee). Scobee would've probably hit anything closer than 55 yards out, so in the final analysis, it's not like it was catastrophic, but still...I expect more from the leader of the defense.

6. When did Quincy Monk steal Morlon Greenwood's identity and roster spot?

7. The pass rush is still mostly a figment of my imagination, but the Texans did put David Garrard on his back quite a few times, albeit not for sacks. Super Mario might as well have had a saddle on his back throughout most of the game, yet he still managed to be disruptive. I also really liked what I saw from Earl Cochran; he was about 758 times more active than Anthony Weaver's corpse usually is.

8. At DT, Amobi Okoye continues to be a complete non-factor. What the hell's the deal? Is he too small/light to penetrate and/or tie up blockers? Does he need a planetoid like Frank Okam playing next to him to allow him to contribute? Whatever the hold-up is, Richard Smith had better figure out how to take advantage of Okoye's talent. I hesitate to put too much of Okoye's struggles on Okoye himself, purely because I remember how effective he looked early in his rookie season. Plus, the thought of the Texans whiffing on two (2) first-round defensive tackles in a three (3) year period makes me want to jam a pair of scissors in my eye.

9. Travis Johnson was healthy enough to play, yet he didn't get the start. Jeff Zgonina ain't Warren Sapp, but at least he's not a headcase liable to pick up a personal foul or two, all the while running his mouth at a rate approximately 235 times faster than he moves in the trenches.

10. In the time it's taken you to read this far, David Garrard could have completed fifteen (15) consecutive slants without Richard Smith making a single adjustment. On a related note, perhaps our venerable defensive coordinator has used the thirty (30) hours since the game ended to figure out that maybe, just maybe, it might be a good idea to spy David Garrard instead of letting him singlehandedly scramble down the middle of the field what seemed like eight (8) straight times.

11. Kris Brown continues to be the most consistent player on the entire roster.

12. What does it say about Jacoby Jones that I would have rather had him not touch the ball, allowing it to be downed at the one-yard line, instead of picking it up and trying to return it? I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown every time he fields a punt and/or catches a pass.

13. Final word on special teams: I'm no professional football player or coach, but I believe a timeout might be warranted when you notice Jacksonville's "punt team" does not actually feature anyone lining up to punt the ball. And as bad as that was, the abhorrent tackling featured after the snap actually took the cake. Bravo, Petey Faggins.

14. The Schaub was, in a word, brilliant. He made the right reads, went through his progressions, protected the ball, and all in all looked absolutely nothing like the fraud we saw in the first two games of the season. It was undeniably the biggest game of his professional career, and Matt Schaub played his position about as well as it can be played. Kudos to Kubes as well for scripting the first several plays to feature short passes that would allow Schaub to get into a rhythm and build his confidence. Simply a superlative performance, and I have no doubt The Schaub would have led the Texans to victory if we hadn't lost the coin flip at the beginning of overtime.

15. Owen Daniels showed why he is one of the, if not the, best young TE(s) in the NFL--made some tough catches and picked up yards after the catch.

16. I know it's stupid, but I'm worried about Andre Johnson. Tremendous catch in the middle of the field late in the fourth quarter aside, he just doesn't look like the 'Dre we all know and love. He's more decoy than No. 1 WR right now. What gives?

17. Thankfully, Kevin Walter was there to pick up his slack (and/or vulture his TDs, if you're a 'Dre fantasy owner). He seemed to pick up that crucial last yard to cross the marker whenever the situation called for it, and he flashed the skills that shocked everyone not named Gary Kubiak last season. More, please.

18. Stupendous job in pass protection by the OL. The Schaub was clean all day, and we were all reminded of how effective the passing game can be if he's given time to throw. I was particularly impressed with the interior of the line, especially after the beating(s) they took in the first two games.

19. It's a really, really good thing that we hardly ever hear an announcer utter Duane Brown's name.

20. There weren't a ton of holes created for Steve Slaton to get through, but I loved the way he looked between the tackles. Factor in the additional facet the offense picks up by featuring him as a legitimate option out of the backfield, and Slaton could be a poor man's version of Brian Westbrook.

21. Is anyone else tickled that Ahman Green has lost out on $400,000.00 since the season opener? Given Slaton's emergence, at what point do you just send Green to the injured reserve?

22. Fake Game Balls: Offense--The Schaub; Defense--Super Mario; Special Teams--Kris Brown.

23. Did I really compare being a Texans fan to being wrongfully convicted, imprisoned, and brutalized at the beginning of this post? Hmmmmmm....so I did. And I stand by it. At least until the first win of '08.

The Texans enter the 2008 season with an expectation level that's higher than any Reliant Park has ever seen.  A potent passing attack and some of the league's best young defensive talent have the Texans brimming with optimism. 

Tempering the Texans' enthusiasm, however, is a lack of depth at the cornerback position.  With standout CB Dunta Robinson beginning the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, the Texans are fielding an opening day tandem of CB Jacques Reeves and CB Fred Bennett.  Throw in the much maligned CB DeMarcus Faggins and rookie CB Antwaun Molden, and is easy to see why cornerback is such a concern.

Needing to make a move to bolster the depth at the cornerback position, the Texans front office brought in another pedigreed player with something to prove.  Enter Eugene Wilson.

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I'll level with you: Half of the headline to this post was likely false. Nevertheless, the Chronicle reports that your Houston Texans picked up DE Stanley McClover (awe-inspiring career numbers here) and named their practice squad today. The following gentlemen will start the 2008 season on the practice squad in Houston:

Darius Walker (love it)
Kevis Coley (busted his arse in the preseason and earned this spot)
Darnell Jenkins (eh?)
Gabe Long (I'll hold out hope for any DT that he can one day make Travis Johnson expendable)
Jesse Nading (he's no Stanley McClover, which is probably a compliment)
Derrick Roberson (take Petey Faggins' job, please)
Mark Simmons (really like this kid, but WR is the toughest place to crack the Houston roster these days)

What happened to Alex Brink? Or Shane Boyd? Did one of them get picked up by another team?

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?

I was recently asked by the good people at SB Nation's fantasy site, Fake Teams, to provide a fantasy stalwart and a fantasy sleeper from your Houston Texans as we enter the 2008 season. Without looking, can you guess who I picked?

That's right...Petey Faggins! What? Didn't you guys see him last night? The guy was all over the field! Move him to WR and take advantage of his absurd talent already, Kubes! Better yet, stick him at RB! We know he'll stay healthy, unlike some other people.

Seriously though, here's my take. Make sure to check Fake Teams out throughout the year for all of your fantasy needs.

Scanning the official team site this afternoon, I came upon a feature in which Jacques Reeves answered ten (10) questions in the aftermath of Friday night's game. I realize employees of a team-run site can't really take the gloves off when interviewing players, so it's with great humility that I pose a few questions I'd like Jacques Reeves to answer:

1. How did it feel to return to a stadium populated by fans who, having watched you for the past several years, were completely giddy to see you playing for the opposition?

2. What's been your favorite part about being a Texan so far? Got to be making grown men weep in frustration, right?

3. When the Texans offered you $20,000,000.00 to come to Houston, did you think they were (a) joking and/or (b) under the influence?

4. Do you and Petey Faggins ever swap jerseys? You know, as a goof? Because I want to believe it's been him wearing No. 35 the past three (3) weeks.

5. Is there an unwritten team rule that requires at least one Texans CB to give a seven (7) yard cushion to a WR at all times?

6. When you answered that you'd say you've performed "aright" and/or "OK" in the preseason thus far (see linked interview in this post), you were fooling around, weren't you?

7. Final question (for now, anyway): This whole preseason look of yours--we'll call it "Eau De Petey--...it's a ploy, right? You're suckering the opposition in, aren't you? Making them think they can target you with reckless abandon and without any repercussion, only to emerge in Week One as a lockdown corner who's worth a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal once the regular season starts? This is all part of your master plan, isn't it? Please tell me this is all part of your master plan. Please. Don't make me beg.

If you've got any hard-hitting questions that you believe Jacques Reeves should answer, feel free to leave them in the Comments below.

Today's article in the Chronicle by Dale Robertson got me thinking. Actually, I've been thinking about this topic a lot since Dunta Robinson went down in November. Not that anyone can replace the guy who has been the heart and soul of the Texans defense since at least 2005, but someone has to start opposite Fred Bennett until Dunta gets back on the field (and that's assuming he even comes back at CB, which is a sizable assumption, given the nature of his injury). Come Pittsburgh, who's going to be starting at CB with Bennett?

It's clearly Jacques Reeves' job to lose. But given his history of looking like Petey Faggins on a bad day, I have considerable faith that he is eminently capable of doing just that. Antwaun Molden has impressed in camp, but he's a rookie, and he looked like a rook against New Orleans. It's probably asking too much for Molden to come in and start from Day One. Jamar Fletcher? Eh. I think I'd rather see Molden out there and deal with the lumps that would surely accompany him growing into the role.

Frankly, I really don't know what's going to happen. If I had to guess, I'd say that Reeves is your other starter at CB in Pittsburgh, but that Antwaun Molden displaces him around midseason. I know that's not exactly cause for celebration, but it could be worse, right? Right?

Tuesday wrapped up Day Five of Houston Texans training camp. Again, temperatures in Houston reached well into the mid 90s. Sweltering heat aside, the Texans continued to focus on improving individually as they work towards building the best team in franchise history.

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This post started as a slam piece of Faggins' play over the last few years.  Reach out in any direction and and you can find an easy reason to slam him.  Don't get me wrong, he deserves it, but there's something more there.

I talked with HoustonTexans.com writer Brooke Bentley about her piece on Demarcus Faggins.  I asked how she could write such a positive piece on one of the major dysfunctions of the 2007 season.  Her reply made me think:

I wanted to show that Petey is not ready to give up. There is a lot of competition at cornerback (we interviewed Antwaun Molden, Jacques Reeves and Fred Bennett about that during mini-camp). We wanted to show a player who started out at the bottom fighting for a spot and now is back where he started.

Demarcus Lamont Faggins has come full circle.  After the jump, get to know a little more about "Petey."

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