Houston Texans Newswire: The Preseason Is Over!

Before we begin, if you haven't read Brett's recap of last night's game, please do so.

Houston Texans News

The Texans came, they saw, they conquered.

Last night may have only been a preseason game, but Texans fans can enjoy the afterglow for least one day. Houston's reserves worked Dallas' reserves up and down the field.  There were many different story lines to follow after the game:

• McClain's headline addressed one major take away from the preseason:  Texans keep injuries to a minimum. He also talked about the connection between Case Keenum, DeVier Posey, and Ryan Griffin.
• Tim Cowlishaw puts the Texans ahead of the Cowboys as the best team in Texas.
• Tania Ganguli checks in with the headline that is hard to resist with Case Keenum: "QB Keenum makes his case for Texans".
• HoustonTexans.com's Drew Dougherty focused on DeVier Posey's return to the field.
• A.J. Bouye, the Texans' undrafted rookie cornerback, celebrated by his interception by posing like Terrell Owens did on the Cowboys' star some 13 years ago. Bouye was penalized for the act, and Bouye later expressed regret for his action, calling it "disrespectful". Since the game didn't count, I thought it was an excellent cherry on the top of the Texans' victory.

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Preseason is over.  Now to the Super Bowl.

NFL.com's Adam Schein has made his picks for this year's Super Bowl - the Atlanta Falcons and your Houston Texans. Schein notes that Rick Smith has put together one of the best rosters in the NFL, and the most dangerous hurdle for Houston is in Denver.  In the end, Schein has the Falcons winning it all.

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The cream of the crop.

ESPN completed their list of the top 100 defensive players in the NFL. No surprise, J.J. Watt is sitting at the top.

Watt batted down 16 passes at the line of scrimmage last season, most in the NFL. Watt had as many batted passes as the next two players combined.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

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Around the League

The NFL Settles.

The National Football League is hoping to end the concussion conversation just in time for the 2013 season. The move seems to be perfectly timed to allow the start of the season to wash the entire concussion story from the headlines.  At least for the time being. This helps with former players' immediate medical needs, as opposed to possibly waiting years to get a ruling in a court case.  This may also be a win for the owners, who have twenty years to play off the $750 million dollar settlement.  That comes out to about $23.5 million per team when split 32 ways.

Here are some of the more specific details:

• No more than $75 million for baseline medical exams;
• $10 million for a research and education fund;
• No more than $4 million to pay for the costs of notice to the members of the class of plaintiffs;
• $2 million representing one-half of the compensation of the Settlement Administrator; and
• Legal fees and litigation expenses to the plaintiffs' counsel (to be determined by the court).

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Giants lose key running back in final tune-up game.

New York's running back depth just took a big hit in the team's final preseason game. Andre Brown, the Giants' number two running back, has suffered a fracture in his left leg. Brown won't need surgery, but he did have the same injury in 2010 and missed 10 games as a result. On the fantasy front, Brown was one the first handcuffs of the board in the drafts I have participated in thus far. This could be a good or bad development for starter David Wilson.  He'll have a bigger load to carry and more chances to get injured.

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Quarterback questions still unanswered.

Oakland still doesn't have an answer under center; the Raiders' brass appeared to be hoping for Terrelle Pryor's emergence as the clear starter. After a dud of a performance against the Seahawks last night, the Raiders are left with the quick Pryor or the sure-handed Matt Flynn.

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Bills circle the wagons without Leinart.

Former Texans backup quarterback Matt Leinart has been with the Bills for less then a week and he's already been cut. Leinart struggled (3-of-10 for 11 yards, 2 interceptions) in his short time with the Bills. Full steam ahead with undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel for Week One.

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RGIII cleared, but Dr. Andrews is worried.

Washington's do-it-all quarterback Robert Griffin III has been cleared to play by Dr. James Andrews. Still, Dr. Andrews has expressed his concerns to the team about exposing Griffin's knee to hits. Griffin ran the zone read 120 times last season.  Will that number change in 2013 as a result of his knee?

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Seventh overall pick done for 2013.

Jonathan Cooper, the offensive lineman out of North Carolina, has been placed on season-ending injured reserve.  Cooper was diagnosed with a broken leg that will need a full season to heal correctly. The Cardinals surrendered a league-high 58 sacks last season, and Cooper was one of the key pieces being counted on to help protect new quarterback Carson Palmer.