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The Captain's Log 2014, Game 6: "WATT-A-PALOOZA"

Capt Ron chronicles the Texans' latest loss at NRG Stadium against the Colts and highlights the latest news on Jadeveon Clowney's possible availability for the upcoming MNF game against the Steelers.

By Capt Ron
Bob Levey

Captain's Log Supplemental

Let's take a snapshot of the first-quarter, shall we?  I'll keep it simple with the starting field position of the drive, key plays, and the end result.

  • Texans: Houston's 20 yard-line, three and out.
  • Colts: Indy's 36 yard-line, T.Y. Hilton 40 yard reception, field goal.
  • Colts: Onside kick recovered at Indy's 46-yardline, T.Y. Hilton 49 yard reception, touchdown (Trent Richardson).
  • Texans: Houston's 20 yard-line, three and out.
  • Colts: Indy's 44 yard-line, T.Y. Hilton 14 yard reception, touchdown (Ahman Bradshaw).
  • Texans: Houston's 20 yard-line, three and out.
  • Colts: Indy's 32 yard-line, T.Y. Hilton 37 yard reception, touchdown (Coby Fleener).

Pattern recognition anyone?  Going into this game, I would have suspected that T.Y. Hilton would play a big part of their offense.  So it might make sense to actually do something to defend against that common theme that often leads to their success, right?  I don't know how R.A.C. and his defensive staff failed to prepare for this element of the Colts' offense.

Even more upsetting is that the Texans' offense is so flaccid at the start of games.  Do you realize that the Texans have failed to score in the first quarter of five out of six games so far this season?  The only exception is Week Two against the Raiders, where they put up 14 points: J.J. Watt's offensive touchdown at tight end and Arian Foster's 5-yard rushing touchdown.  In two games (Giants and Cowboys), Houston failed to score at all in the first half.  Not coincidentally, they lost both of those games.

Here is how the scoring summary looks after six games:

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Week 1 0 14 0 3
Week 2 14 3 10 3
Week 3 0 0 10 7
Week 4 0 7 10 6
Week 5 0 0 7 10
Week 6 0 14 7 7
TOTAL 14 38 44 36

The offense needs to start games faster, period.

The big positive we can see is that the Texans come out after halftime and tend to play a stronger second half overall.  It's really great that the coaches and players are making good adjustments within the games.  The team also seems to keep fighting down to the wire, and we don't see any hint of them giving up.  The Texans just need to come out more prepared in the beginning, and they should win more of these close games.

Losing to the Colts is a bummer, and the Texans are now 3-3, a game behind the 4-2 Colts in the AFC South.  It's time to prepare for the Steelers!  It's looking like Jadeveon Clowney has a real shot to be back for that Monday Night Football appearance, and the defense could sure use his help out there.  It would be a great national coverage and prime-time return for the first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

GO TEXANS!!

Summary of Key Stats

TEXANS COLTS
First Downs 18 27
Net Rushing Yards 136 93
Net Passing Yards 196 363
Total Net Yards 332 456
Passing ATT-COMP-INT 15-23-0 25-44-1
Third Down Efficiency 1/8 (12%) 8/16 (50%)
Touchdowns 4 4
Field Goals (made/attempted) 0/1 2/2
Fumbles / Lost 2 / 2 1 / 1
Turnovers (lost) 2 2
Penalties (QTY / Yards) 5 - 66 5 - 51
Sacks (defense) 3 5
Interceptions (defense) 1 0
Fumbles Recovered (defense) 1 2
Time of Possession 23:11 36:49
Red Zone Efficiency 3/3 (100%) 3/5 (60%)
Goal To Go Efficiency 2/2 (100%) 3/4 (75%)
Points From Turnovers 14 0
FINAL SCORE 28 33


Around the AFC South...

The Colts sit in sole possession of first place in the division after beating the Texans.  They return home with a 4-2 record to host the AFC North-leading Bengals, who are now 3-1-1 on the season after their latest tilt against the Panthers ended in a rare tie.

The Titans edged past the Jaguars in a 16-14 contest.  With a 2-4 record, good for third in the division, they next head to face the 1-5 Washington Redskins.

The Jaguars remain winless this season at 0-6.  They head back to Jacksonville to host the 3-1 Browns next week.

Sick Bay

"I'm a doctor!  Not a novelist of heroes!"

INJURY UPDATES THIS WEEK:

  • Jadeveon Clowney is still recovering from knee surgery, but could be activated for the next game.
  • Brandon Brooks was out with illness, including virus-symptoms and an E.R. visit; he's supposedly doing better.
  • Brooks Reed was banged up during game against the Colts and is day-to-day.

Movie Quote (name it):

"I do, I offer a complete and utter retraction. The imputation was totally without basis in fact, and was in no way fair comment, and was motivated purely by malice, and I deeply regret any distress that my comments may have caused you, or your family, and I hereby undertake not to repeat any such slander at any time in the future."

Bravo Zulu -  J.J. Watt

100px-bravo_flag 100px-zulu_flag

(Bravo Zulu is a naval signal, conveyed by flag hoist or vocal, for "Well Done")

Every week this guy finds a way to notch something lofty into the record books.  J.J. was a one-man wrecking crew in this game and added his third touchdown in six games so far this season!  This time it was a fumble he recovered and returned 45 yards for the defensive score.  Despite being double-teamed, held, and even tripped (uncalled) by mortal offensive linemen from Indy, Watt also managed 2 sacks, 2 passes defended (sWATTed), and 7 tackles, with 3 of those tackles for a loss.  We are living in an amazing time to be able to witness J.J.'s performances.

Sports Radio 610 reports that Coach Pagano gave the Houston crowd credit for helping with that fumble that Watt returned for a touchdown:

Pagano said after the Texans 33-28 loss Thursday that crowd noise was to blame for the confusion that led to the botched snap by Andrew Luck that was recovered by J.J. Watt and returned 45 yards for a touchdown.

"It was really loud out there," Pagano said. "It was really loud. At that time, it was deafening and the play clock was running down. I think Andrew was looking at that when the ball was snapped. So from a communication standpoint, you can’t pin it on the quarterback, you can’t pin it on the center. I credit Houston’s fans on that one."

Watt’s score was his third this season, tied for as many as LeSean McCoy and Calvin Johnson… combined. It also made him the fifth player all time to have a touchdown on a fumble return, interception and reception in the same season, and the first in 53 years.

Stories From The Brig

Coaching & Offensive Preparedness:

For the second straight week, the offense came out flat at the beginning of the game.  Last week, they didn't score a single point in the first half.  This week, they provided three consecutive "three & outs" in the first-quarter while the Colts recorded three touchdowns and a field goal duringthat period.  While in-game adjustments are helping, the overall game preparation seems to be greatly lacking.  The coaches and the offense need to be ready at the start of the game if they want to win in the NFL.

The Secondary:

The defensive secondary looked almost 2010 bad.  T.Y. Hilton may be a rare talent, and he obviously owns the Texans in every contest, but his exploits highlight the weakness this team has in covering over the top.  R.A.C. will have to fix this schematically since the roster doesn't have a speedy ball-hawk to put in at free safety.  Before you prepare any #Bamboozled Ed Reed snarky jokes, let's at least take stock of the fact that both Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson struggled in this game too.  Overall, this defense was roasted by bad play from just about everyone behind the front seven.

Movie Quote II (a/k/a the hint):

"Aristotle was not Belgian, the principle of Buddhism is not "every man for himself", and the London Underground is not a political movement. Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked them up."

Fun With Twitter

Ship's Galley

Let's check in with the mess hall and see what's cooking...

Deviled Scotch Eggs

I am bringing these back from last season for a repeat performance due to a lot of recent interest by friends who wanted this recipe, and also for anyone who just joined BRB this season.  These things are amazing for entertaining, and they travel really well for tailgating (keep chilled if not eaten immediately).

G16scotchegg_zps20cf37c9_medium

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 lbs. bulk sausage ("hot" is recommended, but country-style or herbed would work just fine)
  • 6 hard-boiled large eggs-shells removed
  • 1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 raw eggs, beaten lightly
  • 1 Cup Panko
  • Peanut oil for deep-frying

For the Deviling Process:

  • 1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Coleman’s English Mustard
  • 1/8 Teaspoon salt
  • dash of black pepper
  • paprika and crumbled bacon to garnish

DIRECTIONS

For the Scotch Eggs:

Heat peanut oil in a deep fryer to 365° F.

Cover counter top with large sheet of waxed paper.

Divide the sausage into six equal portions.

Flatten the sausage into thin circles.

Place an egg in the center of each round. Enclose each egg completely in the sausage.

Dredge the sausage-coated eggs in flour, dip them in the raw egg and then roll them in the Panko until they are entirely coated.

Fry Scotch Eggs two at a time for 10 minutes.

Transfer to paper towels and allow to cool to touch.

To Devil them:

Halve the Scotch Eggs lengthwise and remove the yolks.

Mash the yolks with a fork and then place them in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper and mix until smooth.

Using a pastry bag or sandwich bag with an end snipped off, pipe the yolk mixture back into the Scotch Eggs.

Garnish with paprika and bacon crumbles.

Enjoy with a good microbrew. I'm sure Vega would have the best recommendation to pair with this dish.

On The Horizon...

Next up, the Texans travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers on Monday Night Football!

Last week's Captain's Log: Week 5 v. Cowboys.

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