With so much to write and talk about after every game, and not enough time for one man to write about it all, the masthead joins together and reacts to the Houston Texans taking over first place in the AFC South after a win in Indy.
Being alive is such a wonderful and strange thing. Yesterday's win over the Colts with Brandon Weeden saving the day is just one of the many infinite examples that reaffirm the silliness of existence. I still don't know how it happened, or why it happened, but it actually happened.
Yet now is not the time to ponder the deeper questions. Now is the time to celebrate and slather around in the glow of the present. After the season, we can ponder the bigger meaning, question the roster structure, and debate how Houston can go from a mediocre team that won a crappy division to an actual Super Bowl contender. But now let's start the party, enjoy the present, and look forward to the fragile beauty of playoff football.
Brett Kollmann:
This is the team that finally did it? THIS YEAR'S TEAM? REALLY?!
Don't get me wrong, winning in Indy is a monumental achievement for this franchise, but before this season started, I never could have imagined that Brandon Weeden of all people would be the guy to get it done. This is just...I don't even really know how to react yet.
I suppose I will just say this - your Houston Texans are on their way to a division championship and a home playoff game in January. Regardless of their record at the end of the regular season, making it to the postseason has always been the goal for this year. Whether they win the Super Bowl or get bounced in the first round, I consider a postseason appearance to be a good progression for Bill O'Brien in year two of his tenure here, especially when you consider the quarterbacks he has had to endure thus far.
"Life Is Hell" by Brandon Weeden
kdentify:
We won!!!! The Texans were finally able to go into Lucas Oil Stadium and come out the victors!! That's great to finally slay that dragon, but, more importantly, it means we're leading in the AFC South and in control of our own destiny in terms of the playoffs. This was an ugly game and we owe a lot to our defense, as well as Brandon Weeden and Jaelen Strong for stepping up when we needed them. It's not good to have lost T.J. Yates for the season, and I definitely hope his recovery goes well.
The QB position remains a question mark for us. If Brian Hoyer can come back next week--and word has been that he's recovering from this concussion faster than the last one--then he may be available for the game at the Titans. We're going to need to bring in at least one more QB, possibly two, if they decide Hoyer can't go. Of course, Marcus Mariota exited the game against the Patriots with a knee injury, so we may face Zach Mettenberger again. That's been a good matchup for our defense.
My understanding is that if we win, and the Colts lose, we clinch the division, but I'd take kindly to a win over the Jaguars in Week 17. So, for me, the focus is on Sunday and making Mariota and/or Mettenberger extremely uncomfortable in the pocket.
"I Tricked Someone Into Spending A First Round Pick On Me" by Brandon Weeden
Tim:
After getting embarrassed in Atlanta and Miami, many Texans fans rightfully left this team for dead. Yet since the debacle against the Dolphins, the Texans have gone 5-2, with the most recent result accomplishing something no other Texans team had ever done--winning in Indianapolis. Somehow, some way, Bill O'Brien has shepherded this team to the top of the AFC South while playing Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, T.J. Yates, and now Brandon Weeden at quarterback. We've spent a good deal of time and energy excoriating the Texans for choosing to put themselves in a position where those are their options at QB, and we'll surely spent more time doing it again in the future.
But not today. Today, I just want to bask in the joy of getting to witness something that we've never witnessed before--the Texans getting the better of the Colts on the road. Today, I want to enjoy the absurd truth that the 2015 Houston Texans are tantalizingly close to winning the AFC South. Today, I will allow myself to get excited about the possibility of NRG Stadium hosting another playoff game. Today is a good day to be a Texans fan.
"Near Death Experience"by Brandon Weeden
Capt Ron:
The Texans are the zombie team of the NFL. They simply won't die. They won't go away no matter how many times they take a lethal hit to the roster. Losing Arian Foster for the season should have been the equivalent of a head-shot to end the nightmare, but this team keeps rising back up and claiming more victories against all odds. Speaking of head-shots, with Brian Hoyer still out due to the concussion protocol, it was going to be a challenge with T.J. Yates still getting up to speed on the playbook and competing on the road. Then he went down with a knee injury during the game, and recent street clothes pickup Brandon Weeden rose up to keep this "Texans' Zombie Apocalypse" moving forward for an unlikely win in Indy. Incredible!
This season has been like one of those computer games where you (during preseason = pre-installation) have high hopes of being the ultimate hero who blasts through the opponents with highlight-worthy moves, and nary a blemish, setting records that will stand the test of time. But soon after things get started, you realize the mortal imperfections and struggle significantly, even to the point where you are ready to shut it all down and move on to something else. Then, just when all hope is lost, something sparks a taste of success and you venture forward to see how far it can take you. Before you know it, you have become the evil bane to trump all other opponents in tilts you should honestly have lost. You do it with unlikely resources that would typically have gone untested, but for some reason keep working to give you an advantage. Somehow, some way, you win. It's not pretty, it's barely even fun, but you just won't die.
I'll take it. As ugly and unlikely as each week has been this season, I'll take it. Go Texans!
"I Should Have Stuck With Baseball" by Brandon Weeden
bigfatdrunk:
In 1983, after the Chicago White Sox went on a winning streak, Texas Rangers manager Doug Rader said the White Sox "...weren't playing well. They're winning ugly" (cite: Wikipedia). The White Sox would go on to adopt the Winning Ugly moniker on its way to winning the AL West championship.
Your 2015 Houston Texans are "Winning Fugly."
There's a lot to discuss about the Clots' game, both good and bad. But, you know what? We'll be hanging (at least) the AFC South Champion banner next season (while the Clots hang up their "We started Matt Hasselbeck at QB and all we got was this lousy banner" banner), and now's the time to bask in the warm glowing warming glow of that accomplishment.
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