What To Watch Heading into OTAs
On Monday, the Houston Texans open their 2013 OTAs and more football news to come out before training camp opens. The Texans have 10 practices that make up OTAs on the following dates: May 20th- May 21st, May 23rd (Practices 1-3) May 27th- May 29th (Practices 4-6) June 3rd – June 6th (Practices 7-10) A new season is upon Houston and, with rookie mini-camp in the books, the Texans will introduce their veterans into the mix with the rookie group. There are few story lines that will be worth a follow heading into this week. OTAs Injuries Ed Reed (Hip),…
Second Year Players May Light Up Dark Free Agency
Like most of you, we are waiting for the Texans’ first big move in this free agency period and wonder how the Texans can recover from losing 3 starters. To help me, along with you, I have shifted my focus on not what the Texans have lost, but rather what they might gain in 2013. Ladies and gentlemen, I remind you of the Texans’ 2012 draft class. Here’s a look at who needs to step up to fill the voids the Texans are currently staring at. Offense: Solid in the return game, Keshawn Martin did little to help his cause on the…
Draft Process Could Hinge on Barwin
On Thursday, General Manager Rick Smith said the Houston Texans have made it a priority to re-sign Connor Barwin for the 2013 season and beyond. He is considered a “core-player” according to Smith and the preliminary discussions with Barwin’s agent, Scott Smith (XAM Sports), will start this weekend in Indianapolis at the 2013 NFL Combine. Word is that Barwin was offered a lucrative deal at the beginning of the 2012 season, but turned it down to chance on building on his 2011 breakout season. Barwin had a solid season, but did not provide the splash plays that would consider him a difference maker. Barwin seems to be the…
Grading the 2012 Texans’ Rookies
The season is over and now it is time to look at the Houston Texans rookies and give our grades for them this season. The Draft Picks Jared Crick- A spot player but made the defensive line rotation after Tim Jamison went down for the season with an injury. He showed he can play against the run and played both defensive end and nose tackle this season. Still some learning to do, he was called in to spell Antonio Smith in run situations. Expect a bigger workload for Crick in 2013. Grade: C+ Brandon Brooks- Silent for the majority of the season,…
The Rundown: Texans vs. Titans
It wasn’t pretty but the Houston Texans clinched their playoff spot for the second season in a row with a 24-10 win over the Tennessee Titans. The game felt as if in slow motion at times and like the Texans were struggling, but the game was in hand the entire day. The offense did enough to get by and the defense created opportunity after opportunity to make it an easy day for the Texans. The Texans were depleted with injuries with five players ruled out for the game, so there were plenty of new faces on the field that look good for the future of…
Texans Must Evaluate Their Roster
The Houston Texans are dealing with an interesting two game stretch where the defense has been mortal against the pass and given up 983 total yards to the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars. This is quite the wake up call to a defense that has been solid since the start of the 2011 season and spoiling the fan base with something they had not seen in Houston. Despite a struggling defense, the offense has been putting together enough plays to put points up on the board and have actually carried the team the past two weeks. The Texans are showing…
Digging Deep: Buffalo Edition
The Texans came out a little slow after their bye week but they were able to step their game up enough to beat the Buffalo Bills 21-9. This moves the Texans to 7-1 and allows them to maintain their lead in the AFC and AFC South standings. Positives: 0 The number of touchdowns the Texans allowed on Sunday. The Bills got into the red zone three times but only got three field goals to show for it. On the other hand, the Texans scored touchdowns on two of their three red zone trips. +1 The Texans’ turnover differential. They didn’t…
The Rundown: Texans vs. Bills
After shaking off the bye week blues, the Houston Texans got their game rolling in the second half of the game against the Buffalo Bills. The Texans closed out the Bills 21-9 and improved to 7-1 overall but more importantly 7-0 in the AFC. Under Head Coach Gary Kubiak, the Texans had a record of 2-4 coming out of the bye week and early in the game it looked like the Texans were treading on the brink of disaster. The danger was avoided and the Texans looked a little more like themselves in the second half, and made life difficult for…
Digging Deep: Baltimore Edition
The Texans followed up their worst performance of the season with their best, laying a 43-13 beatdown on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. This win moves them to 6-1 and breaks a tie with the Ravens for the best record in the AFC going into their bye. It also gives them a 2.5 game division lead over the Colts. Positives: 20 The number of points the Texans scored in the second quarter, compared to zero for the Ravens. The Texans were only up 9-3 after the first quarter, but this 20-point quarter gave them a lead that proved to be insurmountable….
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Ravens Edition
The Houston Texans hosted the Baltimore Ravens in a game that had immediate and future implications on the seating in the AFC. In this game, both teams were playing for the top seed in the AFC. The Texans had a little bit extra to play for as they were bulldozed the previous week by the Packers and the Texans needed a good showing. The Texans also needed to win this game after coming so close in beating the Ravens over the last 3 years, but always coming up short due to a turnover. In this game, the Texans were able…
