Remember the beginning of September? The Houston Texans were off to the first 2-0 start in franchise history and were clicking on all cylinders. Something else happened during that time. The Texans lost receiver Andre Johnson in the second game of the season and changed what looked to be the franchise's first bright year. The Texans then went 2-5 over the next seven games, with injuries continuing to plague the team.
I asked myself two questions during these struggling weeks. One, should I relocate to Europe, force myself to enjoy soccer and forget the NFL ever existed? And two, can a receiver really have that much impact on a team?By reading this right now, it is safe to assume I didn't move nor did I start to watch soccer. It is also a good bet that, yes, a receiver of Johnson's magnitude can make a difference as seen on Sunday in the Texans 23-10 stomping of the New Orleans Saints.
Now, many can argue that the Texans defense took over the game, causing three turnovers, but note how the offense ran smoothly with Schaub back under center and Johnson back as the primary receiver.
Johnson brought in the Texans first score on a 73-yard pass from Schaub in the first quarter, looking like he never missed a step. With Johnson demanding attention, this created wide holes for the running game helping running back Ron Dayne rush for 89 yards.
"Any time we can get those long passes, that helps out the running game," Dayne said. "We can continue to keep the ball moving, and it helps keep our defense off the field."
Not that the defense needed help. The Texans defense caused quarterback Drew Brees to throw two interceptions and forced three fumbles, one being recovered by the Texans.
And speaking of, how about Mario Williams? I promised myself I would not bring up the overly tired storyline of last year's draft, but Williams' stat line on Sunday should shut everyone up. It also didn't hurt that Reggie Bush forgot how to run the ball, carrying it 15 times for 34 yards and adding a fumble on the opposing one-yard line.
Reliant Stadium even erupted in "Reggie! Reggie!" chants to mock Bush. And for those of you saying, "It isn't his fault the Texans didn't pick him," remember one thing: He is the one that wouldn't let it go.
And now that the offense seems to be able to be productive once again, and the defense looks as motivated as ever, the Texans could be prepared to make a run. With cornerback Dunta Robinson out for the season, rookie Fred Bennett made the start and impacted the entire game.
"This really gave us confidence," Bennett said. "We wanted to come out and get this win. And it gives me a lot of confidence as well as my teammates."
So now the Texans sit at .500 with a 5-5 record, sitting behind the 6-4 Cleveland Browns for the last AFC Wild Card spot. And guess who comes into town next week? That's right, Cleveland.
So with Schaub healthy, and the Texans having one of the top-five receivers in football back, it could go anywhere from this point on.
My Prediction: Texans 24, Browns 21.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Handing Out Midseason Awards
I don't want to read too much into the Texans beating a poor Oakland Raiders team. So I won't. The only thing I will really say about that is, it was a must-win game.
As I stated last week, for the Texans to have any chance at the second half of this season, they had to go into the bye week with this win on their shoulders. Now the Texans sit at 4-5, and play the New Orleans Saints in two weeks.
And don't be too quick to praise running back Ron Dayne either. He was the player of the game in my book, rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown. However, the Texans still have one of the worst rushing offenses in the NFL, and were playing against a terrible run defense.
And now that this game is over, let's wrap up the first half of the season a week late, and hand out some awards.
My "I would be a candidate for MVP talk if I wasn't injured" Award goes to wide receiver Andre Johnson. In two games Johnson had 262 yards and three touchdowns, the Texans were 2-0 and we started to compare "Schaub to Johnson" with "Manning to Harrison". Once Johnson was injured, the Texans have gone 2-5 and sit in last place in the AFC South. I'm going to go light myself on fire.
My "How does he have a job in the NFL" Award goes to cornerback Demarcus Faggins. If Faggins had any other profession, he would be camping out in the unemployment line right now. I begin to wonder if he could cover a receiver with two broken legs.
My "He sure was worth the money" Award goes to running back Ahman Green. I don't want to believe that the paycheck is all he cares about, I really don't. But he was injured for 2-3 games and has rushed for a total of 260 yards on the season. Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson has done that in a single game twice this season.
My "Where did this guy come from?" Award goes to receiver Kevin Walter. Walter has 545 receiving yards so far this season, and has been the only bright spot on offense since Johnson went down in Carolina.
So where does that bring the Texans now? Well if they can defeat the Saints, who are on a four-game winning streak as of Sunday, they will sit at 5-5. Then the Texans play the likes of Cleveland, Tennessee, Tampa Bay and Denver. I was about to think that they could handle the second half of the season, but it looks like their hands will be full.
Although, with Matt Schaub and Johnson healthy after the bye week, we really don't know what team is going to come out to play.
As I stated last week, for the Texans to have any chance at the second half of this season, they had to go into the bye week with this win on their shoulders. Now the Texans sit at 4-5, and play the New Orleans Saints in two weeks.
And don't be too quick to praise running back Ron Dayne either. He was the player of the game in my book, rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown. However, the Texans still have one of the worst rushing offenses in the NFL, and were playing against a terrible run defense.
And now that this game is over, let's wrap up the first half of the season a week late, and hand out some awards.
My "I would be a candidate for MVP talk if I wasn't injured" Award goes to wide receiver Andre Johnson. In two games Johnson had 262 yards and three touchdowns, the Texans were 2-0 and we started to compare "Schaub to Johnson" with "Manning to Harrison". Once Johnson was injured, the Texans have gone 2-5 and sit in last place in the AFC South. I'm going to go light myself on fire.
My "How does he have a job in the NFL" Award goes to cornerback Demarcus Faggins. If Faggins had any other profession, he would be camping out in the unemployment line right now. I begin to wonder if he could cover a receiver with two broken legs.
My "He sure was worth the money" Award goes to running back Ahman Green. I don't want to believe that the paycheck is all he cares about, I really don't. But he was injured for 2-3 games and has rushed for a total of 260 yards on the season. Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson has done that in a single game twice this season.
My "Where did this guy come from?" Award goes to receiver Kevin Walter. Walter has 545 receiving yards so far this season, and has been the only bright spot on offense since Johnson went down in Carolina.
So where does that bring the Texans now? Well if they can defeat the Saints, who are on a four-game winning streak as of Sunday, they will sit at 5-5. Then the Texans play the likes of Cleveland, Tennessee, Tampa Bay and Denver. I was about to think that they could handle the second half of the season, but it looks like their hands will be full.
Although, with Matt Schaub and Johnson healthy after the bye week, we really don't know what team is going to come out to play.
All The Hype For Nothing
Okay I don't think I am quite as pumped up about Friday's matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets.
To quickly sum everything up for everyone, China and the NBA are ecstatic about Rockets' center Yao Ming taking on Bucks' rookie forward Yi Jianlian. Apparently this "showdown" is going to be something for the ages, or at least that's what we are supposed to believe. But what will actually happen on Friday? Yao (averaging 21 points, 11 rebounds a game) will dominate a poor Bucks team, probably have a 20-point, 10-rebound game and we will forget that Yi is even playing.
I know I am missing the point, that this isn't about who plays better, it's just about the showdown of China. But wouldn't the "showdown" be a little better if the players' talent level was in the same vicinity?
Hall of Fame coach and person I no longer have respect for, Pete Newell, told the USA Today:
"Yi will end up being the best player in the NBA from China, and I know that is saying a lot."
Really? There hasn't been a sentence that has made me want to punch a baby in a while and then I heard that. I don't even want to speak on Yi because he is four-games deep into his career and has yet to prove anything.
Instead let's talk about how Yao has taken over for Shaquille O'Neal as the best center in basketball, and has been an all-star every season he has played so far. And even though Shaq disagrees, can we vote on when we will see another double-double from O'Neal?
And I know it's because he has an entire country voting for him in, but do you really think we will see Yi play for the Eastern Conference? If we do, then I will start to petition the already ridiculous way all-stars are voted onto the team.
Again, I understand this is more of a publicity stunt than anything. From a writer's standpoint it gives you a topic to rant about, and gives the sports world something to talk about. I just don't see what the hype is about, although I guess I fed right into just by writing this.
To quickly sum everything up for everyone, China and the NBA are ecstatic about Rockets' center Yao Ming taking on Bucks' rookie forward Yi Jianlian. Apparently this "showdown" is going to be something for the ages, or at least that's what we are supposed to believe. But what will actually happen on Friday? Yao (averaging 21 points, 11 rebounds a game) will dominate a poor Bucks team, probably have a 20-point, 10-rebound game and we will forget that Yi is even playing.
I know I am missing the point, that this isn't about who plays better, it's just about the showdown of China. But wouldn't the "showdown" be a little better if the players' talent level was in the same vicinity?
Hall of Fame coach and person I no longer have respect for, Pete Newell, told the USA Today:
"Yi will end up being the best player in the NBA from China, and I know that is saying a lot."
Really? There hasn't been a sentence that has made me want to punch a baby in a while and then I heard that. I don't even want to speak on Yi because he is four-games deep into his career and has yet to prove anything.
Instead let's talk about how Yao has taken over for Shaquille O'Neal as the best center in basketball, and has been an all-star every season he has played so far. And even though Shaq disagrees, can we vote on when we will see another double-double from O'Neal?
And I know it's because he has an entire country voting for him in, but do you really think we will see Yi play for the Eastern Conference? If we do, then I will start to petition the already ridiculous way all-stars are voted onto the team.
Again, I understand this is more of a publicity stunt than anything. From a writer's standpoint it gives you a topic to rant about, and gives the sports world something to talk about. I just don't see what the hype is about, although I guess I fed right into just by writing this.
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