Texans Recover in “Dress Rehearsal,” Dominate Cowboys

I’ve heard a lot of hypocrisy in the last week. From fans from both the Texans and the Cowboys. And the fact that it was over a preseason game makes me shake my head even more.

After Houston was handed their collectives asses against the Saints last week, most Texans fans were ready to pack head coach Gary Kubiak’s bags for him. Then, after they completely took apart the “Super Bowl Favorite” Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night, the kool-aid drinking that was going on after the Arizona game has returned.

Guys, make up your mind. You’re flip-flopping worse than a Presidential candidate right now. It’s getting so bad that I can’t even listen to local radio after a game anymore, regardless of a win or a loss.

Then you have Cowboys fans, who seem to love to call into Houston sports radio. All week they were talking mess about how preseason game or not, they were going to whip some Houston ass. But this morning, all you hear is “It was just a preseason game!” and “They didn’t want to give up anything because of the Week 3 game.”

Look, I won’t deny either of those might be true. But if you’re going to run your mouth like that and then your team lets you down, man up and take your licks. Don’t bring nothing but a mouthful of excuses to a fist fight.

As far as the game goes, I have to bring up a concern. Yes, the team looked pretty good. I can’t deny that. But my question is this:

We’re the Texans really that good? Or was Dallas just that bad?

The D-Line, Even Amobi Okyoe, looked unstoppable.

Let’s face it here…the Cowboys offensive line looked like high schoolers. Tony Romo didn’t have two seconds to find a receiver before he was scrambling or just flat out running for his life. The much maligned Texans defensive line looked amazing. And we know that they aren’t. They were dominant against the run, making multiple stops in the backfield for a loss. And they hurried Romo six times and sacked him twice (Connor Barwin added another late in the game on third stringer Stephen McGee). But, still. I have to give it up to a D-Line that was in the opponents backfield on almost every play. Something I hope to see against Indy in Week 1.

I will admit it. I seem to have been wrong about Foster.

The second biggest story, in my opinion, was the play of running back Arian Foster. I will admit that I’ve been skeptical of him being the starter for this football team. But the leap that guy seems to have made between last year and this one is astounding. His vision is looking impressive and his ability to find the hole when it seems there is nothing there is nothing to shake your head at either. He tore the Cowboys defense up for 110 yards on eighteen carries. He also added a touchdown (would have been two if not for a bonehead holding penalty on Chris Myers) and 16 yards on four receptions. The term is ridiculously overused in sports, but it was a beastly performance for Foster. And I’m finally on board with him as the Texans running back heading into 2010. Not much went on with Slaton (who left with turf toe) or Chris Henry who combined for four carries and eight yards. But Jeremiah Johnson continued to look good with more opportunities. JJ gained 53 yards on nine attempts including one for 27 yards that got the fans on their feet late in the third quarter. He seems to have all but locked up a spot on this roster with Chris Henry looking to head back to the practice squad, if he isn’t claimed by someone else. No way do I see Coach Kubiak keeping four running backs unless all of them are doing incredible. But, we’ll find out at the end of this week.

Matt Schaub, while not bad at all, has certainly spoiled the fans of Houston with his precision and accuracy. While 18/29 for 183 yards and a touchdown, he did overthrow/underthrow a couple of passes. Which led to some fans getting on his back about it. Like I said, spoiled. Most of us expect Matt to complete every pass he throws after last year. But lets try to remember that this is preseason to him, too. We’ve seen him better, but by no sense of the word was he bad like I’ve read in some other game reviews out there. Andre Johnson (7 rec., 79 yds.) and Jacoby Jones (5 rec., 63 yds., 1 TD) led the receiving charge for the Texans. A nice across the field strike to JJ for a 24 yard touchdown was his highlight. While Andre Johnson, who is no stranger to a highlight or three had a moment that had me where I couldn’t stop laughing. Andre caught a short pass while being closely pursued by pro bowl CB Terence Newman and he immediately got his hands on him. But as Andre shook him off, Newman held on for dear life onto Johnson’s jersey. Then, like a cartoon, AJ dragged him up the field for another five yards. It was quite hilarious and a testament to Johnson’s strength.

I know it was awesome, but I could not stop laughing (and rewinding).

Another story from Texans camp that is beginning to get a little frustrating is the position battle for Kicker. I keep expecting one of these guys to have a meltdown but it just isn’t happening. But, with Houston’s struggles in the Red Zone (Just 1-4…again!) the kickers didn’t have to attempt a kick over 23 yards in distance. That isn’t a good sample size. Rackers hit one from 52 last week, so I would hope that factors into the decision. But I still think Brown wins the job if the two end up in some sort of “tie.” Which they are currently in, according to Coach Kubiak.

Yesterday, Kubiak announced that Fred Bennett, London Crawford and Pannel Egboh had all been cut to get down to the league mandatory 75 man roster. Which was expected of Bennett. I hope a change of scenery can help Fred. Because he looked like the real deal in his rookie season when Dunta Robinson went down. But with the youth movement at CB there was just no room for Bennett here anymore.

Speaking of the young corners, I want to give a mention to Kareem Jackson. He messed up on one play in coverage on Roy Williams, but made up for it with an interception off Romo (With a mighty big assist from Bernard Pollard, who deflected the pass) in the Red Zone in the 3rd quarter and I thought he was going to take it to the house. In two games, he has more interceptions than Dunta did all year last year. But, again, it’s preseason. But it’s still nice to see one of our corners pick a ball off.

This is likely the last we’ll see of the majority of the starters until Week 1 against Indy. This Thursday night we are sure to see plenty of Dan Orlovsky, John David Booty and Chirs Henry. Pretty much just back ups or people desperately attempting to make a final impression and land a spot on the 53 man roster. It’s usually the most boring game of the preseason and I wouldn’t expect this one to be any different. But at least it’s paired with a tailgate. Highlights below.

Tags: Amobi Okoye, Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, Arizona Cardinals, Bernard Pollard, Chris Henry, Chris Myers, Connor Barwin, Dallas Cowboys, Dan Orlovsky, Dunta Robinson, Fred Bennett, Gary Kubiak, Jacoby Jones, Jeremiah Johnson, John David Booty, Kareem Jackson, Kris Brown, London Crawford, Matt Schaub, Neil Rackers, Pannel Egboh, Roy Williams, Stephen McGee, Steve Slaton, Terence Newman, Tony Romo

Cheer Up, Texans Fans…It’s Officially Tailgating Season!

No matter how you’re feeling about the Texans play thus far into the 2010 preseason, things are looking bright. At least for us season ticket holders who appreciate a good old fashioned Yellow Lot tailgate almost as much as football.

Yes, the time has finally come at last to wheel out the grills, marinate some barbeque and throw it on the fire. Time to load up that enormous Ice cooler with Shiner and head on down to Reliant and celebrate football time in Houston (I really hate that song…if you’ve been to a Texans game, you know what I’m talking about)!

Last year I made it a point to visit each and every lot around Reliant and give my opinion on the best lots. And, honestly, Yellow Lot was the winner by quite a large margin. Now, I’m not saying guys in any other lot know how to party less or are lesser fans than those in Yellow. I’m not trying to start a Reliant Civil War here. In fact, there were a lot of set ups in those other lots that were really great (Such as Lonespot Tailgaters). But as far as an overall lot as a whole, give me Yellow or give me death.

From our first tailgate last season...at 8:30 in the morning. Breakfast fit for a King...a really drunk King. It was chased with a beer shotgun moments later.

In Yellow, you got people brewing their own beer and just begging for you to try it, gorgeous women throwing out Jell-O Shots, people playing football and ladder toss and my personal favorite, shotguns of beer every 30 minutes down at Texan Mojo’s place. People are giving away Jägermeister shots (with and without Red Bull) and more food than you can possibly imagine. Sometimes there is even live music or a band. It’s just a huge party before each and every game.

You get the point. Which is why I am content being a Yellow Lot Tailgater for the 7th consecutive year.

The moral of this story is that tomorrow officially kicks off football season for me. Opening the preseason on the road for two games is good to satisfy that fix you need for football. But once you’re popping the top off an Ice Cold Shiner (or beverage of your choice) as the sun is coming up over the stadium behind you…that’s when I know that football is finally back.

If any of you guys are coming out to tailgate tomorrow, give me a shout on my Twitter and try to come by and say hello. And, go crazy folks! Football is here!

Tags: Lonespot Tailgaters, Reliant Stadium, Shiner, Tailgating, Texan Mojo, Yellow Lot

Preseason Injuries Continue to Add Up

This happens every year for most teams. It just seems like it happens even more so for the Houston Texans.

When Ben Tate was carted off the field in the preseason opener, I said “…figures…” Every preseason the team loses a significant player for a good chunk of time. Last year it was Jacques Reeves and Brian Cushing. This year, aside from Tate, the team has lost Tim Bulman, Darnell Bing and Trindon Holliday for the entire 2010 season.

This is as close to the field as Trindon Holliday will get in the 2010 regular season.

Holliday, who I thought was likely to be cut anyways, may have saved his job by going on IR for the year. He will be having surgery to repair torn ligaments in his thumb, basically red shirting him for his rookie season.

Some, hopefully less significant injuries as far as time off the field go are for Xavier Adibi who is battling a strained groin. Very much hurting his chances to step in for the suspended Brian Cushing for the first four games of the year. Danny Clark, who is also vying for that same job strained his knee and is unlikely to see the field against Dallas this weekend.  Darryl Sharpton, who may be battling for a starting spot is also said to have a swollen knee and listed as day to day. His status for Saturday’s game is still up in the air, thogh Coach Kubiak says that he expects him to be able to play.

There is some good news on the injury front though. Owen Daniels said that his MRI and scan on his knee have him back to 100% and if Dr. Andrews clears him today, he could be back on the practice field very soon. However, he will not see any time in the preseason as a precaution. His target time for on-field action is still Week 1 against the Colts. Still great news though.

At this point, let’s just hope the team can make it through the next two preseason games without any MORE big injuries. Another reason that I am hoping that the proposal to shorten the preseason to two games and extend the regular season to eighteen games does indeed get voted on and passed today at the owners meeting in Atlanta. Honestly, there’s no need for a month of preseason games. All it does is screw the season ticket holders who have to pay regular season ticket prices for preseason games. Much how I felt about changing the overtime rules, it would be a change for the better.

Tags: Ben Tate, Brian Cushing, Dallas Cowboys, Danny Clark, Darnell Bing, Darryl Sharpton, Indianapolis Colts, Jacques Reeves, Owen Daniels, Tim Bulman, Trindon Holliday, Xavier Adibi

Step Away From The Ledge, It’s Just Preseason…

Apparently, after listening listening to local sports radio in the aftermath of Houston getting spanked by the defending champs on Saturday has Texans nation on suicide watch.

Everyone is ready to gut the team, fire the coaching staff and sell off their season tickets.

It’s no big secret that Houston has always been quite the fairweather sports town. At least it has since I’ve lived here (1993). But the knee-jerk reactions coming out of the fanbase the past couple of days are just ridiculous. Especially the people calling for Gary Kubiak’s head already. People, it’s a preseason game. Get real! And this is coming from one of Kubes least biggest fans.

This pretty much sums up the whole night for Coach Gary Kubiak...

Yes, there is no denying that the team looked like a joke on Saturday. They were worse on the field than Spencer Tillman was in the booth. But to be calling for the Coach’s job after a preseason loss is a joke. Usually I am the first one to jump on Kubiak, but I’m surprisingly not yet. Probably because I don’t give a damn about the preseason. It’s just glorified practice against another team. If we can get out of it without (more) injuries, I could care less if we go 0-4.

As far as idiots on the radio, last week they were ready to crown the guys Super Bowl contenders after the strong showing by the first team. This week they’re doomed to go 5-11. The reason there is nothing but idiot callers on the radio is because the actual intelligent ones are too smart to stay on hold for over an hour to get on the radio.

Now, onto the lackluster play on the field. Remember a couple season ago when the Texans had an opportunity to finish with a 9-7 record for the first time in team history and they laid an egg in Oakland? In that same game they made Justin Fargas look like Earl Campbell and JaMarcus Russell look like an actual competent NFL quarterback. Well this game gave me flashbacks of that. Chase Daniel looked like Joe Montana and Reggie Bush looked like a competent NFL running back. Something that is highly unlikely to happen again in either of their careers.

The defense was a joke. Over-pursuit got them burned more times than I could count. The pass rush was pretty much non-existent as has been the case for years in Houston. And the secondary? Don’t even get me started. The entire defense looked horrible. I wont single anyone out because they all sucked as a team. But I will single out Frank Bush. His Cover 2 scheme against the likes of Drew Brees is just like waving a white flag of surrender. To quote Rivers McCown from Battle Red Blog, “Sean Payton vs. Frank Bush is like Deep Blue vs. a dyslexic 9 yr old.”

Arian Foster also joined the RB all-fumbling team.

On offense, it started by failing with rookie Trindon Holliday muffing a punt that lead to another quick Saints touchdown. Just like that, it was 14-0. Much as I predicted, Holliday’s chances of making the team went from on life support to likely six feet under. Besides, both Steve Slaton and Jeremiah Johnson both looked good returning kicks. Slaton did not look very sharp as a running back though (5 carries, 19 yards). And JJ didn’t really get very much opportunity. More than Chris Henry (did not play) though, which could be quite telling.

Matt Schaub didn’t look bad, but the offense clearly couldn’t get into a rhythm. Most people are pissed at Kubiak for leaving the starters in the game for so long (almost the entire first half) and that is understandable. Especially when Andre Johnson got hit low by Saints CB Tracy Porter and AJ was slow to get up. He walked it off, but a scary moment to be sure.

The sick part is that the defense couldn’t get off the field. The Saints dominated the time of possession all night, ultimately having the ball about 2 to 1 over Houston.

Look, this was a preseason game. On the road against the defending champs in their first home game since winning the Super Bowl. Sure, I didn’t expect a full on ass whooping, but I didn’t expect to win the game. But, like I said, if the guys can make it through without anymore injuries I could care less about the preseason.

But if Houston fans are calling for Kubiak to be fired already, what will happen if they start the season 1-3 or something to that nature? It could get ugly. Especially if the team posts less wins than last year and Bob McNair retains Gary Kubiak. I know it is a bit early to be thinking this way, but it is something that will be an ongoing story throughout the 2010 season. Especially if there are any regular season performances like this one.

Tags: Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, Battle Red Blog, Bob McNair, Chase Daniel, Chris Henry, Drew Brees, Earl Campbell, Frank Bush, Gary Kubiak, JaMarcus Russell, Jeremiah Johnson, Joe Montana, Justin Fargas, Matt Schaub, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, Reggie Bush, Rivers McCown, Sean Payton, Spencer Tillman, Steve Slaton, Tracy Porter, Trindon Holliday

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly of The Preseason Opener

Unlike most preseason openers, I was in the camp that believed there was way more Good than Bad on Saturday night. First off, the starting unit looked spectacular on both sides of the ball. They moved the ball with ease on offense and got to Cardinals QB Matt Leinart without too much effort on defense. But as far as individual performances go, let’s take a closer look.

The Good

Matt Schaub & Andre Johnson: The duo picked up pretty much where they left off in 2009 by connecting three times for 59 yards. Once was a pitch and catch for a 44 yard touchdown that almost looked routine. Schaub looked sharp by completing five of his six passes for 78 yards in two series.

Mario Williams: On one play, Mario Williams completely manhandled his blocker like a rag doll and just bullrushed him to the ground en route to his first of two sacks of Matt Leinart. If there were any concerns about Mario’s hip problem, it seems to be past now. He looked 2007-2008 dominant in his short time on the field. Very encouraging.

Darryl Sharpton: I was real excited to see Sharpton on the field as I liked what I had heard from talking to Miami fans about him. And what was said about him seemed to be legit. The dude is a hell of a hitter, a good tackler (he led the defense with seven tackles) and showed he had good hands on an interception. As I predicted after the draft on Luv Ya Steel Blue, the guy is going to become a quick fan favorite. In fact there are already bandwagons popping up in Texans nation calling for him to start at the vacant LB position that Brian Cushing will leave for the first four games of the season.

Glover Quin: Picked up where he left off last year. The thing that impresses me so much about Quin is his ability to make the one-on-one tackle in the open field. He doesn’t get juked out and wraps his man up. Please stop bringing up Fred Bennett when talking about Quin. Glover Quin is not Fred Bennett.

Dorin Dickerson: Like I’ve been saying, there is no way this guy doesn’t make the team. If they try to stash him on the practice squad, it won’t happen. Some other team will pick him up based off of his upside alone. But the fact that he had three catches for 38 yards, and looked quite good while doing it helps this theory all the more. He may not play too much in his rookie campaign, but I expect him to be on the sidelines on Week one against Indy.

Troy Nolan: I remember when the sky was falling on Texans message boards after the draft because the Texans didn’t draft a free safety and I asked people what about Troy Nolan (Not that I was a true believer or anything, just asking). Man, you should have seen the looks I got. Well, he looked pretty damn sharp Saturday night.  He had two solo tackles, including one that made Texans fans jump up off their sofa I’m sure. He also defended three passes and had an interception. He would have had two, but one hit pretty hard off his numbers that I am sure he’d like to have back. I know it was only one preseason game, but we certainly have a candidate for Eugene Wilson’s backup.

There was plenty of other notables like Arian Foster, Cushing, Jacoby Jones and Jeremiah Johnson that had positive performances. But let’s shift to the not so pretty now.

The Bad

Steve Slaton: Yep, he put another one on the turf. Chris Brown style and into the endzone no less. He looked okay rushing the ball, but there is something else that concerns me. He is said to have lost 15 pounds, getting him back to his rookie playing weight. But, and this may just be me, he just doesn’t look speedy anymore. He looks fast, but not the burner he was in 2008. Like I said, it may just be me. But that’s what I saw. And consider that I had killed a six pack of Harp and was working through a 4 pack of Murphy’s in the first half. Yeah, I was real happy to see football again. But back to Slaton…In truth, he looked decent for taking his first in game contact since his season ending neck surgery last year. But nothing that has me saying he should definitely see serious time on the field yet. If he puts another one on the ground next week, he could be looking up at more guys than just Arian Foster on the depth chart.

Dan Orlovsky: While I do think we’re a little hard on Dan O, he really doesn’t make it easier on himself. This guy holds onto the ball far too long. Like David Carr too long. He didn’t make any serious mistakes like a turnover, but he just seems to be a third stringer at best. Even John David Booty looks better. But, as expected, if Matt Schaub goes down this year the team is screwed.

Trindon Holliday: It seems I was on the short list of people who thought Holliday had next to no chance at making this team. But that list seems to be getting a lot longer after Saturdays game. Again, you can’t take too much from just one preseason game. Especially from a sixth round rookie. But his performance returning kicks didn’t do too much to help his chances. His first kick return was decent, but nothing to write home about after that. His already slim chance of making the final roster got even slimmer.

Chris Henry: This is a guy I just don’t understand. All the physical tools and talent to be one hell of a player in the NFL. But he just doesn’t seem to have it upstairs to learn the plays. He’s fast, he’s strong…but his Football IQ just seems to be lacking. I know it seems pretty rough on a kid that only had two carries. But I would be shocked to see any real improvement this weekend in New Orleans. I’d love to be wrong, because I like the depth at RB this year. I’m just not going to hold my breath on Chris.

Fred Bennett: The way he played on Saturday, I wouldn’t be surprised if they red-tagged him already. Seriously, this guy has zero chance at this final roster. I wish him luck wherever he ends up.

And finally, we come to it.

The Ugly

Ben Tate: I get a lot of shit from the guys over on Battle Red Blog because I gave Ben Tate my glowing seal of approval after the Texans picked him in this years draft. But those of us who know how to write about sports without just making fun of someone else should be able to see that I was just happy to see them not try to go with a sixth rounder or undrafted guy and expect him to be the future in the backfield. But if I was right about Tate or not will have to wait another year to be seen. He was carted off early in the second half and will have season ending surgery on his ankle. It still hasn’t been made clear whether it was a full break or not, but whatever it is will keep him off the field for all of his rookie campaign. I can sit here and gripe about the preseason and all that but this is football. This could have happened in practice as easily as in a preseason game. A fluke, bad luck injury that you hate to see happen to anyone.

So, as Tate was carted off the field the chances of Chris Henry and/or Jeremiah Johnson to make the team greatly improved. We didn’t get to see JJ’s patented stiff arm (Click that link! I’m not even kidding…) on Saturday, but he did look pretty good on his carries. It’s no secret that I’ve been a fan of the signing of JJ for quite some time and I’ve always been pulling for him. This is his chance and he needs to capitalize on it. He made some strides towards it Saturday and hopefully he improves upon that against the defending champion Saints (God, it still hurts to type that…) this weekend.

About the Cardinals fourth quarter comeback, who the hell cares? The first team so clearly dominated them that this would have been a Texas-sized ass whooping if it would have been a regular season game. Personally, I’m just glad to have football back. Even if it is just preseason.

Tags: Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, Arizona Cardinals, Battle Red Blog, Ben Tate, Brian Cushing, Chris Brown, Chris Henry, Dan Orlovsky, Darryl Sharpton, David Carr, Dorin Dickerson, Eugene Wilson, Fred Bennett, Glover Quin, Jacoby Jones, Jeremiah Johnson, John David Booty, Luv Ya Steel Blue: Texans Radio With Mike Kerns, Mario Williams, Matt Leinart, Matt Schaub, Miami Hurricanes, New Orleans Saints, Steve Slaton, Trindon Holliday, Troy Nolan

McNair to Meet With Goddell About Cushing’s Suspension

When the news broke last night that Texans owner Bob McNair had been granted an audience with NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell in an attempt to have Brian Cushing’s four game suspension reduced or overturned, I already thought the chances were slim to none. But after hearing this morning what Bob McNair’s “new evidence” supposedly is, I am shocked that Goddell even agreed to have a meeting with Bob.

Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, who was in town this past weekend at Texans training camp, is reporting that Cushing and McNair are using the defense of “Overtrained Athlete Syndrome.”

….yeah…okay.

If you’re like me, you did a quick Google search there to see what the symptoms of this “syndrome” are. And, also like me, you likely didn’t come up with much. And while I’m no Doctor, I am betting that happened because such a condition doesn’t exist. At least not in the planet Earth’s medical field. But according to King’s story, the “syndrome” results from athletes training intensely for a long period, with the possibility of a testosterone imbalance resulting when an athlete stops training.That’s a tough one to swallow and isn’t going to raise any eyebrows in Goddell’s office.

"Really, Bob? You woke me up for this crap?"

Bob McNair has been ever Cushing’s defender through this whole thing and he added “He shows no sign of ever having been on steroids. His weight hasn’t changed appreciably since he’s been with us. I’ve looked into it pretty thoroughly, and I haven’t found anything that would lead me to believe that he has ever taken a performance-enhancing drug.”

Tags: Bob McNair, Brian Cushing, Michael Vick, Peter King, Roger Goddell, Sports Illustrated

Rumblings From Texans Training Camp – Part II

Unlike the other devoted Texans bloggers, who have attended many, I was able to make it to my first open practice of this years Texans training camp last night. And it was a pretty good time.

While the on field stuff was pretty vanilla, as the players weren’t wearing pads of helmets, seeing the guys up close is always going to be fun for a football addict like myself after the long, cruel offseason. And of course getting to hang out with a bunch of my fellow Texans bloggers was a real treat.

I rode up to Reliant with Aaron (aka Texans-Brocos on BRB) around 5 and we met up with Diehard Chris when we got there. Chris had been to several of these practices, so he knew all the good spots to go for pictures and the like. And his scouting didn’t disappoint, as we had some of the players standing no more than three feet away from us. I’ll let some of the pictures do the talking here.

Not bad, huh? And, yes, we were that close. The zoom on my camera blows, so they had to be that close for me to get a really good shot.

Rivers McCown from Battle Red Blog came over to stand with us before the end of practice and we all eventually marched over to the bleachers area and I got to meet Big Ron finally. Awesome guy. I missed Alan Burge and Adam Wexler, but they had actual REAL jobs to do, so it was understandable.

After the practice ended, a good number of us went to Kenneally’s Irish Pub and met up with Tim, MDC and Big Fat Drunk and many others from Battle Red Blog and talked football for a couple of hours over some Guinness beers. Overall, a pretty solid night. A very good preview to tailgating season about to kickoff here in 22 days…not that I’m counting or anything.

As far as real news goes, Andre Johnson received his contract extension yesterday. On top of the five years he has left, he received a 2 year extension worth $38 Million. With the deal restructured, he will essentially be making about $10.5 Million per year making him the highest paid WR in the game. He’s worth it and I’m fine with it. And judging by the reception he got from the fans last night any time he was near a ball, the majority of the Texans fan base are fine with it, too.

Also, an update on Schobel Watch. There have been some media outlets now reporting that Schobel has voiced that he does indeed want to play another year or two over retirement. And the Texans HAVE expressed interest in bringing him in. Personally, and I could be wrong, I think this one is already under a handshake agreement. He’s obviously milking this one to miss as much training camp in the Houston humidity as possible. But, like I said, I think this one is done. Aaron Schobel is likely to be pulling on a Texans jersey real soon. I don’t have any solid sources or anything, just a feeling I got. Which haven’t always panned out in the past. So take it for what it’s worth. Just an opinion. Stay tuned…

Tags: Aaron Schobel, Adam Wexler, Alan Burge, Andre Johnson, Battle Red Blog, Big Ron, Diehard Chris, Houston Diehards, Rivers McCown

Schobel Officially Released & Andre Johnson is About to be a Rich(er) Man

As expected, The Bills officially released DE Aaron Schobel yesterday making him a free agent. So much for all that talk Buddy Nix was spewing about how he would only be moved through a trade. No wonder that franchise is in shambles right now.

Anyways, what does this mean for the Texans? Everyone involved that is close to the situation makes it sound like if Houston wants him, they’ll be getting him. Schobel has said as much recently. But when asked to comment about him, Texans head coach Gary Kubiak had plenty to say.

“He’s a heck of a player, obviously,” Kubiak said. “I’ve followed him for a lot of years and being a local guy, you know him around town here. But we are going to do our homework on him like we do on every player. He’s a fine football player. We’ll do our homework just like every other team and see what happens. He has obviously coached him and thinks a lot of him as a player,” Kubiak said. “That’s part of this league, players are released and with stuff going on around you just sit there and usually one of us have a relationship with somebody. So from that standpoint, Bill speaks very highly of him.”

As usual, it’s hard to dissect the Kubiak coach speak. Alan Burge, a Texans writing stalwart whose page I recommend you bookmark, made a good effort to transcribe what Kubiak said there and it’s a great read. So I recommend you click on that link.

I’m firmly in the camp that believes that the Texans want him and that he wants to come to the Texans. Yet he wants to take a week or two to “make a decision” because he’d like to avoid training camp in the Houston humidity as long as possible. I’m not sure how the team will feel about that if it is indeed true. There are also several other teams interested in Schobel’s services. So it should be interesting to see how this one pans out.

The question of if he deserves to be the highest paid WR in the league has no ground to start a debate on. I just may not agree with making a new contract for a guy with five years left on his current deal. It opens a door that could lead to problems with other players in the future. (Credit to TexansDC on BRB for the picture)

Also, it broke late last night that Texas All-Pro WR Andre Johnson was about to be made the highest paid WR in the league. This after a largely covered “holdout” of OTA’s a couple months back when Andre wanted the team to know of his discontent over his current contract. Well, Bob McNair has decided to take care of Andre. His exact words were that he is willing to redo Dre’s deal because he is “a special player and a role model.”

Of course I am happy to have Andre probably locked up as a Texans for the remainder of his career. But I have voiced my opinion on how I feel about the team making special contract moves for specific players. I hope this one doesn’t backfire. Remember some dude named Mario Williams is almost coming up on contract time real soon. And after the deal Julius Peppers got, Mario is going to get paid. Be it here or somewhere else. Man, I’d hate to be Rick Smith the next few seasons. But, like I say about Daryl Morey all the time, I’ll let them figure out how to make the numbers work. That’s why they get paid, right?

So, that’s the biggest news of the morning. Tonight should be pretty amazing as yours truly will be headed to Reliant Stadium for the Texans open practice. Should be pretty exciting to see this years team up close and finally get an opportunity to meet and greet some of my readers and fellow Texans bloggers like Big Ron, Diehard Chris and Alan Burge. They won’t let us bring video cameras into the practice, but I should be taking plenty of still pictures of the players and video outside the practice of fans and bloggers/writers alike. So stay tuned over the weekend for coverage of all types of tonight’s open practice.

Tags: Aaron Schobel, Alan Burge, Andre Johnson, Big Ron, Bill Kollar, Bob McNair, Buddy Nix, Buffalo Bills, Daryl Morey, Diehard Chris, Gary Kubiak, Houston Diehards, Julius Peppers, Mario Williams, Rick Smith, The Examiner

Aaron Schobel “Would Love” to Play For The Texans

When the news first went down yesterday that Buffalo was likely to release veteran defensive end Aaron Schobel, many who cover the Texans speculated that Houston would probably be on his short list. Well, less that a couple hours later that was confirmed by Schobel himself.

Schobel had initially announced his plans to retire after last season concluded. But after talking with his parents and Texans defensive line coach Bill Kollar, who coached Schobel during his tenure in Buffalo, he had a change of heart.

“I talked to Bill Kollar,” said Schobel. “I played golf with him one day. This is what he said, ‘At the end of the year come January or February whenever the season is over will you regret playing? Or will you regret not playing?’ That sort of made me think a little more about it. Come January when the season is over I don’t think I’d say, ‘Dang I’m glad I didn’t do that.’ I’ll probably say, ‘Dang I should’ve done it.’ So that made me start thinking about playing a little bit.”

When asked about his desired destinations should Buffalo cut him, Schobel said “If I were a free agent and I could choose a team, it would be the Texans, without a doubt. I know Bill (Kollar), and I know the scheme. I know the verbiage. It’s an hour from my hometown. And the Texans have a chance to be real good. They’d make the most sense. Houston would be the best spot for me.”

So, there you have it. Schobel would like to be a Texan. But are the Texans interested? I would certainly imagine so. And I am sure Kollar is pushing for it be get done. The only real problem I see in it happening is that now Bills GM Buddy Nix is trying to get something for Schobel.

“He will remain on our Reserve/Did Not Report list until he makes a decision about what he wants to do, whether it’s retire or if he might want to play somewhere else,” said Nix. A writer from Buffalobills.com added that If Schobel does want to play elsewhere, the Bills will then begin to explore trade options. It’s clear the Bills will not outright release him.

With a team like Houston that values its draft picks too much, I don’t see that happening unless we are talking about a 7th or something. I’ll leave the Gm’ing up to Rick Smith. But with Schobel due around $8 Million this season, I don’t see him acquiring Schobel that way.

Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing Schobel here. I mean, what Texans fan wouldn’t? It would be really nice to have someone not named Mario that is able to get to the opposing quarterback once in awhile. And Schobel has exceeded at that over his career. Just last season he compiled 10 sacks on a lousy Buffalo team. So he would be an obvious upgrade in Houston. He’s 32 and that is an obvious concern. But if you’re trying to win now, a savvy vet like Schobel certainly wouldn’t hurt things.

If he is indeed released after Buddy Nix realizes no one is likely going to trade for him, then I say it is likely that he ends up here. I believe that much more than I believed Alan Faneca would end up here. More on this as it develops.

Tags: Aaron Schobel, Alan Faneca, Bill Kollar, Buddy Nix, Buffalo Bills, Buffalobills.com, Rick Smith

Rumblings From Texans Training Camp – Part I

Guys, sorry I’ve been so behind on camp updates. Wedding planning is tearing the hell out of me. But, thankfully, the NFL is my medicine and helps me recover from that sickness.

So, while I haven’t been able to make it out to an open practice yet, lots of my blogging peers have. So, they have been my eyes and ears and I’d like to open this post by extending a thank you to them. This twitter thing isn’t a fad. It’s here to stay. And like I’ve said numerous times now, it is the best thing to happen to sports since instant replay (and maybe cheerleaders, too). So if you want to keep up with the happenings at Texans camp, here are some of the fellow Texans bloggers I recommend that you follow on Twitter:

• Diehard Chris from Houston Diehards – @Houstondiehards
• Big Ron from the Chronicle’s Texans fan blog – @Bigron281
• Rivers McCown of BRB and SBN Houston – @RiversMcCown
• Alan Burge from The Examiner – @AJTexans

Those guys have been doing terrific things for the fans and I can’t wait to meet the guys I haven’t yet (which would be all of them, except for Rivers) on Thursday night’s open practice. So, a big shout out to those guys. If you’re on Twitter, and you should be, give those guys a follow. You won’t be let down.

But you also have some of the local media and radio guys attending most of camp that are key to follow as well. Here are my personal favorites:

• John Harris of 1560am The Game – @Jharrisfootball
• Adam Wexler of Sports Talk 790am – @Awexler
• Lance Zierlein of 1560am The Game – @LanceZierlein
• Steph Stradley of the Chronicle – @Stephstradley
• Nick Scurfield of Houstontexans.com – @Nickscurfield

Those guys are all solid. Especially John Harris. He will answer almost any question you ask him on Twitter, within reason that is. Not many people in Houston know more about football than him and Lance Z. Steph is like the peoples champ from the Chronicle. Wex has always been a personal favorite of mine and he keeps things real at all times unlike some of his competition on the local sports radio stations. And Scurfield is going to be able to brings you news that no one else can get. So, definitely give these five a follow.

Okay, so let’s talk some football.

The thing to remember here is, much like summer league for the Rockets, don’t take too much into account. Like Allen Iverson once said; “We talkin’ ’bout praaaacccctice…” So take individual performances with a Mario-sized grain of salt. But here are some of the early murmurs about some keys performers for the Texans so far in camp from the masses:

Matt Schaub – looking flawless and ready to pick up where he left off last year. Has had some perfect pitch and catch play with his deep selection of wideouts. All indications are that he is already locked in. Fans and media alike don’t even consider him a concern anymore and put him in with the likes of DeMeco Ryans and Andre Johnson as players we take for granted because they’re always solid.

Andre Johnson – As usual, a man amongst boys. Has looked unguardable thus far. Which is why he doesn’t get single coverage on NFL Sundays like he is in camp. Also, the rumor is that Bob McNair is planning to go ahead and extend AJ’s contract to make him a Texan for life. I can’t say I hate the idea of Andre playing his whole career here.

Arian Foster – Looking to be the alpha dog thus far on a good roster of RB talent. Coaches can’t stop talking about him. I expect to see him starting in Week 1 as they ease rookie Ben Tate into the fold.

Bernard Pollard – Just might be the most intense guy I’ve seen play football in a long long time. That’s pretty much unanimous from the selection of writers and radio personalities I mentioned above. The only thing more unanimous in opinion is on the Houston heat so far in camp.

Earl Mitchell – The rookie apparently garnered some ooohhhhh’s and ahhhhhh’s from the crowd in attendance for the way he was just bitching around Kasey Studdard in drills. Some very encouraging stuff about Earl coming out of camp. High motor and the coaches are said to love the kid. You hearing those footsteps behind you already, Amobi?

Ben Tate – Was said to have started slow that first day, but looked pretty solid the next. Some good moves and you can certainly see the potential in this system. With the depth on the RB chart, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sitting out the first few games of the season to learn the system better.

Jeremiah Johnson – Another guy that the Texans took as an undrafted at the same time they took Arian Foster. He had to sit out all of last season on the IR while he recovered from shoulder surgery and the time off hurt his chances of making the final roster. But he is said to have gotten some attention in his performances so far. When i was talking to John Harris on Twitter about JJ, John said that he “is the best downhill runner on this roster right now.” And if Harris says it, I believe it. He may be a victim of the numbers game, as I don’t imagine Kubiak carrying four backs on the roster and Foster, Tate and Slaton seem to be etched in stone. But if he has a huge preseason, anything could happen. I’m pulling for this guy. Been a fan since he was at Oregon.

Trindon Holliday – Yep. He’s fast. Just as was said when he was drafted. Oh yeah, he’s still small, too. Rivers said you had no idea just how small he was until you actually see him in person. The reports are that he has muffed some punts, but if he “gets the edge in a return, he’s gone.” Still not a lock for the team. It’s hard to make it in the NFL as a specialist…unless you’re Reggie Bush.

I’m sure there are plenty of guys I’m leaving out here, but that has been what has created the most chatter amongst Texans nation so far. I’ll do another update before I get to go to open practice Thursday night.

Tags: 1560am The Game, Adam Wexler, Alan Burge, Allen Iverson, Amobi Okoye, Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, Battle Red Blog, Ben Tate, Bernard Pollard, Big Ron, Bob McNair, DeMeco Ryans, Diehard Chris, Earl Mitchell, Houston Chronicle, Houston Diehards, Houston Rockets, Houstontexans.com, Jeremiah Johnson, John Harris, Kasey Studdard, Lance Zierlein, Mario Williams, Matt Schaub, Nick Scurfield, Oregon Ducks, Reggie Bush, Rivers McCown, SBN Houston, Sports Talk 790am, Steph Stradley, Steve Slaton, The Examiner, Trindon Holliday