FanHouse

What's the Story on Steve Slaton?

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-11-03T12:30:00 00:00

Filed under: Texans, AFC South, Fantasy Football

If you write about the Houston Texans, the No. 1 question you get from fans and fantasy football types is what's up with Steve Slaton? In the last game against the atrocious run defense of the Buffalo Bills, Slaton was benched after only one catch and carry because he fumbled the ball. Yet again. Slaton has a league-high seven fumbles for the year.

Coach Gary Kubiak was up front about the benching, talking about it to Slaton and the team: "I told Steve in the locker room to get his chin up. This team needs him playing well and making plays and I'm expecting him to come right back next week and help us."

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A Halloween Present From Owen Daniels

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-10-30T10:15:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: NFL, Twitter

Houston Texan Owen Daniels is currently leading the NFL in yards by a tight end with 497 and is near the top of the league in touchdowns, yards per game and receptions. Apparently, he also leads the league in excellent Halloween costumes.

According to right tackle Eric Winston, the picture to the right is Daniels dressed up as one of the Saturday Night Live D**k in a Box guys. You can see pictures of other Texans players in Halloween costumes on Winston's twitpics page.

If you are not familiar with this costume, here's the censored version of the SNL sketch (things get a little racy after the jump, it may not be for those with delicate sensibilities):

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Jeff Fisher Stars in Titanic: Video of Manning Jersey Photoshop Mischief

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-10-23T09:30:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Colts, NFL Fans, NFL Video

Some Titans fans weren't amused when coach Jeff Fisher wore a Peyton Manning jersey at a Nashville fundraiser, and he joked "I just wanted to feel like a winner today." Fisher seemed surprised anybody would be angry about this, even after his 0-6 team just got humilated by the Patriots 59-0.

He gave the "apology to those I've offended" non-apology, saying he wore the jersey in honor of former Colts coach Tony Dungy who he was introducing, it was all in fun, and even with what he knows now, he would do it again. Really?

How about if he knew some Bud Adams-hating Houston Texan fans got pictures of him in the jersey and decided to do their own Photoshop fun? The video of the result is after the jump. I have to give a Celine Dion warning, and tell you that the video starts off a little slow but then gets very wrong, which means it gets very funny.

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Jeff Fisher Stars in Titanic: Video of Manning Jersey Photoshop Mischief

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-10-23T09:30:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: NFL

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NFL Coaches Fight Club: Lovie Smith (3) vs. Gary Kubiak (6)

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-10-22T09:00:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Sports of an Extreme Nature, NFL

NFL Coaches Fight Club: the Tournament. Because we have nothing better to do than predict what might happen if head coaches started punching each other in the face.

More Coverage: Fight Club Introduction, 1st Round Seeds

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For Curt Flood, Antitrust Meant Exactly That at Supreme Court

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-10-06T11:54:00 00:00

by Stephanie StradleyIf Curt Flood were an athlete in any sport other than baseball, he would have certainly won his 1972 Supreme Court antitrust case. Flood wanted the Court to rule that the "reserve clause" that baseball teams used to tie a player to the team that first signed him, and allowed the team to trade the player with no ability to contest it was in violation of federal antitrust laws that prevented such rules.

Flood lost his case because the Supreme Court decided an old stupid case that they knew was old and stupid was controlling precedent and shouldn't be overturned. Antitrust law applies to every single sport other than MLB, with the exception of limited antitrust exemptions granted by Congress. Flood v. Kuhn is considered a ridiculous case in many ways.

The first part of the Flood v. Kuhn opinion is a gushing, flowery homage to baseball, done in an attempt to demonstrate baseball's special place in American society. Supreme Court decisions, or any sort of sane and sober judicial opinion, doesn't typically read like a press release for one side of the case.

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FanHouse in the Stands: Raiders Fan Can't Take It Any More

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-10-06T08:00:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: NFL, Backporch Features

This season, FanHouse writers take their cameras to NFL stadiums to document what happens when you stop being polite and start getting real. Or something. We've cleverly titled it FanHouse in the Stands.

Right in front of me, I saw something happen at the Texans 29-6 win over the Raiders that I've never seen at a NFL game. A Raiders fan jumped onto the field, got tackled by security in the Raiders end zone, and the Raiders ran a play as the guy was getting handcuffed. Either the refs didn't see it happen, or they figured the guy wasn't in the field of play because the Raiders weren't going to be visiting the end zone with that offense. Zing!

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FanHouse in the Stands: Raiders Fan Can't Take It Any More

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-10-06T06:00:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Raiders, Texans, AFC West, NFL Fans

This season, FanHouse writers take their cameras to NFL stadiums to document what happens when you stop being polite and start getting real. Or something. We've cleverly titled it FanHouse in the Stands.

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Texans Rookie Anthony Hill Hospitalized With Swine Flu

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-10-02T15:35:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Texans, AFC South

If starting off the season 1-2 isn't bad enough, the Houston Texans have confirmed that one of their players has been hospitalized with Swine Flu, or the more accurate name, the H1N1 virus. At first, the Texans believed that rookie Tight End Anthony Hill had pneumonia but on Friday afternoon confirmed the flu diagnosis.

Coach Gary Kubiak says that they do not believe any of the other players have the disease, though he did acknowledge that a number of players were sick on Thursday but were back Friday. The team is taking precautions against the spread of the disease. Kubiak says that there is no panic about the situation within the organization, and believes that Hill is recovering may be released from the hospital this afternoon.

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Texans Defense Is the Worst in the NFL

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-10-01T12:30:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Texans, AFC South, NFL Analysis

The Houston Texans are dead last in total defense. It is no surprise given the big touchdown runs given up by the Texans defense to Thomas Jones, Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew. Fantasy football players have been feasting on the Texans defense for years, and certain offensive players in the AFC South probably should owe a part of their paychecks to them.

Explanations for the predictable struggles are easier to identify than the solutions:

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Texans-Titans Brawl Results in Fines, Missing Chunk of Hair

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-09-25T15:00:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Texans, Titans, AFC South

Andre Johnson isn't much of a talker by most accounts, though Cortland Finnegan got his attention last Sunday. During the Texans' 34-31 win over the Titans, Johnson and Finnegan were yapping at each other the entire day, which eventually turned into a brawl after Johnson threw Finnegan into the players on the Texans sideline.

The other sideline is a dangerous place for any player to be during a brawl, and, according to this report from Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle, one unnamed Texan took a chunk of Finnegan's red hair off the field as a souvenir of the fight. Titans defensive tackle Jason Jones was ejected from the game for throwing a punch and one of the smallest Texans, wide receiver David Anderson, was assessed an offsetting 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

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Defense? Who Needs Defense? Texans Take Down Titans in Offensive Showcase

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-09-20T19:30:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Texans, Titans, AFC South

The only constant in the Texans-Titans divisional matchups is that the games tend to be ugly, weird and often come down to the wire. Sunday, the TItans got the heartbreaking ending after the Texans kicked a 23-yard field goal with 2:55 left to win the game, 34-31. Kerry Collins tried staging a comeback but fumbled the ball with the Texans recovering. The Titans. who seemed not to be able to lose a regular-season game last season. are now 0-2.

In 2006, former Titans starting quarterback Vince Young had a 39-yard TD run to beat the Texans in his hometown of Houston. In 2007, the Texans staged a 29-point 4th quarter comeback, only to have Collins engineer a drive that ended with a field goal with two seconds left. In 2008, the Texans beat the Titans in a hard-fought, low-scoring 13-12 game where fans wondered why Jeff Fisher went for a long 4th-down pass instead of going for a long field goal late in the 4th. This year's game could not have been much stranger:

More Coverage: Check Box Score | Tennessee Wastes Johnson's Heroics

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Dunta Robinson Kinda Apologizes for 'Pay Me Rick' Shoes

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-09-15T11:15:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Texans, AFC South

Out of the 14 NFL players that were franchised in 2009, Texans cornerback Dunta Robinson was the only one who chose not to sign a long term deal or sign his franchise tender in time to make camp. Reportedly, he turned down $23 million dollars in guaranteed money last February, which would have put him in the top three of NFL corners in guaranteed dollars. He sat out all of camp and preseason, then signed his tender a week before the first game, just in time to get his first paycheck -- $585,705 of the almost $10 million he will receive for 2009.

Fans were displeased to learn that during the Texans ugly loss to the Jets in the home opener, Robinson was wearing shoes that read, "Pay me Rick." The "Rick" in question is Houston general manager Rick Smith.

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Rex Grossman Named No. 2 Texans QB; Matt Schaub Described as 'Day-to-Day'

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-09-08T18:00:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Texans, AFC South

Who says the fourth preseason game means nothing? Backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky (with large multi-year contract) looked inconsistent with poor touch in limited minutes against Tampa Bay. Third string quarterback, Rex Grossman (vet minimum, one year contract) threw two touchdown passes, and more importantly showed much more poise. On Tuesday, coach Gary Kubiak named Rex Grossman the number 2 quarterback for the Texans, for now.

Usually the backup quarterback competition isn't much of a big deal, but it is when their are concerns about the health of the starter. Matt Schaub injured his ankle in the game against the Vikings and is described as "progressing toward getting ready to go" and as being "day-to-day." He took half the snaps in practice.

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Houston Texans 2009 Preview: Finally a Playoff Team?

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-09-04T12:00:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Texans, AFC South, FanHouse Previews

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Houston has forgotten what it is like to root for its hometown NFL team in the playoffs. It's been since the 1993 season that a playoff berth has graced this football-obsessed region, and everyone wonders after two 8-8 Texans seasons whether the team finally has the pieces to make a legitimate playoff run. The Texans have replaced the Cardinals as the trendy dark horse pick that might break out in 2009. No really. Dallas Morning News columnist Rick Gosselin's comments are pretty representative of this sort of thinking.

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Is Matt Schaub Injury Prone?

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-09-02T19:00:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Texans, AFC South

Texans QB Matt Schaub injured his ankle in the Monday Night Football game against the Vikings. It didn't happen from a hit, but rather when he ran out of bounds on a play. Untouched.

Schaub says he's fine and is confident he will be ready for the home opener against the Jets. He wasn't going to be playing in the fourth game of the preseason against the Buccaneers anyway. Even so, the number one question about Schaub has never focused on ability but rather durability. (The number two question would be his red zone decision making, but that's a different story).

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Minnesota Favre vs Houston Texans: MNF Subplots to Watch

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-08-28T14:30:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Texans, Vikings, AFC South, NFC North, NFL Analysis

The Monday Night Football game between the ~~Favres~~ Vikings and Texans is certain to have a ton of Brett Favre talk, even with Tony Kornheiser departing the booth. Post-shoulder surgery Favre playing an entire half of football with his new team is news. Football fans will be watching to see if he can make the throws that he wasn't able to make at the end of last season.

But the Favre story isn't the only one to watch in this game. There's a number of interesting stories to look at for two teams that have been mentioned as playoff teams.

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Chad Ochocinco Wants You to Help Him Tweet During Games

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-08-27T08:30:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Bengals, AFC North, NFL Fans

Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco loves using Twitter, so much that he wants to use it during his games. The NFL doesn't allow cellular devices on the field, so I've wondered how he was going to be able to get his tweet on without getting fined. I suggested getting a close friend to help him from the stands.

Ochocinco has gone one step beyond that. He's having a contest on Twitter each week to fly a fan to a Bengals game to be his guest tweeter.

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Saints-Texans Scrimmage Turns Into Fight Club: A Photo Essay

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-08-20T17:45:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Texans, AFC South, FanHouse Exclusive

HOUSTON - Saints and Texans had their second day of scrimmages prior to their preseason game on Saturday, and today got particularly chippy. I counted at least four large fights, two of the fields close to the fans, and two on the middle field, and a number of smaller fights.

Hard to tell who the combatants were but the Houston Chronicle's John McClain says there were six fights including bouts between DeMeco Ryans vs Jeremy Shockey (above), Vonta Leach vs Rod Coleman and Ryan Moats vs. Troy Evans. VIdeo of the Ryans-Shockey fight can be found here temporary courtesy of WWLTV Channel 4 New Orleans.

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Ben Roethlisberger Attorney Claims Accuser's Words Prove Her Lies

Stephanie Stradley — 2009-08-19T11:15:00 00:00

by Stephanie Stradley

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

Attorney David Cornwell released a statement on Tuesday requesting the accuser to drop her sexual assault civil lawsuit against Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. In a statement entitled "Andrea McNulty's Own Words Prove She was Not Raped By Ben Roethlisberger," Cornwell contends that McNulty's online behavior is inconsistent with someone who had been sexually assaulted. (Via the Reno-Gazette Journal, a pdf of the statement can be found here.)

The statement includes various e-mails and online chats that McNulty was said to have had with "Ben Millikan" aka "Ben the Soldier" the online persona that Roethlisberger's lawyers believe was McNulty's fictious online soldier boyfriend. I'm an attorney with a background in both civil and criminal law, so I hope to sort out what some of this means for you.

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