This weekend's AFC South showdown appeared, at the beginning of the week, to be one of those strength vs. strength matchups. The Colts have the NFL's seventh-ranked pass defense and they have only allowed three passing touchdowns all season (making them the stingiest in the NFL). The Houston Texans are the NFL's third-best passing team and have thrown 16 touchdown passes in eight games.
The Texans played almost a perfect game. The Bengals not so much.
The first time the Texans touched the ball, it resulted in a 73 yard punt return by Jacoby Jones. Strangely, both TD returns Jones has done this season have resulted in him ending up on the west side of the north endzone, where he jumps up into the stands where his mom sits. His teammates joke that he needs to get his mom to move each quarter to the other endzone.
Texans quarterback Matt Schaub was nearly perfect, completing 24 of 28 with a 144 QB rating. Gary Kubiak said "That's hard to do against air."
A Texans defense that had previously not been able to hold a team under 21 points held the Bengals to six. If the Bengals are incapable on throwing on a Texans defense that is one of the worst in the league, they may not be able to move the ball on any team.
Unfortunately for the Bengals, it doesn't look like their schedule gets any easier any time soon.
One of my favorite Texans events to attend is the Texans Team Luncheon that the team holds before the start of the season. Each table has a player assigned to it, and it gives fans an opportunity to see the players behind the mask. Coach Gary Kubiak gave a speech, and various players answered questions. (The transcript is here, though it doesn't contain the really funny stuff Kubiak said at the beginning about going on a date with his wife).
This year I sat next to Texans second year wide receiver-returner Jacoby Jones. Quite the fun table to be at. He is a quote machine and a very upbeat guy, and lunch was certainly entertaining, as evidenced by this video of Jacoby Jones discussing how ProBowl linebacker DeMeco Ryans looks like his bobblehead. I didn't think so, but I could sort of see it after Jones broke it down on tape:
Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
Quarterback: In Matt Schaub and Sage Rosenfels, the Texans have two quarterbacks who could start in this QB starved league. Schaub needs to show he can hold up over a full season, and have better decision making in the red zone. Even so, he could end up having a breakout season assuming he and his supporting cast stay relatively healthy. Heat Index: 7
Running Backs: The Texans have been busy fixing so many other parts of their team that they have had little interest in drafting running back with a high pick. The running back group consists of Ahman Green (old and oft injured), Chris Brown (oft injured), Chris Taylor (inexperienced and coming off of injury), Darius Walker (inexperienced), Steve Slaton (3rd round pick rookie and more of a third down back). Coach Gary Kubiak won't want to have to rely on a young player because of concerns about blitz pickup. The best hope for this group is if offensive line guru Alex Gibbs shows some magic in his run blocking teaching that makes this group look good. Heat Index: 4
Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.
Meet The ... Team that needs to change divisions. How about going 8-8 and finishing last? The Texans are joined in the AFC South by three playoff teams, none of which is significantly worse entering the 2008 campaign. The problem for the Texans is that their offense didn't really improve itself and the rest of the divisional teams have stout defenses. Having Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub healthy for the entire season, though, is a start. Those two have a year under their belt working together and will be the key to this offense. You also know Gary Kubiak likes to run the ball, but it's tough to trust Ahman Green or Chris Brown.
The Breakout ZZZZZ ... sleeper time. Steve Slaton, the rookie RB from West Virginia was the Texans' third round pick. I just mentioned how Coach K (is that blasphemy to say when it's not "him," by the way?) enjoys running the football. Again, do you trust Ahman Green to stay healthy? Do you trust Chris Brown at all? If you shook your head at both of the above -- I know I did -- enter Slaton. The best part is that he'll be dirt-cheap on draft day. Last round flier time, baby!
Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson had his left knee scoped and cleaned up last Thursday, and the Texans say he should be back by the beginning of training camp. (great video above of AJ talking about his surgery and other topics, including coach Alex Gibbs). This news is a little unnerving to Texans fans (and should be something that fantasy players should watch) because:
1. When Andre Johnson was out last year, the offense still functioned, but not as efficiently, especially in the red zone.
2. The Texans have had a history of being overly optimistic in talking about players coming back from knee problems. Andre Johnson was initially described as week to week after suffering his knee injury in Week 2 last year, then it was said he would be out 3 to 5 weeks, and he didn't end up coming back until Week 11.
Running back Ahman Green was also described week to week with his knee bone bruise injury last year, until the Texans decided that he really needed to shut it down. In the 2006 training camp, Domanick Davis/Williams was described as the perfect zone blocking back until he ended up never playing a down that year and then later retiring due to a knee bone bruise.
I've been told by the Houston Texans that they will be increasing the amount of football-technical information on their team website. A recent example is this article describing zone blocking schemes, and the must-see video above with members of the Texans talking about the scheme and how helpful it is to have offensive line guru Alex Gibbs teaching it. If that's not enough ZBS info, well then, check out my previous entry on this subject called Zone Blocking Schemes: A YouTube Tutorial.
I think the trend of becoming more technical in football news coverage is a great thing, because I've always believed that the more you know about a team, the more interesting it is to watch what they are doing on the field. (Though I suspect some of you just visit the Texans site for the 360 degree view of cheerleaders. I'm not judging you, just making an observation. After internet voting, the Texans added Krista [pictures] to the squad, if you care to know such things).
This is likely going to be a game where we find out what is real and what is illusory about these teams.
Strength vs. Strength, Weakness vs. Weakness
The Dolphins have a good pass defense, but is that because the run defense is so atrocious? The Texans have a good run defense, but is that because their pass defense is non-existent?
The strength of the Dolphins offense is their running game with Ronnie Brown, and he is facing a Texans defense that is rated 5th against the run. The strength of the Texans offense is their improved quarterback play with Matt Schaub, and he is facing a Dolphins defense that is rated 2nd against the pass.
With the vague knee injury to Ahman Green, the two players who rushed for the Texans against the Falcons were Ron Dayne and Jameel Cook. They combined for 68 yards. Eleven of Dayne's 15 carries were for less than 3 yards. There were three third downs and 1 yard to go that Dayne couldn't convert.
"I could have kept the team on the field a couple of more times getting those third-and-1s and third-and-2s. I felt like I should have done more, and I will work harder in practice and work on little things like that."
I'm not sure what ails him is a lack of practice. Ron Dayne is a big guy, and the Texans have always said they were going to use him as a short yardage back, but in the pros he really has never excelled in the short yardage back role. He's a big guy that doesn't run big, but is big enough that he really isn't much of a threat to turn the corner.
Last year, the only time that the Texans had any sort of running game was these three things corresponded: 1. When center Steve McKinney was playing; 2. They were playing poor run defenses; 3. When the quarterback was being such a goon in the backfield, and there was no experienced healthy backup, that the running game was their only hope.
How many playmakers can one team lose and still win? This is the question that the Texans are facing at least over the next couple of weeks. The games against Atlanta on the road and Miami at home appeared to be the soft spot in the schedule, but with all the injuries to key Texans players, maybe not so much.
The Houston Chronicle article about the Texans injuries is here, and here's some additional thoughts about what this might mean for the team, including some information I haven't seen anywhere else.
Out For the Season:
Steve McKinney, Center: Torn ACL. Veteran Mike Flanagan will start in his place. Flanagan looked decent in his competition for the starting job in the preseason, but last year, McKinney looked better in run blocking. Flanagan got injured last season, and is on the oldish side, so there's concerns about depth. Chris White currently is the backup at center, and Kubiak liked his performance at camp.
Cedric Killings, Defensive Tackle: Fractured Vertebra. Cedric Killings was with the team in camp, was cut, but then was resigned when Travis Johnson was out with an injury. They kept him on the team after Johnson came back, but then Killings was injured during a special teams collision. With both McKinney and Killings on IR, the Texans chose to re-sign wide receiver David Anderson and tight end Joel Dressen, players who had been in camp with the team. Both are good special team players.
The Texans played almost a perfect game. The Bengals not so much. 
Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.
How many playmakers can one team lose and still win? This is the question that the Texans are facing at least over the next couple of weeks. The games against Atlanta on the road and Miami at home appeared to be the soft spot in the schedule, but with all the injuries to key Texans players, maybe not so much.
