FanHouse MattSchaub

Maybe Texans coach Gary Kubiak was just doing the standard NFL coach non-answer thing. When asked yesterday about his team having interest in just-released Chiefs malcontent RB Larry Johnson, Kubiak hemmed and hawed, called Johnson "a good player" and said, "We'll take a look at him." And this might mean nothing, of course. Might mean Kubiak really can't say whether his team is interested, because maybe he doesn't want him but the owner does or vice-versa or something like that. If they do end up pursuing the guy, it won't help negotiations much if the coach is out front saying, "Yeah, we really want him." So Kubiak said basically what he's supposed to say, and reading too much into it is probably a mistake.

But regardless of what's really going on behind the scenes, and regardless of the muddle they have going on right now with Ryan Moats playing on running downs and Steve Slaton playing on passing downs or whatever they're trying to with their running backs, I think the Texans ought to take a pass on Larry Johnson. I think they have too much good stuff going on there right now to bring in his kinds of issues.

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.

Things this week, have, uh, changed a bit.

Much has been made about the Indianapolis Colts and their 7-0 start. As I pointed out in the power rankings, they are actually 82-21 in the regular season since the beginning of 2003. They are an absolute juggernaut. Thus far this season, we've heard lots of talk about how Peyton Manning looks better than ever and the Colts are firing on all cylinders. This week, we're bound to hear a lot about how the Colts are the biggest test yet for a Houston Texans team looking to visit the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

The funny thing is, in a movement worthy of Bizarro-World status, the Texans are actually the first big test for the Colts.

Terrell Owens is an albatross. Mike Sims-Walker redeemed himself after a booty-call inflicted goose-egg. Just how good is Matt Schaub? Does Hakeem Nicks have his "big boy pants" on yet? How big an impact is Michael Crabtree going to have on the 49ers offense? Join Matt Snyder and Tom Herrera for this and much, much more in the Week 7 fantasy football podcast, as we welcome Frank Gore back and mock a fellow employee in the process.

Even on the rare occasions when the Raiders win the battle ... they still lose. Oakland dropped their third game in four tries Sunday against Houston. And on the way to their latest defeat cornerback Chris Johnson may have been a victim of religious persecution*. During the game. By the officials.

After intercepting a Matt Schaub pass Johnson fell to his knees, pointed skyward to give thanks to The Big Guy for his good fortune, and was promptly flagged for his belief that there was a Big Guy who would actually allow the Raiders to exist in their current form.

Video after the jump (includes some naughty language).

With attention spans dwindling, we forego full game-by-game previews to give you the essentials you need to know about every contest this glorious NFL weekend. We call it The Once-Over.

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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.

Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's daily gathering of links from around the web, covering the goings-on in NFL Training Camp which have an impact on fantasy value.

Taking over the helm from Sports Illustrated's Jimmy Traina over at Hot Clicks, today one of the sports world's most colorful characters, Chris Cooley shares his sleeper fantasy picks for the 2009 fantasy season. Cooley's picks look good, though he doesn't exactly swing for the fences, preferring safer bets like Chad Ochocinco and Anthony Gonzalez to deeper sleepers. Chris makes an interesting selection in Brent Celek however, after he made waves late last season with one particularly notable postseason game where he lassoed in 10 balls and two touchdowns.

If Cooley's sleepers don't pique your interest, he also shares a half naked picture of his wife for whatever reason.

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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.

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).