In their first drive last week, the Vikings offense scored against the Texans defense in 4 plays. It was a typical start to a Texans game. They have by far worst red zone defense in the league, allowing touchdowns 17 of 25 times for a 81 percent red zone rate. The 213 points the Texans have allowed is 4th most in the AFC.
Football Outsiders currently has the Texans defense ranked 30th (compared to 12th for the offense and 4th for special teams). They ranked the Texans pass defense at 21 and the rush defense last in the league. I believe that most of the pass defense improvement in recent weeks is that teams know the Texans rush defense is garbage, and also they have faced a parade of horrible QBs (Orlowsky, Fitzpatrick, Frerotte).
Hey, but there has been some improvement right? Maybe this young defense is figuring it out? Perhaps if you live in blind optimism land, but this week, a thin defense limited in playmakers has become thinner.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been tough on player's off-field activities and is now extending his get tough ways with on-field behavior. According to Adam Schefter, Goodell sent an emailed memo today to all the teams telling them that illegal or dangerous hits may be subject to discipline, even on the first offense:
Player safety on the field is important to all of us in the NFL. Football is a tough game and we need to do everything possible to protect all players - offense, defense, and special teams - from unnecessary injury caused by illegal and dangerous hits. From this point forward, you should be clear on the following point: Any conduct that unnecessarily risks the safety of other players has no role in the game of football and will be disciplined at increased levels, including on a first offense. Playing by the rules shows respect for your fellow players. No one wants to see unnecessary injuries. Let's have a safe and exciting 2008 season.
Hmmm, sounds like a good idea in theory, but seems to be something harder to put in practice. Often what gets attention as an illegal hit is a hit that actually hurts someone. There are tons of tough hits, some maybe border line dirty, that don't get attention at all.
It will be interesting to see what sort of discipline is given, whether it is given out equally no matter the star power of the players or team involved, and whether punishment is harsher if actually injuries happen.
Yohei Hori is a system engineer who lives in Tokyo. He is also a huge Houston Texans fan who writes a Japanese language blog focusing on the team. As he explained to me, he knows English, but the translation plug-in for his blog that translates from the Japanese leads to really messed up, humorous results.
The translated name for his blog is "Da Bull Pen - TEXANS cheering blog: Houston Texans and the NFL that, and I love it."
Admittedly, I must confess I enjoy reading the silly Japanese to English translations of all things Texans and NFL. Check his blog out and find your favorite odd, yet somehow accurate account. It's like bizarre poetry.
I discovered Yohei posting as "texamaniac" at the I'm a Texans Club website (the above graphic spells "Houston Texans" in Japanese). He agreed to answer a few questions about what it is like to follow the NFL in Japan, and how he became a fan of the Texans.
Q: How popular is the NFL in Japan?
A: American football is a very minor sport in Japan. It is a pity, but most Japanese don't even understand the rules.
The Houston Texans received the least personal fouls, but Sando got it completely wrong as it related to Texans defensive tackle Travis Johnson:
Former Patriots receiver Deion Branch drew a line between Harrison's hard-nosed play and the approach Houston Texans defensive lineman Travis Johnson took after knocking out then-Miami Dolphins quarterback Trent Green with a legal hit last season. Johnson stood over the fallen Green and taunted him.
"[Harrison] is not that type of dude, I promise you," Branch said. "He's not going to go into a game and try to hurt someone.
Uh, I'm guessing that Sando didn't actually see that play or maybe he just got his actives and passive mixed up writing about it. It was Trent Green who knocked himself out after Green intentionally blocked Johnson with a low but legal hit. If anyone was dirty in that play, it was Green who admitted he dove low, smashing Johnson's knee with his helmet, causing Johnson to somersault into the air and land on his head.
I'd put up some real speed video of this, but it no longer exists because the NFL pulled it. This slo-mo YouTube version above is all that exists.
It's the deadest part of the offseason, which means we'll be reading about things marginally related to football like top-50 players, doctored videos, visits to the Playboy Mansion, and, of course, Rodney Harrison, the NFL's dirtiest player.
A review of data since 2001 shows Arizona Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson with a league-high 17 personal fouls. Harrison and New Orleans Saints defensive end Will Smith are tied for second with 14, followed by Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour (13), Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor (12), late Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor (12) and Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Shaun Rogers (11).
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.
It is coming up on year three of the Texans under coach Gary Kubiak. Even though they haven't completely implemented it, you can see they have a very specific philosophy on offense.
The defense, with the transition from the 3-4 to the 4-3 has been a bit more of a mystery. I have read every thing written about the Texans defense, and the best I can tell it is supposed to be an aggressive 4-3, which translates to telling you pretty much zero about it.
For example, you know what types of defensive players a lot of teams covet in the draft and free agency, but do you know much about what the Texans are looking for in a defensive player? What is the Texans defense supposed to look like other than bad?
As we get ready for the Patriots-Giants Super Bowl, FanHouse is looking back at each team's 2007 first-round pick. Here's a look at the 10th pick in the draft, defensive tackle Amobi Okoye.
Who They Took: Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville
Who Else They Were Rumored to Consider: CB Derrelle Revis, Trade down for OT Joe Staley, Trade down in general. Other rumored players were off the board by pick #10. What We Said At The Time:"[W]ith the Texans picking a defensive lineman in the first round for the 4th year in a row, you would hope that this fat salary cap money starts to translate into a pass rush....After the 9th pick, Mario Williams started texting the defensive line coach "Okoye Okoye Okoye" so apparently at least he appreciates having a potential playmaker next to him on the line instead of the street free agents that had to fill-in at defensive tackle for most of last season."
What Okoye Did: At the beginning of the season, I wondered whether this young, still developing player would be physical enough against the run and would be overwhelmed as a young guy playing with a number of other inexperienced players on the line.
So players league-wide are being asked their opinion or offering it on their own. Johnson's Florida State teammate, Lions linebacker Ernie Sims, weighed in.
... I'll tell you how I feel about a people going down low on me. I think it is the lowest thing in football that a man could do. When you get on that field you're supposed to be a man ... I can understand how he was feeling that Trent had went for his legs, I don't care if he is a quarterback or not. Now when it got to the point where he got up and started taunting, I don't agree with that. He saw that a man was hurt and he started taunting and everything, I don't agree with. I would have probably walked away or went about my own business. I thought that was unacceptable. Travis, he came back after the first interview I saw and he apologized for what he had said.
Wait a second, is that logic? Someone with reason? Someone who sees things in grays, as they are, and not blacks and whites? Refreshing.
In October of 2005, my sister Deb was diagnosed with a rare, usually deadly form of leukemia. She woke up one morning with bad headache, went to the emergency room, and later that day found out that she had leukemia and needed to start treatment immediately or she would die. And that the treatment itself might kill her. Thinking about that makes it hard to breathe.
A while after her diagnosis, I went to a Houston Texans event that I had signed up for long in advance. I brought a red Texans baseball cap with me to get autographed as a gift to my sister to wear for when she would soon lose her hair from the chemo. Her immune system was so compromised, she couldn't even have plants or flowers in her hospital room.
The first player I met at the event was Travis Johnson. I told him what was happening and asked for his autograph on the hat. He was really moved by Deb's situation and wrote some encouraging words on it. Then he did something he really didn't have to do.Sorry, No Photos
In their first drive last week, the Vikings offense scored against the Texans defense in 4 plays. It was a typical start to a Texans game. They have by far worst red zone defense in the league, allowing touchdowns 17 of 25 times for a 81 percent red zone rate. The 213 points the Texans have allowed is 4th most in the AFC.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been tough on player's off-field activities and is now extending his get tough ways with on-field behavior. According to Adam Schefter, 
Yohei Hori is a system engineer who lives in Tokyo. He is also a huge Houston Texans fan who writes a Japanese language blog focusing on the team. As he explained to me, he knows English, but the translation plug-in for his blog that translates from the Japanese leads to really messed up, humorous results. 
It is coming up on year three of the Texans under coach Gary Kubiak. Even though they haven't completely implemented it, you can see they have a very specific philosophy on offense. 
As we get ready for the Patriots-Giants Super Bowl, FanHouse is looking back 
Probably the most divisive topic of the still-young NFL season has been the play that left 
