Cowboy Fans Vote Rick Smith into Hall of Fame, Watt baffles defenses in his absence.

Well looks like our points from last week were spot on.  Clowney came in and showed flashes that look like a first round draft pick and DeAndre just stepped out of the way and let the young receiver's go to work.  If you didn't get excited about the possibility in finally being able to run a quick screen for a positive play, then you were never there when we threw it to Andre Johnson for negative yards like 1000 and 1 times.  But I'll break all of that down in just a second.  OF COURSE Cowboy fans would never vote anyone from the Texans to be anything but garbage.  Even once we have several rings, they will never agree that there is a new sheriff in Texas, and they play at NRG.  I am in a smack talk group that is for nothing but Texans and Cowboy fans.  Unfortunately, we do not get to play each other but every four years, so we mostly dissect each other's moves and records.  We have to change our Facebook profile pic to the opposing team's logo when we lose.  I will tell you I never knew how much a profile pic change would be such a big deal.  But trust me, it is.  Try it!  But with that being said Damion Cole, one of the few Cowboy fans that I have a ton of respect for, posted a pic of our trophy case;

This really put me in thought of where we are now, and where we almost were.  In this city we beat up Rick Smith quite a bit over the years.  But when you really look at the draft, I think you will see that Gary Kubiak had quite a bit to say in who we drafted.  Rick and Gary both came in together in 2006.  That was probably one of our better draft's.  As a Team we have been pretty lucky with staying away from the popular snare traps.  Bush/Vince/Manziel could have all been one of them boys on Kirby.  But it wasn't until 2009 that we actually drafted some decent talent.  

Texans Draft History by Year

2010 was looking like a disaster until we brought in Wade, who, thank God supposedly jumped on a table to draft JJ Watt.  All of a sudden we have A DEFENSE!  But secretly at that point did our illustrious owner give us a hint as to who was now making the decisions?

In 2012 Rick was PROMOTED and after the 2013 season Gary was let go.  Minus the Sam Montgomery/Travardo Williams blunt scandal, we have picked up some good players since 2012.  Louis Nix was a big disappointment, but you can tell that Rick has a pretty big say over the decision making process, as I'm sure Billy O wanted to cut Ryan Mallet's Candy ASS before they kicked off in the game.  So leave Rick alone, I think he is finally building us a team that we can finally start to fill that empty trophy case!

The number one question is how do we get there?  I told you in my first blog this season how pumped I was watching the first episode of Hard Knocks.  One of the things that stuck out to me though, was how they showed JJ Watt after practice, ALL BY HIMSELF, doing extra work.  I remember thinking, why is he the only person staying after practice to put in extra work.  I blew it off as Hard Knocks just wanting to feature JJ.  But I can tell you that the JJ being away this pre season has been the best therapy this team could have.  We needed these guys to get the extra reps in practice.  JJ is a beast, and remember I told you to think Adrian Peterson recovery for him.  JJ should be back in full force much sooner than you think.  But the NFL has become custom to only having to account for JJ.  Double, Triple team JJ and the rest will fix itself.  The reason you are seeing turnovers so far, is because we are disrupting the back field.  We are tackling for loss, and pressuring the quarterback WITHOUT JJ.  With JJ in the game, these teams are having to account for everyone.  

Well folks.  I have a feeling that this one could get nasty.  No one is counting wins and losses, but the preseason has been fairly easy up until this point.  These guys have a lot to prove, several people are picking these guys to win the super bowl.  It will be nice to see how our defense holds up against a pretty good offense.  On defense we will be looking for more of the same.  A turn over in this game will definitely put the Kool Aid in the glass for me.  Maybe not to drink it just yet, but we have to take a strong look at this team and how it's been put together.  Bill O'brien's first year with the Patriots was their undefeated season in 2007.  Randy Moss a burner, even old Jabar Gaffney was brought on that year.  Braxton Miller is like a sneaky Wes Welker, Will Fuller is not up to Randy Moss level yet, but I was not at all surprised to see Randy in Texans training camp this year.  This makes it very important for Cecil Shorts to make some noise in this game.  We heard some buzz about him going into camp, but we have yet to see anything from him on the field.

Then there is Alfred Blue.  The backfield that year for the Patriots was only 3 RB's and a FB.  This makes it very important for Bluuuuuuuuuue, to get on the field to make some noise.  I don't think he has to do a lot, but he does have to show that he can get on the field.  Kenny Hilliard has definitely made his presence known, but he will need to show up also on special teams before he jumps ahead of his LSU running mate in Alfred Blue.

But the number one priority here is to come out healthy.  I heard the rumors about JJ coming back, and just don't want to Romo him back into the hospital.  As long as this defense is playing nasty, let number 99 give Brock a chance to continue to be the leader on this team.  When JJ gets back, he can shut that confused young man, Steven A. what's his name the heck up.  There are some hard decisions ahead.  Do we keep all of the running backs and go without a full back?  Does Cecil Shorts and Alfred Blue net us some extra draft picks for next season?  What's Weeden's value to go back to Dallas for a draft pick like we did Keenum?  Another Rick Smith move that no one would have ever called.  We're going to pick up a quarterback off of a deer lease, get him to win a couple of games, then sell him back to the team that cut him for a 7th round draft pick.  I'm looking for Brock to drive down the field and score on this stout defense.  Do not turn the ball over, and make a spark on special teams.  Good old complimentary football people!

And as always.......................

Go Texans!

DJ THE DJ

  

Kubiak Kills Brock, O'Brien turns QB into SAVAGE BEAST!

You couldn't ask for a better start to the game than a defensive score.  From my blog last week, I listed Christian Covington as one of the people to watch while JJ was out.  Boy did he deliver.  The defense was in the back field all night long.  They gave up a few runs to the QB, but you can let your QB scramble like that all day long in the NFL, but somebody is going to eventually pop them.  This defense without Watt, Cushing, and Clowney, did a really good job of providing some good pressure in the backfield.  Pitching a shut out in the second half was definitely a huge win.  

The running game and special teams was really what I wanted to see improved in this first game.  You can definitely tell that there is a different focus for us on special teams.  The rookies definitely proved they were rookies.  With a couple of drops, you can bet that OB had them focus on catching the ball first.  But overall I never felt like there was going to be a repeat of the Chiefs playoff game.  They got down there and got down there fast.  The rookie kicker looks to have a leg, but if he is unable to kick the ball into the end zone on kickoff's, Nick Novak may be safe this year.  

Lamar did not disappoint.  Breaking a huge run on the first play from scrimmage was a pleasant sight to see.  This backfield is going to be a great competition as Hilliard looked pretty good.  Although it was a reminder that "Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp" was no longer with the team.  In the past we've hung on to the "good old guys" but this year, it seems we've finally made a great effort to get better.  Guys like Ben Jones, and Chris Polk were definitely fan favorites, but the truth remain that there was better talent in the pool.  

I told you all last week not to expect a big day from Brock Osweiller.  You have to remember that this system is not one that you can just pick up and run with.  O’Brien and his team has made a practice of preparing QB's last minute to come in and perform very well.  However, the first stage of being a QB in O’Brien’s system is DO NOT TURN THE BALL OVER!  Make good decisions.  In a first preseason game, Brock's job was to play mistake free football.  Get us in and out of plays, and don't turn the ball over.  One of the biggest things I was concerned about Brock was coming from Kubiak's system, you are rarely a decision maker on the field.  Kubiak has his script, and you have to stick to that script.  I was not surprise to see the boot leg play, as O’Brien has made it a habit, to give new QB's plays that they are familiar with.  I still say Brock's test will come against Arizona, but he should definitely have his clipboard taking notes from Savage who definitely looks like a QB that has been in this system for 3 years.  Tonight Brock needs to show an ability to move the ball.  Throwing the ball short of the 1st down marker will not help his case.  He's got the jitters out of the way.  He needs to come out and look poised in the pocket, and give his play maker's a chance to make a play.  I remember people being very upset when Savage was drafted in the 5th round.  Of course, I'm joking when I called him a Savage BEAST, but I am not concerned if he has to go in the game at this point.  

DHop has nothing to prove.  I want to see more from the other receivers.  Would not be surprised if he doesn't even dress tonight.  But they still need to take a few shots down field and continue to ground and pound the rock with the running game.  The defense dominated in practice, but I'm looking for Clowney to come in and make a name for himself.  The offensive line continues its injury woes, so I'm looking for the "fill in's" to get some good work in and keep the QB's upright, and open up holes for the RB's.  I would be wrong not to mention the amount of penalties we DID NOT SEE last week.  Complimentary football has always been O'Brien's motto.  Let's continue to play smart, let's try to start fast, and go get this win on our pretty new turf!  

As always..................................................

Go Texans!

DJ THE DJ

Running Game and Special Teams more important today than QB performance!

If there was ever a time that we were excited about seeing a team play football, it has to be today.   In my preseason blog I spoke about Special Teams play and that remains a top priority of what I would like to see improvement on today.  As far as the offense goes, I continue to hear a ton of chatter about Osweiller, but not much on Lamar Miller.

I am fully aware that our offensive line that we will see today, will not be close to what we will see opening day.  With the absence of Duane and now Nick Martin, I truly hope that Osweiller is not in the game for very long, as the protection could be very suspect.  I hope that Jeff Allen proves to be a great pick up, but I will be playing very close attention to the running game and how well we are able to move the ball.  I do not think we should, nor is it Bill's style, to come out slinging the ball to "showcase" all of the speed we have on the receiving end.  I expect a very vanilla game plan, and a lot of "opportunities" for our play makers to make plays in space.

I have to say it is very concerning that Clowney didn't even make the trip.  This year has to be the year that we get something out of the 2-14 season from 3 years ago.  The pain of that season still lingers over the city.  As we are continually reminded by those "Houston Cowboy's", we have yet to bring a championship to this city.  The defense will definitely be a huge part in making that happen.  I'm excited to see Devon Still get an opportunity to show what he can do.

  It is certainly a surprise to see how big this guy is.  When he was in the news about his daughter, he seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight.  But from what I've heard, this guy has some serious ability to make plays, along with Christian Covington.  With Chip Kelly's no huddle offense, it will be great to see our ability to rotate players in and out, and not depend on JJ to be the Lord and Savior of the season.

All in all, it's just our first preseason game.  With the play of the top 3 quarterbacks in the draft so far, it seems that our free agent moves were definitely the way to go.  Giving up the entire farm to get a player who is already out, at least through the preseason, and a number one pick who is struggling to be out Case Keenum, makes me feel pretty good about our direction.  Time will tell what this year will truly look like.  It will likely not be until Arizona that we see what this team truly has the potential to be.  I stay with the thought that we will likely not see JJ until week 3 against the Patriots.  So here's to seeing a team that has continued to grow since the great fall of 2013.

Go Texans!

DJ THE DJ