2012 Texans Watch- 5-0!

Last week in expressing how deep his support for Mittens was, NY Jets owner Woody Johnson said he would rather his football team lose than Mitt Romney lost this presidential election..  

Well Woody, the Houston Texans helped you out on that score on national television.  On November 6 the American electorate will determine the other part of your statement.  

But back to discussing my fave NFL squad.

In only their fifth Monday Night football appearance ever and their first since that heartbreaking 34-28 overtime loss in 2010 to the Baltimore Ravens, the Texans kept their 2012 season perfect with a 23-17 win at Met Life Stadium over the struggling but determined New York Jets.  

It was also the first win ever in Texans franchise history after five tries against the Jets.

Arian Foster has 152 yards rushing on 29 carries and a touchdown, but the Bulls on Parade and especially JJ Watt made life miserable for Mark Sanchez.  

Watt had two sacks to take the NFL lead in that category, six tackles overall and three tipped passes.  One of those tipped passes led to a critical red zone interception that led to a 17-7 Texan halftime lead.

The Jets gave them a beter game than people expected including a 100 yard Joe McKnight kickoff return for a TD after the Texans had taken a 20-7 third quarter lead, but they didn't have enough offensive firepower to beat a Texans team that was not on their 'A' game tonight.

The Texans next game is their debut on NBC Sunday Night Football at Reliant Stadium against the Green Bay Packers.

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 5

If you noticed the explosion of pink hats, gloves and team logos during the Bears-Cowboys Monday night game, it's October and it means once again its NFL A Crucial Catch campaign month.  

The pink gear worn by players, special game balls and pins worn by officials and coaches will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

I had a great NFL prognostication Week 4 and increased my lead to six games over Mr. Watts thanks to going 11-4.  I do have room for improvement because I have had a tough time getting the Sunday night games correct.

Speaking of room for improvement, the four teams on their bye weeks, the Cowboys, Lions, Raiders and Buccaneers all have much to contemplate as they chill and watch everyone else play games before they get back into the NFL fray. 

Also happy my hometown ballers not only have gotten off to a strong franchise best 4-0 start, I get to see them on Monday Night Football this week when they take on the New York Jets.        

So lets get to prognostication business shall we?  I have two less games to work with this week, but have some momentum.  Mike's Week 5 picks are here.   Mine are in bold underlined print  

Last Week's records
TransGriot    11-4
Mike Watts    9-6
 
2012 Season Records
TransGriot    38-25
Mike Watts   32-31

Week 5
Bye Week
Cowboys, Lions, Raiders, Buccaneers

Thursday, October 4
Cardinals at Rams

Sunday, October 7
Noon CDT games

Falcons at Redskins
Eagles at Steelers
Packers at Colts
Browns at Giants
Titans at Vikings
Dolphins at Bengals
Ravens at Chiefs

Afternoon Games
Seahawks at Panthers
Bears at Jaguars
Broncos at Patriots
Bills at 49ers

Sunday Night Game
Chargers at Saints

Monday, October  8
Texans at Jets

2012 Texans Watch- 4-0!

In the 30 plus year the Team Formerly Known as the Houston Oilers played inside Loop 610 they never started a season better than 2-0. 

There was the 1993 season when they started the season 0-4 and reeled off twelve consecutive wins to capture the AFC Central Division title and home field throughout the AFC playoffs.

Then they lost to Kansas City in their opening home playoff game. .  

The Titans and Bud Adams are Nashville's problem now, and the Houston NFL team I root for wears deep steel blue instead of columbia blue.

After two consecutive road games the Texans returned to Reliant Stadium wearing those deep steel blue uniforms and trampled the Tennessee Titans Traitors.  

The Bulls on Parade not only knocked Tennessee QB Jake Locker out of the game on the opening series after turning him into a quarterback sandwich, but had two pick sixes by Kareem Jackson and Danieal Manning to turn a 14-7 nail biter into a 38-14 win.

JJ Watt added two sacks and a fumble recovery to this dominating showing by the Texans defense to help the Boys in Deep Steel Blue remain the only unbeaten team in the AFC and win another division game.

Their schedule toughens up a bit over the next three weeks before they get their bye week.  Next up is the Monday night clash at MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets, then consecutive home games at reliant Stadium against the Green Bay Packers and a rematch of the AFC Divisional round playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens. .

But they accomplished the mission we Texans fans wanted for them today in beating the Tennessee Traitors. 
  

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 4

I compiled a 9-7 record in Week 3 in the wake of the 8-8 Week 2 one, but it was enough to allow me to take a four game lead over Mr. Watts thanks to a disastrous and uncharacteristic 5-11 week for him courtesy of upsets and the egregiously blown call on the last play of the Green Bay-Seattle game that still has the Cheeseheads righteously pissed off.  

I wasn't happy about it either since I had Green Bay winning that game in the Pacific Northwest and I would have finished 10-6 for the week

But I'm looking at the half full part of my 2012 NFL prognostication contest glass.  I've been at or above .500 for the first three weeks and it has resulted in me leading this 2012 contest of NFL prognostication wits for the first time this season.  I'm also deliriously happy about my Texans handling their Denver business trip and as a result are now 3-0 and off to their best start in franchise history.

They play the Tennessee Titans Traitors this week at Reliant in their attempt to start 4-0 for the first time in franchise history  

The photo of longtime NFL official Mike Carey is my way of saying, hallelujah, no more replacement refs!   The jacked up ending to Monday's prime time game forced the NFL to finally handle their business and sign a new eight year deal with the NFL Referee's Association.  The real refs like Mr. Carey will be back in action starting with tonight's Browns-Ravens game.  

And after a honeymoon period from us NFL fans glad the officials are back, we'll probably be shouting stuff at them like the Ravens fans did when they blow their first call of the season. 



We are now one quarter of the way into the 2012 regular season and we get our first two teams with bye weeks in the Colts and Steelers.  They have a lot to think about with their 1-2 records as they relax and watch 'errbody' else play games.    The Colts are probably shocked and deliriously happy to be 1-2.   The Steelers probably aren't since they are supposed to be contending for the AFC North crown.


We move into NFL Week 4 and it's time for me to build on this lead and achieve my goal of winning this prognostication contest at the end of this season.  These are Mike's Week 4 picks.  Mine are in underscored bold print.


Last Week's records
TransGriot    9-7
Mike Watts  5-11
 
2012 Season Records
TransGriot    27-21
Mike Watts   23-25

Week 4
Bye week
Colts, Steelers

Thursday, September 27
Browns at Ravens

Sunday, September 30
Noon CDT Games

Titans at Texans
Patriots at Bills

Chargers at Chiefs
Vikings at Lions
Panthers at Falcons
Seahawks at Rams
49ers at Jets

Afternoon Games 
Dolphins at Cardinals
Raiders at Broncos
Bengals at Jaguars
Saints at Packers
Redskins at Buccaneers

Sunday Night
Giants at Eagles

Monday, October 1
Bears at Cowboys

2012 Texans Watch-Texans Mile High Win

I got back home from OUT on the Hill just in time to watch my beloved Texans take on a long time nemesis in Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.  

There are some connections between the two teams.   Texans coach Gary Kubiak before coming back home to take the job was a backup QB and offensive coordinator for the Broncos, and Texans General Manager Rick Smith also got his start with the Broncos organization.

They marched into Invesco Field at Mile High in their liberty white uniforms with a chance to not only stay unbeaten in this young NFL season, but prove they were serious contenders in the AFC for that Super Bowl berth in New Orleans.

They also had a chance to erase some old demons.  As Tebow lovers are well aware of, the last Texans trip to Denver in 2010 birthed the Tim Tebow legend at their expense and resulted in a come from behind loss for my favorite NFL ballers.  They have also never beaten a Payton Manning quarterbacked team in his home stadium prior to Sunday and had a 2-19 record overall against him.  

But Peyton hasn't faced the Bulls on Parade defense either.  . . 

The Texans got off to a slow start, giving up a safety and a field goal to spot the Broncos an early 5-0 lead before the offense woke up, dusted off the big play part of their playbook and dropped a 63 yard bomb to Andre Johnson to take a 7-5 lead they never relinquished thanks to the Bulls on Parade defense.

JJ Watt and the Bulls on Parade defense made life miserable for Peyton Manning.  Watt had 2.5 sacks while Matt Schaub threw for four touchdowns in this game as the Texans sprinted out to a 20 point lead before the Broncos mounted a furious comeback that just like in Atlanta a week earlier fell six agonizing points short. 


The 31-25 Texan win means for the first time in team history they start a season 3-0.  They have a chance to build on this win with a division game against the hated Tennessee Titans Traitors in Reliant Stadium Sunday.  

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 3

Well TransGriot sports fans, even though I'm in RG3 country and handling my OUT on The Hill activist business, it's Thursday and the prognostication contest between myself and Michael Watts of the Michael's Rant blog continues.

Got off to a great Week 1 start for the season but precipitously fell off due to all the Week 2 games that didn't go quite the way I expected. 

But the good news is that even with an 8-8 record I still erased a two game deficit and Mike and I are tied again   Season is still early, but after two weeks I have a little better idea of which teams are headed in the direction of being playoff contenders and which ones will be competing for the number one pick.in the 2013 NFL Draft.   Week 3 will be another piece of that playoff and 2012 season narrative that is unfolding.

And yeah NFL, y'all need to settle the lockout with the NFL officials.

Enough jibber-jabber, on to my picks.  Mike's are here, mine will be in underlined bold print.

Last Week's records
TransGriot    8-8
Mike Watts  7-9
 
2012 Season Records
TransGriot    18-14
Mike Watts   18-14

Thursday, September 20
Giants at Panthers

Sunday, September 23
Buccaneers at Cowboys
Rams at Bears
49ers at Vikings
Lions at Titans
Bengals at Redskins
Chiefs at Saints
Jets at Dolphins
Bills at Browns
Jaguars at Colts

Afternoon Games
Eagles at Cardinals
Falcons at Chargers
Texans at Broncos
Steelers at Raiders

Sunday Night
Patriots at Ravens

Monday, September  24
Packers at Seahawks

2012 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 2

Kickoff weekend of the 2012 NFL season is over and I actually accomplished my goal of doing better than the 9-7 I started the 2011 prognostication contest with and grabbed an initial two game lead..   

I went 10-6 to open the season and that wasn't bad, but Michael Watts went 11-5 so he has an initial one game lead on me (for now)   

If it weren't for the upsets I could have done even better.   Upsets such as RG3 and the Redskins marching into the Superdome and marching out with a huge 40-32 win against the Saints.  The NY Jets after having an anemic offense all preseason exploding for 48 points on a Buffalo Bills team that spent all those free agent megamillions on their defense.  

Mario who?  

I also didn't expect the Cowboys to walk into Met Life Stadium last Wednesday and walk out with a win and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played better than I expected in their win against the Panthers.  

But the first week is over and NFL Week 2 rapidly approaches, so let's get to my Week 2 Picks.   Mike's are here.  Team I'm picking to win will be in underlined bold print. 

TransGriot Week 1 Record  10-6
Mike Watts Week 1 Record 11-5

2012 NFL Season Records
Mike Watts  11-5
TransGriot    10-6

***

Thursday, September 13
Chicago at Green Bay

Sunday, September 16
Noon CDT Games
Houston at Jacksonville
Kansas City at Buffalo
Cleveland at Cincinnati
Minnesota at Indianapolis
New Orleans at Carolina
Arizona at New England
Tampa Bay at NY Giants
Baltimore at Philadelphia

Afternoon Games
Washington at St Louis
Dallas at Seattle
Oakland at Miami
NY Jets at Pittsburgh
Tennessee at San Diego

Sunday Night
Detroit at San Francisco

Monday,  September 17
Denver at Atlanta

NFL Official Shannon Eastin Makes History Again

Because of the ongoing NFL officials lockout, an opportunity door was opened for others to get the chance to show what they could do at the professional officiating level.  

Many of those locked out officials of the NFL Referees Association have decades of experience doing NFL and BCS collegiate football games, and it isn't easy to become one. 

For those of you who had the opportunity to watch the St. Louis Rams-Detroit Lions game yesterday, you got to witness a little sports history in addition to the thrilling 27-23 game the Lions eventually pulled out.

When Shannon Eastin stepped onto the turf at Detroit's Ford Field yesterday she became the first woman ever to work as a official in an NFL regular season game when she served as a line judge   

It's also interesting to note this groundbreaking NFL moment happened during the 40th anniversary year of the passage of Title IX   

The Tempe, AZ resident already made history last month when she became the first female official to work an NFL preseason game.  Eastin served as the line judge during the Green Bay Packers-San Diego Chargers game in San Diego as well. 

The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH already has the hat and whistle she used during that historic preseason game, and I don't doubt they probably asked for the cap and whistle she used during yesterday's Rams-Lions game for a future display, too.   She has worked as a referee in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and has 16 years of officiating experience.

MEAC officials declined comment on Eastin, and the NFL declined to make Eastin available for interviews during the week leading up to the historic game.   They also didn't allow media access to her following the Rams-Lions game, but did set up a conference call with her in August.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said having Eastin on the field is a great opportunity for her and the league.  "She's well prepared for it, and I think she'll do terrific," Goodell said in an interview last month. "So we're excited about that"  

"And there are more coming, by the way. We've been working along this path to try to properly train and prepare a female official, and now we have the opportunity."

Eastin said during last month's conference call, "I hope to show it really doesn't matter if you are male or female."

The only way it matters is in terms of inspiring others to join you in the officiating ranks as you were inspired by longtime NBA official Violet Palmer 

Congratulations on making NFL and sports history again.

2012 Texans Watch-Bulls On Parade Run Over Dolphins

In yesterday's season opening game against the Miami Dolphins the Houston Texans had Arian Foster, Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub on the field in their liberty white uniforms for the first time since 2011. 

My favorite NFL ballers are considered by some pundits as serious contenders to be the AFC representative for Super Bowl XLVII that will take place down I-10 east in New Orleans February 3. 

The Texans players have embraced the heightened expectation of the media and long suffering Houston area NFL fans and adopted a 'Super Bowl or Bust' mantra.  They wanted to get the chase for Super Bowl XLVII and their second consecutive AFC South title off to a fast start in front of the 71,566 people at Reliant Stadium.

It was the second-largest crowd ever for a Texans home game (largest was last year's Pittsburgh game) and the sold out Reliant Stadium crowd got to enjoy the unveiling of the 2011 division championship banner.  But it was the Dolphins that looked more like the team that went to last year's AFC playoffs thanks to Ryan Tannehill, their rookie quarterback from Texas A&M.  

The Dolphins took an early 3-0 lead and stymied the Texans offense for most of the first quarter.  The Houston natives were getting restless over the missed tackles and dropped passes from our hometown NFL ballers and gave the Texans some boos for it.. 

Then the 'Bulls On Parade' Defense took over in the decisive second quarter.   Johnathan Joseph got the first of three interceptions off of Tannehill that led to the game tying 35 yard Shayne Graham field goal.  

On the next series JJ Watt tipped a Tannehill pass to the waiting arms of Brian Cushing.  That led to a drive capped off by a 14 yard sprint by Arian Foster for the go ahead touchdown.  

Watt then swatted Tannehill's next pass from scrimmage and cornerback Kareem Jackson came down with it at the Miami 27. Richard Marshall then was called for pass interference and Foster plowed into the end zone from the 1 yard line for his second touchdown of the day. 
.

Tannehill handed off on Miami's next play from scrimmage, but that didn't work either because Glover Quin forced a Daniel Thomas fumble which Danieal Manning recovered at the Dolphins 31 with 28 seconds left before halftime. Schaub threw a pinpoint pass to the end zone to Andre Johnson, who made the acrobatic catch over the Dolphin defender for a 24-3 halftime lead.

After the 72 yard third period Thigpen punt return that chopped the lead to 24-10, the Texans got busy and added two more Graham field goals to secure the 30-10 win.   It also extended the Texans record against the Dolphins to a perfect 7-0 and made it the third consecutive year they've opened the NFL season with a win.

"It wasn't pretty," Schaub said. "Anyone in our locker room can tell you that we can play much better than we did today."   We fans know y'all can play better than this and I'm glad the Texans feel the same way. . 

Next up is a trip to Jacksonville to play our first road and AFC South Division game of the young season with the Jaguars.  But getting better is mandatory because your schedule isn't going to get any easier.

Moni and Mike Are Going To NFL Prognosticate Again

Haven't written much about my fave NFL football team this preseason because I've been busy with activist stuff, but trust I have been keeping up with the happenings NFL wise for the 2012 season.

The reason I've been doing so is because Michael Watts of the Michael's Rant blog and I will be having our online NFL prognostication battle again for the 2012 NFL season.   We weren't able to get any other bloggers to step up to the plate and be willing to show the world how much they know (or don't know) about NFL football.
 
But once again it's for Lone Star bragging rights since he's from North Texas and a Arlington Cowchips fan and I'm a proud Houstonian and Texans fan. 

Hey, I grew up despising the Cowboys and everything they stood for until Bud Adams moved my beloved Oilers and they became the Tennessee Titans Traitors

And naw, I'm not gonna let it go, even though I have a better team and owner in the Texans.

Mike and I tied for bragging rights last year with identical 164-92 records when the 2011 regular season ended.  I had to do it in spectacular fashion by going 24-8 in Weeks 16 and 17 to erase a four game deficit.

So here are the ground rules for the 2012 edition of our NFL prognostication contest just in case any other bloggers want to get in on the fun even at this late hour. 

We pick the winners of that week's NFL games, no spread.  Our picks go up on a post we'll have up on our respective blogs no later than ten minutes before the kickoff time CT of the day of the first NFL game being played.  

Example- For Week 1 since the Cowboys and NY Giants are playing Wednesday at 7:30 PM CDT, the NFL Week 1 picks post for all teams playing that week has to be up no later than 7:20 PM CT.   

I'll link to Mike's NFL picks post for that week and vice versa throughout the 2012 season so you readers can compare them.  At the end of Week 17, person with best record at end of regular season will have bragging rights.

I'm determined that will be me this year.    So it's on Mike and whatever other blogger wants in on this and ain't 'scurred' to do so.  



 

Shannon Eastin, First Female NFL Referee

While ignoring the last night of the Republican National Convention Klan Meeting discovered the Texans were playing their last preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings which they won 28-24.

It was also (arrgh!) preempted in the fourth quarter by Mittbot's speech.

Since the NFL officials have been locked out by the league, the preseason has been played with replacement refs on the field for these games and it looks like the lockout will last through the first week of the season. 

This lockout has also resulted in some sporting history being made. 

One of the people who has gotten a chance to.officiate during these games is 42 year old line judge Shannon Eastin.   On August 9 she became the first woman to work an NFL game of any kind in the league’s 97-year history when she served as a line judge during the San Diego Chargers-Green Bay Packers preseason opener in San Diego, CA. 

Eastin said when the NFL selected her, “Knowing that I’m a female in a man’s world, I’ve always put the most pressure on myself. Pretty much everything I do is going to be magnified. I know what I signed up for. I have to be bigger, stronger, know that I understand the rules. I have to do things even better than the men that are working. And I’m OK with that.”

The 5-5 Eastin was part of the officiating crew in the Texans-Vikings game last night and has 16 years of officiating experience, including four in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, made up of HBCU schools..

With the lockout extending to the first week of the season, Eastin has the possibility of making more history becoming the first woman to officiate in an NFL regular season game.  

And once the officiating lockout is settled, hope she gets the chance to stick around and become an NFL offical on a permanent basis.

2012 Texans Watch-The Schedule Is Out

The NFL released the 2012 regular season schedule yesterday evening and one of the things I was wondering about was how much national television exposure would my hometown NFL franchise get this year.

Winning the AFC South for the first time, making the playoffs, beating Cincinnati and losing an agonizingly close game to the Baltimore Ravens with our rookie third string quarterback does wonders for your NFL TV credibility.

Turns out five Texans games will be nationally televised, and for the first time in franchise history the Texans will play on Thanksgiving Day against the Detroit Lions.

Here's the 2012 Texans schedule

	Sun, Sept. 9	vs. Miami Dolphins	CBS	1 p.m.
	Sun, Sept. 16	at Jacksonville Jaguars	CBS	1 p.m.
	Sun, Sept. 23	at Denver Broncos	CBS	4:15 p.m.
	Sun, Sept. 30	vs. Tennessee Titans	CBS	1 p.m.
	Mon, Oct. 8	at New York Jets	ESPN	8:30 p.m.
	Sun, Oct. 14	vs. Green Bay Packers	NBC	8:20 p.m.
	Sun, Oct. 21	vs. Baltimore Ravens	CBS	1 p.m.
	Bye
	Sun, Nov. 4	vs. Buffalo Bills	CBS	1 p.m.
	Sun, Nov. 11	at Chicago Bears	NBC	8:20 p.m.
	Sun, Nov. 18	vs. Jacksonville Jaguars	CBS	1 p.m.
	Thu, Nov. 22	at Detroit Lions	CBS	12:30 p.m.
	Sun, Dec. 2	at Tennessee Titans	CBS	1 p.m.
	Mon, Dec. 10	at New England Patriots	ESPN	8:30 p.m.
	Sun, Dec. 16	vs. Indianapolis Colts	CBS	1 p.m.
	Sun, Dec. 23	vs. Minnesota Vikings	FOX	1 p.m.
	Sun, Dec. 30	at Indianapolis Colts	CBS	1 p.m.

It is not going to be easy   Since we won the AFC South last year we get a schedule heavy with first place and playoff teams.   In addition to that, the interconference division rotation this season has the  AFC South matched up against the tough NFC North, which is why we got the Thanksgiving game with the Lions.

They also have a December game with the AFC champion New England Patriots, a rematch with the Baltimore Ravens in Reliant Stadium, and face our old nemesis Peyton Manning when they travel to Denver in Week 3 of the season.  

And yeah, our annual AFC South division hatefests with the Tennessee Titans Traitors.

If you're wondering if Michael Watts and I will be having our NFL prognostication battle in 2012, we sure are.  

Last season I erased a 4 game deficit in the final two weeks of the season to tie him for regular season pigskin prognostication bragging rights, and my goal is to wear the crown in 2012.
 
If any other bloggers want to join us, let either one of us know by August and we'll lay out the prognostication ground rules for you.

But I'm really looking forward to the kickoff of the 2012 NFL season  because my NFL squad is considered a favorite to win it all, and the Super Bowl will be played in New Orleans

How cool would that be for us long suffering Texans fans if it happened?

Super Bowl XLVI Recap

This is one Super Bowl I should have gone to a party to watch with friends because I did something I have never done while watching it.  I fell asleep on the game.  

Probably because Super Bowl XLVI between the Giants and the Patriots was a rematch of a previous Super Bowl and I was still bummed about the Texans not being there that led to my somnambulent reaction to it.

It's also what happens when you wrap yourself up in a blanket on a cloudy, cool and dreary Houston weather day, stretch out on a couch with your head propped up against a comfy pillow and you eat before the start of it.

I dozed off for most of the second quarter, woke up with a little over two minutes to go in the half.  Was up for Madonna's halftime show I should have stayed asleep on, and dozed through much of the third quarter.   

But I was wide awake for the entire fourth quarter and that Giants championship drive..

And yes, got my prediction right.   

The NFL season is over and it's only five months until the NFL training camps start up in July.   And before y'all ask, Mike Watts and I will be going head to head with our prognostication contest again in 2012 since we finished in a regular season dead heat.     

And I plan on beating him next season.

2011 Texans Watch- Texans Season Over

Like most of the city of Houston I was tuned in to the Ravens-Texans playoff game in Baltimore to see if my fave NFL footballers could finally get their franchise first victory against the Ravens in their first road playoff game and move on to the AFC championship game against the New England Patriots.

Things were looking great from a Houston vantage point with the opening 60 yard kickoff return by Danieal Manning that led to excellent field position, an early 3-0 Texans lead and the first of the numerous three and outs forced by the 'Bulls on Parade' defense on the anemic Ravens offense.

But in a play that will live in Houston NFL playoff infamy and ranks right up there with the 1988 Oiler 'Stagger Lee' playoff game against Denver, Jacoby Jones inexplicably tried to field a bouncing Sam Koch punt deep inside the 15 yard line and muffed it, setting up the Ravens first TD and altering the momentum of the game.

The Texans found themselves trailing 17-3 in the first quarter before they flipped the script in the second quarter. The offense started riding Arian Foster's legs (Bob McNair and Rick Smith, pay the man) and began to sustain some drives and score to narrow the deficit to 17-13 at the half.  

The Texans defense continued to play lights out football.  They sacked Joe Flacco five times, held Ray Rice to 60 yards rushing and kept the Ravens offense in check. 

Their stellar play included a fourth and one stuffing of Ray Rice on the goal line to keep the Ravens out of the end zone in the third quarter, but they just didn't make that one play they needed on the offensive or defense side of the ball to get them the win.

The three TJ Yates interceptions didn't help in that regard either, but they were in that game until the Hail Mary that wasn't answered glanced off Kevin Walter's shoulder with 11 seconds left in the game and with that the Texans inaugural playoff run under some challenging circumstances and season ended with a 20-13 loss

Since it's King Day, I'm going to borrow his words to explain how I'm feeling in terms of my fave NFL team at this moment.  "We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope."

The finite frustrations and disappointment of this loss will subside but I and other Texans fans have the infinite hope that we will finally see our team bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy to Houston.

If the Texans get either in the draft or free agency another cornerback so they can move Kareem Jackson to safety, a second speedy deep threat wide receiver or stud tight end to take some pressure off Andre Johnson, lock up Arian Foster and Mario Williams with contracts fair to them and everyone comes to camp in shape it's possible. 

A healthy Matt Schaub will aid those prospects immensely along with having defensive coordinator Wade Phillips here during the offseason to install even more wrinkles in the Texans 'Bulls on Parade' defense.

If the Texans stated goal for the 2012 NFL season is to ensure they are hosting AFC playoff games at Reliant Stadium they will have to go through a challenging schedule to get the 12 or 13 wins it will probably take to secure the AFC number one or two seed.   

The Texans will face the NFC North (Green Bay, Detroit, Chicago and Minnesota) in our interconference rotation. In addition to our home and away games with our AFC South foes (Indianapolis, Jacksonville and the Traitors) at Reliant Stadium we'll see Buffalo, Miami, Green Bay, Minnesota and the Ravens coming to H-town to play our defending AFC South champions..

The road schedule will have my fave NFL footballers putting on their liberty white road uniforms and facing New England, Denver, Chicago, Detroit and the New York Jets 
  .   

Something to think about Texans fans.  If they do make it back to the playoffs and through the AFC playoff bracket, Super Bowl XLVII will be in New Orleans on February 3, 2013 just a short 5 hour drive down I-10 east from here.

The 2012 NFL season starts in seven months and I can't wait..

2011 Texans Watch- Texans Getting Dissed And Pissed

This ESPN Sportsnation graphic says it all about what the rest of the country thinks about the Houston Texans chances to beat the Baltimore Ravens in our NFL Divisional playoff round matchup tomorrow.at M&T Bank Stadium

They are 0-5 all time against the Ravens, are playing their first road playoff game in franchise history and lost to them during the regular season 29-14.  

And oh yeah, the Ravens are 8-0 at home this season.

But as Herman Edwards famously said, that's why you play the games.

The Texans are getting pissed about the lack of national respect.   If I were the Ravens, I'd be very afraid about a talented team with a chip on its collective shoulders showing up at my place with something to prove.