Texans Open 2011 Preseason

Now that Rick Perry's faith based hate rally has exited the building, Reliant Stadium can go back to fulfilling its primary function as the NFL playpen for the Houston Texans.

Hope they thoroughly desanitized the place

The Texans will be starting their tenth NFL season by kicking off their slate of 2011 preseason games with this ESPN nationally televised matchup against the New York Jets. 

While we'll probably see the starters for only two series or a quarter if we're lucky, I do want to see how Wade Phillips' new 3-4 defense looks, rookie JJ Watt and how the backups are going to fit into the Texans offensive and defensive schemes.

And yeah, I'd like to see a Texans win, but I won't worry about that until September.

2010 Texans Watch-Running Over Jags To End Season

The Houston Texans closed out a disappointing 2010 NFL season by literally running over the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-17 at Reliant Stadium to finish 6-10.

The win deprived the injury depleted Jags of an opportunity to win the AFC South and make the NFL playoffs had the Tennessee Traitors beaten the Indianapolis Colts.

The Texans entered this season with bold expectations of making the playoffs after finishing 9-7 the previous year and narrowly missing a playoff berth.  With a season opening signature win at Reliant Stadium over their longtime nemesis the Indianapolis Colts and compiling a AFC South Division leading 4-2 record at the bye week, the Texans looked like a team finally headed to the NFL: playoffs.   

But a season ending injury to linebacker DeMeco Ryans, an ankle injury to all everything receiver Andre Johnson that slowed him up at times, a young secondary that got toasted by opposing receivers more often than Quizno's subs and a propensity for slow starts and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory doomed the Texans as they limped to a 2-8 finish and put Gary Kubiak on the coaching hotseat. 

Change is going to happen, most likely on the defensive side of the ball.    Native Houstonian Gary  Kubiak has a meeting with Texans owner Bob McNair to see if he will be on the sidelines for his sixth season as Texans head coach in 2011.

Rumors are also flying that former Dallas Cowboys coach and native Houstonian Wade Phillips will be headed down I-45 south to take over the Texan defense.   

One of the bright spots this year was Texans running back Arian Foster who emerged as a major star this season.   Foster built on last season's end of the year emergence from the practice squad by winning the NFL rushing title and making it to the Pro Bowl.    He rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries against the Jaguars  to finish the season with 1,616 yards.

He'll be joined on the Pro Bowl squad by Andre Johnson and fullback Vontae Leach.    Johnson will be having surgery on that injured ankle and probably won't play in Honolulu 

And in case you Texans fans are wondering where they'll pick in the upcoming 2011 NFL draft in April, it'll be 11th.


Just a hint to Texans GM Rick Smith. Think defense with this pick.

2010 Texans Watch-Snatching Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory Again

Spent a frustrating Monday night watching my fave NFL team sleepwalk through another lethargic first half in which they trailed 21-7 at halftime.  

The Texans then come out of the locker room and give up a 103 yard kickoff return that included some piss poor tackling to fall behind 28-7 to the Baltimore Ravens.

And as is their pattern this NFL season, they wake up and start playing football. 

 The Texans mounted a furious comeback that included touchdown drives of 95 and 99 yards and the first two point conversion attempt of the season to tie the game with 21 seconds left in the fourth quarter only to lose it in overtime at Reliant Stadium 34-28.

After the defense forced a three and out on the Ravens initial overtime possession, Matt Schaub unleashes a second down pick six throw to Ravens cornerback (and son of former Houston Oiler fullback Tim Wilson) Josh Wilson to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory again.

Arrgh.

After starting the season running over the Indianapolis Colts and jumping out to a 4-2 record at the bye week and a first place AFC South tie, the local NFL ballers have now lost six of their last seven games to drop them to 5-8 and out of playoff contention.

To even finish with another underachieving .500 record they must run the table in their remaining games against Denver and AFC South foes Jacksonville and Tennessee.

Oh well, another no playoffs season for our local NFL squad.    At least they will be joined by the Arlington Cowchips in that regard.

2010 Texans Watch-Texans Beat Down The Tennessee Traitors

Finally!  After four weeks of watching them lose winnable games to the Colts, Chargers, Jaguars and Jets, the Texans found themselves in a must win situation at 4-6 and playing their arch rivals the Tennessee Traitors in a critical AFC South division game.

Yeah, I'm still bitter about the Oilers bouncing to Nashville, and I'm gonna get my hate on for them twice a year.

Ahem, back to the post.

Glover Quin had a career day in picking off three passes and the Texans snapped their four game losing streak by administering a 20-0 beatdown on the Traitors at Reliant Stadium Sunday.   

I do mean literally.   In the fourth quarter emotions boiled over as the Texans were executing a long clock eating march down the field and Andre Johnson got into it with Titans safety Cortland Finnegan.  
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Andre won the fight but he and Finnegan were tossed from the game.   Both players were also relieved of $25,000 from their wallets today by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell but weren't suspended..

It was also the second shutout in Texans team history, and it couldn't have come at a better time.  
Next up is a Thursday night game with Michael Vick and Philadelphia Eagles before the heavyweight rematch with the Traitors in Nashville.

2010 Texans Watch-This Time It Counts In the Standings

After beating the Washington Redskins in 30-27 overtime after coming back from a 17 point third quarter deficit, my fave NFL team takes its unblemished record into Reliant Stadium on Sunday against that 0-2 NFL team north of here.

Next to the games with the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Traitors, this NFL Week 3 date has been circled on the calendar by Texans fans ever since the schedule was released.

The last time they ventured down I-45 south they tasted a bitter 23-7 defeat. The Cowchip fifth column did much long and loud whining in the wake of that butt kicking saying it would be a different story when the regular season arrived.

Umm hmm. The regular season is now in its third week. When are y'all gonna start playing NFL football?

On second thought, I want y'all to continue playing sorry piss poor football like y'all have been for the last two weeks against the Redskins and the Bears.

2010 Texans Watch-Arian Runs Over Colts

Even though the Texans proclaimed all throughout training camp that they were ready to take the next step, challenge for the AFC South title and make the NFL playoffs, there was still much nervous energy amongst Texans fans as they opened the 2010 NFL season in Reliant Stadium against the team that has owned them since 2002, the Indianapolis Colts.

Before Sunday's tilt the Texans had a 1-15 record against the seven time AFC South champs. The lone win in the series occurred in the same season the Colts won the Super Bowl. If the Texans were going to make their playoff dreams become a reality they had to find a way to beat the Colts at least once in division play.

Sunday the Texans unveiled a power running attack that ran over, around and through the undersized Colts defense. Arian Foster set a Texan club record with 231 yards rushing and scored three touchdowns in the 34-24 victory.

It was the second highest rushing total in NFL history by a running back on the opening weekend since OJ Simpson's 250 yard romp in 1973 against the New England Patriots enroute to his 2003 yard season.

They also did something to Peyton Manning that he hadn't experienced in previous business trips to Reliant Stadium to play my local NFL franchise. He felt the heat from a relentless pass rush from Mario Williams and an aggressive Texan defense.

Okay Texans, now that you've beaten the Colts, can we beat 'em again along with sweeping the Tennessee Traitors?

The Texans schedule doesn't get any easier as they travel to Washington DC to face Donovan McNabb and the Redskins before we renew the hatefest in Week 3 with the Arlington Cowchips.

Missing You Governor Ann

Today is the day that the best Texas governor we've had in my lifetime, Ann Richards, passed away.

We progressive Texans miss you more with each passing year.

2010 Texans Watch-Opening Against The Colts

Since the Texans started NFL play in 2002, the Indianapolis Colts have caused them more drama, sleepless nights and nightmares than any team in the league.

They open the 2010 NFL season at Reliant Stadium with their archrivals in a season in which the Texans feel they are good enough to make the playoff after after having their first winning season with a 9-7 record and narrowly missing the postseason.

but to do that, the Texans know they must beat the Colts at least once. Twice would be Christmas come early for Texans fans.

They are 1-15 against their AFC South Division rivals with the one win coming on December 24, 2006 when the Texans defeat the Indianapolis Colts 27-24 at Reliant Stadium. The losses have ranged for blowouts to agonizing comebacks that led to narrow Colt wins.

Last season was no different in terms of the Colts adding to the frustration level of the Texans. The Colts had to score three touchdown late to beat them at Reliant on October 5.

Well, let's hope they can get their second win against the Colts today.

Texans vs Cowchips Preseason

As a proud card carrying member of the 'I Hate The Arlington Cowchips Club', Houston Division, I have no love for that NFL team north of here.

My dislike of the Cowboys runs deep. It goes back to the Tom Landry 'America's Team' days and the smug faith based arrogance of its fanbase.

When I would refer to Texas Stadium as the 'Stupiddome', the Cowchip fans would counter with, "We have a hole in the roof so God can watch His favorite football team play."

Ugh. The fact they played in and won a few Super Bowls along with the irritating Cowboy fifth column inside Harris County got on mine and other Oiler fans last nerves.

Many of my relatives on my mom's side of the family reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and that only made it worse. My cousin William would never fail to pick up the phone back in the day when the Oilers and Cowboys bumped heads and remind me who was the superior NFL franchise.

I got to turn the tables on him one memorable Thanksgiving Day 1979. Earl Campbell ran through, over and around the Cowboys in Texas Stadium for 199 yards rushing and a sweet 30-24 victory.

Now that the Tennessee Traitors have moved on and been replaced by the Texans, I remind him on a regular basis that the Texans opening win as an NFL expansion team in 2002 was a nationally televised 19-10 butt kicking in Reliant Stadium.



This one is just a preseason match, but the dislike of the Cowchips is still there.

We'll get to hate on the Cowboys properly when the NFL season starts since our interconference schedule is against the NFC East division this year. That game will also be at Reliant on September 26.

Go Texans!

Ready For Some Texans Preseason Football

Had a wonderful afternoon getting reacquainted with a few people and meeting more in the community earlier today, but rushed home as soon as it was over to watch my first televised Texans preseason game since I moved back.

The 2010 edition of the Texans are playing the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale in a game that starts at 7 PM CDT.

There's a lot of excitement in H-town surrounding this Texans team because many people and pundits think this one has the goods to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

The Texans not only confidently believe they can make the NFL playoffs, they believe that if things break right for them and they handle their business, they have the ability to travel 262 miles up I-45 to the Jerrydome and play in the Super Bowl.

We'll see. They'll not only have the toughest schedule in the NFL to contend with this fall, but if they are going to make the playoffs they need to start by doing a better job of winning games within the AFC South.

That winning AFC South games mandate includes the team that's had their number since their inaugural 2002 season, the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts also happen to be the Texans season opening game at Reliant Stadium.

We Texans fans will get a good idea after this game with the Cardinals how close they are to being NFL battle ready.