2011 Texans Watch-A Different Matt Is Starting Against The Jaguars

The Houston Texans had some good news and bad news as they entered their post bye week preparations to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in their return AFC South division battle in Everbank Stadium.

Thanks to another loss by the Tennessee Traitors, they now have a two game division lead.  At 7-3, they also are in the thick of the battle for the best record in the AFC and a playoff bye week if they make the NFL postseason as it is increasingly likely they will.  

And the best news of all is Texans get Andre Johnson back after a six week layoff for the hamstring injury he suffered in the win against the Steelers that got surgically repaired.    Safety Danieal Manning is also coming back from an injury and will also be a welcome addition to our NFL number one ranked defensive unit.  .

But the Texans lost Matt Schaub to season ending surgery on the Lisfranc joint he injured when Albert Haynesworth rolled onto his foot during the 37-9 victory over the Buccaneers in Tampa.

That leaves the other Matt as the quarterback for my NFL footballers and Leinart will get his first start as the Texans QB today.   Having the number one ranked defense in the league will help along with having the one-two running punch of Arian Foster and Ben Tate to hand the ball off to.

The Texans receivers will also have to get quickly adjusted to the different rotational spin on the ball that the left handed Leinart puts on his throws that is the opposite of a right handed quarterback.

Leinart will also have something to prove as well as the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner who didn't get much of an opportunity to show what he could do with the Arizona Cardinals.

A healthy Andre Johnson will also aid tremendously in fighting off a Jaguars team who whined about 'dirty' play when they safely got off their planes in Jacksonville after their Battle Red Day Halloween butt kicking at Reliant.

The Texans will also want to keep their four game winning streak going and their unbeaten record in AFC South play alive as they begin their drive to secure the franchise's first AFC South title and playoff berth.  

That game will kick off in Jacksonville in moments and I'm anxious to see if the Texans can keep up the momentum they had going before they entered the bye week.

 

I Believe

Time for some church up here in TransGriot.  

I am a Christian, and I'm naming and proclaiming it in this post because I'm beyond sick and tired of people in the TBLG community attacking all Christians and mocking our faith.  

If you're pissed off at the right wingers who have wrapped themselves in the cross, the flag and the Bible to attack you, take it up with those fools. .

Direct that hateraid at the people who are attacking you, not your rainbow family members who are on your side and who do believe that there is a higher power greater than ourselves that is a force for good in the world and not evil.

For many of us, especially who are non-white transpeople, that faith has gotten us through difficult periods in our transitions, and attacking it is tantamount to you disrespecting us and spitting in our faces. 

If you want me to respect your faith choices including not having one, then you must respect mine.

And on that note, let me allow you to ponder what I just wrote.   You can do so while listening to the music of the Jam and Lewis produced Sounds Of Blackness.   This song 'I Believe' is lead vocalized by Ann Nesby. 

HISD Trustee Still On The Hotseat Over Homophobic Flyer

If HISD District III trustee Manuel Rodriguez thought the Thanksgiving holiday, a wacked phobic apology and the passage of time would lessen the anger of the Houston rainbow community and our allies over the homophobic campaign flier he unleashed during the final days of his contentious reelection campaign for his school board seat, um no.

A website called HISDbully.org and a Facebook page entitled Remove The HISD Bully have sprung up with the goal of getting Rodriguez to resign from the HISD board.  His opponent Ramiro Fonseca decided not to seek a recount in the race that Rodriguez won by 25 votes. 

There is another community protest being planned for December 8, the next scheduled meeting date for the HISD board at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center.

That protest will start outside the building at 4:30 PM and in addition to the growing numbers of people asking for and signing petitions calling for Rodriguez's immediate resignation, there are increasing calls for making the just passed in August anti-bullying policies applicable to the HISD Board of Trustees.

When that meeting kicks off at 6 PM CST there will most certainly be a long list of speakers jam packed into the board auditorium that evening just like their was during the November 10 meeting   

Hmm..may have to be there that night for this one.

2011 UH Cougar Watch-Coogs Are C-USA West Division Champs!

The Dream Season continues!   For the first time since 2009 the University of Houston Cougar footballers are the C-USA West Division Champs after their 48-16 victory yesterday over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.   

Like every UH Cougar fan and alum I was nervous before this critical showdown with Tulsa in a sold out H.A. Chapman Stadium started and knew the stakes were high for the BCS number 8 ranked Cougars. 

A C-USA West Division title, a berth in the C-USA Championship game, the undefeated season and a possible BCS bowl berth was on the line. 

We were facing a tough Tulsa team whose only losses were to Top 10 ranked opponents and was the top ranked defense in C-USA.    Now 8-4 (7-1 C-USA West) Tulsa was determined to make their season by getting to the C-USA title game and knocking us from the ranks of the unbeaten at the same time.

But it was the Cougar defense that stepped up big and gave the Cougar offense time to get into the game by stopping Tulsa on a fourth and one deep in the red zone and forcing a fumble on another drive in the red zone to protect a 13-10 lead they took into halftime.  

And then the Cougar offense had that second half explosion we were waiting for.  They scored five touchdowns in the second half but the most critical one was the 38 yard fourth down strike from Keenum to Patrick Edwards that pushed UH to a 27-16 lead late in the third quarter.  The Coogs pulled away with three fourth quarter TD's to close out this game and the first undefeated run in C-USA division play for any school since the 2005 realignment.  

"Fifteen weeks ago, we set out for one goal and that goal has not changed all year," said UH coach Kevin Sumlin. "I think a lot of people have tried to talk our team into all these other scenarios and stuff that's happening out there

"Our guys understand that and they've put themselves in a position to achieve that goal. Along the way, there's been a bunch of records broken and a bunch of milestones crossed, but the ultimate goal for us from day one was to win the conference championship."

Keenum threw for 457 yards and 5 touchdowns and in the process (ho hum) set another NCAA record with his 37th 300 plus yard game.  Patrick Edwards had 181 yards receiving and racked up four touchdowns  

The Cougars are now 12-0 (8-0 C-USA West) for the first time ever in school history and with Friday's victory earned the right to host this year's C-USA title game for the second time in school pigskin history   They face either Southern Mississippi or Marshall at what is sure to be a rollicking and sold out Robertson Stadium on December 3 for an opportunity to win their first C-USA championship since 2006. 

Coach K's press conference.



Eat 'em up!