Week 10: Gutcheck Time for the Texans

Home sweet home. I am not going to sit here and blow smoke up your ass, fabricating excuses as to why we haven't won on the road. All I know is, we're home now! In the words of the wise Eric Ogbogu: "We must protect this house!"

As the Ravens stroll into town I have only one thought, and that is that we are going to win this game. I would love to break it down for my people, but this is Wurstfest weekend and unfortunately I have no time. Actually, I'm about to hop on the booze fest right now!

I will just say a few things that will be critical for the Texans if we are to beat the Ravens on Sunday:

-LIMIT THE TURNOVERS! Listen, it happens. The Ravens are an electric defense, so turnovers are common in games they play. Guess what. Our defense is pretty dynamic as well. We have shot ourselves in the foot in the past, but there is no denying our offense when we keep possession of the football. The Ravens O, conversely, is a work in progress at best. If we can win the turnover battle, we can win this game.

-STOP THE RUN! Willis McGahee could return to action this week, but if not the Ravens will go with Ray Rice and Le'Ron McClain. It is imperative that we shut down that tandem and force the Ravens offense to be one dimensional. They don't have a speed guy in their WR corps like the Vikings did, so it is unlikely that they will burn us deep in this one. In Flacco we distrust.

-UTILIZE THE SCREEN AND DRAWS! We will probably have a little trouble running the ball against this defense. In this case, we will need to once again rely on the hands and feet of Steve Slaton to manufacture a "running game" with the short to intermediate pass. 100+ all purpose yards sounds like a good goal for Steve.

-KEEP THE CHAINS MOVING! Sage has proven to be quite decisive when he has seen action. The fact that he gets rid of the ball quickly will be to our advantage. It just seems like Owen and Andre are always open when he's on the field. If we can convert on 3rd down and keep the nicked up Ravens D on the field while eating up clock, we should have a nice day.

This is no different from what I prescribed for the team last week. With an offense as smooth as ours and a defense as athletic as ours, the name of the game is execution. We can't play the "two steps forward, three steps back" game this week and expect to win. The critics are back out, but I feel like that bodes well for us. It will be nice to see if our team can overcome recent adversity and rally around Sage, Andre, Mario and the rest of our leaders to push the Texans to their 4th win of the season!

"Freak" Injuries Becoming Common for Texans

The Houston Texans were once again bitten hard by the injury bug Wednesday when they lost LB Zac Diles for the season due to a broken leg suffered in practice. Zac had been playing his ass off for the Texans this season. One could argue that, thus far in the season, he has been our defensive MVP. This is extremely unfortunate for Diles, a former 7th round pick who was blossoming into the next great Texans' defender next to Demeco and Mario, as well as for our thin LB unit. The time is NOW for another player to step in and make the most out of the opportunity. It looks like the first guy to get a chance will be Kevin Bentley.

This is the NFL and injuries happen. Up to this point we had been relatively fortunate in that department, but our fortunes have recently taken a dramatic turn. The great teams in this league are not only the ones who get lucky and avoid key injuries but also those who can make adjustments and plug guys in who can take over where the others left off. I hope that we can be one of those teams. Regardless, we will definitely learn something about ourselves this weekend when the Ravens come to town.

New name added to my "people to kill" list

It appears Kubiak is just as pissed as I am about the malicious attack on his quarterback last Sunday. He has sent a tape of 3 plays in particular to the NFL. If you have any doubts as the Jared Allen's intent, watch this:

Purple Sticky Punch

Don't take that champagne off ice just yet. After a tough 28-21 road loss to the Vikings, the Texans finish the first half of the season with a record of 3-5. Although the game proved to be a frustrating experience for Texans fans, there were still a few positives to draw from the game. Unfortunately, there were also the negatives. To alleviate the mood, I will alternate my assessments:

BAD
"The important thing is for us to remain healthy through this game! If I have any concerns, it's for the safety of Matt Schaub." -- It goes without saying that we failed in this aspect as Schaub left the game at halftime. An MRI Monday revealed a torn MCL which will sideline him for at least a month. This is a big loss for our team and we can only hope that Matt recovers quickly. Say it with me Texans fans: SAGE IS NOT THE ANSWER! WE NEED MATT SCHAUB! Now that that's settled, I want to take a moment to express my extreme disgust for Jared Allen and his gruesome assault on Matt Schaub's knees. Not once, but TWICE I saw him not only hit Schaub late but also aim low and consequently we lost our starter for the rest of the game. Absolutely despicable.

GOOD
"Slaton will be a factor in the passing game this week, no doubt...The short to intermediate passing game should serve as our running game this week." -- He finished with 8 catches for 56 yards to go along with 62 yards on 16 carries for a 3.9 ypc average. Most impressive was the fact that he handled ALL the carries. He might not be Adrian Peterson, but I don't know what else you can ask for than a RB who averages almost 6 yards per touch and 90 total yards from scrimmage despite splitting time.

BAD
"The name of the game for the defense is simple: contain Adrian Peterson! Easier said than done, I know, but I think we can allow him to top 100 yards and still win. It will be critical, however, to keep him out of the end zone and dare Gus Frerotte to beat us." -- AD finished with 139 yards on 25 carries and a TD and Frerotte tossed 3 TDs. As he does often, Peterson gained the majority of his yards in the fourth quarter. Needless to say, we let Frerotte beat us. The secondary was burned on several occasions. We got decent pressure on the QB as the D line recorded 3 sacks. In the end, however, too many big plays allowed sealed our fate.

Stat of the Game = 3:1
You can sum up the reason for this loss in one word: turnovers. For the sixth time this season, the Texans lost the turnover battle to their opponent, giving the ball up to the Vikings three times on Sunday (twice in the redzone and all 3 times in Vikings territory). On the season, the Texans are -6 in turnover differential. Ladies and gentlemen, we will NOT make the jump into the upper echelon of the NFL until we stop turning the ball over. The good news is that our problems with turnovers is completely fixable. The sooner we learn to protect the ball, the sooner Texans fans will see their team play with the kind of consistency that warrants playoff consideration. We are making strides and we are getting better, but until we stop shooting ourselves in the foot the team will continue to stay stagnant.

Next up, the Texans head back to the friendly confines of Reliant Stadium as the Ravens come to town to make up the game put off by Hurricane Ike. If the team is anywhere near as hungry for a win as I am, then we will certainly get back on track. Unfortunately for the Ravens, they are standing on the tracks when the train is coming through.

The glass is half-full and filling up quick

I've been thinking about the game all week, and BOY am I confident!!! Despite the fact that their are still those who take the glass half-empty approach to Texans fandom, this team makes it easy for me believe that we are in the midst of something special. Don't get me wrong, road games have proven to be the nemesis of the Texans, but with the way we've been playing I have rationalized a victory for the Texans in this way:

First and foremost, we're healthy. Ahman Green is a game-time decision (surprise surprise), but the rest of the team is fit a whistle going into this week's matchup with the Vikes. Talk about unchartered territory for us!

The important thing is for us to remain healthy through this game! If I have any concerns, it's for the safety of Matt Schaub. We all know about the potency of the Vikings' D line. The matchup between Jared Allen and Duane Brown/Ephraim Salaam scares me to tell you the truth. Minnesota's stout D tackle tandem of Williams and Williams demands enough attention. Some way, some how, we need to neutralize that threat. Look for the Texans to use the screen pass often on Sunday. Slaton will be a factor in the passing game this week, no doubt. If we keep Schaub standing up, then we will move the chains all day long.

We will need to execute on 1st and 2nd down to to maintain our league-leading 3rd down conversion rate. I don't expect a huge day for us on the ground, so watch out for a high percentage of passing plays on 1st down. The short to intermediate passing game should serve as our running game this week.

I also can't tell you how important Andre, the AFC offensive player of the month, will be for us this week. I'm sending him a gift certificate for a shiatsu massage because he is going to be SORE on Monday. Nevertheless, we need Andre to run all over the field this week to effectively move the ball and win the time of possession battle. Against Minnesota's suspect secondary, I don't see this becoming a problem. Just for fun, can we go deep to 'Dre? Please? Just once?

The key to the game will be our defensive front four versus Minnesota's girthy offensive line. The name of the game for the defense is simple: contain Adrian Peterson! Easier said than done, I know, but I think we can allow him to top 100 yards and still win. It will be critical, however, to keep him out of the end zone and dare Gus Frerotte to beat us. It is worth noting that we have held our last four opponents under 100 yards rushing, so hats off the front seven. AD poses a huge challenge for Mario and Co, but don't be surprised to see the D step up. Seriously.

Call me crazy, but I have faith in our defense. I could also see a scenario where we have a little trouble moving the ball. In this case, field position will be critical. Luckily for us we hold the advantage in the special teams department. Jacoby Jones, carrying a 14.7 yard average on punt returns, is making a case for a free trip to Hawaii. Working with a short field will be a big boost for the Texans offense. Against a Vikings special teams unit who looked more like the Fresno State Bulldogs against Reggie Bush, Jacoby should be licking his chops!

Call me a homer, call me optimistic, but I feel a win coming. A tough road game against a stout opponent in a hostile environment, this matchup will prove to be a litmus test for the direction in which the Texans will go this season. If the Texans are to reach .500 after an abysmal start, it will be because of the special cast of leaders on a special team. Do you believe in miracles? I do. The future is here and now. I know it, Kubiak knows it, the players know it and it is time for Schaub, Mario, 'Dre, and Co to seize the opportunity. Texans 27-20.