Arian Foster named NFL Offensive Player of the Week.
This was probably the biggest football no-brainer since Vince Young’s Rose Bowl MVP Award.
Posts Tagged ‘Houston Texans’
Why deny the obvious child?
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010More on Arian Foster
Monday, September 13th, 2010Just how good was Arian Foster’s 231 yard game?
Taking a look at the official statistics for the modern era:
- His game would rank as the 22nd best ever, just behind Jim Brown’s 232 yards (his second-best game)
- It’s more yards than was ever gained in a single game than Earl Campbell (206), Ricky Williams (228), Priest Holmes (227), Jerome Bettis (212), Marshall Faulk (220), Gale Sayers (205), Marcus Allen (191), or Tony Dorsett (206).
- Of those ahead of him on the list, there are Hall-of-Famers (Walter Peyton, Jim Brown, O. J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith), borderline great players (Cookie Gilchrist), some of today’s best running backs (Adrian Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson), etc. Of that group, only Willie Ellison and Mike Anderson had merely average careers, and even they had at least one 1,000 yard rushing season.
- It’s the most yards ever in their history against the Colts.
- It’s three yards better than the best game of division rival (and aspiring 2,500 yard rusher) Chris Johnson of the Titans.
What all this suggests is that Arian Foster is extremely likely to have a very, very good season.
Texans 34, Colts 24
Sunday, September 12th, 2010The Texans didn’t just beat the Colts today, they beat the Super Bowl runner-up decisively. A few random observations from watching the game.
- Peyton Manning is still a better quarterback than Matt Schaub, but today the Houston Texans were a better team than the Indianapolis Colts.
- After watching last season’s aerial pyrotechnics, who would have believed that the Texans could reinvent themselves as a power-running team?
- As I mentioned at the end of last season, Arian Foster is the real deal. 231 yards, three touchdowns, seven yards a carry average? Those are just sick, video game numbers. Under the ridiculous assumption that he would continue to average that for the entire season, that works out to a total of 3,696 yards rushing. I would be quite shocked if he doesn’t end up being the Player of the Week.
- The reason he racked up such big numbers is that Houston dominated the line of scrimmage, opening huge holes for Foster to plunge through. For many years the offensive line was one the Texans’ most glaring weaknesses; if this game is any indication, this year it should be a strength.
- The defense seemed almost as dominant, consistently getting pressure on Manning throughout. You have to hand it to Manning: he managed to put up a gaudy 433 yards passing despite Mario Williams and Antonio Smith giving him a close, personal look at the Reliant Stadium turf throughout the game. Then again, he had to put up such numbers, because the Colts running game was getting stuffed and they constantly had to play from behind. And the Texans did all this without suspended NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Brian Cushing. If the Texans can get this level of effort in the trench game, they are a no-questions asked playoff team this year.
- Manning still has much better timing and chemistry with his receiving corps than Schaub has with his (at least beyond Andre Johnson).
- This is just one game, and it’s a long, long season. But barring major breakdowns or injuries, the Texans have the potential to be one of the elite teams in the NFL this year.
Vote on your prediction for the Houston Texans 2010 regular season
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010Now that football season is upon us again, here’s a break for the usual science fiction and book geeking to present a poll on how the Texans will do this season. Rather than break things into ranges, I’ve made the poll granular enough that you can choose all the regular season outcomes from 0-16 to 16-0. (If there’s a tie, well, the poll is hosed, but such is life.)
Offer up your predictions, then comment below so you can claim bragging rights come January.
The Houston Texans are the Youngest Team in the NFL
Thursday, May 6th, 2010Here’s an interesting breakdown of the average “adjusted” age (i.e., one that gives more weight to starters than backups, etc.) of every team in the NFL. The Texans, with an average age of 25.9 years, were the youngest team in the league. (The New England Patriots, at an average age of 28.7 years, were the oldest.) Breaking it down further, the Texans defense, at at an average age of 25.3, were the youngest defense in the league. (The Pittsburgh Steelers, at an average age of 29.2 years, just edged out the Denver Broncos (28.9) as the oldest defense.) On Offense, the Texans were the fifth youngest team, with an average age of 26.5, just slightly older than Philadelphia, Miami (both 26.1), Tampa Bay (26.2) and St. Louis (26.4). (The Patriots offense, at an average age of 29.7, more than a year older than runner-up Minnesota (28.6, probably due to a hefty assist from the Favre Factor) were the clear winners of the the NFL’s Get Off My Lawn Trophy.)
What does all this mean? Probably not a whole lot. But all other things being equal, it’s better to be young than old, and the Texans should (presumably) have a bit more headroom for getting better.
Presumably.
Not a Serious Analysis of the Texans’ 2010 Draft Choices
Saturday, April 24th, 2010Through three rounds, the Texans have selected:
- Cornerback Kareem Jackson of Alabama
- Running back Ben Tate of Auburn
- Defensive tackle Earl Mitchell of Arizona
I’m sure they’ll all turn out to be fine players, but a less reasonable man than myself might wonder why the Texans’ brain trust started looking at colleges for potential draftees in alphabetical order and never got past the first chapter…
Texans Clinch Winning Season, Miss Playoffs, Gary Kubiak to Return
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010The Texans finally have a winning season after beating new England 34-27. Moreover, in Arian Foster, they appear to have (finally!) found their running back of the future. (Of course we said that about Dominick Davis/Williams and Steve Slaton as well, so who knows?)
Alas, their slim playoff hopes were crushed like an aluminum can when the Jets similarly crushed the Bengals 37-0. to lock up the last spot. Ouch.
A, owner Bob McNair announced that coach Gary Kubiak will be coaching the team next season. Given the strong finish, I’m about 60% sure that’s the right decision. The 2007 Texans probably overachieved at 8-8, and Kubiak has a lot more talent at his disposal than the 2007 and 2008 squads had. Next year, though, the playoffs should be the minimum a team with the top-rated passer in the NFL should expect for success. And before calling for yet another coach firing, everyone should remember: Winning in the NFL is hard.
Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans on MNF
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009I have been known to watch football upon occasion. (I know, rooting for laundry.) Like most sports fans, I root for my hometown team, in this case Houston, and my alma mater team, the Texas Longhorns. (Who are doing very well indeed behind Colt McCoy this year. Thanks for asking.)
Of course the team I used to root for, the Houston Oilers, doesn’t exist anymore. The Oilers were a hard-nose, blue-collar team whose misfortune it was to have their heyday (late 70s/early-80s) during the reign of another hard-nose, blue-collar team in their division, the Pittsburg Steelers, who would win four Superbowls while the Oilers won squat. And the reason the Oilers never won anything, or made it to the Superbowl is (at least we bitter ex-Oilers fans like to think) due to owner Bud Adams.
After firing the winningest coach in team history and trading football legend Earl Campbell to New Orleans for a sack of doorknobs, Bud wasn’t done tormenting Houston football fans. After getting Houston taxpayers to pony up $67 million for upgrades to the Astrodome, Adams turned around and said that wasn’t enough, and Houston had to build a new football stadium for him. Houston told him where he could stick it. So Adams took his team (and carpetbag) away to Tennessee, where they became the Titans. (Or, as we in Texas like to call them, the Tennessee Traitors). The Titans promptly got to the Superbowl…and lost. The old Bud Adams magic was still alive!
In fact, I wrote a little song to celebrate the occasion:
The Ballad of the Tennessee Titans
(to the tune of “The Beverly Hillbillies”)
Come listen to a story about a man named Bud
Orneriest football owner ever chewed a wad of cud
His Houston Oilers were as bad as they could be
So he loaded up the team and moved out to Tennessee
Nashville that is. Country music. Grand Ole Opry.
In their Houston days the Oilers were a disgrace
When they weren’t breakin’ hearts they just stunk up the place
To con the Nashville rubes, Bud had to change his game
So he sucked in his pride, and gave them a new name.
Titans, that is. Evil giants. Greek myth.
Well come Y2K, and they’re in the title game.
Reverting back to form, the Ex-Oilers come up lame.
Hey Bud, the Superbowl just ain’t where you oughta be!
Next season they’ll be back to mediocrity.
Don’t come back now, ya hear?
Not long after this, Houston gets an expansion franchise, the Houston Texans, who proceed to suck much of the decade. (They’re in the same division as the Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville jaguars and, yes, the Titans.) However, after ditching the inconsistent David Carr for Matt Schaub, and firing Dom Capers and putting Gary Kubiak in his place as coach, the Texans have been on the upswing. Meanwhile, the Titans went from having the best record in 2008 to starting the season with six straight losses in 2009.
Which brings up to the present, when the Texans will be playing the Titans on Monday Night Football. This is by no means a slam dunk (pardon the mixed-sport metaphors) for the Texans, since the Titans have won three straight after putting former Longhorn Vince Young in as quarterback. (“Hey, our team is winless and we have an inhumanly gifted quarterback sitting on the bench. Do you think we should play him?”)
It should be a great game…and another chance to humiliate Bud Adams. (Once he gets over the sting of that $250,000 fine for, ah, digital manipulation.)
And Nashville? Bud is YOUR problem now. No backsies…