DGDB&D: a Texans blog.

I heart JJ

Aug 12, 2007 Amobi Okoye is 20, Jacoby Jones is unheralded, Preseason 2007, Ron Dayne likes pie, Super Mario, The Schaub Experiment, WR

News and observations from the video tape:

• Despite how they listed the starting lineup (i.e. Mario Williams, Amobi Okoye, Anthony Maddox, ND Kalu), Maddox was actually lined up beside Mario on all the plays where I was able to ID the linemen. As described repeatedly here, this makes sense.
• Matt Schaub’s numbers were not good, but he made a couple impressive moves. The pass to Kevin Walter (dropped) with a blitz coming from his blindside was a thing of beauty and something that could not have happened last year. He got a little antsy on the possible TD pass to Walter, but I think he makes that pass 9 times out of 10.
• Jason Babin is seriously fast. He just slipped past a shoulder block and chased down the RB from the backside.
• Ron Dayne is still fat. I mean, he looks like he’s dropped a little weight, but he is f-a-t.
• I really hope Kubiak noticed how teams were over committing on the goal line runs. I agree with the TV guys that there is no reason to risk putting your QB out on a naked bootleg in the preseason, but even Jared Lorenzen could have run that one in.
• So, the first team D-line didn’t get as much penetration as I’d hoped. Kalu got in a little bit, and Mario had about three plays where he was this close. But that’s about it. I know the Bears O-line is very good (Rex Grossman was only sacked 21 times last year), but I still wanted to see a little more middle penetration.
• OK, I’m just going to come out and say it–we don’t need Bethel Johnson. Mathis and Jones have the return game on lockdown. Wow.
• I don’t think the announcers noticed that Manchild was not lined up alongside Mario. I say that because they were just talking about “people think maybe you put one of them on the other side… no.” What?
• Charlie Adams is a little faster and a little more physical than I remembered. But these drops (Adams, Walter) are killing us.
• Even if that was more hustle and output than we’ve seen in the rest of his career combined, Travis Johnson probably should have saved that little Riverdance for a TD that counted. Still, I laughed. Oh, and it was Babin again causing that pressure.
• Speaking of, we are getting good pass rush with our 2s against their 2s.
• Jacoby Jones was the best athlete on the field throughout the second quarter. I like this.
• Why the hell didn’t the officials stop the clock for a measurement on that Sam Gado catch with :17 left? It was within a yard… surely that requires the sticks. The only thing I can think is that Rosenfels called the TO too quickly.
• Kris Brown, 4/4. Consistently consistent.

That’s the end of the first half. I’m taking a break and I’ll update with second half notes this afternoon.