DGDB&D: a Texans blog.

Kickoff

Sep 4, 2008 2008 Season, Andre Johnson, Athletes who don't stab people, Boobies, DeMeco Ryans, Kickoff, Super Mario, The Schaub Experiment

Recon. Chris gets the skinny on the Steelers from AOL Fanhouse blogger JJ Cooper. Which brings us something that’s always bothered me. Namely, why are some initials ok to use as your everyday name while others aren’t? JJ, BJ, AJ, DJ…what is it about the second J that makes that acceptible?

O captain, my captain, our dreadful offseason is done. Your Houston Texans have elected this year’s team captains.  Mario, DeMeco, Andre, The Schaub, and Kris Brown.  No surprises there, I guess.

The leap.  Marroncito returns to BRB with a question I had not really considered:  which player(s), if he raised his game to very good/great levels, would take the Texans to the doorstep of being a Super Bowl contender?  The most common answer in the comments is Amobi, and I tend to agree, but I can definitely see the argument for Schaub.

Finally.

Kickoff

Jun 6, 2008 Andre Johnson, Athletes who don't stab people, Colvin, Cool dudes with cool cars, Kickoff, Secondary issues are primary, Super Mario, The Fred, Wal-Mart kills babies

Cars Go Vroom: Remember that Lamborghini video from last year that showed Mario Williams driving roughly 600 MPH?  Yeah, totally understandable…because Mario has an addiction.  To cars.  No, seriously.  ”At age 21, Williams actually entered the league with a list of expensive vehicles he planned to purchase after being drafted.”

Overstating The Obvious: From the AP’s Kristie Rieken: “With [Dunta] Robinson likely out until midseason with an injury, [Fred] Bennett knows it’s now up to him to lead the group until his mentor returns.”  Tomorrow: Water is wet, the sky is blue, and Cowboys fans are insufferable.

Our bad: As first reported at BRB, Wal-Mart pulled a total dick move and refused to give underprivileged kids ice and water when Andre Johnson “only” purchased 677 bikes (at full retail) instead of the 750 he ordered (and they failed to provide). Well, apparently Wal-Mart realized that this was potentially bad PR, so they donated 400 free bikes to the cause, as well as food, water, and ice.

Daily Colvin Story: Not only did Rosy visit the Texans (and Colts), he underwent physicals for both teams and, according to Rotoworld, passed both.  As an aside, Rotoworld also speculates that the Texans are primarily interested in him as a SLB, which I am totally in favor of.

Note: I am leaving for Gulf Shores around lunchtime, so this is it for me today most likely.

Freddie “Boom Boom” Washington

Mar 19, 2008 2008 Season, Athletes who don't stab people, It bugs me that I had to edit their story, Nigerian Mafia

Welcome back, Ndukwe.

NFL sources told FOX 26 Sports [that f]ree agent defensive end N.D. Kalu has agreed to a one-year contract to return to the Houston Texans for a third season.

Last season[,] Kalu played in 15 games for the Texans and had 13 tackles and three quarterback sacks.

He may be old, he may have lost a step or three, and he may be best utilized as a situational pass rusher. That said, unless we wind up snagging a Calais Campbell at pick 18, Kalu is almost certain to contribute. And, while I don’t normally buy into the “sign the old guy as a mentor” move, this might be one of the few cases where it actually makes sense.

The Ballhawk Gamecock

Feb 26, 2008 Athletes who don't stab people

Fred Bennett.

Posted without further comment and only one tag.

(h/t Eric)

Dey call me “Mr. Boombastic,” simply fantastic

Dec 29, 2007 Athletes who don't stab people, Houston Chronicle, Morlon Greenwood

A momentary lapse in my no-Chron policy because this one is just too good:

Linebackers coach Johnny Holland calls Greenwood “the ultimate pro” and “a true warrior,” adding: “If you pick one player on our defense to model yourself after, it would be him. He’s one of the smartest guys I’ve ever been around. He’s never missed a snap in a game. He never misses a day of practice. He’s never late for a meeting. And he plays special teams. I wish my kid would grow up to be Morlon Greenwood.”

Did we forget to mention that Greenwood is also a rapper in his spare time? His videos are easy to find on YouTube or his MySpace page. “Ultimate56″ — that’s Morlon. He’s a mystery man in more ways than one.

Embedding is not working, but here’s a link to his YouTube videos.

And here’s a link to his MySpace page.

And–I’ll do you one better than the Chron did–here’s a link to his actual music label website. (The logo looks like the lovechild of Cobra Commander and Simba. Sweet.)

Nine Eleven Cowboys?! I’m sure McClain is happy orgasmic.

Dec 18, 2007 2006 Draft, 2007 Season, Athletes who don't stab people, DeMeco Ryans, Fuck the Cowboys, Houston Chronicle, Pro Bowl 2008, Super Mario

Just a reminder: Pro Bowl rosters are announced today at 3PM (CST) on the NFL Network. If DeMeco and Mario are omitted, someone dies.

(Also, Teddy Bruschi? Seriously? And Dwight Freeney? Boy…online fan voting is a GREAT idea. )

Reminder

Dec 7, 2007 2006 Draft, 2007 Season, Athletes who don't stab people, Awesomeness, DeMeco Ryans, Pro Bowl 2008

This is the last week of voting for the 2008 Pro Bowl. If you are just sitting around, playing on the internets, why not click here and vote for DeMeco (and any other Texans you care to vote for) as many times as possible?

He’d do it for you. You know, if you were anywhere near good enough to be playing in the NFL.

Let’s not carve that bronze bust just yet

Dec 7, 2007 2006 Draft, Athletes who don't stab people, Cool dudes with cool cars, Overrated, Reggie Bush, Super Mario, Teams that aren't the Texans

As if it wasn’t painfully obvious from the weekly Moments of Zen, I do not much care for Reggie Bush. I fully admit that he was a bad ass in college–the best money could buy!–but I was never sold on the idea of him being the next Gayle Sayers. On top of which, I just didn’t like the guy because he seemed like a moody prima donna.

So, when I checked my email this morning and saw that reader Eric had emailed me this article, I couldn’t help but smile. It seems that even Saints fans are beginning to have doubts about Reggie.

Some choice quotes:

[W]ith Deuce McAllister’s knees becoming more unreliable with each tear, the spotlight has fallen on Reggie Bush. And he’s dropped the ball, literally and figuratively. And now the Saints have to worry about acquiring another running back this year.

[A]s he approaches the end of his second year (sans any big plays this year, or medium plays for that matter), it’s time to acknowledge the fact that Bush has been at best an incredible disappointment, at worst a flat-out bad player who’s threatening locker room morale.

It started this past offseason, when there were much muted rumblings that some Saints veterans didn’t appreciate Bush missing workout time to film some of his umpteenth commercials in California. And it’s bled into this season, one in which Bush has regressed noticeably.

With 14 seconds left in that game and the Saints in possession with a (very remote) chance of victory, Bush was already halfway to the locker room; Sean Payton had to furiously chase after him to pull him back to the sideline.

His roster spot is in no danger for at least two years, and I have faith that one day he’ll be a superstar. I just hope that day isn’t after he’s burned his bridges with the Saints.

I like that last one the best, because it sounds like a Saints fan trying to convince himself one last time that the pick wasn’t bad on its face–that the problem lies solely in Bush’s attitude. Color me unconvinced. You have a guy who:

1. (a) has been handed everything his entire life, from houses and money while in college to millions in endorsements before he ever took an NFL handoff;
2. (b) basically decided that it should be up to him where he played and that he didn’t want to play in Houston, so he made it clear that he was going to be a pain in the ass to sign if Houston did take him;
3. (c) did not even show the ability to be a feature back in college and was noticeably absent near the end of both national championship games;
4. (d) has shown zero ability or willingness to run between the tackles (something that is kind of important in the NFL) or to set up his blocks, and who is seemingly oblivious to the fact that he is not fast enough to get to the outside on every single play;
5. (e) has, since the injury to Deuce McAllister, been nothing short of horrid in many games, with poor rushing totals, tons of fumbles, and almost no touchdowns; and
6. (f) has become a locker room cancer because he refuses to be a part of the team or admit when something is his fault.

That doesn’t sound to me like someone who is going to “be a superstar” any time soon. Unlike certain defensive ends who recently broke the team’s single season sack record and could conceivably break the team career record in the next game. I’ve said it before, I’m saying it now, and undoubtedly I’ll say it again soon, but picking Mario Williams was without question the right move.

24-17

Nov 4, 2007 2007 Season, Athletes who don't stab people, Batman, DeMeco Ryans, Demarcus Faggins sucks, Dunta Robinson, Injury bug, Matt Turk rules, Posts that list too many players, The Fred, Will Demps makes love to the...ladies?

It wasn’t comfortable, it wasn’t injury-free, and, for the most part, it wasn’t pretty. But it will certainly do.

What went right?

• Hello, Ron Dayne. It’s good to see you again. I still cannot figure out how you slithered 14 yards for that TD, but it was much appreciated. Of course, the fact that you are our first 100-yard rusher this season makes me a little ill, but it explains a lot.
• Sage-to-Davis might be the homeless man’s 4th-quarter Montana-to-Rice. Or not. But it’s still really damn good right now.
• (Seriously, 122 yards for Dayne? I have no explanation.)
• Kudos to the pass defense. Three INTs (including DeMeco Ryans getting his reversed, then going and getting another) and only 158 yards allowed was a good showing. Sure, it was Josh McCown, but that still counts.
• Fred Bennett, in addition to getting his first career pick, played well in his first game as a starter. I am a big fan of the Fred. I still want Nnamdi Asomugha, but I love Fred.
• Kevin Walter was kept out of the endzone, but all three of his catches went for first downs. You gotta love that.
• Will Demps got a lot of reps and played well. Even the penalty called against him late was a shaky call (it didn’t really look like he led with his head according to both radio broadcasts). Plus, let’s not forget that he is “the most metrosexual brother in the NFL possibly.” That’s always fun.
• Amobi Okoye. Sack #5. VIVA OKOYE!!!
• Ahman Green–before he managed to leave AGAIN with an injury–looked awesome both receiving and rushing. For just a moment, I was beginning to not regret his signing.
• Danny Clark played like a man possessed for most of the game and came away with five tackles, an INT, and the knowledge that Justin Fargas fears him.
• Sage Rosenfels. Not spectacular. Just efficient. 180+, game-clinching TD pass, only one INT. What more can you ask from your backup QB?

What went wrong?

• Dunta Robinson’s injury. Look, all joking aside, it’s not my fault unless you really buy into voodoo and the like. Because, as we saw with the Colorado Rockies, the Almighty does not care about sports teams. Still, it sucks immeasurably. According to Tim, the injury looked like the type that ends seasons. And Kubiak’s post-game comments apparently echo this without saying as much. Damn.
• Petey Faggins. It’s bad enough that Dunta’s injury ruined what had been great news and forced Petey into action. But adding insult to that was the way Josh McCown decided, “hell, even I can throw on this dude.” The final TD that made the game, you know, close and un-relaxing? Guess who that was thrown at. Go on…guess.
• He started off on the good list, but that injury to Batman’s knee lands him down here, too. Seriously, Ahman? ANOTHER game cut short by injury? Thanks, dude. Remember early in the preseason, when I was suggesting that you’d give us at least 14 healthy games? Man…
• Matt Turk. It wasn’t that he was awful top-to-bottom, but that 10-yard punt when we really, really needed to pin them deep was so Stanley-esque that I screamed at the radio. Between that kick and last week’s muff, some of the new car smell is fading from Turk.

In the end, all that matters is that we won, of course. Still, reading that list, you wouldn’t think that a game with so many positives against a team like Oakland would have been that close on the scoreboard. If Turk hits that last punt deep, the game probably stays a 14-point margin.

Whatever. I’ll take it.

Chronic 2007, or "Dedicated to all of those with big egos"

Oct 31, 2007 Athletes who don't stab people, Bloggerating, Dancing With the 'Tards, Dunta Robinson, Houston Chronicle, Richard Justice is a talentless hack., Righteous Indignation, Self-Referential Stuff, Super Mario

The Chron’s coverage of the Texans is like an impacted colon–full of shit, painful to see, and irritating beyond belief. In fact, other than John McClain (who is definitely slipping, but still shows glimpses of the ol’ fastball), there is no one writing for pay on that website that I can even tolerate.

Take, for instance, Richard Justice. Dick has always been critical of a certain first overall pick and has made it a point to draw attention to every time Mario made a mistake. Lately, however, Justice has stepped up the attacks, ripping Mario in pretty much everything he writes, regardless as to whether the screed fits his column or even whether it is based in fact. In five randomly chosen recent columns/posts alone, we get the following:

Despite blowing the Mario Williams pick, they’d had two good drafts and did some good things in free agency.

At the moment, two personnel decisions appear to be glaring mistakes. One is Mario Williams. No matter how Gary Kubiak says he’s grading out, the truth is that he’s far from the impact player the Texans believed he’d be. He has one sack the last six games. That’s not a difference maker. He may be doing some good things in the running game, but he didn’t get a $54-million contract to be good in the running game.

If you raised your eyebrows when Gary Kubiak said Mario was grading out well, join the club. No amount of spin will change the fact that he’s far from the impact player the Texans thought they were getting.

N.D. Kalu and Travis Johnson were solid on the defensive front, but Mario Williams was barely heard from.

Mario Williams still isn’t the player the Texans envisioned he’d be. Neither is Travis Johnson. Jason Babin is long gone, and Amobi Okoye is still learning.

Five for five. It looks to me like someone either has a mancrush or has a serious axe to grind.

Ever your intrepid reporter, I decided to email Justice and ask him to explain.

Richard,

I am curious. Did Mario Williams insult your mother recently? I ask because that’s about the only justification I can see for your continued petty trashing of Mario and his play. Despite what you say (and what your sycophant readers echo), Mario is not playing poorly right now. No matter how many times you say otherwise, the fact remains that he is playing well and is currently playing better than Reggie Bush. So again I ask: Why do you seem to get your rocks off by slamming him over and over? Mario has 4 sacks. He has a fumble recovery TD. His run defense has been outstanding. Coaches are clearly game-planning for him on passing downs. He is the primary reason that Okoye has played so well, despite the fact that no one with an ounce of sense would line up Mario and Okoye beside one another on a passing down. In short, he’s probably our third best defensive player right now behind DeMeco and Dunta. Considering that the learning curve for DEs in the NFL is typically three years, I would say he is right on pace. Yet, to hear you tell it, Mario stands around in the middle of the field, looking scared and confused and just generally being the worst player in the history of pro football.It is that type of baseless drivel that makes people hate the Chronicle. One wouldn’t think it would be hard to find three or four quality football writers in the nation’s fourth-largest city, but it is apparently impossible. Still, one would hope that the people who did get to write about the Texans would do so in an intelligent, straight-forward, and entertaining manner. You know, rather than filling half-effort columns with whatever petty grudges the writer holds. If you are trying to stir the pot, you are doing a poor job. If you are trying to convince anyone with any understanding of football that Mario’s play has been awful, you are wasting time and ink. (On the plus side, if you are just trying to be a jerk, you are doing a fantastic job.)

It’s ironic, though; despite my utter disdain for nearly everything you’ve written in the past year or so, I just realized that I should actually be thanking you. It is precisely this type of sports “coverage” that encourages people to find alternative writing about their favorite teams. You and those like you are the primary cause for the popularity of sports blogs, especially among the more intelligent fans who are insulted by your lowest-common-denominator approach to writing. So, while our readership does not approach the level of a daily paper, the quality of our average reader far surpasses the “GRATE POST, RICHARD…ALL THESE MARIO FANS NEED TO JUST DEAL WIT TEH TRUTH…HE SUCKS” type of reader/commenter that you rely upon. I’ll take that trade any day.

Matt
http://gotexans.blogspot.com/

P.S. Your assertion in Oct. 21’s paper that Mario hasn’t even shown signs of being an above average defensive end is mind-numbingly stupid. Even you are better than that.

And so I fired the email off into the ether of the internet. Because I have previously heard through the grapevine that Justice is not a fan of DGDB&D, I made it a point to avoid going all potty-mouth in the email, just in an effort to get him to respond. I wasn’t really holding my breath that he would, mind you; I was just leaving the door open in case he felt compelled to offer some sort of real argument for his position.

Roughly ten minutes later, Richard replied. His response was clearly well-thought-out and is incredibly convincing. I apologize in advance for its length, but it is worth the read.

He can’t play.

BRILLIANT! Rather than reply to any of the points I made about Mario, or engage in a discussion about his strengths/weaknesses, or even address the idea of new vs. old media, Richard just tells it like it is. (He apparently does not see or does not care about the irony of making a baseless assertion as a response to a criticism that he makes baseless assertions, but whatever.)

Of course, in doing so, Justice segues nicely into the second half of my email. I don’t see that I am off-base in thinking there should be at least the occasional semblance of quality writing from anyone that is employed by the only paper in the fourth-largest city in America. I mean, the ability to produce solid product should at least be a requirement of the job, right? But we don’t get that; we get vindictive assholes with petty grudges that trump true report, mindless twits who only got the job so John McClain has a jerk-off fantasy handy at all times, Ralph-Wiley-wannabes who would rather be tongue-bathing Tom Brady than writing about the Texans, and bland hacks who use their access to lend credence to whatever rumors they want to throw out on a given day. Not exactly a Murder’s Row of journalistic quality there. At this point in the season, the majority of columns proffered by that group (that aren’t pure Megan Manfull rumormill) can be lumped into one of three categories: (1) Richard Justice bashing Mario Williams like a jilted schoolgirl, (2) blame-laying columns that excoriate the whipping-boy du jour (these are sometimes disguised as Vince-Young-praise columns that excoriate the fact that he was not drafted by Houston), and (3) jump-off-the-bandwagon pieces from the same people who profess to be the biggest cheerleaders.

I’ve already offered examples of (1). For an example of (2), see pretty much anything written by Jerome Solomon in the last year. For (3), though, look no further than chief knob-polisher Anna-Megan Raley. While we all know how “nice” she is (thanks, Steph), I am beginning to wonder how much of a fan she really is. After all, her latest Pulitzer entry is entitled “Kubiak isn’t giving up on the Texans, but I might.” Awesome.

Like most of you, I’ve got an emotional investment in this team, but we’re finding out it can be a risky investment for Texans fans right now.

Yeah, A-M, that’s kind of the fucking point of being, you know, a FAN. You don’t get to only have an emotional investment when things are going well. You don’t even get to hedge your investment. Part of being a fan–a real fan–is that you are all in on every hand. That’s what makes it so amazingly special when you win and that is why it hurts when you lose.

Everything just seems so negative about the Texans right now, so I’ve been wondering: What is something, if anything, positive about this team?

Seriously? How about DeMeco Ryans establishing himself as one of the best young linebackers in the league? How about the sudden emergence of Kevin Walter? How about the renewed career of Andre Davis? How about…

Which brings us back to the second half of my email.

On the one hand, as we’ve seen, you have people being paid to write about the team we love. They have access that we could only dream of having. They have a platform that reaches more people in an afternoon than I reach all week. They have (in theory) the talent to use that access and that platform to inform and enlighten an enormous number of people. And, most importantly, they have the security of knowing that almost nothing they write today will prevent their work from reaching the same audience the next day and the next day and so on.

On the other, you have a small group of people donating their time and effort into writing about the same team. We have no access to anything but the game on TV or in person. We have a platform that relies solely on word of mouth–there is no daily anything that delivers our content every morning. We have a desire to be informative, funny, entertaining, truthful, and insightful and we do it all under the watchful eye of a readership that is lightning quick to call out bullshit or half-truths. And, unlike the paper, if we want to keep reaching people, we have to bring our A game (or, at minimum, our B game) 75% of the time.

As an aside, it may be because we have to offer quality far more often than not, but I would honestly put up any of the real (read: not dick jokes, poop jokes, conversations between body parts, etc.) writing done by the Texans blogs against any of the writing the Chron has puked forth in the last year. In my mind, it is not even close as to who the winner of that matchup would be.

This collective excellence on the part of bloggers is a huge reason why my annoyance with the Chronicle’s writers is tempered a bit; without their collective shortcomings as a newspaper staff, my blog (and BRB and Stephanie and Texans Tailgate and any others) would not find such ready acceptance and loyal readership. Even better, the readers we attract are likely to be the more intelligent, more vocal, and more dedicated fans because that type of person is less likely to rely on the daily hatchet jobs and blatant bandwagoneering the paper offers.

If you want proof, you need look no further than the difference between comments left on articles over there and comments left here and at BRB. Those of you who are regular readers of this blog, for instance, enjoy talk about Xs and Os. You offer up differing viewpoints instead of being docile lapdogs like the people who agree with everything written by the Chronicle. You bring humor and insight to the party. Hell, I’ll go so far as to say the comments are one of the primary reasons I do this because they are one of the very best parts of this blog. No one in his or her right mind would say that the comments to a typical Chron post are anything but infrequently comprehensible.

I did not mean for this post to become a blogger/blog reader circle jerk. Honest. That said, I do not feel like I am overreaching here. I truly believe that the exploding popularity of sports blogs is due in large part to the piss-poor job the local papers and traditional journalists do of covering their respective teams. While I can’t say that the writers at the Chronicle are the worst staff in America, I can say with first-hand knowledge that they are certainly far below even cities like Kansas City and St. Louis. Holier-than-thou, dickhead responses like the one I received from Richard Justice do little to make me think that the Chronicle is going to improve any time soon.

(In case you were wondering, I did reply to his reply.

Insightful. I now completely buy your arguments and understand your continued employment. Keep up the fantastic work.

I never said I was mature. Only that I do a better job than he does where it really matters.)

Considering the 4-3, or Why Richard Smith is irritating me

Oct 23, 2007 2007 Season, Amobi Okoye is 20, Athletes who don't stab people, DeMeco Ryans, Demarcus Faggins sucks, Football 101, Secondary issues are primary, Super Mario, Travis Johnson

I know we haven’t been running a 4-3 defense very long. I know that there are probably still some kinks and growing pains that we are trying to work through. Nevertheless, I am beginning to wonder if Richard Smith even knows how to use a 4-3. In fact, taking it a step further, as each week passes, I am more and more sure that he’s unaware we are even running a 4-3. How else can you explain the following:

1. Why aren’t we blitzing someone with any regularity?

[fire up the tedious, pedantic football primer]

The greatest strength of the 3-4 defense is its flexibility. Because the defense requires faster players at key positions, teams can move seamlessly between the base 3-4, an old-school 5-2 (from which they can either all rush, slide into a 2-deep zone, or even run a basic zone-blitz), and even a 4-2-5 zone. Given that flexibility plus the speed inherent in the personnel, a person might wonder why all teams don’t run the 3-4. Well, aside from the fact that it’s not always easy to put together that personnel (as our first years demonstrated), the answer is that the 3-4 is much easier for teams to run against. Because the players in the 3-4 are smaller, a good running team with a large line can dominate the nose tackle, crash down on the middle linebackers, and create some great running holes.

The 4-3, on the other hand, gives you an additional defensive tackle and makes it easier to keep the offensive linemen from getting to the second level and neutralizing your MLB. And, if you find four really good linemen, the 4-3 offers the opportunity to get good pressure on the offense without sending a linebacker. This is helpful because the base 4-3 generally features man coverage on the WRs. If the front four can get pressure, however, the linebackers and DBs can drop into a 2- or 3-deep zone, increasing your chances for a hurried throw and possible interception.

THAT SAID (and that’s a very big “that said”), if you don’t have a defensive line that can get pressure all by itself–few teams do–you have to create pressure. It doesn’t matter how good or flexible your linebackers are, if the front four cannot get after the QB alone, all but the most inept NFL QBs can sit back there and pick apart a zone defense. See, e.g, Collins, Kerry.

[end primer...for the moment]

OK, so back to my pre-primer question: Why aren’t we at least blitzing someone with any regularity?

I know that the pat answer is “because we need our LBs in coverage.” Except that is circular logic. If you aren’t blitzing because you aren’t getting pressure and, thus, your suspect secondary is getting exposed, then it is the dropping of LBs into coverage that is creating the need for the LBs in coverage.

Look, if you aren’t getting pressure from the front four in a 4-3, then you have to create pressure by blitzing. It’s that simple. This is doubly true when your secondary is shaky at best. Pressure creates turnovers through hurried throws and forced fumbles and it forces clowns like Petey Faggins to have to cover for a shorter time (thus limiting the amount of time he has to grab hold of the WRs jersey). There are no three linebackers in the world who can help enough to counter a QB having all day to pick apart a feeble secondary.

For a perfect example of this, you need look no further than last year’s Washington Redskins. When injuries at corner made it so that they basically couldn’t cover anyone, their response was to drop everyone into coverage and play a soft cover 2. The result: QBs had all day (because Washington’s front four couldn’t get any pressure at all) and the Skins were the worst deep ball defense in the league last year. The lesson: QB pressure makes the entire defense better in ways that extra coverage cannot, or, alternatively, any amount of coverage gets beat when the QB has enough time.

Which is not to say that I advocate sending ALL of your linebackers…

2. So, then…how should we go about blitzing (assuming we won’t just properly utilize the LBs in the 4-3)? The answer is simple: the zone blitz

[4-3 defense 102 here. Feel free to skip ahead.]

The idea behind the zone blitz is two-fold. First, duh, create pressure. Second, however, it tries to confuse the offense’s blocking calls by sending any of the three linebackers (or, occasionally, a safety) while someone else fills the space left by the vacating backer. In that way, the defense does not lose the extra hands in coverage, but should still be able to get penetration because the offensive line will not know where the blitz is coming from on a given play.

For example, the zone blitz allows the MLB to blitz through the A-gap, while the nose tackle stunts over through the B-gap. In coverage, the WLB fills the space vacated by the MLB and the RDE drops back and out into the space that WLB would fill in a standard two deep zone. So, when the QB sees the MLB attack, his natural reaction is to look to throw at where the blitz came from (or, if he’s guessing that the WLB will fill, to where the WLB came from), only to find the ball thrown right at a defender.

Then, on the very next play, with the very same package, the team could go with a more traditional WLB blitz, but have the RDE slide back to fill. We saw this play once or twice in the preseason with Shantee Orr lined up outside the RDE and it was effective.

An added bonus of blitzing out of a two-deep zone is that it allows our best defensive player to make even more of an impact on the game. DeMeco Ryans has two sacks this season, both of which have come on a straight blitz. On both plays, he came more or less untouched (one against Harrington late in the game when we decided to actually play D and the one last week where he nearly killed Kerry Collins) because he was allowed to read the offensive line and choose between the A- and B-gap and he smacked the QB right in the mouth. He has also been asked to run blitz a couple times and he’s found success there. So, if we start using him on some zone blitzes, teams will have to account for him more. Meaning that blitzes from other positions–say Danny Clark stunting over the LDE with Morlon Greenwood dropping back to the middle and DeMeco filling the space where the SLB would normally be–a team throwing over the blitz would be throwing the ball right at our best defensive weapon. Likewise, letting DeMeco creep up and show blitz, especially if he’d already had success, would create more chances for the d-linemen on either side of him to get ignored by an overzealous o-lineman. And so on, and so forth.

[/4-3 Defense 102]

I cannot state this strongly enough. Blitzing is a necessity when you have 1/4th of a real secondary. Zone blitzing allows for our strong front seven to create mismatches while still keeping two or three extra bodies in coverage and allowing our best defensive player to better impact the game. While you cannot necessarily use the zone blitz on every down (it becomes less effective at some point), how is this not a better option than dropping the three LBs, relying entirely on your front four for any pressure on the QB, and watching the QB have time to locate and throw at Petey Faggins?

3. Why do we use our front four in such a vanilla manner?

Just like you can’t run the zone blitz on every defensive snap, if you do anything over and over, eventually everyone in the NFL will know your tendencies. (By “eventually,” I mean “by next week.”) Right now, we have the same formulaic defensive line positions. Mario at RDE on running plays, Mario at LDE on passing plays, blah blah blah.

Why?

First of all, backing up a step, why when Mario moves to LDE–a move I really, really like–do the tackles not flip-flop so that Amobi Okoye is not beside Mario? We’ve covered this before. Yes, I am fully aware that Amobi has four sacks and that, on three of those, Mario is clearly occupying at least two blockers. That’s all well and good, but, like we said before, it’s not really the highest, best use of their talents. Flipping Amobi puts your two-gap, big-bodied tackle between Mario and Okoye. It is this player’s goal to pick up two blockers, which means that either Amobi or Mario (or, possibly, both) would draw single blocking more often than not. Meaning, oh I don’t know, that we would get more consistent penetration from both sides of the line.

But, back to where we started question 3: why even have a definite set order for your defensive linemen? I mean, sure, if you are going to have set positions based on down and distance, then for god’s sake, do it correctly within the constraints of the 4-3. But do you really even have to have set positions? Right now, you have Mario Williams who, though Richard Justice would disagree, is actually playing very well. You have Amobi Okoye, who is playing the pass-rush role as well as we hoped and playing the running game better than we hoped. AND you have Travis Johnson who is just playing some inspired football right now, hustling, hitting people, and playing like you would hope a first-round DT would. That’s three real pass rushers, plus we haven’t even touched on Kalu, Weaver, Maddox, etc.

With that kind of ability up front, why become so predictable that teams can game plan and negate some of the advantage you have? Mix it up a little. Go big on one play and have Mario, Maddox, Johnson, and Amobi from left to right. Next time out, go with your more traditional base. Then turn around and go small (relatively speaking) with Mario, Okoye, Cochran, and Orr. Create a mismatch by putting Mario at under tackle and then having him twist-stunt with Weaver lined up at DE. The possibilities are vast…if you will just use them.

Note: I am fully aware that Mario moved around a lot last year and that some of the coaching staff thought that might have been his “problem.” You know, rather than just having an injured foot and being a rookie at a tough position. That’s all well and good, but setting up your front so that he is guaranteed to get doubled on every single play is hardly the answer.

I guess the bigger point here for question three is JUST DO SOMETHING. Don’t keep running out there with a predictable front four rotation, no blitz packages to speak of, and a secondary that can’t cover for as long as you are asking them to. DO SOMETHING.

The great thing about the 4-3 is the balance. But that balance is in terms of playing the run versus playing the pass, meaning you still have to play to the strengths of your D. Consistency in game planning will always equal regression in the NFL; worse, consistently planning in the same incorrect manner will always equal failure.

[Author's note: I wrote this in about five different pieces, so I apologize if it rambles. Please point out any inconsistencies in it.]

An election!? That’s one of those deals where they close the bars, isn’t it?

Oct 17, 2007 2007 Season, Athletes who don't stab people, DeMeco Ryans, Dunta Robinson, Kris Brown's golden leg, Matt Turk rules, Pro Bowl 2008, Super Mario

A person could make the argument that a number of Texans are worthy of Pro Bowl votes. Matt Turk comes to mind, as do Dunta Robinson, Kris Brown, Vonta Leach, and both of the busts on the defensive line. A vote for any or all of them would be rational and not simply chalked up to blind homerism.

That said, the most worthy of our players is none other than this blog’s namesake, DeMeco Ryans. Currently tied for second in the NFL in solo tackles, Ryans is the unquestioned leader of the Texans defense and has gotten so good so quickly that he routinely makes the extraordinary look ordinary.

Therefore, it is the goal of this blog to GET DEMECO RYANS ELECTED TO THE 2008 PRO BOWL! He (and I) can’t do it without you, though. Click that link. Vote early, vote often. Vote DeMeco!

Note: When filling out the ballot, if you are pressed for time, you can click and go directly to inside linebackers, vote for Ryans, and click submit without voting for any other positions. Or you can just fill out the whole thing, though I would suggest only voting for one AFC Inside LB (Ryans) instead of two, just to prevent other candidates from picking up extra votes.

Seriously, go vote. It’s your civic duty.

This message paid for by DeMeco Ryans For Pro Bowl, Matt Campbell treasurer

26-16

Oct 1, 2007 2007 Season, Athletes who don't stab people, Batman, Demarcus Faggins sucks, Gary Kubiak might be high, Ron Dayne likes pie, Teams that aren't the Texans, The Schaub Experiment

First off, let’s be clear: The injuries are not an excuse.

Would it have been nice to have Andre Johnson and Ahman Green and the rest? Of course. But this game was not lost because we didn’t have the primary weapons. It was not lost because ND Kalu couldn’t play. It was not even lost because our special teams were without Jerome Mathis and Jacoby Jones. Nope, this game was lost because of:

• Petey Faggins,
• Piss-poor clock management,
• Below average play-calling,
• Some questionable decisions by Matt Schaub, and
• Surprisingly effective play by Joey Harrington.

Let’s take these one at a time.

Petey Faggins. When he was abused by Steve Smith for two TDs in roughly 9 seconds, the excuse was “well, LOTS of people get burned by Smith.” When he allowed nearly every pass thrown his way to be completed by playing 30 yards off the line of scrimmage and allowed Joseph Addai to score two TDs by running right at him, the excuse was “the coaches put him off the line like that and, hey, at least Marvin didn’t score.” What, pray tell, are the excuses going to be this week?

Just for grins, let’s recap. On one play, he managed to hold the wide receiver, impeding said receiver’s progress (in theory), only to still find himself burned on the play. Now, the prudent thing to do at this point would be to try and recover (which he lacks the speed to do), try to play the ball and maybe knock it down (which he lacks the wherewithal to do), and/or try to be in position to deliver a hit as the ball is caught in the hopes of knocking it loose (which he has rarely been able to do). The thing you shouldn’t do–especially when you’ve been beaten for three straight weeks–is get a pass interference penalty while still not even preventing the catch. Because, if you do that, the opposing team will likely realize that you really are as bad as you seemed on tape and will continue to attack you until the even the TV guys are saying “wow, they are running pretty much every play to that side.” This would likely lead to you getting flagged for another hold and another PI before it is all said and done.

I am not surprised by Petey’s struggles; I have been railing against him since the inception of this blog. I am surprised at the extent of his ineptitude, however. I can honestly say that, right now, he’s the worst defensive starter in the NFL. Because of that, and until I am shown otherwise, I am going to continue to refuse to believe the company line that he is still our best option.

Clock management. Let me ask you something. How is it that the hundred-people on the Texans sideline collectively failed to notice that they had been screwed out of 14 seconds? Wouldn’t you assume that someone–say, maybe, the HEAD COACH of the team trying to score ten points in the last 3 minutes–would look to see that, because the play did not count, the 14 elapsed seconds would be put back on the board? Of course, not noticing was in keeping with how Gary Kubiak has managed the clock for much of this season. I believe in The Kubes, I really do, but a simple grasp on how to best conserve (or expend, depending on the score) time is pretty freakin’ important. Between the confusion last week just before halftime and this week’s willy-nilly use of time and timeouts, Kubiak continues to shoot himself in the foot. After the way the time had been handled throughout the game, seeing Jameel Cook (or was it Vonta Leach?) run toward the middle of the field with 8 seconds left and no timeouts just seemed like the icing on the mismanagement cake.

Poor play calling. A naked halfback toss to Ron Dayne at the one-yard line? Seriously? This isn’t Tecmo Bowl, man. That play would be near impossible for Dayne to manage from midfield, when the defense is spread out; there is no chance in hell he’s going to score on that play from the six, with the defense packed in tight. Besides, and here’s the bigger issue, after seeing us pound the ball up the middle with a modicum of success during the game, why the heck didn’t we try to punch it in from the one with either Dayne (who is supposed to be our between-the-tackles power RB), Gado, or even one of the fullbacks? Twice, while trying to mount the comeback, we had the ball at Atlanta’s one-yard line. We came away with three points TOTAL out of those two trips. Unacceptable.

This isn’t the first instance of odd play-calling, either. There was the curious decision last week not to kick the onside kick. There have been several random “run when we probably should have passed” or vice versa moments. I know that injuries have played into that to an extent, but still.

Questionable decisions by The Schaub. Far be it from me to cast stones at the Altar of Schaub, because God knows I wouldn’t want to revert to the old QB, and the positives certainly outweigh the negatives with Matt, but someone might want to sit him down and explain some things to him. First of all, throwing a two-yard pass to a crossing fullback on thirdfourth-and-three is never, ever a good idea unless the defense is made up of blind people and retards. Second, in the hurry-up offense, again you might want to avoid dump passes to people like Jameel Cook. (In fact, speaking of Cook, I think it’s fair to say that something went wrong in your game planning if Cook ends a game with 6 catches, especially for a whopping 28 yards.) Third, that “running to the right, throwing back against the grain into the middle of the field” thing? Yeah, rarely a good idea. And, by “rarely,” I mean “never.” Finally, the next time you think about throwing the ball to Ron Dayne, do me a favor and throw it directly into the ground to end the suspense.

Harrington. I was going to cite “inability for the defense to stop anything” as the reason, but that would take away from how well Harrington actually played. Still, when you saw how easily we were able to get to him and disrupt their offense near the end when we started blitzing, one has to wonder why we didn’t mix that in a little more. Sure, Amobi got his fourth sack and, yes, Mario was getting pressure, but for the most part, Harrington just avoided whichever defensive lineman worked his way free and threw to the open man being guarded by Faggins. I am generally not a huge fan of blitzing, but mixing a couple in just to get some shots in on Joe and force him to make quick throws would have gone a LONG way toward keeping Atlanta points off the board. But, because we didn’t, my hat is off to Joey for playing an efficient and intelligent game.

****

Not everything was bad, however. After a game like that, it can be hard to admit that there were in fact a few bright spots. First, the offensive line continues to play far better than anyone thought they would. Schaub was sacked once, raising the season total to 6 (1.5 per game). The old QB was sacked three times in his first start at Carolina.

Second, DeMeco Ryans. Six more tackles and a sack. He and Morlon Greenwood (11 tackles) quietly had a great game in the middle of the field.

Lastly, Apostrophe Davis. The man came into the game with a recently-dislocated finger, made a leaping one-handed circus catch for a TD, and finished the game with 5 catches for 117 yards. Considering he wasn’t even on the active roster a couple weeks ago, this performance was outstanding.

Hype Bowl

Sep 24, 2007 Athletes who don't stab people, Bad Idea Jeans, Reggie Bush, Teams that aren't the Texans, Vinsanity

It’s Vince v. Reggie (and hopefully, if you are a Saints fan, some good players, too) in their first matchup since VY tore USC’s collective heart out and showed it to them before they died. Of course, this came on the bowl game heels of Young doing the same thing to Michigan in the Rose Bowl. So, as far as Vince goes, I have to grudgingly give him the respect a winner deserves; but I ain’t giving Reggie shit.

Anywho…I think I’ll liveblog this mother. For a while, anyway.

7:34–Tony Kornheiser explains that the impact of the Saints’ resurgence last year was not just a local story, but a national one. He can’t be right, though, because I don’t recall hearing ANY parallels made between the Saints success and the post-Katrina rebuilding effort. Tony’s a liar.

7:39–Spike Lee just welcomed me to N’awlins. And now he’s praising the Saints as “damn good.” Spike really has nothing to do now that Reggie Miller retired, does he?

7:41–I’ll give Saints fans this–they are as hyped as you can possibly be for an 0-2 team. Kickoff goes for a touchback. THERE’S VINCE YOUNG, OMG!!!!!

7:42–Young to Bo Scaife for 20 on the first play of the game. Vince might have the ugliest throwing motion this side of Rich Gannon, but Christ that’s a cannon.

7:44–Young to Roydell Williams for another first. Two straight passes. I give Jeff Fisher credit for saying “fuck you, ESPN announcers who will obviously be talking about our running game in the intro.”

7:46–Young just introduced the Titans (before completing his fourth straight pass). I learned that Titans players have nicknames such as “Shrek” (Scaife) and “Fat Fuck” (White).

7:47–Scott Fujita introduces the team, but I am too busy wondering why he doesn’t look more Asian to listen.

7:50–Michelle Tafoya is talking, so this seems like a good chance to mention that the wife is unreceptive to the idea of naming our forthcoming child “DeMeco.”

7:51–3rd & 21…fumbled snap, Vince dropped for a loss of roughly 84. Will Smith got jiggy as hell on that play. (I’m sorry.)

7:54–…And the Saints take the field. Can’t you smell the excitement? Eric Metcalf, Jr., gets 2 on an end-around (not a reverse, Tirico, you shit-eating fuck). Wow.

7:56–Pressure, Incomplete Pass, Three-and-out for YOUR N’awlins Saints. At least they made sure the world’s Greatest Weapon touched the ball on that possession.

7:58–Great punt return negated by holding and a personal foul. Call me old school, but I am of the opinion that your punt returner should not be run down by five or six members of the opposing team once he has an angle. Crazy, I know.

8:01–Young throws on the run and it’s nearly picked of by the curiously named Usama Young. Might just want to go by your middle name, dude. I’m just saying… you ARE playing in the South.

8:02–LenDale White makes Ron Dayne look like Kate Moss circa 1995. And I am pretty sure he’s using a Hostess cupcake as a mouthpiece.

8:04–Tennessee is moving the ball however they damn well please. The Saints defense must’ve left with some FEMA trailers.

8:06–FG after two VY incompletions on overthrown balls. The good news is the first quarter is moving right along. The bad news is there are still three to go. Aside from one amazing Vince run, this is like watching a Big Sky conference game.

8:09–SuperDuper Reggie is on the kick return team. as an up man. Fake handoff to Bush around the 10. Anyone who didn’t see that coming, please raise your hand so you can be prevented from procreating.

8:13–Drew Brees just referred to Bush as “the human highlight reel” in the intros. First, that’s Dominique Wilkins’ nickname you uncreative twat. Second, here is my favorite highlight on the reel.

8:14–Really crappy pass on 4th & 1. Three-and-out. This is like that movie… with Bill Murray… where everything was the same…

8:16–First quarter ends on a LenDale rush. By the way, did you realize that White got the last seven rushes by a USC back in the national championship loss? Or that Bush touched the ball less than 20 times combined (receptions and rushes)?

8:20–Scaife runs a two-yard route on 3rd & 3. S-m-r-t. Chris Brown is able to convert on 4th, though, so maybe it was all a ruse by Fisher. He’s crafty.

8:21–Flea flicker! It doesn’t work, but, man, I love that play. And reader Will points out that we should try the same play at some point, considering we do almost nothing–oh, TD Tennessee, making it 10-0…Saints suck–tricky. An apparent hand-off to Leach with Jacoby flying down the sideline… I’ve said too much already.

8:26–Holy hell, was that an Eminem song that played us to commercial break? Roger Goodell does not approve!

8:28–Reggie Bush alone in the backfield…catches the dump pass for a loss of four or so. Can you actually see my smile as I type this? Colston makes up for it with a first down grab on the next play. Which would be their FIRST first down. Jaws says the have “giddyup in their step,” and I’ll take his word for it.

8:31–Brees is picked off by the underrated Keith Bulluck. Odds that Drew is praying for a levee failure right about now?

8:32–And the kindly Mr. Young throws it right back to the Saints. Seriously, this game sucks.

8:38–Three plays: Dropped 2-yard pass to McAllister. Throwback across the field to McAllister for one yard. Incomplete pass over the middle. So, I ask you: how in the world was this the best offense in football last year? I really, truly do not understand.

8:42–White pushes the pile like he’s fighting his way to the front of the Denny’s buffet. “I want those eggs, bitch! Get out my way, bitch!!”

8:44–3rd & 2…Vince underthrows his WR. Welcome to Puntsville, population YOU.

8:45–Bad decision by the punt returner, who eschews the fair catch and much prefers getting the shit knocked out of him by Michael Griffin. And, because of a penalty, the Titans will rekick…WITH REGGIE BACK FOR THE PUNT!!! OMG!!! CAN YOU FEEL THE EXCITEMENT?!?!?! I JUST CAME!!!!

8:46–Seven yard return by God’s Chosen Running Back. Cock tease.

8:48–McAllister in the lockerroom for x-rays, meaning THE GREATEST PLAYER IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD is in at RB. Oh, he just got tackled for a loss on that handoff. 2 rushes for 3 yards so far. Wowza.

8:49–Big pass from Brees to Colston, who gets down almost to the 25. Might want to do more good stuff like that.

8:50–Or just get a three-yard pass to the TE. Shine on.

8:52–Super Jesus gets 6 on the carry, totally absolving all of humanity of their sins.

8:53–Tony K is questioning whether Bush is overrated as an RB. And Jaws agrees. I feel woozy. I though this was ESPN. Where am I?

8:54–Aaron Stecker in at RB, so Bush can be a WR. Stecker gets the first down, but it was probably because of Reggie’s amazing presence on the field. Super Jesus decoys all!!! (Yes, I am getting loopy. Wine and prescription drugs will do that. But even in my inebriated state, I can see greatness, damn it.)

8:56–Lance Moore just pulled in the best four-yard sideline catch you’ll ever see. Go Toledo Rockets!

8:57–3rd & 5…Brees avoids the sack by shoving his face into the oncoming hand of Antwan Odom. FIRST DOWN!

8:58–The World’s Most Amazing Human Being Ever Birthed On Our Planet comes up just short of the endzone on a draw. But it is going to be reviewed! Everyone, hold your collective breath!

9:01–Upon further review…the runner did fail to reach the endzone. How can that be? HOW?!

9:02–GOD’S FAVORITE SON, WHOM HE LOVES MUCH MORE THAN JESUS just dropped an easy TD pass. Yes, I am smiling.

9:03–Third try is a charm, as First Ballot Hall of Famer Reggie Bush gets the one-yard TD run. His line tonight? 5 carries, 13 yards, 1 TD. Oh, and one catch for -5. Quality.

9:04–Vince Young might be injured? This is great news for anyone who prefers their team to be piloted by an alcoholic racist.

9:05–Collins takes the field as Tafoya tells us it is an issue with Vince’s wrist. Wait a second… I’d completely forgotten that Drunky McKlansman was a #5 overall pick.

9:06–Relax… Vince’s wrist problem is just caused by cramps. It must be that time of the month.

9:08–Sweet, merciful halftime. Oh, fuck, it’s Berman. I’m getting a snack.

9:22–…aaaaand, we’re back, though I’m sure none of us has exhaled since Vince left the field.

9:23–Tafoya tell us Vince is fine, per Coach Fisher. Just to prove he is tough, Vince slapped some teammates with that hand. In game news, Baby Jesus’ Golden Hair just lobbed the ball back to Brees, who was promptly murdered by five dudes.

9:25–Three-and-out and a punt. The more things change…

9:29–Blah blah Vince’s arm blah tough blah blah LenDale ate a pony blah. Three-and-out, punt forthcoming. Who wants me to just start linking to random porn? Anyone?

9:31–Tired by his enormous workload, BUSHGOD takes a seat so Aaron Stecker can get some face time.

9:33–I have to say, this ESPN criticism of Bush, no matter how slight, is a nice touch. An unexpected nice touch.

9:35–Our Lord and Savior gets 11 on a dump pass. Nice moves there. I’m sure they drafted you hoping that you’d be a great check-down option. Oh, Stecker is in at RB now because the Saints actually want to run the ball between the tackles.

9:37–Nice pass and catch by Colston, who gets down to the one. AllahGodMohammedJesus punches it in from one yard out. 14 yards rushing and 2 TDs. He is apparently Jerome Bettis, circa 2005.

9:39–Let me just go ahead and state how annoyed I am that Reggie can look like dogshit carrying the ball, but still have two TDs. I am even more annoyed thinking about how ESPN will only show the TDs. And, no, I STILL wouldn’t take him over Mario. I’m rambling again…

9:41–Michael Griffin with a nice return out to the 41. In other news, it appears my prayers that the Superdome collapse tonight will not be answered. I suppose this is what happens when you take EVERY diety’s name in vain.

9:43–Chris Brown busts off a big run and, just like that, the Titans are inside the NO 40. Let’s go, Titans?

9:45–White powers for a big first down and seemed to be face-masked for 4 seconds with no call. It’s a brave man that sticks his fingers inside LenDale’s cage.

9:47–Defense offsides. Free first down. Way to follow up that impressive drive, New Orleans. I’m sure Drew Brees appreciates the breather, but maybe get a stop if you want to win a game this season.

9:51–Young throws a horribly ugly pass on the run to Eric Moulds. Great catch by Moulds, too. Tony K just made an age joke about Moulds. He’s so witty and irreverent. Catch being challenged. As is my will to live.

9:53–Play upheld. Fuck you for challenging Mike Carey.

9:54–TD, White. Titans lead. Saints still suck.

9:58–Bush for 1 yard. Unfortunately for the Saints, they were more than one yard from the endzone.

10:01–Brees leaps for the first down and gets nailed by three defensive players. He’s no Joseph Addai. 10 points for courage; 2 points for brains.

10:03–The leap was for naught, as Brees fumbles on the next snap. Titans ball. If they score a TD on this drive, the bloggin’ is done for tonight.

10:05–Great patience by VY waiting for Roydell Williams to get open. Nice pass, too. Vince is apparently only 12 of 20 for 150+, 1 TD, 1 INT, but this sure seems like one of his better passing performances that I’ve seen. Odd.

10:07–Tirico points out that a QB who can run well is a dual threat. He is so wise, that Tirico. I can totally understand why he replaced Dan Patrick on the radio show. Tirico is also a dirty, dirty man.

10:09–Titans are down to the 2-yard line. Inertia prevents LenDale from cutting, so he plows into a pile of bodies for no gain.

10:10–NICE pass on the rollout from Vince to Scaife. Touchdown, Titans. Bedtime, Matt.

This post just beat Faggins on a dig route

Sep 23, 2007 2007 Season, Amobi Okoye is 20, Athletes who don't stab people, Batman, Colts Shmolts, DeMeco Ryans, Demarcus Faggins sucks, Posts that list too many players, The Fred, The Schaub Experiment

It wasn’t that long ago that Stephanie admonished me for attacking Chad Stanley the person rather than simply berating Stanley’s performance. While I don’t agree with her, I understand where she was coming from. There are times, however, when a person’s performance is so bad that complaining about the player himself becomes part and parcel of discussing his contributions.

That person, of course, is Petey Faggins.

Last week, Faggins was beat-down to the tune of 3 catches for 47 yards and 2 TDs within Carolina’s first five minutes of possession. This fact was not lost on the Indianapolis Colts. In fact, they did everything short of pointing and laughing derisively at Faggins as they went to the line. Petey might as well have worn a bulls-eye in place of his number 38.

Think about it. A team with at least five weapons in the passing game (Harrison, Wayne, Clark, Gonzales, and Addai)–a team that is known for spreading the ball around among all the receivers–basically said, “you know what… screw it; we’re just going right at number 38.” And did they ever. I need to review the tape for a definite count, but I put the number of passes thrown (and completed) to Faggins’ responsibility somewhere north of 8.

Of course, it’s easy for a QB like Manning to complete passes when the DB is giving his responsibility an 8-yard cushion on every single play. Faggins looked like he was so scared of getting beat deep that he would rather let the person catch the ball in front of him and simply try to make the tackle. This is a bad plan in general. It becomes a truly horrible plan when your team absolutely, positively must have a 3-and-out to get the ball back. Rather than play up even in that dire circumstance, Faggins gave enough cushion that Harrison caught the ball past the first down marker and Petey STILL had to close on him to make the play.

This kind of coverage would be bad enough on its own. Unfortunately, Faggins also screwed up on both of Addai’s TD runs. I’m not sure what is more embarrassing–letting Joseph Addai jump over you because you go too low, too early, or ignoring your outside responsibility, running INTO a block, then failing to disengage in time to even get a hand on the guy who ran right at where you were supposed to be–but both plays were laughably bad. Unless you are a Texans fan, in which case they were still bad, but sans laughter.

Word around the campfire is that People Who Know Things just don’t think rookie Fred Bennett is anywhere close to ready to play CB2 at the NFL level. Well, guess what…neither is Faggins. Are you seriously telling me that Bennett could not play off his receiver, get burned by nearly every receiver he defends, be targeted by opposing offenses, and blow tackling assignments as well as Faggins can? Well that’s a risk I am willing to take. Besides, that would give us 13 games to see if Bennett shows enough skill to make us believe he can take over that role full-time at some point in the near future. If he steps in and does well, we have solved the problem and improved our defense at the same time. If he fails, he can’t be any worse than Faggins has been and it gives us even more reason to pursue Asomugah.

Look, I know all about how Petey is a “really nice guy” and “a hard worker” and all that. Thing is, I don’t care. Not one little bit. Until I see Bennett and Jamar Fletcher look like Moe and Curly out there, you will not be able to convince me that one of them is not better than Faggins.

The good news, Texans fans, is that even with Faggins’ “performance” and enough injuries to make Florence Nightingale say, “yo, hold up,” we still had a chance to win that game with 2:30 left on the clock. That is not something that Texans v. 1.0 would have managed. I smell a list.

Da Good

• Amobi Okoye. That’s three sacks in the last two games for Manchild. The impressive part, though, is the strength he’s shown in blasting through double-teams and closing on the QB once he breaks free.
• The offensive line. While Schaub was technically sacked thrice, the third one hardly counts (other than on the stat sheet), as Schaubby had to hold the ball long enough for the WRs to get 30 or 40 yards downfield. Other than Salaam getting bowled over by a bull rush, the line did a fantastic job against a much quicker front four than they’d previously faced. Their work was even better when you consider that we presented NO running game, so the Colts knew we were throwing.
• Matt Schaub. You know…every time I see Schaub feel a little pressure, escape just far enough to avoid the trouble, and throw an accurate pass to a moving receiver, I cry little tears of joy inside. Watching him march the team down the field in the fourth quarter, I thought to myself, “so this is what it feels like to know you have a quarterback for the next decade or so.”
• Andre’ Davis. Apostrophe was only activated because the other Andre wasn’t able to go today. When Jones went down, however, Davis promptly came in and played like someone who should not have been waiver-wire fodder. The leaping grab he made at the one was nothing short of fantastic.
• The Final Score. No, we didn’t win. But if you told any Texans fan back in April that they would play within a TD of the Super Bowl Champs, despite not having Andre Johnson, Ahman Green, the starting punt returner, or Ron Dayne, and despite only getting one sack, I think they would have taken it.
• The Run Defense. Considering the LBs have to help in pass coverage, read the play, and then close on the RB, the fact that we kept the Colts under 100 yards for the day has to be considered a positive.
• Jerome Mathis. Nice kick return, dude. And a couple nice catches, too. Who are you, and what have you done with Jerome?

Da Bad

• Petey Faggins. Ugh.
• Matt Schaub. He makes this list for one reason–the INT by Gary Brackett. I liked the play call, but you kind of have to make sure that the proper people bit on the play fake before you go to the obvious first read. Tsk, tsk.
• The injury to Cedric Killings. I feel bad for the guy–I might have jinxed him–and I wish him nothing but a speedy and complete recovery. To be fair, though he did drop his head at the last second for some reason. Players are taught from the earliest levels of football not to do this, but Kubiak should still make all his players watch that play and the Kevin Everett injury a couple times, just to reinforce it.
• The injuries. Andre Johnson, Ahman Green, Ron Dayne, Cedric Killings, Steve McKinney, Jacoby Jones. Jeez.
• Petey Faggins.

DeMeco

• 13 tackles. He’s a bad mother.