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Phillips, addition of Joseph leads turnaround of…

info — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:18:01 +0000

Now in the playoffs for the first time, Houston hopes its highly rated defense can lead the team to a victory Saturday against the Bengals, the team Joseph played for before joining the Texans.

“It doesn’t get any better than this,” Joseph said about helping Houston to its first postseason game against his former team.

He has communicated with 20 to 25 of his former teammates this week and is proud of what the Bengals have done this season. But he certainly won’t feel torn Saturday.

“I’m a Texan now,” he said.

Phillips has had a difficult few weeks after having kidney and gall bladder surgery Dec. 15. He missed two games, but rejoined the team last week and coached from the press box Sunday.

He isn’t feeling great — he has a chair to sit in for parts of practice — but knew it was important to be with the team during this critical time.

“It’s taken a lot out of me but I’m working my back, doing what the doctors say, ready to keep building up,” Phillips, who wasn’t available to the media Wednesday, said recently.

Coach Gary Kubiak insisted the defense wasn’t any different with Phillips away, but acknowledged Wednesday that his return has given the unit a boost.

“I know from a confidence standpoint for everybody it’s nice to have him back in the locker room last weekend and have his presence throughout the course of the week, so that’s been a good thing,” Kubiak said. “We’ve got to make sure Wade gets good and healthy and everything goes OK.”

Linebacker Brian Cushing, who leads the team with 114 tackles, said Phillips’ importance to the team can’t be overstated.

“He’s been huge,” Cushing said. “For what he’s done in turning this defense around has been unbelievable. So much credit goes to him, from scheme, to coaches he’s brought to just the personality of the team.”

Joseph has helped Houston’s secondary go from allowing a league-worst 267.5 yards to just 189.7 this season — the third fewest in the NFL.

“To come in and be embraced by the guys and make such an impact to be counted and looked upon as a leader here has been a tremendous experience for me altogether,” Joseph said.

Houston has thrived in Phillips’ 3-4 defense even without 2006 top overall pick Mario Williams. The former defensive end was expected to star at outside linebacker in the new scheme, but had a season-ending injury during the fifth game.

That left the Texans shuffling people around. They moved the other starting outside linebacker Connor Barwin to Williams’ spot and rookie Brooks Reed took Barwin’s slot.

Reed filled the position ably and Barwin flourished this season, piling up a team-leading 11 1/2 sacks.

Barwin, another converted defensive end, said Phillips is quiet and stoic, but has a unique way of motivating players.

“Wade comes in with some gems,” Barwin said. “They might be short and quick but he’s wise.”

Phillips, who has more postseason coaching experience than any member of the staff with 26 games, encouraged the team to focus this week in practice with one of his “gems” of which Barwin is so fond.

“He walks out and says real mellow like he does: ‘Every single play is the playoffs now,’” Barwin said of Phillips. “So we knew every single play we do in practice is so important just because we’re in the playoffs now.”

DeMeco Ryans also credits Phillips for what has happened this year. Of course, the linebacker has helped out in the change this season, starting each game in 2011 after missing 10 games last year with an Achilles injury.

“The biggest key is that from the first day all the guys just bought into Wade’s system and how we were going to do things,” Ryans said. “Everyone in our room just wanted to excel and everyone wanted to be great in our defensive room.”

Ryans knew around the midway point of the season that this group could be special. Kubiak saw it a few weeks sooner, when the defense stopped Pittsburgh and Ben Roethlisberger four times in the fourth quarter of a 17-10 win.

“That was special against a great quarterback in Ben,” Kubiak said. “So you could see the confidence starting to grow right there and they’ve been very consistent all year long. As a matter of fact they’ve been darn good and hopefully they will continue to be, because we will need to play great defense to continue to move on.”

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Why the Cincinnati Bengals Should Be Hopeful About…

info — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:57:00 +0000

When the Cincinnati Bengals travel into Reliant Stadium to take on the Houston Texans, they have more than a few reasons to be confident. I might even go as far as picking the Bengals to win this game.

Much has been made about the Bengals inability to beat a good team —they’re a whopping 0-7 against those within the playoff field. While those numbers do raise some alarm, they’re not as bad as they look on the surface. With the exception of their Week 13 game in Pittsburgh, they haven’t lost a game by more than eight points. Additionally, they don’t have any “bad” losses —losing to teams they shouldn’t (Denver might be an exception, though it’s hard to make that argument when they’re in the playoffs). I’ll readily admit that you need to be able to take down better teams, but the Bengals clearly show where they fall on the quality spectrum. They’ve probably been one of the best teams to set your watch to. They win when they should and lose when they should. They lost to the Baltimore Ravens by seven and eight points, respectively. They lost to the Denver Broncos by two and the San Francisco 49ers by five. Their other game against Pittsburgh found them losing by only seven. Lastly, they lost to the Houston Texans by one. This is a team that can compete.

The Texans, on the other hand, do have a few mind boggling losses. That being said, they also have some impressive wins —Pittsburgh and Atlanta specifically. However, they also carry losses to the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts. You can throw in the Oakland Raiders if you want as well. I’ll give a couple of those teams the benefit of being pretty decent, but they aren’t teams the Houston Texans should lose to. The Titans game gets a free pass because most of the starting Texans were on the bench. What’s more alarming for the Texans is their current three-game losing streak they’re riding into the playoffs —Carolina, Indy, and Tennessee. Being the Texans first ever trip to the playoffs, I’m sure the Bengals are going to run into a raucous crowd at Reliant Stadium. If Dalton and company can’t control that, it could get ugly.

What makes this game difficult is that you have two rookie quarterbacks. T.J Yates hasn’t thrown a touchdown in two-plus games and following Yates’ injury against the Titans, we don’t know if that shoulder will affect his performance. When you look at the numbers of the two teams, they’re relatively even. The slight edge goes to the Texans in most categories, but that also factors in the gaudy offensive numbers they were putting up prior to Matt Schaub’s injury. As it stands now, I think the game is pretty even.

Andy Dalton doesn’t give much more confidence. Despite Dalton having a stellar rookie season, you don’t often like the idea of rookie quarterbacks in the playoffs. In fact, the research I’ve found is that no rookie quarterback has ever won a Super Bowl. That’s an alarming trend for both Bengals and Texans fans.

We don’t need to talk about the Super Bowl yet. Yates and Dalton both have things to take care of before we start thinking about that. While I think it’s a virtual toss up, I think I like Cincinnati.

Bengals 20 Texans 17

Brian is a lifelong NFL fan, specifically of the Chicago Bears, having lived in Illinois his entire life and having followed the NFL throughout.

Sources

Bengals/Texans Preview

Bengals Schedule

Texans Schedule

T.J Yates Stats

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That’s all for today.

Texans ready to move on from 23-22 loss to Titans

info — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:28:35 +0000

The Houston Texans didn’t spend much time worrying about
Sunday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans.

They had much more important concerns with the first playoff
game in franchise history just six days away.

Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes and Houston botched a
2-point conversion at the end of Tennessee’s 23-22 victory at
Reliant Stadium.

The Texans (10-6) will play Cincinnati (9-7) on Saturday in the
first round of the playoffs.

“It’s going to be unbelievable,” said receiver Kevin Walter, a
former Bengal. “We are going to be ready, I tell you that for
sure.”

Tennessee (9-7) earned its first winning record since 2008 in
Mike Munchak’s first season, but its postseason fate depended on
the outcome of later games in Cincinnati, Oakland and Denver.

When the Broncos lost to Kansas City, the Titans were knocked
out of playoff contention.

“I was proud of the guys for bouncing back the last two weeks
and putting ourselves in the position to reach the playoffs,”
Munchak said in a statement, “But we also put ourselves in the
position of needing help and it didn’t work out for us today.”

Houston was locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs
before the game began. With the playoff position secured and
nothing to lose but more players to injury, coach Gary Kubiak
called for a 2-point conversion to avoid overtime and win the game
in regulation.

“You would never go for 2 there in any other situation,” Kubiak
said. “But where we were physically, at the end of the game, I had
a tight end (Garrett Graham) playing linebacker. Our team, I had to
get them to next week.”

Now the Texans will prepare for the biggest game in the team’s
10-year history.

“It’s a different platform that we’ve never played at before,”
linebacker Brian Cushing said. “We’re really excited to showcase
what we’re about as a team and as an organization to the city and
to the fans. This is huge and from here on out this is big-time
football and we’re excited for it.”

Rookie starter T.J. Yates left the game after one series and was
replaced by Jake Delhomme. Kubiak said Yates had a bruised left
shoulder but could’ve returned if necessary.

“Obviously, I didn’t want him to go back in the game,” Kubiak
said. “We’ll know better where we’re at (Monday) at this
point.”

The 36-year-old Delhomme, signed Nov. 29 in the wake of
season-ending injuries to starter Matt Schaub and backup Matt
Leinart, completed 18 of 28 passes, including a 5-yard touchdown
pass to Bryant Johnson with 14 seconds left.

Kubiak called for a 2-point conversion at the end. But after a
false start penalty, backup center Thomas Austin snapped the ball
over Delhomme’s head and the game was over.

The Texans certainly weren’t happy about losing, but won’t spend
any time thinking about what happened on Sunday.

“We’re ripping off the rear-view mirror,” tight end Joel
Dreessen said. “The regular season is over with, and the Texans are
officially invited to the postseason. We open up at home, in one
week. And that’s our focus right now. It’s a whole new season, and
we have to play at our best.”

Chris Johnson ran for 61 yards, and Rob Bironas kicked three
field goals for Tennessee. The Titans needed a Bengals loss and
victories by Oakland and Denver to earn a postseason rematch with
the Texans back in Houston next week.

The Texans had other concerns after the loss.

Yates was sacked on Houston’s first snap by Jurrell Casey and
Derrick Morgan. He completed passes to Dreessen and James Casey for
first downs, before Tate and Derrick Ward started alternating
touches for the rest of the drive.

Tate finished that drive with a touchdown, but Yates came off
the field favoring his left shoulder and went to the locker
room.

Titans defensive end Dave Ball sacked Delhomme and knocked the
ball loose, and safety Chris Hope recovered at the Texans 33.
Hasselbeck threw a 25-yard pass to Jared Cook, then found Donnie
Avery in the corner of the end zone to move Tennessee in front.

Delhomme threw a 16-yard pass to Andre Johnson to get Houston
moving again. Johnson caught two passes and sat out the second half
after missing the previous three games with a strained left
hamstring.

Neil Rackers kicked a 52-yard field goal with 1:09 left in the
first half, but Bironas booted a 43-yarder on the final play before
the break to put Tennessee up 13-10. Bironas extended his own NFL
record by kicking a field goal of 40 yards or longer for the 10th
consecutive game.

The Texans rallied to tie it at 16-all, but Kubiak had most of
his defensive starters on the bench in the fourth quarter. Nate
Washington got behind rookie cornerback Brandon Harris and
third-string safety Quintin Demps for a 23-yard touchdown with 4:31
remaining.

Texans linebacker Jesse Nading recovered a fumble by Ahmard Hall
with less than two minutes left, and Delhomme completed 5 of 6
passes to drive Houston for the late touchdown.

Notes: Wide receiver Andre Johnson played about 20 snaps. Kubiak
said he isn’t ready to play 70 plays next week, but that he should
be able to go 45-50. … Kubiak said Houston OLB Bryan Braman has a
stinger. … Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips worked from the
press box after missing two games following kidney and gall bladder
surgery.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Titans hold off wounded Texans, stay alive

info — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:54:40 +0000

CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 1, 2012

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans talked all week about the importance of beating Tennessee on Sunday to enter the playoffs on the right track.

In the end, coach Gary Kubiak decided keeping his key players healthy entering next week was more important than a victory.

Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes and the Titans kept alive their playoff hopes briefly with a 23-22 victory over Houston on Sunday after the Texans failed to convert a 2-point conversion attempt that would have won the game.

Houston (10-6) will head into its first postseason on a three-game losing streak. The Texans were locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs and Kubiak played mostly reserves in the second half.

“You would never go for two there in any other situation … but I had to get them to next week,” Kubiak said.

The Titans (9-7) earned their first winning record since 2008 in Mike Munchak’s first season, but their postseason fate depended on the outcome of later games in Cincinnati, Oakland and Denver.

Tennessee got some early help when the New York Jets lost in Miami, but was knocked out of playoff contention when the Broncos lost to Kansas City in a late game.

Rookie starter T.J. Yates left the game after one series and was replaced by Jake Delhomme. Kubiak said Yates had a bruised left shoulder but could’ve returned if necessary.

“Obviously, I didn’t want him to go back in the game,” Kubiak said. “We’ll know better where we’re at (Monday) at this point.”

The 36-year-old Delhomme, signed Nov. 29 in the wake of season-ending injuries to starter Matt Schaub and backup Matt Leinart, completed 18 of 28 passes, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to Bryant Johnson with 14 seconds left.

Kubiak called for a 2-point conversion at the end. But after a false start penalty, backup center Thomas Austin snapped the ball over Delhomme’s head and the game was over.

The Texans certainly weren’t happy about losing, but won’t spend any time thinking about what happened on Sunday.

“We’re ripping off the rear-view mirror,” tight end Joel Dreessen said. “The regular season is over with, and the Texans are officially invited to the postseason. We open up at home, in one week. And that’s our focus right now. It’s a whole new season, and we have to play at our best.”

Chris Johnson ran for 61 yards, and Rob Bironas kicked three field goals for Tennessee. The Titans needed a Bengals loss and victories by Oakland and Denver to earn a postseason rematch with the Texans back in Houston next week.

The Texans had other concerns after the loss.

Yates was sacked on Houston’s first snap by Jurrell Casey and Derrick Morgan. He completed passes to Joel Dreessen and James Casey for first downs, before Tate and Derrick Ward started alternating touches for the rest of the drive.

Tate finished that drive with a touchdown, but Yates came off the field favoring his left shoulder and went to the locker room.

Titans defensive end Dave Ball sacked Delhomme and knocked the ball loose, and safety Chris Hope recovered at the Texans 33. Hasselbeck threw a 25-yard pass to Jared Cook, then found Donnie Avery in the corner of the end zone to move Tennessee in front.

Delhomme threw a 16-yard pass to Andre Johnson to get Houston moving again. Johnson caught two passes and sat out the second half after missing the previous three games with a strained left hamstring.

Neil Rackers kicked a 52-yard field goal with 1:09 left in the first half, but Bironas booted a 43-yarder on the final play before the break to put Tennessee up 13-10. Bironas extended his own NFL record by kicking a field goal of 40 yards or longer for the 10th consecutive game.

The Texans rallied to tie it at 16-all, but Kubiak had most of his defensive starters on the bench in the fourth quarter. Nate Washington got behind rookie cornerback Brandon Harris and third-string safety Quintin Demps for a 23-yard touchdown with 4:31 remaining.

Texans linebacker Jesse Nading recovered a fumble by Ahmard Hall with less than two minutes left, and Delhomme completed 5 of 6 passes to drive Houston for the late touchdown.

Notes: Andre Johnson played about 20 snaps. Kubiak said he isn’t ready to play 70 plays next week, but that he should be able to go 45-50. … Kubiak said Houston OLB Bryan Braman has a stinger. … Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips worked from the press box after missing two games following kidney and gall bladder surgery.eld favoring his left shoulder and went to the locker room.

Titans defensive end Dave Ball sacked Delhomme and knocked the ball loose, and safety Chris Hope recovered at the Texans 33. Hasselbeck threw a 25-yard pass to Jared Cook, then found Donnie Avery in the corner of the end zone to move Tennessee in front.

Delhomme threw a 16-yard pass to Andre Johnson to get Houston moving again. Johnson caught two passes and sat out the second half after missing the previous three games with a strained left hamstring.

Neil Rackers kicked a 52-yard field goal with 1:09 left in the first half, but Bironas booted a 43-yarder on the final play before the break to put Tennessee up 13-10. Bironas extended his own NFL record by kicking a field goal of 40 yards or longer for the 10th consecutive game.

The Texans rallied to tie it at 16-all, but Kubiak had most of his defensive starters on the bench in the fourth quarter. Nate Washington got behind rookie cornerback Brandon Harris and third-string safety Quintin Demps for a 23-yard touchdown with 4:31 remaining.

Texans linebacker Jesse Nading recovered a fumble by Ahmard Hall with less than two minutes left, and Delhomme completed 5 of 6 passes to drive Houston for the late touchdown.

Notes

Hall and Titans LT Mike Otto left with “probable” concussions, Munchak said. WR Damian Williams has a rib injury, Munchak said, and would be re-evaluated Monday.
Chris Johnson is the third player in Titans history to reach 1,000 yards rushing in at least four straight seasons, joining Eddie George (1996-2000) and Earl Campbell (1978-81)..
Bironas extended his own NFL record by kicking a field goal of at least 40 yards in his 10th consecutive game.
The Texans dropped to 5-1 in season finales under Kubiak.
Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips worked from the press box after missing two games following kidney and gall bladder surgery.

What do you guys think about this.

Texans lose 3rd in row, 23-22 to Titans

info — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 06:29:26 +0000

The Houston Texans talked all week about the importance of
beating Tennessee on Sunday to enter the playoffs on the right
track.

In the end, coach Gary Kubiak decided keeping his key players
healthy entering next week was more important than a victory.

Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes and the Titans kept
alive their playoff hopes with a 23-22 victory over Houston on
Sunday after the Texans failed to convert a 2-point conversion
attempt that would have won the game.

Houston (10-6) will head into its first postseason on a
three-game losing streak. The Texans were locked into the No. 3
seed in the AFC playoffs and Kubiak played mostly reserves in the
second half.

“You would never go for two there in any other situation … but
I had to get them to next week,” Kubiak said.

The Texans will face Cincinnati in Houston next Saturday
afternoon at Reliant Stadium.

The Titans (9-7) earned their first winning record since 2008 in
Mike Munchak’s first season, but their postseason fate depended on
the outcome of later games in Cincinnati, Oakland and Denver.

Tennessee got some early help when the New York Jets lost in
Miami, but was knocked out of playoff contention when the Broncos
lost to Kansas City in a late game.

Rookie starter T.J. Yates left the game after one series and was
replaced by Jake Delhomme. Kubiak said Yates had a bruised left
shoulder but could’ve returned if necessary.

“Obviously, I didn’t want him to go back in the game,” Kubiak
said. “We’ll know better where we’re at (Monday) at this
point.”

Kubiak called for a 2-point conversion at the end. But after a
false start penalty, backup center Thomas Austin snapped the ball
over Delhomme’s head and the game was over.

The Texans certainly weren’t happy about losing, but won’t spend
any time thinking about what happened on Sunday.

The Texans had other concerns after the loss.

Tate finished that drive with a touchdown, but Yates came off
the field favoring his left shoulder and went to the locker
room.

Texans linebacker Jesse Nading recovered a fumble by Ahmard Hall
with less than two minutes left, and Delhomme completed 5 of 6
passes to drive Houston for the late touchdown.

Notes: Andre Johnson played about 20 snaps. Kubiak said he isn’t
ready to play 70 plays next week, but that he should be able to go
45-50. … Kubiak said Houston OLB Bryan Braman has a stinger. …
Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips worked from the press box after
missing two games following kidney and gall bladder surgery.

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Titans cling to playoff hopes, while Texans seek…

info — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:51:18 +0000

HOUSTON – The Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans have different objectives in mind heading into Sunday’s regular-season finale.

For the Titans (8-7), the goal is clear-cut — win at Reliant Stadium and then hope for the magic combination of losses involving Cincinnati, Denver, Oakland and the New York Jets to earn their first playoff berth since 2008.

And that would set up a rematch with the Texans in the first round of the post-season right back in Houston.

“If we don’t take care of our business, there will be no scoreboard watching,” kicker Rob Bironas said. “We’ll be on the couch watching — for all of January.”

For the Texans (10-5), the incentive is more intangible — regaining the momentum they seem to have lost in two consecutive defeats after reeling off seven straight wins to clinch their first AFC South title.

Houston has nothing at stake in terms of post-season positioning. The Texans are locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC, and will host a game on the first weekend of the playoffs, no matter what happens.

But no one in the locker room wants to go into the franchise’s first post-season game riding a losing streak.

“This game is more important than most people will ever know,” defensive end Antonio Smith said. “You think that since it doesn’t hurt us or help us as far as the playoff run, that it doesn’t matter.

“You’ve got to be firing on all cylinders when you go into the playoffs,” he said. “If not, man, ain’t no telling what will happen.”

The Texans kick-started their regular season with a 41-7 victory in Nashville on Oct. 23. They stayed in first place for the rest of the regular season, despite playing most of their games without star receiver Andre Johnson.

The five-time Pro Bowl selection has been practicing this week, and coach Gary Kubiak expects Johnson to play in the finale. Johnson sat out six games with a right hamstring injury that required minor surgery, started the next two games and then strained his left hamstring. He’s been sidelined for the last three games, and he’s eager to see some action on Sunday, just so he can regain some stamina and timing.

“I’m excited,” Johnson said. “I feel like I haven’t played football all year. It’ll be fun to get back out there and run around a little bit.”

Houston also hopes to have defensive co-ordinator Wade Phillips back calling the plays, but from the press box instead of on the sideline. Phillips, 64, returned to practice this week after undergoing kidney and gall bladder surgery on Dec. 15.

“It’s awesome to have him back,” rookie outside linebacker Brooks Reed said. “He just has that personality where no matter what goes wrong, he’s always calm and I think that is kind of contagious throughout.”

The Titans, meanwhile, only have flickering playoff hopes because of a 23-17 victory over Jacksonville last week. They lost to the previously winless Colts on Dec. 18, a setback that now looms large.

And they also remember how the Texans manhandled them on their home field, holding Tennessee to 148 yards and 11 first downs. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck conceded that the Titans took their divisional rivals too lightly the first time around.

“I think we probably underestimated how good they were physically,” Hasselbeck said. “They’re one of the premier teams in the NFL this year and it just hasn’t been the case sometimes in the past.

“They were fantastic that game we played against them here,” he said. “They were making plays all over the field in all phases and they really took it to us. I think that’s probably the toughest game we’ve played this year in terms of just, we were feeling one thing and they really disrupted what our thoughts were and took it to us.”

Chris Johnson rushed for only 18 yards in that game, but he’s had three 100-yard games since, all Tennessee victories. Johnson needs only 14 yards rushing on Sunday to reach 1,000 yards for the fourth consecutive season.

“We’re fully aware that he can just break out any time,” Reed said, “and we just need to secure edges and just make sure he doesn’t get out in too many open spaces because that’s where he’s dangerous.”

The Texans’ running backs dominated the earlier meeting.

Arian Foster and Ben Tate both went over 100 yards, and Foster also had 100 yards receiving. Foster, named to the Pro Bowl for the second straight season, has seven 100-yard games this year and has topped 100 yards rushing in Houston’s last two season finales, both victories.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

My Week 17 Picks for the AFC South Division: A…

info — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:44:00 +0000

In week 16, I posted a 1-1 mark with my predictions for the AFC South division. The Tennessee Titans made me look good in beating the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the Houston Texans were surprisingly beaten by the Indianapolis Colts. Despite just a 2-3 record over the past two weeks, my overall record still stands at a respectable 34-14. Here is a look at how I think the teams in the division will fare against one another in the last week of the 2011 NFL season.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts:

As mentioned earlier, the Indianapolis Colts earned their second straight win, knocking off the Houston Texans 19-16. Dan Orlovsky played efficient, completing 23-of-41 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown, while the ground game totaled just 95 yards on 32 rushing attempts. Reggie Wayne also had a solid game for the Colts, hauling in eight catches for 106 yards, including the game-winning touchdown.

On the other side, we have a Jaguars’ team, who played the Titans close last week, but still came up a bit short. With rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert struggling, Maurice Jones-Drew has been forced to shoulder the offensive load for a majority of the season. Last week, Drew rushed for 103 yards on 24 attempts and caught six passes for 21 yards, while Gabbert threw for 198 yards, completing just 50 percent of his 42 passing attempts.

This game is difficult to predict because the Colts have been terrible against the run this season, which should favor the Jaguars. However, in week 15, they limited Chris Johnson to under 60 yards en route to their first victory on the season. In week 16, they gave up 158 yards to Arian Foster and the result was still a victory. I haven’t picked the Colts often this year, but I will give them the edge this week, especially if they do a good job of containing Jones-Drew.

Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans:

Two weeks ago, the Texans were 10-3 and were a strong contender for the top seed in the AFC. However, following two straight losses to the Carolina Panthers and the Colts, they have to settle for the third seed. With that being said, the Texans will probably be more concerned with resting their starters for the postseason instead of winning this game. The Titans on the other hand, will have a sense of urgency in this match-up because they still have a slim chance of making the playoffs. With that being said, I think the Titans will emerge victorious in this one.

James Tillman is a resident of the Chicago-land area who has been an NFL fan for over 20 years. James is also a fan blogger on Yahoo Sports and NJFFL Dynasty. For interesting topics on the NFL, NBA and MLB, follow him on Twitter @jtillman9693.

Sources:

Week 17 NFL Picks and Predictions

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2012 Mock Draft: SB Nation Has Houston Taking A…

info — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 04:36:52 +0000

By Jeremy Mauss

– Newsdesk contributor

2012 NFL mock drafts are starting to come out and so far the Texans are looking at defense with their first pick.

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Dec 24, 2011 – The Houston Texans are a playoff team for the first time in franchise history which means they should be picking somewhere in the 20s for their first round pick. The Texans defense is already one of the best in the NFL but even with a good defense SB Nation’s first mock draft projects the Texans taking a nose tackle:

26. Houston Texans – Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis Tigers
Houston’s defense has been great this season. Imagine what they’ll do next year with a healthy Mario Williams and 350-pound guy who also possesses the athletic ability of a 300-pound defensive lineman at the nose tackle position.

Over at SB Nation’s NFL Draft blog Mocking the Draft, they have the Texans also taking Dontari Poe but at the No. 29 pick:

29. Houston Texans – Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis
The Wade Phillips defense has never really been built around nose tackle, but imagine what a guru like him could do with a player like Poe. Arguably the best nose eligible for the draft, Poe is a hulking figure up front who can occupy blockers and collapse the line. He’d take some pressure of ends J.J. Watt and Antonio Smith, which will allow Houston’s linebackers to make even more plays. The biggest beneficiaries of playing with someone like Poe will be Houston’s inside linebackers.

For more on the Houston Texans go check out Battle Red Blog, and for all things releated to the NFL Draft head over to Mocking the Draft.

Read More: 2012 nfl draft, Mario Williams (LB – HOU), Dontari Poe (DL – Memphis), Houston Texans, Memphis Tigers

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That’s all for today.

Houston’s chances at playoff bye hurt by…

info — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:21:24 +0000

In what looked like it would be merely a playoff tuneup, the Texans looked anything but ready in a 19-16 loss on Thursday night. They settled for two field goals in the red zone, didn’t convert a third down until getting a lucky bounce late in the fourth quarter and struggled to run late in the game after Arian Foster shredded the Colts defense for three quarters.

All this against a team that lost its first 13 games.

“We had chances to put it away,” Texans quarterback T.J. Yates said. “We couldn’t get it in the end zone. That’s very disappointing. We have to score more points.”

The Texans (10-5) committed 11 penalties for 84 yards, and many of them bailed the Colts out of trouble.

“We had four or five roughing calls,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “We’ve got to go back and see why. We’ve got to be tough enough to fix those penalties.”

When Brian Cushing broke through the line on the game’s first play, sacking Dan Orlovsky and stripping the ball, it looked as if it could be a replica of the teams’ first meeting, a 34-7 blowout. Foster ran for 8 yards on the next play, then scored on a 9-yard burst off the left side to give Houston a 7-0 lead.

The Texans never reached the end zone again. Instead of getting a win against their longtime tormentors, they added a clip to Reggie Wayne’s highlight film.

Wayne, who has an expiring contract and might not return to Indy next season, caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Orlovsky with 19 seconds left, giving the Colts their only lead of the game.

It’s the second straight win for the Colts (2-13), who will now have to fight off St. Louis and Minnesota for the No. 1 overall draft pick. Orlovsky, who played the last two seasons with Houston, also won his second straight game after losing his first nine NFL starts.

Foster carried 23 times for 158 yards but the Colts repeatedly stopped the Texans’ runners in the red zone.

“We didn’t turn the ball over nearly as much as we did in that (first) game,” Caldwell said. “But beyond that, I think we were pretty good at protecting the ball. I think our defense played extremely well even though they ran for 171 yards. It was kind of a bend but don’t break defense, but when they had to stop them in the red zone, they stopped them in the red zone.

Nobody got into the end zone again until Orlovsky took the Colts 78 yards in the final two minutes, thanks in part to three costly Houston penalties, two of them against rookie defensive end J.J. Watt. After a pass interference call against Glover Quinn put the ball at the Texans 1, Orlovsky lobbed the ball into the corner of the end zone and Wayne beat the coverage to make the catch.

“All in all, it was a great team win,” Caldwell said. “When the offense needed a drive, we got it. When we needed a field goal we got it. When we needed a stop we got it.”

Orlovsky was 23 of 41 for 244 yards with the one TD. Joseph Addai ran 19 times for 59 yards.

Yates wound up 13 of 16 for 132 yards in a return to his hometown.

And this one go down as the final home game for not only Wayne and Orlvosky, but also key Colts cornerstones such as Jeff Saturday and Robert Mathis — and possibly even Peyton Manning, though Colts owner Jim Irsay told NFL Network that if Peyton Manning plays in 2012, it will be in Indianapolis.

NOTES: Before the game, Colts owner Jim Irsay told NFL Network that if Peyton Manning plays next year, it will be in Indianapolis. … Wayne also moved past Rod Smith for No. 18 on the NFL’s career receptions list. Smith finished with 849. Wayne now has 854. … Houston’s four-game winning streak came to an end. … Adam Vinatieri missed a 42-yard field goal just before halftime, ending his streak of 33 consecutive field goals made at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cliffbruntap

There is the quick update of the day.

Houston Texans fall to Colts

info — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:13:21 +0000

by MICHAEL MAROT / AP Sports Writer

khou.com

Posted on December 22, 2011 at 10:59 PM

Updated
Thursday, Dec 22 at 11:30 PM

INDIANAPOLIS– Reggie Wayne caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Dan Orlovsky with 19 seconds left and the Indianapolis Colts beat the Houston Texans 19-16 Thursday night.

The Colts (2-13) have now won two straight, both against division foes, behind Orlovsky, the former Texans quarterback who lost his first nine NFL starts.

AFC South champion Houston hardly looked playoff-ready. It settled for two red-zone field goals, didn’t convert a third down until getting a lucky bounce late in the fourth quarter, its running game was stymied late and the defense helped the Colts with three penalties on the decisive drive.

The Texans fell to 0-10 in Indianapolis.

Arian Foster had 23 carries for 158 yards and scored on the Texans’ only touchdown on the third play of the game.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

NFL preview capsule: Houston Texans at…

info — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:41:19 +0000

By Stephen F. Holder, Times Staff WriterTampa Bay Times
In Print: Thursday, December 22, 2011

TONIGHT

Texans (10-4) at Colts (1-13)

8:20; NFL Network, 1010-AM. Line/over-under: Texans by 6; 40½

T.J. Yates came back to earth in Sunday’s home loss to the Panthers. The Texans’ third-string quarterback threw two interceptions after throwing one in his first three starts. Can he pull it together? Maybe. But what seems more certain is the Colts offense isn’t dynamic enough to trump the Houston defense the way Carolina did last week. It’s one thing to put up 27 points (as the Colts did in their first win last week) against the Titans. But that’s unlikely against the Texans.

Stephen F. Holder’s pick: Texans 24, Colts 17

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

Former Oilers fan contributes to Houston Texans’…

info — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:38:46 +0000

Mister Alexander was 8 years old when the Houston Oilers packed
their bags and headed east to Tennessee after the 1996 season.

“When they left, I didn’t have a favorite team,” Alexander
said.

The Houston Texans franchise played its inaugural season in
2002, but Alexander, who was just beginning high school at Aldine
Eisenhower, never jumped on board as a Texans fan.

Fast forward nine years and the 23-year-old rookie is helping
the franchise achieve its best season to date, on defense and
special teams.

The Texans became the first Houston-based NFL franchise to
qualify for the playoffs since the 1993 Oilers.

“It’s pretty special because I have a lot of people backing me
– friends, people I went to school with, family,” Alexander
said.

Houston (10-4) will visit the Indianapolis Colts (1-13) on
Thursday, and they hope to return to Lucas Oil Stadium on Feb. 5
for Super Bowl XLVI.

The 6-foot-3, 227-pound inside linebacker enjoyed a stellar
senior season at Florida State, graduating with a degree in Social
Science/Economics.

While Alexander was leading the Seminoles’ defense, most people
in Houston were paying attention to the Big 12 or the University of
Houston Cougars.

“A lot of people didn’t see me play,” Alexander said. “A lot of
people didn’t know I was still playing football until they saw my
name on the news. It’s pretty cool to come back home…I feel very
special to be part of (the Texans).”

Alexander played against Texans starting quarterback T.J. Yates
in college, when the signal-caller was leading the University of
North Carolina.

“(In a FSU-UNC game) I was blitzing, and he spun out on me and
ran for a touchdown,” Alexander said. “My senior year, I sacked
him. So, we’re kind of even. They beat us one time, and beat them
one time.”

PATH TO THE TEXANS

The 2011 NFL season started out as a tough one for rookies,
especially undrafted rookies.

Alexander wasn’t selected in the 2011 NFL Draft in April. The
Draft took place during the NFL Lockout, so teams couldn’t sign
free agents after the draft as they normally do each year.

That meant that potential free agents had to work out, stay in
shape and hope an agreement would be reached.

Alexander worked out at Eisenhower and Northland Christian,
where his former head coach, Daryl Phipps, is now the defensive
coordinator.

“He’s been the guy I’ve turned to, starting from high school,”
Alexander said. “He’s the person that showed me the most attention
and he saw a little promise in me. He coached me from football to
track. He was always my coach.”

Phipps and Northland Christian strength and conditioning coach
Steve Swanson helped Alexander prepare for the NFL season.

He enjoyed being around the Eisenhower and Northland players and
coached the Eisenhower 7-on-7 football team last summer.

After the lockout ended, the Texans signed Alexander, and he was
a member of the practice squad.

Houston activated Alexander after inside linebacker Darryl
Sharpton was placed on injured reserve due to a shoulder
injury.

Alexander made two tackles in his professional debut, a 30-12
victory over the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 6 at Reliant Stadium.

He primarily plays special teams for the Texans but enjoys
playing defense, especially for Houston defensive coordinator Wade
Phillips.

““I like playing for him because he’s a player’s coach,”
Alexander said. “He’s a down to earth coach. He actually coaches,
and he’s a teacher, too.”

Leave any suggestions in the comment box.

Houston Texans Postgame Notes vs Panthers

info — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:24:43 +0000

CAROLINA PANTHERS 28
HOUSTON TEXANS 13
Paid Attendance: 71,540

THE TEXANS…
· Set the franchise single-season sack record with the 38th of the year when NT Earl Mitchell tackled Carolina QB Cam Newton for no gain in the first quarter, breaking the previous mark of 37 set in 2005. The Texans entered the game with 36 sacks on the year.

· Trailed at the end of the first quarter, at halftime and through three quarters for the second consecutive week and the third time this season in each instance. Houston fell to 1-2 in all three instances.

· Were shut out in the first half for the first time this season.

· Scored on their opening drive of the second half for the eighth time this season and for the second consecutive week when K Neil Rackers booted a 26-yard field goal.

· Team captains were C Chris Myers on offense; ILB Brian Cushing, ILB DeMeco Ryans and DE Antonio Smith on defense; and K Neil Rackers representing the special teams.

· The Texans won the toss and elected to receive.

· Total paid attendance was 71,540, which was the third-largest crowd this season and third-largest in team history. The Houston Texans have sold out all 99 home games, including preseason and regular-season contests, in franchise history.

G THOMAS AUSTIN
· Made his professional debut, taking the field with the kickoff return unit on the opening kickoff.

OLB CONNOR BARWIN
· Sacked Carolina QB Cam Newton for a 10-yard loss on the Panthers’ opening drive, giving him 10.5 for the year. Barwin became the second Texan to notch double-digit sacks in a season, joining Mario Williams, who did so in 2007 and 2008.

G ANTOINE CALDWELL
· Made his first start of the season at RG. He started seven games in 2010, including the last three games of the season.

ILB BRIAN CUSHING
· Led the team with 12 tackles, including nine solos and one tackle for loss. It was the 10th game this season in which Cushing led the team or tied for the team lead in tackles.

TE OWEN DANIELS
· Extended his streak of consecutive games played with a reception to 67 on a 17-yard reception in the third quarter.

FS QUINTIN DEMPS
· Returned a fourth-quarter kickoff 50 yards. It was his longest kick return as a Texan and his longest since 11/23/08 when he had a 100-yard return for a touchdown at Baltimore as a Philadelphia Eagle.

RB ARIAN FOSTER
· Surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season on is seventh carry of the game, a gain of 18. The run gave him 1,010 yards on the year, making him the second player in team history to top 1,000 rushing yards in consecutive season along with Domanick Williams in 2003-04.

· Became the fifth player in NFL history to surpass 1,000 rushing yards and 600 receiving yards in consecutive seasons. He topped 600 receiving yards on the year with his fifth catch of the day, a 22-yard gain in the fourth quarter, which gave him 601 yards on the season.

· Went over 100 yards for the sixth time this season and the 14th time in his career. He topped the century mark on a 6-yard gain in the fourth quarter, his 13th rush of the game, and finished with 109 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

· Scored his ninth rushing touchdown of the season and the 28th of his career when he dove into the end zone from 2 yards out. Foster has scored a rushing touchdown in eight of Houston’s last nine games.

WR BRYANT JOHNSON
· Doubled his season reception total with a pair of catches on Houston’s second drive. He entered the game with two receptions for 22 yards on the year and caught two passes for 23 yards on that drive.

WR JACOBY JONES
· Returned a third-quarter punt 42 yards. It was his fifth return of 40 or more yards this season.

WR JEFF MAEHL
· Made his NFL debut after being signed off of the Texans’ practice squad on Wednesday. Maehl saw his first action on the punt return unit in the first quarter.

NT EARL MITCHELL
· Registered his first sack of the season when he tackled Carolina QB Cam Newton for no gain in the first quarter. It was his second career sack.

K NEIL RACKERS
· Scored seven points in the game to increase his season total to 115, tying Kris Brown’s 2007 point total for the third-most in franchise history.

FB LAWRENCE VICKERS
· Caught his fourth pass of the game, a four-yarder in the third quarter, to set a career single-game high. Vickers’ previous high was three receptions on 11/4/07 vs. Seattle as a member of the Cleveland Browns.

DE J.J. WATT
· Tied a career high with seven tackles, including five solos, one tackle for loss and one quarterback hit. He also made seven tackles in Week 12 at Jacksonville (11/27).

QB T.J. YATES
· Completed his first eight pass attempts, gaining 60 yards on those throws. His ninth pass of the game was tipped at the line of scrimmage and fell incomplete.

· Finished the game 19-of-30 for 212 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 56.5.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Texans’ Wade Phillips condition upgraded to good

info — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:09:38 +0000

The Houston Texans announced today that defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ condition continues to improve after undergoing surgery on his kidney and gallbladder yesterday.

“His condition has been upgraded to good,” the Texans said in a statement.

It was reported on Wednesday that 64-year-old Phillips would be taking a medical leave of absence from the team. He is expected to return to the club sometime this season.

Under Phillips, the Texans defense has allowed the fewest amount of yards per game in the NFL this season. The club has also allowed the fourth fewest points against in the league. Despite the team’s offensive injuries, the Texans have posted a 10-3 record, which ranks them atop the AFC South.

Gotta run!.

Division clinched, Texans focus on bigger goals…

info — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 02:17:00 +0000

HOUSTON – The setbacks finally seemed to catch up to the Houston Texans in Cincinnati last week.

It had all been going remarkably well — while one key player after another went down with a major injury, Houston somehow continued to win.

At last, the Texans had run into a team good enough to beat them, and the Bengals had them down 16-3 at halftime, and 19-13 with just over two minutes left.

But not even that was too much for depleted Houston to overcome.

Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates, a fifth-round pick, calmly guided the Texans on an 80-yard touchdown drive that ended up lifting the young franchise to its first AFC South title and first playoff berth.

Houston (10-3) has won seven in a row going into Sunday’s game against Carolina (4-9), and with the franchise’s first post-season berth secured, the expansion team with the mostly dismal history is taking aim at the Super Bowl.

And the way this season is unfolding, who’s to say the Texans can’t get there?

“The division was one of our goals, but not our main goal,” running back Arian Foster said, “and there’s a lot more at stake out there for us to go grab. It’s an opportunity that doesn’t come along a lot in the NFL, so you have to take advantage of it, and that’s what we’re working towards doing.”

Of course, the Texans are dealing with more obstacles this week.

Star receiver Andre Johnson is likely to sit out for the second straight week with a strained left hamstring, and defensive co-ordinator Wade Phillips is taking a medical leave following kidney surgery. Phillips expects to miss a week to 10 days, and linebackers coach Reggie Herring will run the league’s top-ranked defence.

Phillips has orchestrated a dramatic turnaround, transforming a defence that ranked 30th last season (377 yards per game) to No. 1 this year (275 yard per game). The 102-yard improvement would be the best in NFL history, and coach Gary Kubiak expects nothing to change in Phillips’ absence.

“Our guys, they’ve showed such maturity all year long, through adversity and any issues,” Kubiak said. “They understand the situation, and also want Wade to be sitting there watching them play Sunday and make him proud.

“I watch guys continue to find a little bit more in themselves, week in and week out,” he said. “That’s what our team is all about.”

The Texans have held their last seven opponents below 20 points, but doing that against rookie quarterback Cam Newton this week will be a major task.

With Newton at the helm, the Panthers have made nearly as drastic a reversal on offence as Houston has on defence. Carolina ranks fifth in total offence (399 yards per game) after ranking last in 2010 (258.4 yards per game).

“It does start with the quarterback,” first-year coach Ron Rivera said. “Quite frankly, that position has really been solidified with Cam, as he’s developing and learning the system.”

Newton needs 167 yards passing to top Peyton Manning’s rookie record, set in 1998 (3,739 yards). The top overall pick in last year’s draft, Newton already set a rookie mark with 432 yards passing in a 30-23 loss to Green Bay in Week 2, and his 13 rushing touchdowns are a single-season record for a quarterback.

“The young man’s everything we hoped he would be,” Rivera said.

The hardest part for Kubiak this week may have been trying to simulate Carolina’s offence in practice. Not only do the Panthers run what Kubiak calls an “unconventional” offence, the Texans have no one who can adequately mimic what Newton does.

“I said, ‘Hey guys, I’d love to tell you we can give you a good look in practice of what you’re going to face this week, but we can’t,’” Kubiak said. “We’re going to do our best. You’ve got to respect what he is, as an athlete and what he can do to you. It’s a different challenge because of what they do and all his ability.”

On top of that, Newton gets to work with one of the league’s top receivers.

Steve Smith leads the NFC and ranks second overall in yards receiving (1,217) and became the 35th player to reach 10,000 career yards receiving in last week’s loss to Atlanta. He needs 10 catches to become Carolina’s career leader, passing Muhsin Muhammad (696).

Smith should match up with top Houston cornerback Johnathan Joseph, who has four interceptions. Joseph remembers three previous encounters with Smith during his five-year stint in Cincinnati.

“He hasn’t changed anything,” Joseph said. “He’s just a guy that goes up and competes on each and every play. In this league, that’s all you can ask for from the guy you’re opposing, a guy that’s going to compete, whether it’s a jump ball or a hitch.

“He can take it 80 or 90 yards, that’s just what he’s about, competing from the beginning to the end of a ballgame.”

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.