By Alfie Crow

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Nov 4, 2011 – The Cleveland Browns bring their struggling offense to Reliant Stadium to take on the Houston Texans. No one seems to think the Browns will be able to score enough points to win the game, however.

Every NFL expert on ESPN.com picked the Houston Texans to win, as did every expert on CBSSports.com.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated doesn’t give the Browns much of a chance, either:

Andre Johnson hurt his hamstring Oct. 2 against Pittsburgh. The team said at the time he’d either be out a few days or three or four weeks. This is the fifth week without Johnson being back to normal, and it looks iffy whether he’ll play. Why is there no panic in the Houston streets? Because the Texans have learned to play well without Johnson. With him starting, they’ve averaged 27 points a game this year; without him starting, they’ve averaged 25.

Houston 27, Cleveland 12

Peter Schrager, like everyone else picks Houston to win but thinks the game will actually be close. Just kidding.

Cleveland at Houston: The Texans are 28-2 under Gary Kubiak when running the ball 30 times in a game, something they did in last week’s win over the Jaguars. They’re also 3-0 in the AFC South for the first time in franchise history and the defense has held opponents to less than 200 total yards in consecutive weekends for the first time ever. It’s tempting to take Colt McCoy in his “homecoming” trip to Houston, but he’s struggled in Pat Shurmur’s short-passing offense of late and there’s just not enough firepower on that offense to keep up with Houston. Everyone in the media tripped all over themselves while praising the Cleveland front office back in April for their draft day trade, but couldn’t this team use Julio Jones?

The pick: Texans 28, Browns 13

For more on the Cleveland Browns, visit SB Nation’s Browns blog Dawgs by Nature. For more on the Houston Texans, visit SB Nation’s Texans blog Battle Red Blog.

Read More: Andre Johnson (WR – HOU), Colt McCoy (QB – CLE), Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – The Houston Texans have been a team on the
rise for the past few seasons, but Sunday’s thrashing of the Tennessee Titans
may finally have served as the franchise’s coming out party.

Still in search of their first ever playoff appearances, the young Texans were
a trendy pick to make some noise last year following a 9-7 campaign in 2009.
However, the club stumbled to a 6-10 mark as injury and inconsistent play
plagued the team all season.

If Houston failed to register on the decibel scale in 2010, the recent 41-7
pounding of the Titans may have been its “Helter Skelter.” The Texans recorded
their largest margin of victory in team history and the road win moved them
ahead of the Titans and into first place in the division by a half-game.

“It’s hard going on the road and that was a pretty big game and when you get a
chance to win like that, to grasp it and play the way we played in the second
half, it made me feel good,” said head coach Gary Kubiak.

It’s no surprise that the best win in Texans’ history may have been their most
complete. They outgained the Titans 518-148 and saw both Arian Foster and Ben
Tate run for over 100 yards. Foster, the league’s reigning rushing champion,
added another 119 receiving yards — the bulk of that on a 78-yard touchdown
reception — and found the end zone three times on the day while becoming the
32nd player in NFL history to post 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same
game.

Foster was slowed early on by a nagging hamstring injury, but has totaled 685
yards from scrimmage over his last four games.

“Anytime that you can run the ball, especially in our offense, it opens up the
passing game because a lot of what we do is predicated off of play-action –
anytime that you can run the ball effectively it takes pressure off your
quarterback,” said Foster.

Quarterback Matt Schaub needed the breather. He had been sacked seven times
over the previous two games, but managed 296 passing yards and a career-high
147.7 passer rating without getting sacked once. Impressively, Schaub’s big
outing came despite star wide receiver Andre Johnson missing his third game in
a row due to hamstring injury.

Houston has now won both of its division games this year and begins four-game
stretch over five weeks in which it can pull away in the AFC South, a division
that is wide open thanks to Peyton Manning’s injury that has left the usual
juggernauts, the Indianapolis Colts, 0-7.

The Texans host the 2-5 Jaguars this Sunday and then welcome the 3-3 Browns to
town before visiting Tampa Bay prior to a Nov. 20 bye. Houston then comes out
of the break with a road game against Jacksonville. Taking three of four in
that span — including both over the struggling Jags — will put the Texans in
the driver’s seat towards a postseason spot.

“It is big for us. To be 2-0 in the division at this point coming up on the
halfway point, we have nine more games left, so there is nothing handed out
just yet,” cautioned Schaub. “We have got to get ready to play a Jacksonville
team at our place, but it is a big step for this team.”

The Texans were 4-2 at this point last year coming out of a bye, but went on
to lose eight of their next nine games to fall out of contention. That history
should have Houston prepared for what is to come.

“We’re not out trying to make statements; we’re trying to win ball games and
that’s the main thing,” said Foster. “We’re going to go back to work this week
and whatever happens happens, but I won’t get caught up in this being a
statement game, that’s not what we’re focused on.”

Kubiak had good and bad news for his club on Monday. The head coach revealed
that safety Danieal Manning had to have surgery on a fractured left tibia
suffered the previous day and will miss at least four weeks.

However, Kubiak added that both Johnson and fullback James Casey (chest) could
play this weekend.

BENGALS’ SCOTT READY TO STEP IN; SO IS JONES

Chances for running back Bernard Scott haven’t come often, so the third-year
back has to make the most of it when he is on the field.

Scott will get a chance to show his stuff this Sunday as he is the expected
starter versus the Seattle Seahawks while Cedric Benson serves his one-game
suspension.

The Bengals knew that the suspension to Benson was coming — it was originally
a three-game ban that was reduced — so that may be the reason Scott got a
season-high 11 carries two weekends ago versus the Colts. The 198-pound back
also got some extra work as the club was off this past weekend.

The additional time to prepare should be big for Scott, who hasn’t rushed for
100 yards in a game since Nov. 22, 2009 during his rookie year and didn’t post
more than 50 on the ground in a game last year. Offensive coordinator Jay
Gruden doesn’t expect to alter his approach without Benson, even with the
Seahawks yielding a respectable 105 yards per game on the ground.

“We’re not going to stop running the ball because their good. We’re going to
challenge our offensive line, our fullbacks, backs and tight ends and see what
they can do,” said Gruden.

Sunday could also mark the season debut of cornerback Adam Jones, who began
the season on the physically unable to perform list due to a herniated disc in
his neck. The oft-troubled Jones practiced on Monday.

“I feel like I’m ready to go. I’ve done a great job preparing, the coaches
have been a great job preparing me. I give them all the credit for it,” said
Jones. “I’m just taking it one day at a time and when it’s time for my number
to be called, I’ll be ready.”

Jones will add depth to a secondary that features starters Leon Hall and Nate
Clements and has helped the Bengals rank second overall in total defense
despite the offseason loss of Johnathan Joseph.

One has to wonder just how much Jones will be able to give right away. The 28-
year-old former first-round pick, who can also help in the return game, has
played in just five games since the start of the 2009 season.

The Sports Network

Houston, TX (Sports Network) – Still recovering from minor leg surgery,
Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson will miss Sunday’s game against the
Tennessee Titans.

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said Friday that Johnson is “not where he needs
to be.” Kubiak said the receiver is doing well, but needs to make another step
in his recovery before the team is comfortable with him playing.

Johnson underwent the procedure October 4 to repair a right hamstring injury
suffered two days earlier, in a game against Pittsburgh. During the second
quarter of the 17-10 win, he turned upfield after making a catch and went
down without being hit, grabbing the back of his right leg immediately.

Playing without the star receiver — who has scored 52 touchdowns and racked
up 9,516 yards for Houston since 2003 — will be an added challenge for the
Texans, who have lost their last two contests without him.

Houston is 3-3 as it heads into Sunday’s divisional showdown against the
Titans in Nashville. Tennessee is 3-2 and leads the AFC South, half a game in
front of the Texans.

The Sports Network

By Scott Schroeder

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Oct 14, 2011 – The Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens looked like it would be a pretty evenly matched game just a couple of weeks ago, but fast forward to Sunday and one will see that the Texans will be missing two of their best players in Andre Johnson and Mario Williams. Knowing that, it would seem to make sense that the Week 6 NFL picks and predictions will probably favor the hosting Ravens.

First up on the stroll through this week’s NFL expert picks is SB Nation’s own Andrew Sharp. Sharp went 7-6 against the spread last week, but who really counts picks against the spread when you play to win the game.

Houston at Baltimore (-8.5) … Baltimore’s my early favorite to win the AFC, but the Texans are too good to be getting 8.5 points on the road. Right? It just… It’s really scary to bet on Kubiak-coached team.

The experts at CBS Sports were unanimous in selecting the Ravens to win outright, but Will Brinson and Dave Richard both chose the Texans when factoring in the spread. Over at ESPN, the Ravens were the unanimous pick as well and Sports Illustrated’s Peter King believes the Texans will lose, too.

With the injuries, it’s easy to see why the Ravens are the pick of the experts this week, but one never knows when Arian Foster, or his counterpart in Ray Rice, might make things interesting.

Read More: Andre Johnson (WR – HOU), Mario Williams (LB – HOU), Arian Foster (RB – HOU), Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens, Oct 16, 2011 4:05 PM EDT

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Mark Berman
KRIV-TV

HOUSTON — Houston Texans linebacker Mario Williams suffered a torn pectoral muscle on Sunday and will miss the rest of the season, FOX 26 Sports has learned.

Williams suffered the injury in the first quarter of the Texans’ 25-20 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

He left the game and didn’t return to action but did watch the second half from the sideline.

Texans officials have not been available for comment.

Williams is expected to have surgery this week.

Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson kneels on the field after a 25-20 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday in Houston. / Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle

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(Sports Network) – After nearly posting the first 3-0 start in club history,
the Houston Texans must rebound this week against a Pittsburgh Steelers team
that is still in the process of putting an embarrassing season-opening loss
behind them.

The Steelers will likely have to contend with Arian Foster this Sunday at
Reliant Stadium, and Texans head coach Gary Kubiak thinks the former rushing
champ has finally put behind a nagging hamstring injury that has held him out
of two of Houston’s three games this year.

“He’s fine. Like I said, he should be okay heading into the rest of the season
now hopefully,” Kubiak said mid-week. “We’ll keep our fingers crossed. He’s
chomping at the bit and ready to go.”

Houston won its season opener without Foster, then overcame his early exit to
down Miami in Week 2. The 25-year-old then sat out last Sunday’s back-and-forth
meeting with the New Orleans Saints, one that ended in a 40-33 defeat for the
Texans.

The two clubs traded the lead five times, but the Texans suffered from
multiple missed opportunities after settling for four Neil Rackers field goals
from within 40 yards. Houston lost despite posting nearly 500 yards of offense
and punting only twice.

“We had more than enough chances in the red zone [last week], and when you do
that you’ve got to come away with sevens and not threes,” said quarterback Matt
Schaub, who threw for 373 yards with three touchdown passes. “We just settled
for too many field goals [last week] and we’ve got to figure out a way to come
away with touchdowns.”

Houston can still put together its first three-game winning streak at home
since Dec. 13, 2009-Sept. 12, 2010, and will try to do so against the Steelers,
who are just happy to be 2-1 after escaping with a 23-20 win at Indianapolis
last weekend.

The Colts hung tight despite playing without quarterbacks Peyton Manning and
Kerry Collins in the game’s late stages, and Pittsburgh triggerman Ben
Roethlisberger shook off three turnovers to pass for 364 yards. That included
an 81-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Mike Wallace.

The Steelers broke a 13-13 tie when James Harrison forced a fourth-quarter
fumble that Troy Polamalu scooped up and took 16 yards for a score. Indy
countered to pull back even later on, but Shaun Suisham was good on a 38-yard
field goal with four seconds left to put Pittsburgh ahead.

“I don’t care how it looks, we just want to get out of stadiums with wins,
particularly road stadiums and AFC ones,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin
said. “We made the necessary plays on offense and defense and special teams.”

Pittsburgh picked up a second straight win following a 35-7 defeat to
Baltimore in Week 1, but has a turnover ratio of minus-9 on the season. Tomlin
knows his team must protect the ball better this weekend.

“This is why they concern me: we are not doing a good enough job of protecting
the ball, and we are not doing a good enough job of getting it,” Pittsburgh’s
head coach said. “Those two things together make you extremely uncomfortable.”

Not helping matters for Tomlin is an offensive line that could be without
tackle Jonathan Scott (ankle) and guard Doug Legursky (shoulder) this weekend,
while tackle Marcus Gilbert could play despite a shoulder ailment.

SERIES HISTORY

The Texans and Steelers have faced one another three times previously in
regular-season play, with Pittsburgh winning the two most recent matchups
following a 24-6 home loss to Houston in 2002. The Steelers exacted revenge
via a 27-7 rout in 2005 in their only all-time visit to Reliant Stadium, and
also defeated the Texans by a 38-17 count at Heinz Field in the 2008 season
opener.

Pittsburgh’s 2008 win over Houston marked the first head-to-head meeting
between Tomlin and Kubiak, as well as each’s only prior encounter with his
counterpart’s respective team.

WHEN THE STEELERS HAVE THE BALL

Despite Roethlisberger (942 passing yards, 3 TD, 4 INT) having accounted for
eight turnovers through the first three weeks, the Steelers’ passing attack
still ranks eighth overall in the league at 294.7 yards per game. That is
because Wallace (21 receptions, 2 TD) continues to come into his own as one of
the most dangerous wideouts in the game. He posted a career-high 144 yards a
week ago, his sixth straight 100-yard receiving game, and needs one more outing
of surpassing the century mark to tie former Houston Oiler Charley Hannigan
(1961) and ex-Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin (1995) for the longest streak in NFL
history. Roethlisberger did throw for a career-high 171 yards in the first
quarter of last week’s matchup and engineered his 24th career game-winning
drive. He is three touchdown passes shy of becoming only the second quarterback
in Steelers history to reach 150 in a career (Terry Bradshaw, 212). If Wallace
isn’t open, Roethlisberger will look towards tight end Heath Miller (9
receptions), who made a season-best five grabs versus the Colts for 71 yards.
Wide receiver Antonio Brown (10 receptions) was also one of nine Pittsburgh
receivers to make a catch, ending with four for 75 yards. Of course,
Pittsburgh’s high passing totals have come at the expense of the run game, with
Rashard Mendenhall (148 rushing yards, 1 TD) totaling just 37 yards on 18
carries versus the Colts.

The Texans only allowed 20 points in winning their first two games before the
Saints doubled up that number in last weekend’s meeting. Houston struggled
against New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, who passed for 370 yards and three
touchdowns. The Texans’ did pick off Brees twice, but saw the Saints add
another two scores on the ground, including rookie Mark Ingram’s 13-yard
scamper with 2:42 to play. Houston is still tied for ninth overall in points
allowed per game and is 14th in total defense at 332.0 yards per game.
Cornerback Johnathan Joseph (12 tackles, 2 INT) was brought in to help
improve the secondary and has done just that, having picked off passes in two
straight games. He last logged three straight interceptions from Sept. 27-Oct.
11, 2009. Defensive end Antonio Smith (7 tackles, 3 sacks) has notched a sack
in all three games this year, while rookie end J.J. Watt (13 tackles, 1 sack)
also had a sack versus New Orleans. Cornerback Kareem Jackson (13 tackles)
matched safety Glover Quin (16 tackles) with eight tackles last week, but is
questionable for Sunday with a knee injury. Linebacker DeMeco Ryans (13
tackles) piled onto his tackle total with six stops against the Saints and
safety Danieal Manning (12 tackles, 1 INT) also had a pick last week.

WHEN THE TEXANS HAVE THE BALL

Fate seemed to be on Houston’s side when Schaub’s late fourth-quarter pass was
deflected right into the hands of Kevin Walter (4 receptions, 1 TD) that the
wide receiver turned into a 20-yard score, but the Texans couldn’t hold the
short-lived lead. Schaub (823 passing yards, 6 TD, 3 INT) still put together a
great game and can match his own club record of 12 straight outings with a
touchdown pass in this one. Wide receiver Andre Johnson (21 receptions, 2 TD)
can also reach a milestone after making seven catches for 128 yards last
weekend. He is six catches shy of 700 and will play in his 119th game this
Sunday. If Johnson reaches the mark versus the Steelers, he would be the
second-fastest ever to do so, behind only former Colt Marvin Harrison (114
games). Tight end Owen Daniels (9 receptions, 2 TD) added five catches for 76
yards and a score last week, while fullback James Casey was an unexpected
source of offense for the ninth-ranked unit after making five catches for 126
yards. The bulk of that total came on a 62-yard catch. Even with Foster
returning, Ben Tate (301 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 1 TD) has likely earned a
role in the Houston offense. He totaled 82 yards on 19 carries versus the
Saints.

While Tomlin wants to see his club force more turnovers, he got a big one from
Polamalu (17 tackles, 1 sack) last week. It was the fourth defensive touchdown
of the safety’s career, and he needs one more to tie for the second-most in
club history. His fumble recovery came off a big sack from Harrison (20
tackles, 2 sacks), who also led the team with seven tackles. Safety Ryan Clark
(16 tackles) added six and cornerback William Gay (9 tackles) had five tackles
in his second straight start for the inactive Bryant McFadden, who could return
this week. Defensive end Brett Keisel (5 tackles), though, is questionable
after suffering a knee injury in Week 2 that held him out of Sunday’s win.
Pittsburgh didn’t allow a touchdown to the Colts until the fourth quarter,
ending its string of eight straight period without allowing the other team to
reach the end zone. The Steelers rank first overall against the pass (164.0
ypg) despite having yet to grab an interception and are the second-ranked
defense overall at 263.3 yards allowed per game.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Pittsburgh’s offense has struggled holding onto the ball, and Houston could
give it fits early. The Texans have forced six turnovers and allowed only 13
points in the first half, with 10 of those coming last week versus the Saints.

Who makes the big play? Both Wallace and Johnson are capable of breaking off a
long game-changer at any moment, and both Roethlisberger and Schaub will battle
to draw first blood in that department.

Ground control to Major Tom: The Texans have been running just fine without
Foster and could really eat up the clock if the standout back isn’t limited and
can find space to run. However, the Steelers like to lay out the big hits on
defense, and Foster will have a target on his back.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Texans began last season 3-1 before dropping nine of their final 12 games.
A loss here could start a similar slide, especially with upcoming games
against the Raiders, Ravens and Titans, all of whom are 2-1 and share at least
a tie of first place in their division. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, looked to have
hit its stride with a Week 2 shutout of Seattle, but didn’t impress with a slim
victory over an Indianapolis club that was without Manning. Houston’s secondary
was its Achilles’ heel last year, but Joseph could make a difference if he can
slow down Wallace.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Texans 27, Steelers 21

The Sports Network

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(Sports Network) – The Miami Dolphins had no answer for one of the league’s
elite quarterbacks this past Monday night. Now they’ll have to figure out how
to solve a Houston Texans team that is coming off one of its best games in
franchise history.

The Texans could have last year’s NFL rushing leader Arian Foster back as well
when they try for their second straight 2-0 start in Sunday’s matchup against
the Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium.

Houston heads to Miami looking to open the season with two straight wins for
the third time in team history after dismantling the Peyton Manning-less
Indianapolis Colts, 34-7, last Sunday. The Texans scored all of their points in
the first half and limited the Colts to under 250 yards of total offense.

Also impressive was the Texans racing out to a big lead despite Foster sitting
out the game with a hamstring injury. Ben Tate and Derrick Ward did an
excellent job in his place, however, in a game that head coach Gary Kubiak
called one of the best the team has ever played.

Kubiak also gave credit to new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

“He’s done a hell of a job,” Kubiak said. “We played good defense in a very
short period of time. We got going really good. No doubt in my mind if we
don’t turn the ball over in the fourth quarter, it would have been even
better.”

While the defense enjoyed a resurgence under Phillips, the offense could get
Foster back after he returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time
since aggravating his hamstring on Aug. 27.

Kubiak said Foster took a normal workload for a starter in a positive
practice. If the running back does play this weekend, the head coach doesn’t
think he will be limited.

“If he can play, you play,” Kubiak said. “There won’t be being careful with
him. You may say this is how many times he’s going to touch it, but you can’t
do something half-speed out there. We’d have to see, but if he’s ready to go,
he puts us at our best and he’ll be out there.”

The Dolphins will be looking to rebound after a 38-24 setback to New England on
Monday night that saw Patriots quarterback Tom Brady throw for a team-record
517 yards and four touchdowns. Miami could do little to stop the reigning
league MVP, who also hit on a 99-yard scoring pass to hand the Dolphins their
fourth straight defeat dating back to last year.

Miami wasted a career game from its own quarterback, as Chad Henne threw for
over 400 yards in a losing cause. In all, the two clubs combined for an NFL-
record 933 passing yards, which topped the 927 yards totaled by Miami’s Dan
Marino and Ken O’Brien of the New York Jets back on Sept. 21, 1986.

“Not the defensive performance that we were hoping for,” Dolphins coach Tony
Sparano said. “[The Patriots] had almost 700 yards of offense. That’s an
understatement.”

One thing working in the Dolphins’ favor is that the Texans haven’t won on the
road in almost a year, with Houston’s most recent win as the visitor coming on
Oct. 3 of the 2010 campaign. The Texans have lost their last six road games.

SERIES HISTORY

Houston has had the upper hand all throughout this rather brief series, having
won all five of the meetings by seven points or less. That streak contains a
pair of victories at Sun Life Stadium, including a 27-20 triumph during Week
16 of the 2009 season in the Texans’ most recent encounter with the Dolphins.
Houston also won a 21-20 squeaker in Miami in 2003.

Kubiak is 4-0 lifetime against the Dolphins, while Sparano has lost both of
his career meetings with both Kubiak and Houston.

WHEN THE TEXANS HAVE THE BALL

Houston wasn’t shy running the ball without Foster last weekend, ripping off
167 yards on 24 carries as a team. Ward (39 rushing yards, 1 TD) got the start
in place of Foster, but left early because of an ankle injury that has him day-
to-day. Tate (116 rushing yards, 1 TD) shouldered the load the rest of the way
in his NFL debut after spending all of last season on injured reserve.
Quarterback Matt Schaub (220 passing yards, 1 TD) had some short fields to work
with following some Colts turnovers, though he can’t be too happy with the pair
of interceptions he threw in the win. He was sacked just once while completing
17-of-24 pass attempts, however. Wide receiver Andre Johnson (7 receptions) was
targeted 11 times and finished with 95 receiving yards while hauling in
Schaub’s lone touchdown pass, with fellow wideout Kevin Walter making one catch
before exiting with a shoulder injury. It was feared he suffered a fracture,
but an MRI revealed just a bruise that still leaves his status for this game in
doubt. Jacoby Jones, who will take over for Walter if he can’t go, set a new
club record with his fourth career special teams touchdown after taking a punt
back 79 yards against the Colts.

The Dolphins will be licking their wounds before this game after allowing 622
yards of total offense in the national spotlight against the Patriots. The
summary play came when defensive back Benny Sapp was beaten for Wes Welker’s
99-yard score, and the nickel defender had his contract terminated during the
week as a result. To take Sapp’s place, Miami re-signed veteran Will Allen, one
of the team’s final cuts during training camp. He should step into a nickel
role behind starters Vontae Davis (4 tackles) and Sean Smith (3 tackles).
Safety Reshad Jones (12 tackles) led the Dolphins in tackles versus New
England, while linebacker Cameron Wake (3 tackles) came away with the team’s
lone sack. Defensive end Jared Odrick (2 tackles) came up with an interception
on a deflected pass, one of the defense’s few highlights on the night.

WHEN THE DOLPHINS HAVE THE BALL

Henne did his best to keep the Dolphins in the game, throwing for a career-
high 416 yards with a pair of touchdown passes. He also rushed for 59 yards
and a score while getting picked off once and sacked four times. Wide receiver
Brandon Marshall (7 receptions) got plenty of looks from his quarterback and
ended with 139 receiving yards, and Reggie Bush was targeted often as well in
his Dolphins’ debut. The running back made nine catches for 56 yards with a
score and rushed for another 38 yards on 11 carries. Wide receiver Davone Bess
and tight end Anthony Fasano also had big games on Monday, with each making
five catches and totaling 92 and 82 yards, respectively. Miami would like to
see a better effort out of the offensive line, which is led by All-Pro left
tackle Jack Long, after Henne was under consistent pressure in the opener.

Miami will be getting its first look at the Texans’ new 3-4 scheme that had
success a week ago. In his new role at outside linebacker, Mario Williams (2
tackles) had two sacks — giving him 50 for his career — along with a forced
fumble, while defensive end Antonio Smith (3 tackles) added a sack and forced
fumble of his own. Houston struggled against the pass a season ago, but held
Indianapolis’ Kerry Collins to just 197 yards through the air and a fourth-
quarter touchdown pass. The new-look secondary features corner Johnathan Joseph
(5 tackles) and safety Danieal Manning (2 tackles), both acquired as free
agents during the offseason, while rookie defensive end J.J. Watt (5 tackles)
also made his debut as a starter last week. Linebackers Brian Cushing (7
tackles) and DeMeco Ryans (6 tackles) also had solid games for Houston in the
opener.

KEYS TO THE GAME

The Dolphins will need to keep an eye on Johnson, who will be looking to go
off in his hometown. The Miami-born wide receiver has 30 catches, 426 yards
and three touchdowns in four career games against the Dolphins and will
certainly be looking to copy what made the New England receivers so successful
in Week 1.

The team that has the ball last just might win. Four of the five all-time
meetings between these clubs have been decided by three points or less,
including three in the final 30 seconds of the game. Schaub ran for a three-
yard score to clinch a Houston win in 2008, while the Texans’ Kris Brown was
good on a field goal attempt from 57 yards out with one second to go in the
previous season’s matchup.

Miami’s secondary will need to quickly forget last week; no silver linings,
just get better. It is unfortunate that Sapp was the one to fall on the sword,
but now the rest of the unit needs to turn the guilt into anger and big hits
versus the Texans.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

After getting torched through the air on Monday, the Dolphins will be facing a
more balanced Houston attack and could have to contend with a rested — and
hopefully healthy — Foster. Henne will be out to prove that last week’s
numbers were not a fluke, while Houston should also be looking to show that
missing a matchup with Manning didn’t lead to its big defensive showing. The
Texans raised expectations for the season with their big Week 1 victory, but
can’t afford to take the foot off the gas in Miami.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Texans 21, Dolphins 17

The Sports Network

Houston, TX (Sports Network) – Among numerous moves Tuesday, the Houston
Texans signed veteran wide receiver Bryant Johnson.

Johnson spent the last two seasons with Detroit, and caught 18 passes for 210
yards in 14 games in 2010. In 123 career games with Arizona, San Francisco and
the Lions, he has posted 308 receptions for 3,848 yards and 15 touchdowns.

The Texans also signed tackle Andrew Gardner, and placed four players on the
reserve/injured list — receivers Devard Darling and Lestar Jean, and guards
Shelley Smith and Kasey Studdard. Studdard started 14 games for the Texans in
2009.

Additionally, Houston placed three players on the waived/injured list –
rookie linebacker Matt Marcorelle, rookie guard Darius Morris and wide
receiver Paul Williams.

The team also cut five, including cornerback Antwaun Molden, who appeared in
32 games for the Texans over the past three seasons. Also cut were safety
Antonio Baker, rookie punter Brett Hartmann, rookie safety Maurice Rolle and
rookie cornerback Jason Teague.

The Sports Network

SITE: Methodist Training Center, Houston, TX

CAMP OBJECTIVES: Installing and familiarizing a modified defense that will have
a host of new faces and a few returnees changing positions will be the No. 1
goal of Texans camp. Defensive ends Mario Williams and Connor Barwin are in the
process of converting to stand-up outside linebackers in coordinator Wade
Phillips’ 3-4 scheme, and how quickly they pick up the switch will go a long
way in determining whether Houston can shore up a major problem area from last
season. In addition, former cornerback Glover Quin enters the preseason as the
team’s projected starter at free safety, while Shaun Cody and second-year man
Earl Mitchell will try to adapt to the nuances of nose tackle after previously
serving as one-gap penetrators under the old system. The Texans also hope
youngster J.J. Watt, the club’s first-round selection in April’s draft, can
make an immediate impact at defensive end, while fellow rookie Brandon Harris
joins a secondary bolstered by two key free-agent additions, cornerback
Johnathan Joseph and strong safety Danieal Manning. On the offensive side,
there’s now a three-man race for the two spots behind quarterback Matt Schaub
on the depth chart after the Texans drafted North Carolina’s Tyler Yates to
compete with veterans Dan Orlovsky and Matt Leinart.

PRESEASON SCHEDULE (All Times Eastern):

Aug. 15 – vs. N.Y. Jets, 8 p.m.
Aug. 20 – vs. New Orleans, 8 p.m.
Aug. 27 – at San Francisco, 8 p.m.
Sep. 1 – at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

One West Sports agent Chris Gittings announced Monday that the
Houston Texans agreed to a deal with former Lakeland High standout
Bubba Bartlett.

“We’re really excited about the deal, and it’s a good situation
for Bubba,” Gittings said via phone from Helena. “He has a
fantastic opportunity to make the team.”

Gittings said it had been a long day, as numerous teams called
inquiring about the 6-foot-1, 237-pound Bartlett.

“In the end it came down to two teams, and we got a great deal
from the Texans,” Gittings said.

Bartlett, who will travel to Houston today, played mostly tight
end at Carroll College, though he lined up at fullback a few times
in the national title game, and he played some fullback as a senior
at Lakeland.

Bartlett caught 67 passes for 694 yards and six touchdowns this
past season, and played on a national title team for the second
time in his four years at Carroll. As a junior, he caught 85 passes
for 951 yards and seven touchdowns, and was named first-team AFCA
All-American.

Bartlett graduated from Carroll this spring.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

By: SportsDirect