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.

HOUSTON – Even now, in the best of times, the Houston Texans can’t escape their star-crossed history.

The Texans (7-3) are off to the fastest start in franchise history and enter their bye week on a four-game winning streak. They’ve taken control of the AFC South and share the top record in the conference with Pittsburgh, whom they defeated on Oct. 2.

And somehow they’ve done it as their best players continue to go down with major injuries.

The latest is quarterback Matt Schaub, who may be lost for the season after injuring a Lisfranc joint in his right foot during Sunday’s 37-9 win over Tampa Bay. Schaub has started all but 10 games since the start of the 2007 season, but Matt Leinart will replace him for the Texans’ next game, in Jacksonville on Nov. 27.

Houston has already survived more than a month without All-Pro Mario Williams (torn chest muscle) and has won four of the last six games without All-Pro receiver Andre Johnson (right hamstring), who’s expected to return after the bye. Running backs Arian Foster and Ben Tate have also missed games, and starting safety Danieal Manning is still out with a broken left fibula.

It’s always something with the Texans, whose 10-season life span is more defined by epic collapses than milestone victories. The players insist this year feels different, with upgrades in depth, talent and coaching creating confidence and unity in the locker room.

But they also can’t help but wonder why this franchise can’t ever catch a break.

“Over the years, it’s been crazy,” said tight end Owen Daniels, drafted by Houston in 2006. “That’s just the way it’s going to be with the Texans. We’re going to have to fight through stuff, we’re going to have some crazy adversity that other teams might not have.

“That’s what’s going to make this group so special,” Daniels said. “We’re going to be able to fight through that, and find a way to get it done, even though certain things have happened.”

The mindset began to change when Houston scuttled its defensive staff after last season and hired Wade Phillips, renowned for quickly turning around bad defences.

And, boy, did the Texans need a change after ranking 30th overall and dead-last against the pass in 2010. Phillips not only sold coach Gary Kubiak and owner Bob McNair on a switch to a 3-4 alignment, he also suggested moving 6-foot-6 Williams from defensive end to outside linebacker and morphing into a DeMarcus Ware-type pass rusher.

The Texans focused on high-energy defensive players in the draft, picked up Johnathan Joseph and Manning in free agency to shore up the secondary and the pieces were suddenly in place.

Kubiak can hardly believe how well it’s turned out.

Houston has the league’s No. 1 defence (269.7 yards per game) and more amazingly, ranks second against the pass (178 yards per game). The Texans have generated 20 takeaways (14 interceptions, six recovered fumbles) and are plus-11 in turnover margin.

And even without Williams, who’s been out since Week 5, the Texans rank second in sacks (28). Rookie Brooks Reed has capably filled Williams’ role, outside linebacker Connor Barwin and defensive end Antonio Smith have 4 1/2 sacks each, and linebacker Brian Cushing has recaptured his playmaking form from 2009, when he was named the league’s top defensive rookie.

“It’s just been fun to watch,” Kubiak said. “The players have just bought into what we’re doing and they’re playing with a lot of confidence right now and a lot of young players stepping to the plate. Hopefully there’s a lot more good things to come, but right now, it’s very exciting to watch.”

The Texans can also boast the league’s top rushing tandem, Foster and Tate. Both rank among the league’s top 10, and Houston is third in rushing (158 yards per game), behind Philadelphia and Denver.

Between the defence and the running game, the players think they’re equipped to withstand the loss of any one player. Even their starting quarterback.

“Everything happens for a reason,” receiver Kevin Walter said. “It seems like it’s been one thing after another with this team, this year, but we’ve overcome it. We have to do good job and overcome this with Matt, too.

“I feel bad for Schaub, he was having a heck of a year,” he said. “But I know Leinart, and I know he’s excited for the opportunity to come and keep this thing rolling. We’re going to ride him on in, and we’re going to continue to make plays and do our thing.”

Leinart seems to be one of the first who felt a good vibe for this season. He was a free agent in the off-season, but turned down other offers to come back, knowing that he would still be backing up Schaub.

The start of his NFL career derailed in Arizona, and Leinart wasn’t shy during training camp about his desire to earn another starting role. Now he’s in control of a franchise that’s never won anything, but also never felt more optimistic about its future.

“I think it’s easy to let the situation itself overpower you,” Leinart said. “But for me, that’s why we play this game and that’s why we get paid what we get paid. That’s why we grind it out every day during the season and training camp is for things like this.

“It’s exciting,” he said. “This organization, we haven’t been in this situation before, but we’ve got a great team, we’ve got a great team camaraderie. Everyone is so together in belief of what we can accomplish. We just continue to march forward together.”

According to ESPN.com, Coach Gary Kubiak said earlier Monday that Schaub was out indefinitely after injuring his foot on a quarterback sneak during Houston’s 37-9 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday. 

Backup QB Matt Leinart will start against the Jaguars after the bye, Kubiak said. The Texans will have to rely on Leinart, who hasn’t seen any playing time this year and has been for the most part obscured ever since his fallout with his former team, the Arizona Cardinals.

However, while the Texans may downgrade with Schaub’s injury, Schaub’s best target, Andre Johnson, will certainly keep the Texans on track Johnson, who has been out with a hamstring injury for six straight weeks, will be ready to return after Houston’s bye this Sunday to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 27.  

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According to Albert Breer, the Houston Texans have gone from the #30 defense last year to the #1 defense. I saw that and immediately wondered how that could be. I mean, I look over the league each week, and I couldn’t figure out how they were #1. Then, I realized that the league, for which Breer works with NFL.com, still officially ranks defenses by yards allowed per game, even though no one with any sense would actually use that as the one factor in deciding who the best defense was.

Good defenses tend to allow fewer yards, but using yards allowed per game is not the best indicator. This would be like using batting average to rank an offense in baseball. Some teams face more passes late compared to others, and yards are higher on passes, even for a good defense. The 49ers, for example, rank in the top 10 in yards but not in the top 5, but are 1st in points allowed.

No doubt Houston is improved, and when we look at other indicators, they are top 5 to 10 defense this year. That improvement has them squarely as a solid contender come playoff time. Johnathan Joseph has been a huge pickup because of how much he upgraded a clear weakness, and Brian Cushing has cycled back after a dropoff in year 2 when he had to move positions. The team lost Mario Williams, but is still generating pressure, though they have yet to face a great offense since he was injured. No one player has a huge sack total, but the team has 24 on the season, with Antonio Smith, Brooks Reed and Connor Barwin leading the way among the active players.

Houston is 3rd, ahead on percentage points of Baltimore in net yards per pass. They are 3rd in points per game allowed, behind only Baltimore and San Francisco. Over the last three weeks, they have allowed fewer than 175 total yards and 15 first downs in each game, against the murderer’s row of Tennessee, Jacksonville and Cleveland.

We know that they can beat up on bad offenses, which is definitely something they could not do last year, when no lead was safe. They did allow 454 yards and 40 points to the Saints, easily the best offense they have faced (which is why I’m skeptical of the Bengals defensive numbers, since they have had none of those games). The defensive numbers are aided by the opponents, and it’s probably no coincidence that the top 5 teams by the league’s official yardage per game measure all play in the AFC North and South and thus play a lot of the same opponents.

While I’m skeptical that they are the best defense (Baltimore for me) and think the league’s use of yards per game to make a value judgment statement about who is the best is bad, they are very good this year. If you believe in such things, they are the most balanced team among the potential playoff participants, as we have seen a mix of great offenses/questionable defenses with powerful defenses/inconsistent offenses among the others. With the remaining schedule, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Houston lurk around and grab a first round bye, as the other AFC teams knock each other off.

[photo via Getty]

Carnell “Cadillac” Williams is the only running back to reach 100 yards rushing in his first three games. Tate will probably have a chance to match Williams on Sunday when Houston (2-0) plays at New Orleans (1-1), because 2010 NFL leading rusher Arian Foster is still limited by a left hamstring strain.

“It’s an awesome group to even just be mentioned with those guys, but it’s just the start to my career,” Tate said. “Honestly, I haven’t taken time to really think about it, but I would have to say it’s important. I guess it’s a big thing that it happened.”

Despite Tate’s fast start, Houston coach Gary Kubiak said Foster will regain his starting role when he’s fit enough to play. Foster took some snaps in Friday’s practice, and will be re-evaluated Saturday.

“It’s tough,” Foster said. “I think it’s more mental than it is anything because like I said before, it’s not something you can really push through. It’s not something that you can play with at 100 percent, so you just got to be patient with it. It’s just got to work that way.”

Tate can relate to Foster’s frustration. The former Auburn star was a second-round pick by the Texans in 2010, then broke his right ankle in Houston’s first preseason game and was placed on injured reserve.

And like Foster, Tate was hampered by a hamstring injury during training camp this year. Kubiak became concerned with how much practice time Tate was missing, but Tate has proven to be a quick learner.

“It’s fun to watch,” Kubiak said, “when you get a guy who’s talented, just watching them try to become a pro or as they become a pro, I guess is a good way to put it. He was out last year. He did study. He stayed in his book. He comes into camp this year, he misses a little time, he just kept working.”

Tate saw his first live action in more than a year in Houston’s second preseason game, rushing for 95 yards and a touchdown in a 27-14 win over New Orleans.

“He’s got good balance and vision,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “Certainly, you wouldn’t have guessed that he hadn’t played, so he’s been exciting to watch, or follow, if you will. I think he certainly carries his pads well. He’s explosive. He’s got good vision and I think he’s someone that’s very elusive.”

Foster was inactive for the Texans’ season-opening win over Indianapolis, and when backup Derrick Ward left the game with a sprained right ankle, Tate made the most of his long-delayed opportunity, rushing 24 times for 116 yards and a touchdown. He ran for 103 yards in a 23-13 win in Miami last week, helping the Texans keep the clock moving late with 13 carries in the fourth quarter.

“I think that’s us telling how much confidence we have in him,” Kubiak said. “The way he was carrying that ball in the last 10 minutes of the game, there was no doubt who had control of what was going on. That player right there is telling you by how he’s playing to ‘Give it to me. I can get it handled,’ so hopefully that continues to grow.”

Tate expects to have some challenging blocking assignments on Sunday against the Saints’ blitz-heavy defense. But Tate downplays the difficulty of the transition from college, and says he’s confident that he can handle pro-level pass protection as well as he’s handled his rushes.

“The defenses are more complex,” Tate said. “They bring different blitzes, and you have to deal with more blitzes. Other than that, at the end of the day, it’s football. I wouldn’t say it’s hard to figure out. Everybody knows that protecting the quarterback is important.”

Eventually, Foster will get his job back, and Tate will be relegated to a reserve role once again. For now, Tate isn’t fazed by that.

“I can’t worry about what’s going on with Arian,” Tate said. “The only thing I can focus on is me.”

Notes: Kubiak was optimistic that WRs Jacoby Jones (bruised left knee) and Kevin Walter (bruised right shoulder) will be ready to play by Sunday, even though Jones has sat out team drills this week. … Seventh-round draft pick Derek Newton will move into backup tackle Rashad Butler’s spot on the depth chart. Butler was placed on injured reserve this week with an elbow injury.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Connor Barwin is moving to outside linebacker. He made an impact as a rookie defensive end for the Texans, then had last season cut short by injury.

Barwin is making the same — albeit, much less publicized — position switch on the opposite side of the Texans’ defensive line.

Barwin said the transition hasn’t been difficult, but is “certainly different” than playing defensive end in the 4-3 alignment Houston used to play.

“Overall, it’s been good,” he said. “I was excited about the change, and after doing it throughout training camp, I’m still happy about making the change.”

Linebackers coach Reggie Herring says Barwin has been his most consistent student in training camp so far.

“He’s working hard, he knows the system, he’s studying and asking great questions,” Herring said. “And technique-wise, he’s getting better every day.”

Herring said Barwin and Williams will swap positions at times in the Texans’ preseason game against San Francisco on Saturday. Herring envisions both players developing into hard-to-handle pass rushers, forcing opposing offenses to choose between them.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got two outside guys who’ll be called upon to rush at various times,” Herring said. “If he (Barwin) comes on and becomes a force, then you’ve got to worry about two guys rushing from either side, and you can’t slide-protect on both. We’re hoping that happens.”

Their careers have taken similar paths in some ways, already.

Williams, from North Carolina State, led the ACC and ranked fourth nationally in sacks in 2005 (14 1/2), and the Texans made him the top overall pick in the 2006 draft.

Barwin, who played at Cincinnati, had 11 sacks in 2008, sharing the Big East lead with Connecticut’s Cody Brown.

Like Williams, Barwin dazzled scouts at the combine, and Houston selected him in the second round of the 2009 draft. Barwin had 4 1/2 sacks as a rookie — matching Williams’ total from his first season.

The 6-foot-6, 290-pound Williams has been facing double-teams much of his NFL career. If that happens again this season, the smaller Barwin — he is listed at 6-4, 254 pounds — sees even more opportunity to produce from the other side.

“I hope we can get him about eight sacks in the first part of the season, and they start sliding that protection his way every single time,” Barwin said. “And so they send me, so I’m just on (running) backs and tight ends. Hopefully, that will happen, but who knows?”

Barwin is just thankful to be playing at all.

He dislocated his right ankle in the first quarter of last year’s regular-season opener against Indianapolis, underwent surgery and spent the year on injured reserve.

“I really felt like I had a really strong training camp (in 2010),” he said. “And then to just to end the season in Week 1 like that, that was really hard.”

He was virtually immobilized for the first three months of his rehab. Williams, meanwhile, played through the pain of a sports hernia, sat out the final three games and had surgery in December.

But Williams and Barwin both felt re-energized when the Texans hired Phillips, a well-known defensive coach fired as head coach of the Cowboys.

“With the hiring of Wade and the change in the defense and me having this opportunity to come in here and start and play on the other side of Mario, that was something I thought about the whole offseason, the whole summer,” Barwin said. “I made sure that was as prepared as I ever could be for this year.”

Even with the promise of the new position, Barwin wasn’t comfortable on his ankle until about two months before training camp began.

“There weeks and weeks where you really didn’t feel much change,” he said. “It just took that long process. Every couple of months, you took another step forward.”

If he wasn’t motivated enough, Barwin feels a challenge for playing time from Brooks Reed, a second-round draft pick who’s impressed the coaches. Reed had two sacks in last week’s 27-14 win over New Orleans, and Barwin definitely noticed.

“I was the first person to see that,” Barwin said. “It’s been good competition. We need to work together, because I can’t play every snap and Mario can’t play every snap. There needs to be three or four guys who can rotate throughout a game. If we can play fresh all game, that’s just going to help the pass rush so much.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

by KHOU 11 Sports staff

khou.com

Posted on July 19, 2011 at 11:02 PM

HOUSTON – Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, the 11th overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, took batting practice with the Astros before the game on Wednesday against the Washington Nationals.