Texans at Broncos: Impressions

[Hervoyel]

I posted this in the game thread and I'm just going to cut and paste it here. Mostly I don't care about the second half of this game. A little of the 3rd quarter was significant but not much past that.

Here's what I thought looking at all of this:

Lewis Sanders couldn’t cover his own feet if you gave him a blanket

David Carr is still making “questionable” decisions.

I like this new defense. They come after people and keep coming after people.

Phillip Buchanon needs to earn a starting CB spot opposite Dunta but if he doesn’t then he’s a heck of nickel and he returns punts very well. If they hadn’t grabbed his face mask he’d have been gone.

Zach Weigert really hurt us with that pathetic attempt at stopping his man. That’s one sack. I find myself surprised that he’s the best option on the right side.

The defense really is much better this year.

Spencer’s hold was a disaster. Where is Wand?

TJ and Robaire aren’t exactly knocking me out. I’m wondering where Seth Payne is right now. I can’t believe he’s not one of the best two options at this position.

Do we really have 2 yards passing right now? Damn!

You can’t line up over the center on a FG attempt? You gotta be kidding me! Someday I’ll be watching the NFNFL (National Flag Nerf Football League). On the other hand why don’t’ the Texans know this? Could have been 3 but instead it’s 7. We better answer this.

Carr throws a pick. I swear I’ve been watching this boy play this position since 2002 and he’s the most snake-bit guy I’ve ever seen when it comes to deflected passes.

The offense today sucks terribly. The defense is the only thing working.

Carr, if judged by only this performance would have to be called a lousy QB based on everything I’ve seen up until this drive. This drive he’s looking ok.

That might be the only time in my life I ever hear anyone compare David Carr with Steve Young.

I’d almost forgotten what it was like to see a break go the Texans way. Lundy’s fumble was a nice “change of pace”. Too bad we couldn’t’ get the yardage.

Damn! David Carr is so stupid. Spiking the ball on 3rd down when you have almost 25 seconds. 3 points. That’s all they get is 3 points out of their best drive.

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I will add that I am left wondering what Jake Plummer looked like at this time during his first season with Denver. I don't really know where to put David Carr right now. I don't know if he's behind the curve or on it for someone coming from a crap offense to this one. I want to know if Jake was making dumb decisions in his first year at Denver like I see David making right now. Overall I'm less than impressed with Carr's progress in this system but I'm not one to put too much emphasis on the preseason. I think people who do just don't understand what they're seeing.

I am nervous though.

I'd also like to add that I'm not too terribly surprised by our offense looking predictable tonight. Denver is the one team in the league that's going to know what they're seeing when we line up across from them. I suspect we're doing something to try and hide that but I think we're not at our best right now. Conversely I'd say our defense did a good job tonight because their coaches know pretty much what they're seeing when they line up against Denver.

[TexanBacker93]

I'm sure the Texans know the lining up over the center rule. I've seen it called a few times in the preseason. Old habits more like than the coaching staff not being aware. Still, you can shade the center and it was pretty close to being legit.

I'm not going to make excuses for Carr. He still makes dumb mistakes. However, you can't compare him in the system to where Plummer was in his first year in Denver. The entire Houston offense is learning the new system while Plummer had a playoff team around him. That being said, he's got to step up and make plays. Watch Plummer with a quick rush and he gets rid of the ball to a receiver in a hearbeat.

[Grid]

I have been supporting the Carr decision but this game makes ya wonder how much he is going to improve.

Im not giving up on him yet, but I hope this game tape fixes some of his issues.

[the wonger need food]

Carr is too far gone at this point in his career. Sage looks like a very capable QB in this offense though, so all hope isn't lost.

[Runner]

I thought Cutler looked good. Poised for a rookie.

[jerek]

First impressions:

First team D held up very well. I still don't like some of our defensive playcalls.

Ryans is going to be a baller.

Carr made a bad mistake or two -- forced the ball on that INT and took a sack that was clearly his fault -- but he looked fine after the first few series. One of these games, he's going to come out hot instead of taking a quarter to get going.

Sage looked rough himself. Not that it will matter to the ditch-Carr-or-else bandwagon.

I used my new DVR to record the game, so I'll be rewatching it shortly.

Denver's an elite team and we hung right there with them to the final whistle, first and second/third teams. I saw pretty much the game I hoped to see in terms of the score. We have things to work on, but this was a good measure of where we really stood. I think we're pleasantly ahead of the curve, at this point. A lot of ground yet to cover, but we're definitely headed in the right direction.

[LBC_Justin]

Originally Posted by Grid

I have been supporting the Carr decision but this game makes ya wonder how much he is going to improve.

Im not giving up on him yet, but I hope this game tape fixes some of his issues.

I don't think Carr makes that many bad decisions. It is more what he choses not to do. It seems like when given the option of throwing long or dumping off, he choses the short pass every time. At least that is my perception.

Overall I feel good about how our boys played tonight. Ryan, Mario, Owens, Lundy(other than the fumble) all played well. Our future looks bright.

[veazeyt]

Marshall Faulk is a Texans hater, and Marruchi gives the Texas team some respect.

Good game for the Texans first team, they showed some good character by keeping the team in the game when things were not going their way.

I like what I saw and I think The Texans as a team can learn a lot from this performance against a fine tuned Broncos team.

[Divebomb]

We kicked there hindside on Defense. Carr has to play more consistand. Too many penalties. Biggest problem on both sides, jumping off-sides.

[veazeyt]

Had some serious penalties on offense, I saw spencer jumping like popcorn.

Better to make these mistakes in the preseason at Mile High, than regular season.

[K.D.]

Guys help me with some insight on the game, didn't get to see it, just followed ply by ply on nfl.com

1. The sack on carr, was it a blown assngmnt or did he pretty much run into the defender. On the int. was he hurried in the pocket or did he throw into tight coverage. Also, the fumble he had how did that come about.

2. Were the receiver's tightly covered in first couple of series or DC didn't have time to get them the ball. The 1st fg before halftime, what really happened in that series, did we try to throw into the endzone.

3. I could tell the D held their own, but did we have good pressure on plummer when he was trying to pass. Where the passes quick to avoid the sack or did he have time to take his pick to throw to.

Any info on certain aspects would be appreciated. Running game, kick\punt returns, DB's, anything really. thanks fellas.

[tulexan]

I liked how we actually started to open things up on offense (sort of) with a few long passes. Andre should have caught that pass, but the pass to Moulds was just a little over thrown.

Demeco is going to be something special. It seemed like he had almost every tackle in the first half.

[Jwwillis]

Originally Posted by K.D.

Guys help me with some insight on the game, didn't get to see it, just followed ply by ply on nfl.com

1. The sack on carr, was it a blown assngmnt or did he pretty much run into the defender. On the int. was he hurried in the pocket or did he throw into tight coverage. Also, the fumble he had how did that come about.

Blown assignment by Weigart. Carr threw behind the receiver into very tight coverage.

2. Were the receiver's tightly covered in first couple of series or DC didn't have time to get them the ball. The 1st fg before halftime, what really happened in that series, did we try to throw into the endzone.

Carr thew the ball down field more but the DB's had tight coverage.

3. I could tell the D held their own, but did we have good pressure on plummer when he was trying to pass. Where the passes quick to avoid the sack or did he have time to take his pick to throw to.

Yes good pressure on Plummer IMO. D looked good for this stage of the season.

Any info on certain aspects would be appreciated. Running game, kick\punt returns, DB's, anything really. thanks fellas.

Hope this helps some.

[gtexan02]

Remember 2 years ago when Plummer was bootlegging out, and a defender came at him from the right side? He quickly moved the football to his left hand and tried to throw it. Needless to say, it went about half as far as it should have, way off course, and right into a DLs hands for an int.

I think its safe to say that both Carr and Plummer are prone to some "questionable" decisions, but with the right coaching, both should be fine.

Carr is just so much of a better athlete than Sage. His upside is much higher

[edo783]

Originally Posted by LBC_Justin

I It seems like when given the option of throwing long or dumping off, he choses the short pass every time. At least that is my perception.

I think that MAY be correct. I also think that at halftime he was talked to about it, because all of a sudden the ball went down field in the third quarter. My only question having said that is, what were the plays called? If he was supposed to throw short....well that's what he did, but if there were supposed to be longer ones open and they were in fact open and then he chose to throw short, that's a whole different thing. It did look to me like he hesitated to just chuck the ball and was holding it to long. He tossed it down field 3 times in the 20+ range. One was caught by Moulds, one should have been caught by AJ and on was just a bit over thrown to Moulds. Need to do that 5-6 times a game IMO.

[Grid]

1. The sack was Zach Wiegert getting beat by a defender. Not much Carr could do about it. The Interception was a bad dumpoff by Carr that got tipped up by a defender, and then grabbed out of the air before it hit the ground by someone else. A bit of an unlucky play by Carr..but he didnt help himself with the throw.

2. Im not sure on coverage cause they didnt show it.. but i find it hard to believe that there wasnt an open guy anywhere for that long. I think Carr was having some confidence issues or something.

No we never went for the endzone.. And I dont think that was all Carr either. I think we made a conscious decision to take the 3 points and head to the lockerroom.

3. Our pressure was somewhere in between. We got enough pressure that he couldnt sit back comfortably..but not enough to really disrupt his passing and cause some turnovers. We did "good".. not "great".

Our running game didnt look as impressive against a real defense. They didnt look BAD mind you.. just not awesome. Lewis Sanders did a good job tonight I thought.. I think we will be alright at the #2 CB spot. Buchanan still looks great on punt returns. DeMeco Ryans was a beast out there... possible DROY if he keeps that up. Babin had a nice "almost sack" coming off the edge.. Plummer barely got the ball off, and it was incomplete.

Lots of mental mistakes on the line.. offsides, encroachment.. etc..etc..

[K.D.]

Originally Posted by Jwwillis

Hope this helps some.

Yes it does, preciat it willis.

[Sarg01]

Thoughts - Broncos came to play and we nearly beat them, if not for a borderline call (looked like shoulder, not helmet to me) on a rookie with that stupid new rule to "protect the snapper"

All the talk was Kubiak vs. Shanahan, when it ended up being DeMeco vs. Shanahan.

Carr and Sage looked about the same, despite what folks say.

1st team defense - seriously impressed. Wow. Got put in bad situations several times and kept stopping a Super Bowl caliber team, known for its offense.

2nd team LBs - well, they're exactly what we thought. At least they're good STers.

[Kaiser Toro]

I liked what I saw. I watched a game where two teams were playing with leashes on, but playing as hard as they could. We stood up to one of best teams in the NFL. Our offense must get better and I believe we see Rosenfels by week 3, becasue if it remains flat then we must remove the one constant for the betterment of the unit. The defense will be the heart and soul of this team and I have no problem with that as it makes a QB change more palatable.

Looking forward to watch a second time.

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by K.D.

1. The sack on carr, was it a blown assngmnt or did he pretty much run into the defender. On the int. was he hurried in the pocket or did he throw into tight coverage. Also, the fumble he had how did that come about.

There were two sacks on Carr. On the 1st, he rolled right, didn't see anything he was comfortable with, juked on D player, should have thrown it away but held on and got hit coughing up the ball which luckily bounced out of bounds. Bad decision by Carr--should have thrown it away after juking the 1st guy. The 2nd sack was on Wiegert IMO--he set up for an outside rush and the guy beat him easily on a n inside move to get Carr. The int. was a short pass to Lundy--should have just been thrown away. Unlucky bounce off the defender and a great play by another D guy got the INT.

2. Were the receiver's tightly covered in first couple of series or DC didn't have time to get them the ball. The 1st fg before halftime, what really happened in that series, did we try to throw into the endzone.

Hard to tell about the coverage since they show little down field until the ball is released. Carr looked hesitant though and went to the RB's TE's frequently though--Sage did as well later on.

3. I could tell the D held their own, but did we have good pressure on plummer when he was trying to pass. Where the passes quick to avoid the sack or did he have time to take his pick to throw to.

A little of both. We had good pressure at times. IMO the refs badly missed not throwing an intentional grounding flag at one point as Plummer was being hit high and low. He was pressured quite a few times but did a good job evading sacks.

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