Texans OL Brown bracing for tough audition

[MojoMan]

Seems to me that Duane Brown has played very well for a rookie starting at left tackle in the NFL. It is great that Salaam is able to share the position with him this year.

I have to be honest, I have not been following Jared Allen very closely of late. Dale Roberson makes him sound like a monster. Hopefully Brown and Salaam can keep him in check.

Here is a quote from the article on the Chronicle website:

Texans OL Brown bracing for tough audition

The Minnesota Vikings’ Jared Allen is said to be the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history and is playing like he deserves those big bucks, recording three sacks in his past two games. Worse, Minnesota’s deafening Metrodome is an acoustic nightmare for visiting offenses.

Into the maelstrom steps Texans rookie left tackle Duane Brown, whose steep learning curve figures to spike exponentially Sunday afternoon. But at least Brown will have a chance to catch his breath and, should things go badly, regain his composure, a luxury not available to him when early-season matchups opposite the likes of Pittsburgh’s James Harrison and Tennessee’s Kyle Vanden Bosch left his head spinning.

The Texans’ top draft choice’s past two starts have been his best in part because both winless opponents, Detroit and Cincinnati, presented less-daunting challenges and because the now-healthy 11-year veteran Ephraim Salaam became available to spell him every third series. That rotation will continue against the Vikings.

[Scooter]

jared allen's a beast, but one thing that brown has going for him is that allen's a power rusher and that's where brown's ahead of the curve. he's got his work cut out for him obviously, but after practicing with mario and seeing elite speed rushers already in guys like freeney and porter, brown should be prepared for another day at the office.

[Double Barrel]

This game will definitely be a test for our highly ranked offense. Schaub, like a lot of QBs, tends to lock onto his receivers when under constant pressure. I think a big key in neutralizing Jared Allen will be establishing the run early in the game and having some sustained drives that result in scores. Wear down the defense early and hope our D can at least slow down Peterson. We'll be in trouble if we get behind by two scores and go into panic passing mode, as the pass rush can just pin their ears back at that point.

[Hardcore Texan]

Originally Posted by Double Barrel

This game will definitely be a test for our highly ranked offense. Schaub, like a lot of QBs, tends to lock onto his receivers when under constant pressure. I think a big key in neutralizing Jared Allen will be establishing the run early in the game and having some sustained drives that result in scores. Wear down the defense early and hope our D can at least slow down Peterson. We'll be in trouble if we get behind by two scores and go into panic passing mode, as the pass rush can just pin their ears back at that point.

Hopefully Lil Shanny has prepped Schaub for this. They should have some quick 3 step drops, some hot routes on some quick passes, and some screen plays all to take advantage of the aggressive D. This will also help Slaton get going as well. If the coaching staff has the right mix to make the big fellas run around, it should help wear that D down. Schaub is going to have to make good decisions and do it quickly.