Chronicle: "We can't run, and we can't stop the run"

[Marcus]

Today's article in the Houston Chronicle should bring a few of us back to earth.

One day after his team accomplished two of his goals— winning on the road and winning in the AFC South — coach Gary Kubiak still could not enjoy the Texans' 34-31 victory at Tennessee.

“We've got a lot of things we're going to have to improve to give ourselves a chance to win week in and week out,” Kubiak said Monday. “We did some good things, but we're just making some big mistakes.

“We've got a lot of problems we've got to work out to give ourselves a fair chance to win (consistently).”

What makes the victory at Tennessee even more improbable is that the Texans could not run the ball and couldn't stop the run. They ran 29 times for 63 yards, a 2.2-yard average. They allowed the Titans to run for 240 yards on 26 carries, a 9.2-yard average.

“We're last in the league in running the ball, and we're last in the league at stopping the run,” Kubiak said. “Historically in this league, you're not going to be successful if you can't run and you can't stop the run. We're as poor as we can be in those two phases.”

There's no other way to put this. They lucked out winning that game. They lucked out in so many ways, it's not funny. From not stopping the run, to not being able to run, to Jacoby's muffed punt, to Collins coughing it up in the end. Like they say, it's better to be lucky than good.

But if they can't run, or stop the run against the Jags or the Raiders, do you really think we'll continue to get that lucky?

I actually think stopping the run will be less and less of an issue as more games are played. There are talented people on defense, but they haven't played that much together as a unit. Once everyone figures out where they are supposed to be consistently on every play, the problem should resolve itself.

Offensively, that is another story. This is the same unit that played together all of last year. I'm not sure what Steve Slaton's problem is, but it's to the point where I don't care. He's running behind the same line as he was last year. But whatever, I hope Kubiak moves on with this and gives the ball to Moats. He ran the ball better than Slaton in preseason. I think it's time Moats gets some carries, if anything to narrow down where the problem really is . . . Slaton or the O-line.

 

[Norg]

umm not alot of people can run on the jets and Titans ... calm down Kubes everyone wants to run the ball yes lets eork on that but intill then everyone knows our Team main skill point is throwing the ball if u wanted to run the ball kubes u should have singed a pricey F/A Running back or drafting a high pick RB

 

[Texans#1Fan]

Yeah, but slaton needs to get more yardage especially after last years performance. Also, the Defense needs to step up and get going or we are going to be the worst team in the NFL.

 

[Marcus]

umm not alot of people can run on the jets and Titans ... calm down Kubes everyone wants to run the ball yes lets eork on that but intill then everyone knows our Team main skill point is throwing the ball if u wanted to run the ball kubes u should have singed a pricey F/A Running back or drafting a high pick RB

How does that explain why Slaton could run the ball well last year, and not now?

 

[Norg]

last year it took intill wk 3 for slaton to emerge

he had nothing the pitts game avid that was his first NFL game

and wk 2 he was running from Ike that didnt count

in wk 3 he did run for 116 yds agansit the titans yeah odd he couldnt do that agian this year

 

[BrandonLwowski]

I kinda disagree on the fact that we can't stop the run. I think in the last two games we did a pretty good job stoping the run. Lets look at the jets game. the score was 10-0 at half. Jets really couldnt get there run game started. Then they bust out the big 30 yard run for a td. And the titians game they ran a little more but if u take away the 50 and 90 yard run Johnson didnt run that good. i think the major problem is stopping the big plays. with ryans, cushing, mario and are tough dline i think we will be fine in stopping the run in future games.

 

[BSofA04]

FWIW, we have gone against two of the best teams that run the ball well and stop the run. We should seem some improvement in both departments these next few weeks.

 

[Runner]

I actually think stopping the run will be less and less of an issue as more games are played. There are talented people on defense, but they haven't played that much together as a unit. Once everyone figures out where they are supposed to be consistently on every play, the problem should resolve itself.

Offensively, that is another story. This is the same unit that played together all of last year. I'm not sure what Steve Slaton's problem is, but it's to the point where I don't care. He's running behind the same line as he was last year. But whatever, I hope Kubiak moves on with this and gives the ball to Moats. He ran the ball better than Slaton in preseason. I think it's time Moats gets some carries, if anything to narrow down where the problem really is . . . Slaton or the O-line.

We have an interesting contrast in perspectives.

I think that the Texans will get it together and run the ball well this year, precisely because it us the same unit that ran well last year. I also credit the defenses they've faced for taking away the running game.

I think the defense will have problems all year because of their play last year and the very bad performances this year.

We will know more in a few games.

 

[Hardcore Texan]

...

 

[nero THE zero]

I tend to side more with AJ's perspective on our defensive woes:
http://www.examiner.com/x-778-Houst...three-touchdowns--Part-III?cid=examiner-email

Obviously the Texans run defense has to get itself in order quickly. It's an vexing problem since the Texans are having a fair amount of success stuffing the run, but about one in every eight or nine plays, something bad happens.

To us Monday Night Quarterbacks, it's easy to see why the team has given up so many huge running plays.

When you load up the line like the Texans have been, it's imperative that the first wave of defenders make the stop before the ball carrier hits the second level, because there's not much help back there.

One thing for sure is that Frank Bush's defense is far less forgiving than what we're used to, especially if a linebacker misses an assignment. But I'm intrigued by what it can do if it's working according to plan.

Despite the gaffes, there are flashes of goodness that we've seen with this Texans defense and with the pressure it's bringing.

Remember, it took Buddy Ryan five weeks to get our defense squared away back in '93.

Our defense seems to be a Jekyll and Hyde defense that stops you on negative plays and backs you up on third and longs, and then gives it up to you on that third and long.

It's not to say that the defense will definitely turn it around, but it can be as encouraging as it is discouraging.

 

[DexmanC]

Most of the Titans' yardage came on draws and screens ON 3RD DOWNS.
We solve the third down problem the defense will be stout. Tennessee
did a good job of recognizing when Connor Barwin is in the game, the
defense is thinking PASS.

You take an aggressive pass rush, plus the fastest man in the NFL, give
him a draw or screen, that equals a big cup of GOOD BYE.

I have faith they'll get this **** fixed. Hell, Cushing started sniffing it
out when they realized he CAN play three downs. Between Cushing,
Demeco, and Diles, you got three SMART, talented run stoppers.

They'll get it fixed. The fact they could screw up as much as they did,
and still win ON THE ROAD speaks volumes about the direction this
team is headed in. I expect them to spank the Jags, due to the
lesson they've learned from the Raiders game last year. They'd better
be looking for draws and screens on all these third and longs they're
forcing.

Their run defense stats are out of whack, because most of the yardage
is coming on third and LONG. That's just stupid mental mistakes, not
so much the scheme, that's killing the squad. Fix that ****, we win
10-12 games.

 

[HoustonFrog]

I kinda disagree on the fact that we can't stop the run. I think in the last two games we did a pretty good job stoping the run. Lets look at the jets game. the score was 10-0 at half. Jets really couldnt get there run game started. Then they bust out the big 30 yard run for a td. And the titians game they ran a little more but if u take away the 50 and 90 yard run Johnson didnt run that good. i think the major problem is stopping the big plays. with ryans, cushing, mario and are tough dline i think we will be fine in stopping the run in future games.

Those long runs still count though. Sorry but I hate when people discount long runs against the stats and say the defense was good besides them. The fact is there are serious breakdowns when people break runs so they are just as disconcerting to me overall. That would be like Titan fan saying if they had called the two late hits out of bounds, given us the fumble and Kerry hadn't fumbled we would have won by 21 points.

 

[Maddict5]

im not overly concerned with either problem given who we've faced so far this season & given that slatons big games last year v the titans were the result of greatness on his part- getting away from 2 or 3 guys. somehow staying up after being tripped etc

defensively we can stop the run. id guess we've had more TFL's & no gains so far this season than we had in over 8 games last season when we couldnt stop the run. its just those two monster plays we give up a game due to young guys making mistakes & being in the wrong position. hopefully that should stop as they get more experience

i think those stats are partly down to who we've played so far but i like what kubiak is doing- giving each unit something to keep them focused where they might otherwise nod off against a jags team that doesnt look up to much this year

 

[BigBull17]

Today's article in the Houston Chronicle should bring a few of us back to earth.



There's no other way to put this. They lucked out winning that game. They lucked out in so many ways, it's not funny.

.

I think the Titans were lucky they didn't lose by 20. We outplayed them, most of the game.

 

[BigBull17]

im not overly concerned with either problem given who we've faced so far this season & given that slatons big games last year v the titans were the result of greatness on his part- getting away from 2 or 3 guys. somehow staying up after being tripped etc

defensively we can stop the run. id guess we've had more TFL's & no gains so far this season than we had in nearly 16 games last season when we couldnt stop the run. its just those two monster plays we give up a game due to young guys making mistakes & being in the wrong position. hopefully that should stop as they get more experience

i think those stats are partly down to who we've played so far but i like what kubiak is doing- giving each unit something to keep them focused where they might otherwise nod off against a jags team that doesnt look up to much this year

My budy and I looked it up, Demeco is on pace to have more TFL this year than his whole career. That's a big difference.

 

[nero THE zero]

Those long runs still count though. Sorry but I hate when people discountlong runs against the stats and say the defense was good besides them. The fact is there are serious breakdowns when people break runs so they are just as disconcerting to me overall. that would be like Titan fan saying if they had called the two late hits out of bounds, given us the fumble and Kerry hadn't fumbled we would have won by 21 points.

Well, I think the general idea is that, when viewing trends and patterns, it is more encouraging to have a defense that can stop the run for no or negative gains on most plays and give up a big run once every 10 plays than to have a defense who gets constantly gashed for 4 or 5 yards.

The idea is that, this early in the season, you might have the time and the capability to eventually stop that 10th play that goes big for no yards like you do the previous nine plays, whereas there is no glimmer of hope for a defense that is constantly giving up 4-5 yards.

Though, obviously the defense has to make that improvement at some point or it's no better.

 

[HoustonFrog]

I think the Titans were lucky they didn't lose by 20. We outplayed them, most of the game.

Disagree. On 2 Titan drives getting near midfield the Texans got away with 2 blatant shots out of bounds. The Jacoby fumble, etc. I'm not sure how you can say that when a defense leaves a guy wide open sitting by the sidelines. Not complaining, just saying.

 

[HOU-TEX]

Those long runs still count though. Sorry but I hate when people discountlong runs against the stats and say the defense was good besides them. The fact is there are serious breakdowns when people break runs so they are just as disconcerting to me overall. that would be like Titan fan saying if they had called the two late hits out of bounds, given us the fumble and Kerry hadn't fumbled we would have won by 21 points.

I agree. Heck, people were saying how Slaton was the only RB that successfully ran on the titans last season. Well, if you take away the 50 yarder he had in Tenn he would've only had 66 yards. Take away the 34 yarder in the game we won he would've had 66 yards. So it goes both ways.

 

[BigBull17]

Disagree. On 2 Titan drives getting near midfield the Texans got away with 2 blatant shots out of bounds. The Jacoby fumble, etc. I'm not sure how you can say that when a defense leaves a guy wide open sitting by the sidelines. Not complaining, just saying.

Other than the three long plays, the Titans never moved the ball. How can you NOT say we dominated that game? I don't discount long runs, but I know for sure that our D played better than the yards they gave up. The Titans couldn't sustain anything on offense. They burned us on three long plays, missed assignments by young players. We did not get lucky and fall into a win, IMO.

 

[Hookem Horns]

It would have been nice if the Texans would have signed Cedric Benson when they had the chance. The guy had another great game yesterday up in Green Bay. You can't have enough depth at RB. The Giants have proven that to me with all the backs they are rotating out there.

 

[Maddict5]

My budy and I looked it up, Demeco is on pace to have more TFL this year than his whole career. That's a big difference.

16 games was probably an exaggeration by me but we've had way more of those plays than against anybody last yr & given that the two teams we've done that against (jets & titans) were top of the league when it came to running the ball last year, thats pretty impressive

 

[BigBull17]

It would have been nice if the Texans would have signed Cedric Benson when they had the chance. The guy had another great game yesterday up in Green Bay. You can't have enough depth at RB. The Giants have proven that to me with all the backs they are rotating out there.

He used us to get a little more cash from the Bungles.

 

[Runner]

It would have been nice if the Texans would have signed Cedric Benson when they had the chance. The guy had another great game yesterday up in Green Bay. You can't have enough depth at RB. The Giants have proven that to me with all the backs they are rotating out there.

He used us to get a little more cash from the Bungles.

That is incorrect - the Texans didn't make him an offer. The Texans decided they weren't interested, not Benson.

The board was split too. Some thought he would be a waste at league minimum.

 

[HoustonFrog]

Other than the three long plays, the Titans never moved the ball. How can you NOT say we dominated that game? I don't discount long runs, but I know for sure that our D played better than the yards they gave up. The Titans couldn't sustain anything on offense. They burned us on three long plays, missed assignments by young players. We did not get lucky and fall into a win, IMO.

But you are discounting the big plays. They count. Their 3rd TD was a throw to Nate W inside the red zone. The were driving twice when the two no calls were made. They had no problems in the first half moving it. Stop making excuses for the D. Your same reasoning could be used by them..."if not for a blown coverage and AJ being wide open we would be up by 2 TDs." They were up by a TD when Jacoby muffed the punt. So overall you can't say what you've been saying. There was nothing close to domination.

 

[ChampionTexan]

That is incorrect - the Texans didn't make him an offer. The Texans decided they weren't interested, not Benson.

Not according to McClain/The Chronicle:

Benson left Houston to return to Austin after considering signing with the Texans, but getting $3.5 million a year to be a starter was more appealing than getting $2.75 million a year to be a reserve.

LINK

 

[Double Barrel]

I do not feel as confident as others that we will turn it around on either the offense or defense. Proof will be in the games to come, because based on what we have seen so far, we are losing the trench war with both running the ball and stopping the run.

Taking out big plays is just silly to me, with maybe the exception of the uncovered Chris Johnson play. That was a unit asleep at the wheel and we should be able to expect that we will never see that again.

 

[HoustonFrog]

I do not feel as confident as others that we will turn it around on either the offense or defense. Proof will be in the games to come, because based on what we have seen so far, we are losing the trench war with both running the ball and stopping the run.

Taking out big plays is just silly to me, with maybe the exception of the uncovered Chris Johnson play. That was a unit asleep at the wheel and we should be able to expect that we will never see that again.

Exactly!

 

[GP]

We need two big run stuffers in the middle. Amobi isn't that. Okam is sorta' that.

But does this team DARE to draft one in the 1st round in 2010 where there's more chance at finding a good one, rather than later rounds? LOL.

If you want to stop the best rushing offenses in the NFL, don't you have to do what teams like the Vikings do: Get two massively big guys to shut down the middle running lanes.

TJ didn't work out for us in that capacity. There's one first rounder lost on the cause. And Amobi's on the verge of being 1st rounder number 2.

On the bright side, there's always plenty of TEs to pick up in the early rounds. So we got that going for us, which is nice...

 

[Runner]

That is incorrect - the Texans didn't make him an offer. The Texans decided they weren't interested, not Benson.

Not according to McClain/The Chronicle:

Benson left Houston to return to Austin after considering signing with the Texans, but getting $3.5 million a year to be a starter was more appealing than getting $2.75 million a year to be a reserve.

LINK

Thanks for the info and link. It appears at this point I was wrong about this.

I didn't think an official offer was ever made. Hmmm.......

 

[Hervoyel]

It would have been nice if the Texans would have signed Cedric Benson when they had the chance. The guy had another great game yesterday up in Green Bay. You can't have enough depth at RB. The Giants have proven that to me with all the backs they are rotating out there.

Exactly. There we were sitting on a rookie RB with promise, lame ass Ahman Green, and Ryan Moats and we're too good to go talk to Cedric Benson.

That infuriated me then and it infuriates me now. How's Cedric Benson doing these days by the way? 6th in the NFL and averaging over 4 yards a carry behind Cincinnati's line thank you very much.

Way to not even try to improve your team Rick, Gary, & Bob. Bravo! The Bengals got him for next to nothing. We could have done that easily and rotated him with Slaton all year.

 

[nero THE zero]

Thanks for the info and link. It appears at this point I was wrong about this.

I didn't think an official offer was ever made. Hmmm.......

Kubiak suggests that there was never an offer made:

(on the Texans not taking RB Cedric Benson in free agency last year) "We had our chance with Cedric in free agency. It just didn't work out. He was free for a while and we were a team that passed in that situation. We ran the ball pretty good last year. We had our chance at him in free agency in the offseason. We evaluated him and evaluated his fit with our football team and we made a decision to go in a different direction. We've got people to run the ball. But they have to run the ball better and we have to help them run the ball better. You know, hindsight is 20-20. We've got to play with the people we've got."

 

[Runner]

Not according to McClain/The Chronicle:


LINK

Thanks for the info and link. It appears at this point I was wrong about this.

I didn't think an official offer was ever made. Hmmm.......

Ok. I figured it out. The offer in the link was made during this offseason. I was talking about when Benson tried out during the season last year.

Sorry to correct the original poster. It appears we were both right.

 

[Runner]

Thanks for the info and link. It appears at this point I was wrong about this.

I didn't think an official offer was ever made. Hmmm.......

Kubiak suggests that there was never an offer made:

(on the Texans not taking RB Cedric Benson in free agency last year) "We had our chance with Cedric in free agency. It just didn't work out. He was free for a while and we were a team that passed in that situation. We ran the ball pretty good last year. We had our chance at him in free agency in the offseason. We evaluated him and evaluated his fit with our football team and we made a decision to go in a different direction. We've got people to run the ball. But they have to run the ball better and we have to help them run the ball better. You know, hindsight is 20-20. We've got to play with the people we've got."

This Kubiak quote is interesting too. McClain might be exagerating a contract offer. Imagine that.

 

[The Pencil Neck]

I do not feel as confident as others that we will turn it around on either the offense or defense. Proof will be in the games to come, because based on what we have seen so far, we are losing the trench war with both running the ball and stopping the run.

Taking out big plays is just silly to me, with maybe the exception of the uncovered Chris Johnson play. That was a unit asleep at the wheel and we should be able to expect that we will never see that again.

Taking out 1 big play that is obviously an aberration is okay for me.

The problem is, we don't have one big play that's obviously an aberration. We have a bunch of big plays. That's no aberration. That's a problem. Hopefully, it's a problem that can be fixed. To me, it LOOKS like a problem that can be fixed and the question is whether it will be fixed.

Gawd. I hope so.

 

[LonerATO]

Today's article in the Houston Chronicle should bring a few of us back to earth.



There's no other way to put this. They lucked out winning that game. They lucked out in so many ways, it's not funny. From not stopping the run, to not being able to run, to Jacoby's muffed punt, to Collins coughing it up in the end. Like they say, it's better to be lucky than good.

But if they can't run, or stop the run against the Jags or the Raiders, do you really think we'll continue to get that lucky?

I actually think stopping the run will be less and less of an issue as more games are played. There are talented people on defense, but they haven't played that much together as a unit. Once everyone figures out where they are supposed to be consistently on every play, the problem should resolve itself.

Offensively, that is another story. This is the same unit that played together all of last year. I'm not sure what Steve Slaton's problem is, but it's to the point where I don't care. He's running behind the same line as he was last year. But whatever, I hope Kubiak moves on with this and gives the ball to Moats. He ran the ball better than Slaton in preseason. I think it's time Moats gets some carries, if anything to narrow down where the problem really is . . . Slaton or the O-line.

I think that number is skewed in that CJ had that one run that should have happened since he wasnt covered and we also basically got gashed by one player

 

[The Pencil Neck]

I think that number is skewed in that CJ had that one run that should have happened since he wasnt covered and we also basically got gashed by one player

The bottom line is that we got gashed.

Period.

End of story.

We have to fix that. If we keep getting gashed, by 1 player or 10, we can't expect to keep winning.

 

[BigBull17]

But you are discounting the big plays. They count. Their 3rd TD was a throw to Nate W inside the red zone. The were driving twice when the two no calls were made. They had no problems in the first half moving it. Stop making excuses for the D. Your same reasoning could be used by them..."if not for a blown coverage and AJ being wide open we would be up by 2 TDs." They were up by a TD when Jacoby muffed the punt. So overall you can't say what you've been saying. There was nothing close to domination.

All I am saying is when our young guys didn't blow assignments, which happens with a new scheme, we didn't give the Titans much to work with. Agree to disagree. Also, what blown calls were you talking about?

 

[dc_txtech]

Taking out 1 big play that is obviously an aberration is okay for me.

The problem is, we don't have one big play that's obviously an aberration. We have a bunch of big plays. That's no aberration. That's a problem. Hopefully, it's a problem that can be fixed. To me, it LOOKS like a problem that can be fixed and the question is whether it will be fixed.

Gawd. I hope so.

That's pretty much how I feel about. I will say one thing though, I would rather give up big plays than giving up an easy 5 yards on every play like we have in the past.

 

[GP]

This Kubiak quote is interesting too. McClain might be exagerating a contract offer. Imagine that.

Or when Kubiak said "...we passed..." he was talking about passing on the counter-offer made by Benson's agent.

That, or we "passed" something else to Cedric that someone would normally pass to him. :grass:

 

[Ckw]

I think what so many of you are missing is the Titans were aggressively playing the run BECAUSE of last season. Fisher even said his biggest concern was our running game, and he believes Slaton is legit. Why else do you think we were able to pass for over 350 yards?!? I'm not saying Slaton doesn't look tentative; he certainly doesn't seem to have the vision he had last season. At the same time, you have to recognize that Fisher was specifically targeting our running game which in turn led to our big passing game, and so far no one has been able to run on the Jets.

 

[Texecutioner]

Anyone that says that we don't have major problems stopping the run is completely delusional and needs to get out of La La land or off the acid they're tripping off of. The Texans were ran all over by the Saints in pre season with Bell, Peterson in the Vikings game, and the first two regular season games as well. We've been getting pounded all over on defense when it comes to running the ball. Frog is right, that trying to spin stuff like "well if it wasn't for that big run play, we did alright." Well that big run play was there and it still counted just like any other play. Chris Johnson just had a career game against us, where it looked like he was playing some college team out of the BIG East or something. The worst part about our inability to stop the run is that teams are scoring TD's off of those big plays. They're not just runs where we have the ability to stop them afterward and force a FG kick, teams are hitting HR plays on our defense left and right with these big plays.


I like exactly what Kubes is saying. He knows there are huge problems with our running game on offense and stopping the run on defense. Those problems need to get fixed pronto if this team is going to have any type of decent season. The Texans will be facing one of the best RB's in the league next week in MJD and we need to stop the guy and make some improvements.

Stopping the run and running the ball should be the team's main focus all week long going into this game and it seems like it is from what Kubes is saying. Get on it Kubes!

 

[HJam72]

I think what so many of you are missing is the Titans were aggressively playing the run BECAUSE of last season. Fisher even said his biggest concern was our running game, and he believes Slaton is legit. Why else do you think we were able to pass for over 350 yards?!? I'm not saying Slaton doesn't look tentative; he certainly doesn't seem to have the vision he had last season. At the same time, you have to recognize that Fisher was specifically targeting our running game which in turn led to our big passing game, and so far no one has been able to run on the Jets.

....and I thought Fisher was smart.

 

[HoustonFrog]

All I am saying is when our young guys didn't blow assignments, which happens with a new scheme, we didn't give the Titans much to work with. Agree to disagree. Also, what blown calls were you talking about?

I was happy to see that two late hits weren't called on the sidelines on 2 drives. One of them CJ was basically 4 yards out of bounds and the refs let it go. Same thing happened later but it was a little closer. Both instances they were close to midfield and it would have moved them closer. But from replays they looked late. Overall they were calling it like it was playoff football so it wasn't surprising.

 

[Ckw]

Anyone that says that we don't have major problems stopping the run is completely delusional and needs to get out of La La land or off the acid they're tripping off of. The Texans were ran all over by the Saints in pre season with Bell, Peterson in the Vikings game, and the first two regular season games as well. We've been getting pounded all over on defense when it comes to running the ball. Frog is right, that trying to spin stuff like "well if it wasn't for that big run play, we did alright." Well that big run play was there and it still counted just like any other play. Chris Johnson just had a career game against us, where it looked like he was playing some college team out of the BIG East or something. The worst part about our inability to stop the run is that teams are scoring TD's off of those big plays. They're not just runs where we have the ability to stop them afterward and force a FG kick, teams are hitting HR plays on our defense left and right with these big plays.


I like exactly what Kubes is saying. He knows there are huge problems with our running game on offense and stopping the run on defense. Those problems need to get fixed pronto if this team is going to have any type of decent season. The Texans will be facing one of the best RB's in the league next week in MJD and we need to stop the guy and make some improvements.

Stopping the run and running the ball should be the team's main focus all week long going into this game and it seems like it is from what Kubes is saying. Get on it Kubes!

Definitely. Chris Johnson looked like a man amongst boys out there on Sunday. Amobi looked better, but there is no doubt that Deljuan needs to be starting. The one thing I will add, Tex, is that many of the big runs by CJ were almost shut down; our guys were just a bit too slow closing the gaps. The guy I noticed a few times, and on the big run play, was Cushing. He seemed to almost get there to shut down the play but barely didn't make it on time. This is likely due to inexperience and will hopefully be rectified by next week otherwise MJD will run all over us.

 

[BrandonLwowski]

Those long runs still count though. Sorry but I hate when people discount long runs against the stats and say the defense was good besides them. The fact is there are serious breakdowns when people break runs so they are just as disconcerting to me overall. That would be like Titan fan saying if they had called the two late hits out of bounds, given us the fumble and Kerry hadn't fumbled we would have won by 21 points.

I agree with you, but if you look at both games we were solid on the run game. yes i know the stats show us at number 32nd in stopping the run but that is misleading. Even if we dont take away the 3 big runs, one agaisnt the jets two the titans, we stopped the run consisently so that the play action passes could not be as succesful. im just saying except for those 3 runs we have stopped the run consistently

 

[Marcus]

I do not feel as confident as others that we will turn it around on either the offense or defense. Proof will be in the games to come, because based on what we have seen so far, we are losing the trench war with both running the ball and stopping the run.

I agree with this to a certain extent. If we can't win the battle up front, then any game we do win will be by sheer luck. We went into the Titans home field, and despite not being able to run, and not being able to stop the run, and still won???? That was luck, any way you slice it.

But problem that nobody seems to want to talk about, is Steve Slaton. You can say the O-line is not getting it done, but it's the same O-line he ran behind last year. And it's the same line he ran behind last year when he ran for 100 yards against the Titans. Even taking out the 3 times he's coughed up the ball already, his performance thus far is pretty much a big zero.

 

[HOU-TEX]

I agree with you, but if you look at both games we were solid on the run game. yes i know the stats show us at number 32nd in stopping the run but that is misleading. Even if we dont take away the 3 big runs, one agaisnt the jets two the titans, we stopped the run consisently so that the play action passes could not be as succesful. im just saying except for those 3 runs we have stopped the run consistently

IMO, you can either be consistent at stopping the run or you can be inconsistent stopping the run. There is no in between. You can't just exclude the big runs and say we were consistent.

Our entire team is inconsistent.

 

[HJam72]

Not to disagree, but the Titans have just lost 2 in a row where they outran their opponent. How many times have the Colts won games where they were outplayed in every way but one? Yes, I am worried about the Jags, but I'm just glad we have a good passing game and that we put pressure on opposing QBs. Teams that win in the trenches are always more impressive, but....well, they don't always win (in the regular season, lol).

 

[BrandonLwowski]

I see everyone has mix feeling feelings on the run defense for the texans. it seems like noone can agree on it so here is something that we can all agree on. Lets hope texans defense can tighten up and our offense have another great game. And sunday we are gonna beat the Jags @$$ hell yea!!!!

 

[HJam72]

Yes, but we are consistently inconsistent.