A few key points to beating the Raiders

[Texecutioner]

On offense with AJ out

* Jacoby Jones needs to grow up and be the guy that Kubiak has instilled so much confidence in. Make a good amount of plays and give this team at least 75 yards and maybe a TD.

* Walter needs to return to the consistency in the passing game that he had in his 2nd year here when he had like 900 yards. He can catch great, but he needs to get open and insert himself. We'll need at least 80+ yards from him and that isn't to much to ask.

* Bring in some two TE sets perhaps so we can let Daniels and Thor both loose. Thor has proven he can make plays for this team and that he is a gamer. Allow him to be what we drafted him for. Make this guy a weapon as well as Daniels, because we know what Daniels is capable of on any given day.

* Get Foster involved in as many screens as possible so we can get him in space. Holes in the running game won't always be there, but a good screen pass can make up for it a lot of the time. Hopefully the holes are there in the running game, but we're going to need a heavy work load from Foster this week.


On Defense

* Limit and contain Mcfadden to about 120 yards and one TD tops. This guy is on fire, so shutting him down is a lot to ask, and I'll be okay if we can limit him to about 120 on the ground.

* Get after Jason Campbell like crazy. He's not a QB that can make a ton of plays on his own when nothing is there. Give us 5 sacks and about a ton of other QB hurries and this passing attack shouldn't do a whole lot.

* Make it a point to light a spark in Mario before the game. This will be Kubiak and Wade's job. I'm liking what I'm seeing thus far with him in this new system, but he has a tendancy to disappear after a good game or two. Let's keep this high energy from him consistent and get him pumped. When Mario is all over the place this defense is a much better unit.



This isn't to much to ask. If these things can happen I think this is a very winnable game. The Raiders are no push over this year and need to be taken very seriously. They're not world beaters either though, so we should be able to take care of business and go 4-1 for the first time in history.

 

[drs23]

Tex. Very well presented.

Go Texans!

 

[Texecutioner]

Tex. Very well presented.

Go Texans!

Thanks. Should be a pretty good game. I have the Texans winning by 10. That is very doable. I just hope they don't get to loose and cocky because it's the Raiders that have stunk it up for a long time. This Raiders team is playing pretty inspired and they are not push overs, but the Texans are simply a more talented team that is better. THey just need to do what is necessary.

 

[Corrosion]

Pound the rock - The Raiders have the 29th ranked rushing defense in the NFL .....

 

[gtexan02]

Pound the rock - The Raiders have the 29th ranked rushing defense in the NFL .....

According to FBO they are 28th, we are 30th.

Should be an interesting game

 

[Texecutioner]

Pound the rock - The Raiders have the 29th ranked rushing defense in the NFL .....

Yeah, a good dose of Foster should do the trick. I'd like to see Thor get a few carries up the middle as well so Foster isn't getting so many. Also let Chris O get in some work as he has shown that he can get what we need on any given carry if he has room to run. He isn't flashy, but he doesn't try to be either. He is good at getting what is there and doesn't try to get cute.

 

[False Start]

Good points Tex. I have a feeling Arian will have a big day this Sunday.

 

[thunderkyss]

This isn't too much to ask. If these things can happen I think this is a very winnable game. The Raiders are no push over this year and need to be taken very seriously. They're not world beaters either though, so we should be able to take care of business and go 4-1 for the first time in history.

Good job.


Where you been?

What do you think about Dressen? You know with Andre out, they'll be all over OD...... leave him in to block send Dressen out to the middle of the field..... it's all his......

 

[thunderkyss]

Thanks. Should be a pretty good game. I have the Texans winning by 10. That is very doable. I just hope they don't get to loose and cocky because it's the Raiders that have stunk it up for a long time. This Raiders team is playing pretty inspired and they are not push overs, but the Texans are simply a more talented team that is better. THey just need to do what is necessary.

The Raiders have two wins against Denver & a wild one against the Jets..... but they've been playing inspired ball.

We've got to beat 3 Super Bowl contenders in a row before our own fans will believe.... or just get behind the team.

But the Raiders have been playing inspired ball.....

I'm not singling you out, you're not alone. There are many "fans" on this board that have more faith in the 8-8 Raiders than they do in their own team.

 

[Texecutioner]

The Raiders have two wins against Denver & a wild one against the Jets..... but they've been playing inspired ball.

We've got to beat 3 Super Bowl contenders in a row before our own fans will believe.... or just get behind the team.

But the Raiders have been playing inspired ball.....

I'm not singling you out, you're not alone. There are many "fans" on this board that have more faith in the 8-8 Raiders than they do in their own team.

That's not what this is about though. This is about how the Texans can beat the Raiders this week and finally get a good 3 game winning streak going and go to 4-1 which is a record they've never seen 5 games into the season. They can achieve this and I think they will, but they've got to get guys like Jacoby Jones and Thor playing up to their potential and to carry the weight while AJ is out.

 

[Texecutioner]

Good job.


Where you been?

What do you think about Dressen? You know with Andre out, they'll be all over OD...... leave him in to block send Dressen out to the middle of the field..... it's all his......

Took a little break away from the boards for a while, but I was mainly out of state working and and grinding away and took some vacation time as well.

Dressen is capable of making plays. I agree. Not a bad idea TK. I think Thor can be a play maker from the TE position or the FB position though. He is sort of like a wild card guy though. I wish Kubes would trust him more.

 

[Corrosion]

According to FBO they are 28th, we are 30th.

Should be an interesting game

The Texans are 26th in avg per rush giving up 4.9 per carry but 18th in total rushing yards allowed.


The Raiders are 32nd in avg per rush giving up 5.9 per and 29th in total rushing yards allowed.


When you consider who the Texans have played during these first four games and that they have schemed primarily to stop the pass I think they can make adjustments to at least slow the Raiders rushing.

None of the teams the Raiders have played thus far are particularly good rushing teams .... They gave up 185 yards on the ground to the Pats and 243 to the Bills ..... Im surprised the Jets didnt run much more against them , they sure have gotten away from what makes them tick relying instead on Sanchez who had 44 pass attempts against them

 

[infantrycak]

What do you think about Dressen? You know with Andre out, they'll be all over OD...... leave him in to block send Dressen out to the middle of the field..... it's all his......

I don't get this logic at all - they are scared of him so let's abandon him? They are scared of him because he is good. You don't abandon your guys because they are good.

 

[gary]

Tex, this an interesting thread with you being a well known critic of Kubiak on this MB. Are your thoughts still the same after a 3-1 thus far this season or have they changed any?

 

[Scooter]

Jacoby Jones needs to grow up

we've been waiting years for this to happen. we gave jacoby a new contract (which i was in favor of) and these next few weeks are when he earns it. the last time andre johnson went out for a block of time, andre davis stepped up to fill that void. jacoby has yet to step up his game when it matters, but here's his chance. he's now #1 - walter is 2 and bryant is 3. obviously our RB's and TE's will be primary targets, but winning is likely to be very closely tied to jacoby's performance.

 

[thunderkyss]

Has Jacoby been practicing normal lately? I thought he was still listed as injured?

 

[Texecutioner]

Tex, this an interesting thread with you being a well known critic of Kubiak on this MB. Are your thoughts still the same after a 3-1 thus far this season or have they changed any?

They're absolutely the same. I don't change my thoughts on a coach because of a 3-1 start in his 6th season after 5 years of poor coaching and to much loyalty to bad coaches. The defense is playing well this season though due to better coaching on the defensive side of the ball and because the Texans finally made some moves to fill holes in free agency which I was happy to finally see. Plus, the division has been practically gift wrapped with the Colts losing Manning without any real time to prepare for that, and the Jags dumping Garrard when they did. Even Kubes can't mess this up this year. I think we'll make the playoffs, but I do fear that it will get him an extension which could be detrimental down the road. However, he is here now so what can I do?? He's the coach of my team whether I like it or not. I'm expecting a playoff birth this season, so my biggest hope is that we're healthy come playoff time and that we're clicking on all cylinders around that time for a potential run that goes past the first round.

 

[gary]

Re-signing Jones was a mistake.

 

[TejasTom]

I would add cut down on penalties.

If we can keep from getting big plays called back this week, I say Texans win 31 - 17.

 

[DocBar]

Took a little break away from the boards for a while, but I was mainly out of state working and and grinding away and took some vacation time as well.

Dressen is capable of making plays. I agree. Not a bad idea TK. I think Thor can be a play maker from the TE position or the FB position though. He is sort of like a wild card guy though. I wish Kubes would trust him more.

Welcome back!! Seems like someone slipped a little kool-aid in the whsiky bottle.

Nice post.

 

[thunderkyss]

I'm slipping this in here, it's from Cold Hard Football Facts

2. Wade Phillips' new Texans defense.



The Texans have the fourth best defense, in terms of points against with a 17.5 point per game average. That's a far cry from the 29th place Texans defense in 2010 who allowed, on average, 27.6 points per game. In his last three match ups against the Texans, Darren McFadden has rushed 30 times for 91 yards and no touchdowns. Those last three match ups were against the pre-Phillips Texans defense. Mario Williams and Antonio Smith are tied for third in the NFL with four sacks a piece. Johnathan Joseph is tied for second in the NFL with two interceptions. Brian Cushing has 28 tackles in four games. The Texans defense has allowed only one 100+ yard rusher this year and has held every other running back they faced to under 50 rushing yards per game. This isn't the Texans' defense of yesteryear with a welcome mad in the end zone. Jason Campbell and Darren McFadden will have to step up and make big things happen to pull off a win in Houston.



3. The Texans' passing game.



Andre Johnson may be out this week, but that won't limit Matt Shaub's passing game. Owen Daniels (Shaub's No.2 target) has 14 receptions for 182 yards on the year and leads the team with three touchdowns. Jacoby Jones (7 receptions 91 yards) will be stepping into Andre Johnson's shoes while Johnson is out. James Casey (163 yards and a touchdown) and Kevin Walter (49 yards and a touchdown) will also be working their way into the rotation against the Raiders. Shaub has no shortage of options in the passing game, especially against a team who's struggled against the pass, ranked 22nd allowing an average of 273.8 passing yards per game.