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Time to see if we are for real.

DocBar

DocBar

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2-0 is sweet, but everyone remembers last season. Now we get to play the Saints and get our first test against an elite team. This will be one helluva measuring stick.

We all know about the Brees and the passing game, but the Saints also have a pretty solid running game this season. I bet Wade and the defensive staff are gonna lose some sleep this week. Hopefully JJo's ankle will be good enough to go on, because we're gonna need all hands on deck and probably stay in nickel the whole game. Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas are the wild cards in this. Sean Payton might decide to see how good his running game is since we're sporting a new defense that is really getting after QB's. We just put 4 quarters of less than stellar run D on film and we have to respect the pass first and foremost, so Payton could very well use some draws and runs up the middle and take advantage of our lack of a true NT.

On defense, the Saints are as blitz happy as they come. We put 4 quarters of less than stellar blitz pickups on film today, especially in the 3rd quarter and early 4th. You can bet your azz that Gregg Williams will be throwing everything and the kitchen sink at us. If we're able to make the right adjustments and burn those blitzes a few times, we stand to make a game of it. If not, we're in for a long day. Hopefully, Kubiak will do what he did today and open it up when the Saints defense starts dictating our offense. We have playmakers on offense, so let them make plays and do what stars do: win football games.

I really think we can win this game. If we can burn them on blitzes a few times, our offense can hang with theirs.
What do y'all think?
 
Given the choice of this game or the week after for a loss, I'll pick this one. Not saying a win in both would be amazing, but I'm not expecting that.
 
FirstTexansFan said:
Given the choice of this game or the week after for a loss, I'll pick this one. Not saying a win in both would be amazing, but I'm not expecting that.
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I want to see us compete and, if we're on the losing end of things, have the outcome in doubt until the final whistle. If we can do that, it's a fair bet that we are for real and there are great things in our future. If we get blown out, not so much.
It's always better to lose a non-conference game, It doesn't hurt so much with tie breakers. I also expect us to do pretty OK against the Steelers. I think they are vulnerable this year. Their OL isn't looking very good and their D is getting long in the tooth. I think they will be good in spurts, but not for 16 games.
 
I agree, I just want to feel after the game that they competed well, and had a chance to pull it out. A blowout will throw this fanbase into a frenzy... myself included.
 
FirstTexansFan said:
I agree, I just want to feel after the game that they competed well, and had a chance to pull it out. A blowout will throw this fanbase into a frenzy... myself included.
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If we get blown out, Ima do something crazy like suggest we trade Mario Williams!!
:overreact::overreact::overreact:
 
Obviously this game will not necessarily make or break our season, We all looked at the schedule and knew it was a tough start, and the Saints are probably the best team we'll face this season and if you look past this week we still play the Ravens, Steelers and Falcons but apart from those 3 games we haven't got a difficult schedule overall.

Watching the game yesterday it became clear to me that Wade's defence, as respectable as it looked in week 1, still has a lot to work on which will come in time, so if we can get away with at least 1 win from the next 2 games I'll be happy as Larry.

The real issue is whether or not Schaub can sort out his red zone funk. I remember when he first came to Houston he seemed to throw a lot of turnovers in the red zone which hurt us big time, it seems like Kubiak has moved towards limiting the turnover potential in that area of the field at the expense of some of the creativity required to get it in.

I think the issues we've seen are probably a product of the shortened pre-season and Schaub will also improve as the weeks go by.
 
welsh texan said:
Obviously this game will not necessarily make or break our season, We all looked at the schedule and knew it was a tough start, and the Saints are probably the best team we'll face this season and if you look past this week we still play the Ravens, Steelers and Falcons but apart from those 3 games we haven't got a difficult schedule overall.

Watching the game yesterday it became clear to me that Wade's defence, as respectable as it looked in week 1, still has a lot to work on which will come in time, so if we can get away with at least 1 win from the next 2 games I'll be happy as Larry.

The real issue is whether or not Schaub can sort out his red zone funk. I remember when he first came to Houston he seemed to throw a lot of turnovers in the red zone which hurt us big time, it seems like Kubiak has moved towards limiting the turnover potential in that area of the field at the expense of some of the creativity required to get it in.

I think the issues we've seen are probably a product of the shortened pre-season and Schaub will also improve as the weeks go by.
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I don't think Schaub was the big red zone problem today. We got outplayed at the point of attack and found out that we can't impose our will on better DL's and we need to be flexible in our goal line approach. We were very conservative inside the redzone today. Those are problems that will show themselves during fil study.

Malloy said:
Just release him. It'll send a message to the rest of the team ;)
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I thought about that, but do we really want to be a copycat coaching staff of Tony Soprano?:specnatz:
 
welsh texan said:
Obviously this game will not necessarily make or break our season, We all looked at the schedule and knew it was a tough start, and the Saints are probably the best team we'll face this season and if you look past this week we still play the Ravens, Steelers and Falcons but apart from those 3 games we haven't got a difficult schedule overall.

Watching the game yesterday it became clear to me that Wade's defence, as respectable as it looked in week 1, still has a lot to work on which will come in time, so if we can get away with at least 1 win from the next 2 games I'll be happy as Larry.

The real issue is whether or not Schaub can sort out his red zone funk. I remember when he first came to Houston he seemed to throw a lot of turnovers in the red zone which hurt us big time, it seems like Kubiak has moved towards limiting the turnover potential in that area of the field at the expense of some of the creativity required to get it in.

I think the issues we've seen are probably a product of the shortened pre-season and Schaub will also improve as the weeks go by.
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I agree with the above. I'm not confident that we can win both games. If we beat up on the Saints I'm afraid that they will be complacent against the Steelers and lose that one...If they can pull off wins in both games I will be estatic and everyone will see that the Texans are the real thing!!

That being said-we have three tough games in the next four then really only one more in the rest of the season. It's still looking good.
 
Texas T said:
I agree with the above. I'm not confident that we can win both games. If we beat up on the Saints I'm afraid that they will be complacent against the Steelers and lose that one...If they can pull off wins in both games I will be estatic and everyone will see that the Texans are the real thing!!

That being said-we have three tough games in the next four then really only one more in the rest of the season. It's still looking good.
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The Raiders look for real and the tAcks just manhandled the Ravens. I'm seeing fewer "gimme" games on the schedule as the weeks go by. Too bad we don't get the Bungles or Panthers earlier in the year.
 
DocBar said:
The Raiders look for real and the tAcks just manhandled the Ravens. I'm seeing fewer "gimme" games on the schedule as the weeks go by. Too bad we don't get the Bungles or Panthers earlier in the year.
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But those are still in the next four. Those will be tough, no doubt. I just don't see much to be overly concerned about after that. Now this is still the Texans so anything could happen but I'm feeling pretty optimistic this morning. All is right in the world-Texans 2-0 and Dolts 0-2!!
 
Texas T said:
But those are still in the next four. Those will be tough, no doubt. I just don't see much to be overly concerned about after that. Now this is still the Texans so anything could happen but I'm feeling pretty optimistic this morning. All is right in the world-Texans 2-0 and Dolts 0-2!!
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You can only beat whats in front of you and the Texans have done that so far, I think its only natural to feel a little nervous at this stage of the season especially given what happened 12 months ago.

I really hope the coaches are on the players this week though, the 'phins managed to exploit us in certain situations and it was probably a good thing since we still got the W because the Colts didn't test us in week 1, so they have a bit more to work which will help us going forward.
 
Saints' D is predicated on turnovers and Darren Sharper not being there really hurts that. I'm not very confident in them stopping our offense, especially if we can get Walter back for it.

They have a solid running game, but ours is even better. Would like to see Foster play if he can. No weather indoors that can bother him too much.

I say be aggressive on Brees. Blitz if you can. Bears got shredded yesterday playing that bend-but-dont-break stuff.
 
TheMatrix31 said:
Saints' D is predicated on turnovers and Darren Sharper not being there really hurts that. I'm not very confident in them stopping our offense, especially if we can get Walter back for it.

They have a solid running game, but ours is even better. Would like to see Foster play if he can. No weather indoors that can bother him too much.

I say be aggressive on Brees. Blitz if you can. Bears got shredded yesterday playing that bend-but-dont-break stuff.
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That is a very naive and optimistic view of this game. The Saints turnovers must be caused. NFL QB's don't just throw interceptions to please a defense nor do RB's fumble the ball for that reason. Turnovers are caused and you can't predicate a defense on getting turnovers. You can have a defense that is opportunistic, but you can't depend on turnovers.
Our coaching staff will be tested in this game moreso than our players. We have the talent. Do we have the leadership?
 
TheMatrix31 said:
Saints' D is predicated on turnovers and Darren Sharper not being there really hurts that. I'm not very confident in them stopping our offense, especially if we can get Walter back for it.

They have a solid running game, but ours is even better. Would like to see Foster play if he can. No weather indoors that can bother him too much.

I say be aggressive on Brees. Blitz if you can. Bears got shredded yesterday playing that bend-but-dont-break stuff.
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TheMatrix31 said:
That's what I mean. The Saints D is opportunistic, and not having Darren Sharper hurts their opportunistic ways.
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OK, but to say a defense is predicated on turnovers is silly. Defenses can be predicated on stoping the run or pressuring the QB and both of those can lead to turnovers, but you can't rely on them like you can a great pass rusher or run stuffer. Turnovers are a by-product of good gameplanning but all the gameplanning in the world can't gaurantee them.
 
Saint's D is a bend-don't break, big play v big play, pressure oriented D.. Lots of blitzes from lots of places, if they get there, big play by D..If Offense gets the ball out to right spot, big play O. Wrong read, turnover.
 
Texas T said:
I agree with the above. I'm not confident that we can win both games. If we beat up on the Saints I'm afraid that they will be complacent against the Steelers and lose that one...If they can pull off wins in both games I will be estatic and everyone will see that the Texans are the real thing!!

That being said-we have three tough games in the next four then really only one more in the rest of the season. It's still looking good.
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Personally, I can't imagine any scenario where the Texans are complacent about a game against the Steelers.
Regardless of what happens vs NO, the Texans will be expecting a war against Pitt.
 
The Texans are a well balanced, talented team contending for the playoffs and even the Super Bowl in the minds of many. They are 2-0 and are matching up against a couple of 1-1 teams.

I expect them to win both games. If they do, they have proven to me they are contenders.

If they go 0-2, they've proven to me that not much has changed.

If they split, in my opinion they are a a pretty good team that has "proven" nothing one way or another.
 
DocBar said:
OK, but to say a defense is predicated on turnovers is silly. Defenses can be predicated on stoping the run or pressuring the QB and both of those can lead to turnovers, but you can't rely on them like you can a great pass rusher or run stuffer. Turnovers are a by-product of good gameplanning but all the gameplanning in the world can't gaurantee them.
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I think what he was getting at is that the Saints preached gambling for turnovers. Some people preach the basics, keep the play in front of you, make a solid tackle and live to fight another day, etc. The Saints have no problem with some whacky blitz to see if they can gamble on a bad throw. The downside to this philosophy is that you can get burned on it too. The first year with Williams, when they won the superbowl, it paid off big time. Last year was not nearly so good for them though. Sharper lost a step (and is gone now) and they could not capitalize on the confusion.

There are holes in the Saints D, we just have to take advantage of them. I think we do have the advantage if we get into a game of who can out rush the other, but I also think if we can somehow get off to a fast start and get a decent lead, NO will take some chances on O to try to get a big explosive play to get back in the game, and as happened last year, it can bite them with some costly turnovers. Brees has been solid so far this season, but he did throw something like 22 ints last season, so if you can get some pressure when they do throw, he can be caused to make a bad throw.
 
VUGG IT! Ignore the scoreboard. Each time the Texans and Saints have played (including preseason) the Saints have taken cheap shots like the ones they took in that game against Bret Favre the year they won their superbowl. I say if you're the Texans Defense hit hard until you hear a whistle.
TRY to inflict concussions because the Saints sure as hell will. The crowd will be against ya, the REFS will be against ya, the NATIONAL MEDIA will be against you and even IF you win it won't be called a "Texan win" but rather a "Saints loss" and they'll say how "unprepared" the Saints were not how exceptional you played ...so VUGG IT!
Play the same kind of smash-mouth ball the Saints are gonna play but HARDER. Screw the old testament, (no disrespect or blasphemy intended) go *Hamurabi Codes on 'em. You've got NOTHING...you've got nothing to lose. The only way for this defense to EARN some respect is to leave Brees black and blue and to flatten his receivers and running backs. If the Saints win it let the muff-huggas limp away and say they EARNED it.

*The Hamurabi codes is ACTUALLY where the phrase "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" comes from."
 
welsh texan said:
The real issue is whether or not Schaub can sort out his red zone funk.
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Brees and the offense have the same funk, too.

Red zone against the Packers I think we had 5 opportunities and came away with 2 field goals. And that's it.

We got a couple of red zone TDs yesterday, but it's still not a very good percentage. In a game like we'll have vs the Texans, we can't come away empty and can't be satisfied with one field goal after another.
 
Geez, Dread-Head, you got me a little too pumped for a Monday ha, almost forgot what I came here to post...

Anyhoo, it's really not this game (for me) that will show me if they're real or not, it's this wicked stretch of 4-5 games (Titans pending) starting Sunday...

Now I do think the Texans can go into Nola Sunday and grab a win, but something tells me this will be that damn "come back down to reality" game...

It's that stretch that begins Sunday will tells us what we need to know...
 
We've been down this road to many times. I don't think we'll know if the Texans are "For Real" until after the bye week. But even a casual fan should notice the improvement in the defense.

You can drink the koolaid or not, it makes no difference. Until the Texans finally get to the playoffs and win a game or two there, no one should trust them. Love them, yes, but trust? Nope. Not for a second.
 
Really good teams beat teams like NO. Well see if we are one of those teams. I like what I see so far (mostly) but the saints will test the texans. Having said that I think if we hammer them with the ground game and put consistent pressure on brees we will take them down. I hope Wade is ready to unleash the pass rush next week. If we beat Antwan like the saints then we will no longer be ignored. If we lose or get rolled we'll just fade into Bolivian along with Tyson.
 
OK compete REALLY ???? Screw Competing that time has long passed. I expect to win, anything less will be a failure. Trying to compete was 3-4 years ago So how bout our texans go kick some saints ass. They'll be so Dazed and confuzed that they'll have a reason to say "Who DA FUK WAS Dat ?????" :gun:
 
dinkatoid said:
I think what he was getting at is that the Saints preached gambling for turnovers. Some people preach the basics, keep the play in front of you, make a solid tackle and live to fight another day, etc. The Saints have no problem with some whacky blitz to see if they can gamble on a bad throw. The downside to this philosophy is that you can get burned on it too. The first year with Williams, when they won the superbowl, it paid off big time. Last year was not nearly so good for them though. Sharper lost a step (and is gone now) and they could not capitalize on the confusion.
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Funny thing with this is that while it's completely true that our turnover numbers were (much) lower last season, somewhere along the way people decided that it meant our defense was correspondingly much worse. That really wasn't the case. Our yardage and PPG totals were better and we still went 11-5.

I'm guessing that what sticks in most people's heads (and rightfully so) is how we made Matt Hasselbeck look like Rich Gannon in that playoff game. Some of that was poor scheme and injuries (not having Malcom Jenkins really hurt) and some was Hasselbeck playing out of his mind. But over the course of the season I'd actually say our defense was the more stable, if unspectacular, unit. It was the offense that struggled with literally every single RB getting hurt and Drew Brees turning into Bad Brett Favre for a large part of the season (more on that below).

There are holes in the Saints D, we just have to take advantage of them. I think we do have the advantage if we get into a game of who can out rush the other, but I also think if we can somehow get off to a fast start and get a decent lead, NO will take some chances on O to try to get a big explosive play to get back in the game, and as happened last year, it can bite them with some costly turnovers. Brees has been solid so far this season, but he did throw something like 22 ints last season, so if you can get some pressure when they do throw, he can be caused to make a bad throw.
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True enough. If we're talking specific holes and advantages, I'd look for the Texans to really target their tight ends and backs out of the backfield. They'll try like hell to get Daniels and Casey and Foster/Tate matched up on our outside linebackers. Not that this is a big departure from normal game planning with those guys, but against our OLB's I wouldn't be surprised to see it take on increased focus. Shanle will likely play a lot and he looks even slower now that he used to. Dunbar is a very good run stopper but struggles in coverage. Cassillas has all the tools to excell there (super athlete and a playmaker) but is inexperienced and can probably be fooled. If Will Herring plays I will forcefully put my face into the seatback in front of me.

Regarding Brees: He was super off last season - no doubt. Some of that could stem from a reported knee injury he sustained (that was downplayed by the team - we're basically worse than the Patriots where covering up/withholding information on injuries is concerned, btw) and a lot of it no doubt comes from having to suffer through injury after injury to the backfield. Having Julius Jones and Ladell Betts as the primary ballcarriers puts a lot of pressure on a QB. But some of it was just plain poor decision making.

Regardless of what the cause was, he looks focused as hell so far this season, which is a good (for us) sign. Two games in against maybe the best two defenses we'll play all season with nary a mistake made.

Getting pressure is one of those things that's easier said that done. One the one hand, given Brees' stature he struggles most when the pressure is coming up the middle as he feels the outside rush really well when he's on. But then the weak link in our Oline has to be our tackles who will be facing the strong points of the Texans' D (OLB, DE). It'll be an interesting matchup. I would think a lot of stunting and delayed middle blitzes will be popular to get in Brees' face. Just better hope they get home.
 
Dread-Head said:
VUGG IT! Ignore the scoreboard. Each time the Texans and Saints have played (including preseason) the Saints have taken cheap shots like the ones they took in that game against Bret Favre the year they won their superbowl. I say if you're the Texans Defense hit hard until you hear a whistle.
TRY to inflict concussions because the Saints sure as hell will. The crowd will be against ya, the REFS will be against ya, the NATIONAL MEDIA will be against you and even IF you win it won't be called a "Texan win" but rather a "Saints loss" and they'll say how "unprepared" the Saints were not how exceptional you played ...so VUGG IT!
Play the same kind of smash-mouth ball the Saints are gonna play but HARDER. Screw the old testament, (no disrespect or blasphemy intended) go *Hamurabi Codes on 'em. You've got NOTHING...you've got nothing to lose. The only way for this defense to EARN some respect is to leave Brees black and blue and to flatten his receivers and running backs. If the Saints win it let the muff-huggas limp away and say they EARNED it.

*The Hamurabi codes is ACTUALLY where the phrase "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" comes from."
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Very inspirational Dread!

But going out on a limb here I... *ehem*, I'm going to assume that I'm the only person that read your entire post in the voice of Reverend Preacherbot...
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834087-preacherbot_large.jpg
 
jlam said:
Getting pressure is one of those things that's easier said that done. One the one hand, given Brees' stature he struggles most when the pressure is coming up the middle as he feels the outside rush really well when he's on. But then the weak link in our Oline has to be our tackles who will be facing the strong points of the Texans' D (OLB, DE). It'll be an interesting matchup. I would think a lot of stunting and delayed middle blitzes will be popular to get in Brees' face. Just better hope they get home.
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I think that JJ Watt will probably knock down a couple of passes. It's going to be interesting to see if we can get to Brees and if we can get our rush defense squared away. That's our weak point right now.

From what I've seen so far this year, I don't know if we have the firepower on both sides of the ball to hang with the Saints.

Historically, Schaub is a very good QB against the blitz but Miami hit us with some CB blitzes that totally had us befuddled. I'm not too worried about our red zone problems against the Dolphins because I think that was Arian trying to play through his hamstring problem.

I think we've got to pound the rock a bit more at first and open up the boots. The Dolphin OLBs were playing good contain and they were all over the boot so we didn't run a lot of them.
 
The Pencil Neck said:
I think that JJ Watt will probably knock down a couple of passes. It's going to be interesting to see if we can get to Brees and if we can get our rush defense squared away. That's our weak point right now.

From what I've seen so far this year, I don't know if we have the firepower on both sides of the ball to hang with the Saints.

Historically, Schaub is a very good QB against the blitz but Miami hit us with some CB blitzes that totally had us befuddled. I'm not too worried about our red zone problems against the Dolphins because I think that was Arian trying to play through his hamstring problem.

I think we've got to pound the rock a bit more at first and open up the boots. The Dolphin OLBs were playing good contain and they were all over the boot so we didn't run a lot of them.
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IT COULD just be me, but it seems to me that Foster is much better at protecting Schaub than Tate. Tate whiffed on a few key blocks. He needs to work on that phase of his game IMO.
 
EllisUnit said:
IT COULD just be me, but it seems to me that Foster is much better at protecting Schaub than Tate. Tate whiffed on a few key blocks. He needs to work on that phase of his game IMO.
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It's not just you. Tate's functionally a rookie and the hardest thing for rooks to pick up is blitzes.

This is why he's basically the 3rd stringer.

He needs to fix it quick cause I think he's about to be recruited into the first string with Arian's hamstring limiting him.
 
We've seen Kubiak keep RB's out of the lineup for far longer than this board thought necessary before now precisely because of fears about blitz pickup etc, Foster was kept out till very late his rookie season, I think there were less successful RBs who went through similar calls to get them on the field late in the season but Kubiak kept them out.

I doubt Tate has much of a role in our offense in Kubiak's perfect world until he's managed to beat QB protection into him first, his hand has been forced by injuries to Foster and Ward and whilst he's been fantastic at toting the rock, 2 100 yard games, we can see why Gary is so nervous of putting inexperienced running backs in there early in their careers.
 
One thing I can say about the Texans fans is that they sure are a lot more grounded and self aware than the Bears fans. Their board was a laughable mess of horrid predictions before Sunday. Some had them dropping 40+ points on the Saints. I think pretty much every post I've read here falls into the "cautiously optimistic" category, which is exactly what a smart fan of either team should be thinking. IMO, the Saints win this one. Game is close early, with the Saints pulling away late third quarter. Game venue tilts this from 55-45ish% Saint advantage to 65-35...the 'dome is brutal :wild:... BUT, if Schaub and company can get out to a 10+ point lead in the first quarter they may be able to hang on...especially if they can run the ball even half as well as they did in preseason. Even then it would come down to the last second. If the Saints get up 2+ scores before the half, you can put it in the bank.

FWIW (which I'm sure isn't much! :)) , I'm pulling for you guys all the way after this week. I wanna see some Texans playoff games!
 
SaintRusty said:
One thing I can say about the Texans fans is that they sure are a lot more grounded and self aware than the Bears fans. Their board was a laughable mess of horrid predictions before Sunday. Some had them dropping 40+ points on the Saints. I think pretty much every post I've read here falls into the "cautiously optimistic" category, which is exactly what a smart fan of either team should be thinking. IMO, the Saints win this one. Game is close early, with the Saints pulling away late third quarter. Game venue tilts this from 55-45ish% Saint advantage to 65-35...the 'dome is brutal :wild:... BUT, if Schaub and company can get out to a 10+ point lead in the first quarter they may be able to hang on...especially if they can run the ball even half as well as they did in preseason. Even then it would come down to the last second. If the Saints get up 2+ scores before the half, you can put it in the bank.

FWIW (which I'm sure isn't much! :)) , I'm pulling for you guys all the way after this week. I wanna see some Texans playoff games!
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Welcome to the board.

I think the Texans have a tough game ahead with the Saints. There's no question about it. Our best shot is keeping our offense balanced. If we are forced into a shootout we're going to lose. Slow the game down a little and wear out the Saints D line with some consistent running and we have a shot.
 
michaelm said:
Very inspirational Dread!

But going out on a limb here I... *ehem*, I'm going to assume that I'm the only person that read your entire post in the voice of Reverend Preacherbot...
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Okay...that's just funny. But it would have been funnier if BENDER did it.
 
This game going to be like showering in prison. You KNOW the big dude is gonna try something...so try to cave in his skull before he DOES. You MIGHT still get beaten senseless...but he'll know that sneakin' up on you in the future isn't the best idea and move on to someone else who won't put up a fight.
 
SaintRusty said:
One thing I can say about the Texans fans is that they sure are a lot more grounded and self aware than the Bears fans. Their board was a laughable mess of horrid predictions before Sunday. Some had them dropping 40+ points on the Saints. I think pretty much every post I've read here falls into the "cautiously optimistic" category, which is exactly what a smart fan of either team should be thinking. IMO, the Saints win this one. Game is close early, with the Saints pulling away late third quarter. Game venue tilts this from 55-45ish% Saint advantage to 65-35...the 'dome is brutal :wild:... BUT, if Schaub and company can get out to a 10+ point lead in the first quarter they may be able to hang on...especially if they can run the ball even half as well as they did in preseason. Even then it would come down to the last second. If the Saints get up 2+ scores before the half, you can put it in the bank.

FWIW (which I'm sure isn't much! :)) , I'm pulling for you guys all the way after this week. I wanna see some Texans playoff games!
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It is easy being realistic when your has only broken .500 once with a nine win season.
 
I thin if the Texans are to be taken as serious team capable of not just getting in because its division is horrible, they need to win one of the next two games.
 
The Texans have no problem finishing 8-2 or 7-3 out of the division.
Their true test is, and will always be how they fare against the AFC South.
Jacksonville, Tennessee, and Indy.

I'll believe they can win the division once they finally do it.
 
Section516 said:
Saint's D is a bend-don't break, big play v big play, pressure oriented D.. Lots of blitzes from lots of places, if they get there, big play by D..If Offense gets the ball out to right spot, big play O. Wrong read, turnover.
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The Saints D you describe is a big play defense.

A bend don't break defense, plays conservatively to avoid big plays at all costs. Tends not to blitz, plays off coverage, deep zones etc. Much of what the Texans tried to do under Smith and Bush was bend not break.

Greg Williams is known for his high risk, high reward defenses. (and for being a rubbish head coach).
 
Our running game is going to be key this game. The longer the Saints offense is off the field the better. Our defense has improved but the Saints are going to put up big numbers against most teams (Packers and Bears also have good D's). Need to control the time of possession and try and avoid getting in a shootout.
 
ArlingtonTexan said:
I thin if the Texans are to be taken as serious team capable of not just getting in because its division is horrible, they need to win one of the next two games.
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I don't (and it pains me to say this) think the Titans are horrible. There's only one AFC South QB that has been to the Super Bowl (hint: he don't play here). That same guy just put up 350 yds passing on - what everyone thought - was a good defense.

And if you think Munchak isn't using the fact that we, and not they, have been annointed the new AFC-S champs in the absense of Manning, guess again.

They worry me.

But then, EVERY game worries me.
 
DexmanC said:
The Texans have no problem finishing 8-2 or 7-3 out of the division.
Their true test is, and will always be how they fare against the AFC South.
Jacksonville, Tennessee, and Indy.

I'll believe they can win the division once they finally do it.
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The Texans have finished 3-3 twice in Kubiak's tenure and both times, we've finished 6-10. We were 1-5 in the division the year we went 9-7.

9-7 could win this division. If we go 1-5 in the division and still win it with a 9-7 overall record, I'm fine with that.
 
The Pencil Neck said:
The Texans have finished 3-3 twice in Kubiak's tenure and both times, we've finished 6-10. We were 1-5 in the division the year we went 9-7.

9-7 could win this division. If we go 1-5 in the division and still win it with a 9-7 overall record, I'm fine with that.
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We're only 2 games into the season. I don't remember 9-7 ever being a good enough record to win the AFC South. With the non-division schedule this team has, they are gonna have to win AT Tennessee, AT Indy, and AT Jacksonville (at least two of three,)
which they've only done twice out of about nine times under Kubiak, right?

I like what I see so far, but I am not convinced they yet have the maturity to have a
7-5 or better record come the end of the first twelve games. The NFL has stacked
the majority of the division games on the back half of the schedule. The days of hoping your opponents suck enough for you to sneak into the playoffs with mediocre play are supposed to be over for this team. Time for them to nut up and actually WIN the AFC South.
 
I will just say this .... if we win time for everyone to get on the bandwagon, if we loose don't jump off da wagon either

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk
 
I said before on the thread "going through Pittsburgh" a while back.

This is the game that will tell us . Saints not Pittsburgh.
Everything your wrote is spot on. I do think Texan team is capable but the Saints were on against Chicago. This will be a make or break game in many ways for both teams .

Good luck !:thisbig:
 
SaintRusty said:
One thing I can say about the Texans fans is that they sure are a lot more grounded and self aware than the Bears fans. Their board was a laughable mess of horrid predictions before Sunday. Some had them dropping 40+ points on the Saints. I think pretty much every post I've read here falls into the "cautiously optimistic" category, which is exactly what a smart fan of either team should be thinking. IMO, the Saints win this one. Game is close early, with the Saints pulling away late third quarter. Game venue tilts this from 55-45ish% Saint advantage to 65-35...the 'dome is brutal :wild:... BUT, if Schaub and company can get out to a 10+ point lead in the first quarter they may be able to hang on...especially if they can run the ball even half as well as they did in preseason. Even then it would come down to the last second. If the Saints get up 2+ scores before the half, you can put it in the bank.

FWIW (which I'm sure isn't much! :)) , I'm pulling for you guys all the way after this week. I wanna see some Texans playoff games!
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Yeppers!

But if the Saints are consistent it will be a hill to climb. Consistency not always our strong suit lol . I would love to see both teams do well ,no blow outs .
 
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