Home Stretch

We're headed down the home stretch boys & girls.

Four games to go, what are your expectations?

I say that, but let's be honest. These Texans (I honestly don't know who they are anymore) have exceeded our expectations haven't they? I know they've blown mine out of the water.

Not that I expected them to only win 10 games, but I never in my wildest dreams expected them to only have 1 loss after 13 weeks. They appear to be a mature club. Not allowing bad plays, bad calls, bad starts, or anything negative to affect their resolve to win games.

I bleed battle red koolade, I'm a card carrying member of the Sunshine Club, & still I'm amazed & awed every single week. Why?

Because they aren't playing their best football. Every week it's been one thing or another. Our passing game hasn't been consistent. One week it's OD, one week it's Graham, the next week it's Walter(s), & for the month of November it was Andre Johnson.

Our run game hasn't been consistent. Arian hasn't looked to be our best RB for a couple of weeks. Tate has been absent for quite some time. & who the Heck is that Forsett dude?

Our pass defense started out red hot, now it's barely tepid. We've stymied some of the best rushers in the league then allow 28 yard TD runs by nobodies. We abused the 2nd best team in the AFC then allow the worst team in the AFC to take us 12 rounds.

The only thing that's been consistent this season is #99.

I don't think we've played our best football yet. I think we're going to be shocked & awed for the next 9 weeks. Four games to go, then the real season starts.

We're not supposed to beat New England. You know it. You know all the reasons, you've heard them the last two weeks. Bill Belichick is God, Brady is baby Jesus, The Patriots hadn't lost at home since 2005 in December, yada, yada, yada. You're already bracing yourselves for a loss.

But this is a new day. This ain't your Daddy's NFL & it sure ain't the Houston Oilers.

We're going to win out. I don't know how, I don't know why. I just know. Our starters aren't going to be unnecessarily exposed to danger of injury. They won't be playing in the last minutes of meaningless games...... but we're going to win those games too.

This ain't the koolade talking. This isn't about fate. This isn't about our time. This is a different team. You remember that Monday night when you thought Kubiak just didn't understand how important a win over Tennessee was to us? Remember when you thought, "They just didn't want it bad enough"? Remember when you thought they were mentally soft?

That's a thing of the past. These guys care. These guys are mentally tough. Every game is important. They don't like to lose.

Thoughts?

I made the statement months ago that if things fell right for them , they could go 14-2 .... but more realistic would be 12-4. Well , going 3-1 in the final 4 will accomplish 14-2 and lock up the #1 seed in the AFC.

They sure dont look like the same team that started the season tho ... So many injuries on the defense. Yet they continue to find a way to win games.

All those injured outside of McCain and Cushing should return in the coming weeks ....
If they can get healthy come playoff time my expectations are Superbowl or bust.
If they dont get healthy or sustain more injury .... I have to temper those expectations a bit because its unrealistic to expect them to beat elite teams in the playoffs when down to street FA's at ILB and being one play away from having the 5th WR play corner ...

To win a Superbowl .... You have to be good and lucky. They've been very good ....


Right now , I expect nothing less than homefield thruout. They are clearly better than no less than three of their final four opponents.

We'll have to see where they are health wise once the win or go home games begin ....

I don't think the Texans have played their best football either, and I think that's a good thing. We've played some damn good football at times, but you don't want to have a team that peaks early and I don't think we did that. We've been consistent but with obvious (but correctable) flaws. I think once the playoffs begin we have a good chance to be firing on cylinders.

Get healthy before the playoffs? and get that 1st round bye?
probably the two biggest immediate goals right now that I can think of.

TexanSam said:

I don't think the Texans have played their best football either, and I think that's a good thing. We've played some damn good football at times, but you don't want to have a team that peaks early and I don't think we did that. We've been consistent but with obvious (but correctable) flaws. I think once the playoffs begin we have a good chance to be firing on cylinders.

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They mentioned this on one of the sports radio stations yesterday morning .... I have to agree Sam , I dont think we have seen the best Texans yet.

They have won games .... but I dont think they have played their best game (outside of maybe the Baltimore game). The past three weeks they have allowed 37 and 31 points to bad teams in wins and then scored only 3 in the second half against the Titans .... going 4/17 and 4/11 on 3rd down conversions in two of those games.

The running game has been worse than I expected too .... with Foster averaging ~3.7 ypc in those three wins while seldom being able to get to the edge and get verticle on the stretch play.

The defense is down to a street FA starting at ILB and a 6th string CB being forced into action .... they need to avoid further injury and get healthy.

If we win MNF, then I expect us to drop 2 games since HFA is locked up, but if we lose MNF, then I expect us to try to win out to gain HFA

ThaJokaa said:

If we win MNF, then I expect us to drop 2 games since HFA is locked up, but if we lose MNF, then I expect us to try to win out to gain HFA

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I don't think so. I think this team doesn't want to lose, & won't.

We Play Indy after the Pats & that game may be for HFA throughout. We'll see the starters until the game is well in hand. & that game is at home.

We play Minny @ home. We'll see our starters for maybe a half. Then our back ups just have to hold on to the lead.

Then we play Indy on the road. Probably see all our starters save Arian & Andre for a couple of series. Then Tj Yates, Ben Tate, LeStar Jean, & our defensive reserves are going to have to win that game. Defensive reserves meaning the guys that are getting good game experience now. I think they can beat Indy.

I never said lose out, I said they'll drop 2, maybe because they decide to rest the starters, but going 15-1 would be cool to, go in hot. But I think its necessary for this team to lose one more to get em a reality check before the playoffs and let em kno that were not invincible, not that I want em to lose, but look what happened after the Packers made em realize that

ThaJokaa said:

I never said lose out, I said they'll drop 2, maybe because they decide to rest the starters, but going 15-1 would be cool to, go in hot. But I think its necessary for this team to lose one more to get em a reality check before the playoffs and let em kno that were not invincible, not that I want em to lose, but look what happened after the Packers made em realize that

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I appreciate your opinion. & in no way am I saying it's not valid. I enjoy the discussion because you make sense.

But, I think they've been reality checked since Chicago, which is why I don't think they lose. The will to win is so deep on this team that I think it is drilled in all the way to the bottom of the depth chart. That's what we're seeing when Brandon Harris & Roc Carmichael goes out there & contribute to a win.

I think it's so infectious that a guy like Rudd can come in & be a big part of this defense.

I think everybody on this team wants to do their part that we see Forsett fighting for yards & dragging 900lbs of meat with him. Ben Tate comes in & rips a 13 yard run on his first carry, Sharpton comes in & knocks the sh!t out of people in his first game.

Dobbins comes back & punishes whoever they put in front of him just because.

6 sacks. Some of that was due to it being the Titans, some of it due to getting Whitney in the starting line-up. But when Antonio Smith gets 2 (one stolen) recovers a fumble for a TD (also stolen) & wrecks havoc on the Titans backfield all day long... it leads me to believe someone (maybe a DL Captain) chewed some a$s.