TexansAllTheWayBaby
Waterboy
Our Houston Texans will head north this upcoming Sunday to do battle with the New England Patriots. The New England Patriots hold a record of 9-4 thru 13 games.
This will be another tremendous challenge for our Houston Texans. Playing the New England Patriots is always a tough game, and espically when your heading up to Foxboro as we are. Also, the Patriots will not be happy after getting shutout by Miami a week earlier. As if that was not enough insentive for the Patriots, a win this Sunday would clinch them the AFC East title. This may very well be the toughest game of the year for us.
I think that with every challenge comes an oppurtunity however, and our Texans have a big oppurtunity this week with this game. We still have alot to accomplish this season. Winning out, we would tie our franchise best record for a season at 7-9, our rookies can still gain 3 more games of experience which will be important, and if we knock off the Patriots, thats a tremendous accomplishment in itself. This will not be easy however.
The following is a preview I have constructed of the New England Patriots...
It all starts with Quaterback Tom Brady. His stats this year are 260 of 430 for 2,946 yards and 20 Touchdowns with 12 Interceptions. Pretty good numbers as usual, and Brady is obviously one of the leauge's best. His poise under pressure is tremendous, he can be a leader and pin-point accuracy can shred defenses apart. He is tough to contain.
At the running game for the Patriots, they have a great combination with the veteran Corey Dillon and sensational rookie Laurence Maroney. Dillon's stats this year consist of 654 yards on 157 carries, an average of 4.2 yards per carry and 10 TD's. Dillon also has a 50 yard run this season. Dillon fits this role in New England of sharing carries with another back perfectly.
RB Laurence Maroney is a rookie, but dont tell him that. He has been exceptional this season, and you know that by watching some highlights of the Patriots. Maroney has got 155 touches and produced 624 yards on them, creating an average of 4 yards per carry. Maroney has also found the endzone 4 times so far this season. His strong points appear to be open-filed explosiveness as well as his tremendous ability to catch passes and create a few big plays with them.
Ready for some good news? A back injury could prevent Maroney from playing this week against the Texans I have read, which would mean veteran Kevin Faulk would see some time. Faulk does not have as much yards on the ground as Dillon, but can still be productive when rotating with Dillon as he brings a different style to the table and this can make it hard for opposing defenses.
In all, the running game, even with Dillon and Faulk, is certainly a strong point for the Patriots.
In terms of the Wide Recievers for the New England Patriots, look for Troy Brown, Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney and Chad Jackson to all get passes from Brady thrown their way, and with Brady throwing to these guys, the Patriots passing attack is certainly not to be fooled around with.
Troy Brown has caught 35 passes for over 300 yards so far this season and has also found the endzone 3 times. Reche Caldwell has 47 receptions for 586yards and has recorded a trio of touchdowns as well. Jabar Gaffney, a name very familar with us Texans fans, has gotten only 6 passes thrown his way but has produced over 100 yards with them, so he can be considered a deep-threat with placed into the game. Finally, Chad Jackson has recieved 10 passes this year and has 131 yards from them and has found the endzone 3 times.
Again, with Brady throwing to some top talent in these WR's, the Patriots passing game can and has been superlative at times.
The Tight End position for New England consists of Ben Watson and Daniel Graham. Take these guys lightly? Think again. Ben Watson leads the team in catches this season with 49 and 643 yards with them. He also has 3 TDs. Graham catches so many passes and makes so much happen with the Patriots passing game because of his tremendous ability to make plays in the open field.
Partner TE Daniel Graham will see some time againts us as the Patriots bring alot of multiple TE looks. He's more of a blocking-type TE, put also makes some plays in the passing game as he has 17 receptions for 185 yards and 2 TDs. The tight ends for New England may be the strongest point of the offense.
In terms of the offensive line situation for New England, it is arguabably one of the best in the leauge. Just to run down it real quick; LT Matt Light, LG Longan Mankins, C Dan Koppen, RG Stephen Neal, RT Ryan O'Callaghan. I'ts obviously very solid, Brady has only been sakced 23 times this year, which is not bad.
On the flip side, let's talk about the New England Patriots defense.
Starting with the backfield, the Safety Position for New England. Injuries have plauged the saftey position for the Patriots for a good portion of the year, and the safety position is currently controlled by James Sanders. Sanders has recorded 13 tackles so far this season. You may look at that number and think only 13 tackles, he must not be good. Keep in mind however, free safeties should not really have a very high number of tackles, because if they do, your run defense has some troubles.
At the other end at the saftey position, Artrell Hawkins should get the go and most of the time Sunday in place of, again, the injures ahead of him. Hawkins has recorded 38 tackles so far this season and has also recorded a fumble recovery. H'es not that bad.
Onto the Patriots best part of their defense, their outstanding linebacking core. Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel. These two are forces to be known, so say the least. Bruschi is probably the most competive guy you'll ever meet. He is fire driven. Bruschi stats this year include 46 tackles (nearly leading the team), 1.5 sacks and he has also recovered 3 fumbles.
The other one, Mike Vrabel is just as good. Vrabel is a very mobile linebacker, can blitz one play, play back in zone the next, and Vrabel has 48 tackles, nearly 4 sacks so far this season, he has also recovered a loose ball and picked off the opposing Quaterback 3 times. Vrabel is a monster, no doubt.
Still in the linebacker position, but now talking about the Outside Linebackers, the name Roosevelt Colvin is inserted. Colvin is a very solid player, his specailty is a pass rusher and has been pretty succesful getting to him nearly 7 times thus far this season. Colvin has also made 36 tackles this season.
Look for Tully-Banta Cain to play in this game as well, and hes recorded 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
At the Cornerback positon for the New England Patriots, Cornerback Asante Sameul is really the king at this position. Asante Sameul demonstrates nice speed and brnigs solid experience to the table. Sameul's stats are 50 tackles and 7 interceptions, obviously a very good number. Sameul will be watching our David Carr very closely all day long Sunday.
At the other Cornerback position, we may see Ellis Hobbs. Hobbs has recorded 29 tackles thus far this season and has also recorded 2 turonvers, recovering a fumble and intercepting a pass for 70 yards. Hobbs was benched last week so we could see a little bit of former Steeler Chad Scott in this spot as well and Scott has picked of 2 passes this year.
The Patriots defensive line is argubably the best in the leauge, very similar to their offensive line. Remember, games are easily won and lost on the line of scrimmage, and the Patriots demonstrate strong lines on both sides of the ball.
Names on this defensive line include Ty Warren, Richard Seymour (two of the biggest defensive names in the leauge) and we should also see rookie Le Kevin smith play in place of Vince Wolfork, so hopefully we can dodge a bullet their. The defensive line, again, is one the best in the leauge. They, combined, have 10.5 sacks on the opposing quaterback this year. Again however, we have a chance to dodge a bullet if Vince Wolfork is unable to go Sunday.
Real quickly, Special Teams for the New England Patriots, their kicker in a rookie, replacing Adam Vinateri, which is never an easy task. Stephen Gostkowski is however fairly accurate so far this season as he is 13 of 16 on field goal attempts, including knocking down a 50 yader so he's got some game.
The punter is Kevin Walter, and he's a late-addition and has only punted 12 times this season.
Again, this will just be a tremendous challenge for our Houston Texans this Sunday. We, again, can still accomplish a good amount more this season as I went thru the specifics above, but playing the Patriots is never easy, espically in their house with a division title on the line and when they are coming off of a shutout loss. This is a tough challenge, but also a great oppurtunity. It would do alot for our team to pull this one out. This is probably the toughest challenge of the year for our Texan squad, but I am very excited about it.
My ''Keys to Success'' post will be issued tomorrow, (Thursday) as usual.
GO TEXANS
This will be another tremendous challenge for our Houston Texans. Playing the New England Patriots is always a tough game, and espically when your heading up to Foxboro as we are. Also, the Patriots will not be happy after getting shutout by Miami a week earlier. As if that was not enough insentive for the Patriots, a win this Sunday would clinch them the AFC East title. This may very well be the toughest game of the year for us.
I think that with every challenge comes an oppurtunity however, and our Texans have a big oppurtunity this week with this game. We still have alot to accomplish this season. Winning out, we would tie our franchise best record for a season at 7-9, our rookies can still gain 3 more games of experience which will be important, and if we knock off the Patriots, thats a tremendous accomplishment in itself. This will not be easy however.
The following is a preview I have constructed of the New England Patriots...
It all starts with Quaterback Tom Brady. His stats this year are 260 of 430 for 2,946 yards and 20 Touchdowns with 12 Interceptions. Pretty good numbers as usual, and Brady is obviously one of the leauge's best. His poise under pressure is tremendous, he can be a leader and pin-point accuracy can shred defenses apart. He is tough to contain.
At the running game for the Patriots, they have a great combination with the veteran Corey Dillon and sensational rookie Laurence Maroney. Dillon's stats this year consist of 654 yards on 157 carries, an average of 4.2 yards per carry and 10 TD's. Dillon also has a 50 yard run this season. Dillon fits this role in New England of sharing carries with another back perfectly.
RB Laurence Maroney is a rookie, but dont tell him that. He has been exceptional this season, and you know that by watching some highlights of the Patriots. Maroney has got 155 touches and produced 624 yards on them, creating an average of 4 yards per carry. Maroney has also found the endzone 4 times so far this season. His strong points appear to be open-filed explosiveness as well as his tremendous ability to catch passes and create a few big plays with them.
Ready for some good news? A back injury could prevent Maroney from playing this week against the Texans I have read, which would mean veteran Kevin Faulk would see some time. Faulk does not have as much yards on the ground as Dillon, but can still be productive when rotating with Dillon as he brings a different style to the table and this can make it hard for opposing defenses.
In all, the running game, even with Dillon and Faulk, is certainly a strong point for the Patriots.
In terms of the Wide Recievers for the New England Patriots, look for Troy Brown, Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney and Chad Jackson to all get passes from Brady thrown their way, and with Brady throwing to these guys, the Patriots passing attack is certainly not to be fooled around with.
Troy Brown has caught 35 passes for over 300 yards so far this season and has also found the endzone 3 times. Reche Caldwell has 47 receptions for 586yards and has recorded a trio of touchdowns as well. Jabar Gaffney, a name very familar with us Texans fans, has gotten only 6 passes thrown his way but has produced over 100 yards with them, so he can be considered a deep-threat with placed into the game. Finally, Chad Jackson has recieved 10 passes this year and has 131 yards from them and has found the endzone 3 times.
Again, with Brady throwing to some top talent in these WR's, the Patriots passing game can and has been superlative at times.
The Tight End position for New England consists of Ben Watson and Daniel Graham. Take these guys lightly? Think again. Ben Watson leads the team in catches this season with 49 and 643 yards with them. He also has 3 TDs. Graham catches so many passes and makes so much happen with the Patriots passing game because of his tremendous ability to make plays in the open field.
Partner TE Daniel Graham will see some time againts us as the Patriots bring alot of multiple TE looks. He's more of a blocking-type TE, put also makes some plays in the passing game as he has 17 receptions for 185 yards and 2 TDs. The tight ends for New England may be the strongest point of the offense.
In terms of the offensive line situation for New England, it is arguabably one of the best in the leauge. Just to run down it real quick; LT Matt Light, LG Longan Mankins, C Dan Koppen, RG Stephen Neal, RT Ryan O'Callaghan. I'ts obviously very solid, Brady has only been sakced 23 times this year, which is not bad.
On the flip side, let's talk about the New England Patriots defense.
Starting with the backfield, the Safety Position for New England. Injuries have plauged the saftey position for the Patriots for a good portion of the year, and the safety position is currently controlled by James Sanders. Sanders has recorded 13 tackles so far this season. You may look at that number and think only 13 tackles, he must not be good. Keep in mind however, free safeties should not really have a very high number of tackles, because if they do, your run defense has some troubles.
At the other end at the saftey position, Artrell Hawkins should get the go and most of the time Sunday in place of, again, the injures ahead of him. Hawkins has recorded 38 tackles so far this season and has also recorded a fumble recovery. H'es not that bad.
Onto the Patriots best part of their defense, their outstanding linebacking core. Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel. These two are forces to be known, so say the least. Bruschi is probably the most competive guy you'll ever meet. He is fire driven. Bruschi stats this year include 46 tackles (nearly leading the team), 1.5 sacks and he has also recovered 3 fumbles.
The other one, Mike Vrabel is just as good. Vrabel is a very mobile linebacker, can blitz one play, play back in zone the next, and Vrabel has 48 tackles, nearly 4 sacks so far this season, he has also recovered a loose ball and picked off the opposing Quaterback 3 times. Vrabel is a monster, no doubt.
Still in the linebacker position, but now talking about the Outside Linebackers, the name Roosevelt Colvin is inserted. Colvin is a very solid player, his specailty is a pass rusher and has been pretty succesful getting to him nearly 7 times thus far this season. Colvin has also made 36 tackles this season.
Look for Tully-Banta Cain to play in this game as well, and hes recorded 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
At the Cornerback positon for the New England Patriots, Cornerback Asante Sameul is really the king at this position. Asante Sameul demonstrates nice speed and brnigs solid experience to the table. Sameul's stats are 50 tackles and 7 interceptions, obviously a very good number. Sameul will be watching our David Carr very closely all day long Sunday.
At the other Cornerback position, we may see Ellis Hobbs. Hobbs has recorded 29 tackles thus far this season and has also recorded 2 turonvers, recovering a fumble and intercepting a pass for 70 yards. Hobbs was benched last week so we could see a little bit of former Steeler Chad Scott in this spot as well and Scott has picked of 2 passes this year.
The Patriots defensive line is argubably the best in the leauge, very similar to their offensive line. Remember, games are easily won and lost on the line of scrimmage, and the Patriots demonstrate strong lines on both sides of the ball.
Names on this defensive line include Ty Warren, Richard Seymour (two of the biggest defensive names in the leauge) and we should also see rookie Le Kevin smith play in place of Vince Wolfork, so hopefully we can dodge a bullet their. The defensive line, again, is one the best in the leauge. They, combined, have 10.5 sacks on the opposing quaterback this year. Again however, we have a chance to dodge a bullet if Vince Wolfork is unable to go Sunday.
Real quickly, Special Teams for the New England Patriots, their kicker in a rookie, replacing Adam Vinateri, which is never an easy task. Stephen Gostkowski is however fairly accurate so far this season as he is 13 of 16 on field goal attempts, including knocking down a 50 yader so he's got some game.
The punter is Kevin Walter, and he's a late-addition and has only punted 12 times this season.
Again, this will just be a tremendous challenge for our Houston Texans this Sunday. We, again, can still accomplish a good amount more this season as I went thru the specifics above, but playing the Patriots is never easy, espically in their house with a division title on the line and when they are coming off of a shutout loss. This is a tough challenge, but also a great oppurtunity. It would do alot for our team to pull this one out. This is probably the toughest challenge of the year for our Texan squad, but I am very excited about it.
My ''Keys to Success'' post will be issued tomorrow, (Thursday) as usual.
GO TEXANS
