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Kasey Studdard to start

Texan JBZ

Texan JBZ

Da Sip's Finest
Kubes is starting Kasey Studdard against the Cowpatties this Friday. Uh, that kind of worries me a little. I really like Studdard as a player. He's tough as nails and nasty to boot, but I think this is a bad week to start him. Personally, I don't care about the outcome of this game. All I want is for all our starters to make it out of this game without any significant injury, especially Matt Schaub. We all know that none of them will play against Tampa, so this is their last significant playing time of the preseason. KS starting worries me a little only because I feel that the Cowchokes are going to come out and play like they have something to prove against our Texans because of all the negative flack they've been getting lately. Hopefully, Studdard does a good job. What do you think?
 
I saw a good moment for Kasey when I was reviewing the line blocking on dvr this week. I noticed that Studdard destroyed his man on that Slaton TD run. Take your DVR back to 12:15 of the 4th quarter and keep an eye on Kasey Studdard on the Slaton TD run. Studdard not only gets his block but finishes his man by punishing him into the turf. Blocking like that tends to wear out those big 300 lb linemen over the course of a game and sometimes it goes unnoticed by the fans as our eye tends to follow the ball. Coach Gibbs loves this kind of effort and is a good example of finishing your block.

The nice part of this play in general is that everyone did their job. Left Guard Greg White pulls and clears out his man with Brandon Frye and J Cook easily pushing the Saints soft second team linebackers 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. Joel Dreessen standing up DE Josh Savage creating a lane for Slaton to bolt through is another very important part of that run so I need to mention him if I'm giving blocking props on that play.
 
I think Pitts has a "minor" problem, so we MIGHT see him again in about a year or so. :sarcasm:

On the Studdard playing thing, I'd rather rest Pitts than take a chance.
 
HJam72 said:
I think Pitts has a "minor" problem, so we MIGHT see him again in about a year or so. :sarcasm:

On the Studdard playing thing, I'd rather rest Pitts than take a chance.
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So he's replacing Pitts at LG and not Briesel as the starter Friday ?
 
Studdard sure looks like "Tuna" from the movie Blow...


ethan-suplee.jpg


tuna.jpg
 
Is Pitts injured, or is he just wanting to protect Pitts. No way Studdard starts ahead of Pitts.
 
All I know is Pitts has some "temporary" health issue and Kubiak doesn't want to play him against the Cowboys. He's only supposed to be out for one preseason game.
 
Vinny said:
I saw a good moment for Kasey when I was reviewing the line blocking on dvr this week. I noticed that Studdard destroyed his man on that Slaton TD run. Take your DVR back to 12:15 of the 4th quarter and keep an eye on Kasey Studdard on the Slaton TD run. Studdard not only gets his block but finishes his man by punishing him into the turf. Blocking like that tends to wear out those big 300 lb linemen over the course of a game and sometimes it goes unnoticed by the fans as our eye tends to follow the ball. Coach Gibbs loves this kind of effort and is a good example of finishing your block.

The nice part of this play in general is that everyone did their job. Left Guard Greg White pulls and clears out his man with Brandon Frye and J Cook easily pushing the Saints soft second team linebackers 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. Joel Dreessen standing up DE Josh Savage creating a lane for Slaton to bolt through is another very important part of that run so I need to mention him if I'm giving blocking props on that play.
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White playing Guard with the 2nd team brings up an interesting question. I noticed Eslinger playing Center with the 2nd team, and most people seem to have White penciled in as the backup Center. With Eslinger playing Center and White playing Guard during the preseason, will Eslinger be the backup Center during the season and White a backup guard? :thinking: Thoughts?
 
Porky said:
Is Pitts injured, or is he just wanting to protect Pitts. No way Studdard starts ahead of Pitts.
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Studdard to start: Second-year pro Kasey Studdard will get his turn in the starting lineup on Friday, stepping in for left guard Chester Pitts who is nursing a sore ankle. Pitts rolled his ankle last week and should be fine before the regular season. More than anything, coach Gary Kubiak wants to give Studdard the opportunity to prove himself as a starter.

“We know he’s a player,” Kubiak said. “He is vastly improved, one of the most improved players we’ve had around here going into his year two. Now, he gets a chance at a very difficult stage but a very great stage to say, ‘Hey, I can do this. I can be a starter in this league.’ And that’s what we are looking for, to see if he has that ability.”
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http://www.houstontexans.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=4537
 
The thing that is most bothersome to me about Studdard starting is that he will be on the left side. I doubt he has spent much time practicing there AND he will be next to the rookie D. Brown. I suspect that Schaub isn't comfortable with it either as the heat will come from that side and that is the one with the least experience.
 
nobody mentioned Duane Brown, have they taken reps together other than this week? Pitts has been a key factor in Browns quick development I just hope he can pick up things fast with Kasey, there's so much timing stuff with picking up stunts & reading different blitz packages.
 
I'll be excited to see how Studdard fares as a starter. Having two young guys on the left side doesn't exactly inspire confidence, but it will certainly be a good gauge to see how far Studdard has come & to see how Brown plays without Chester next to him.
 
Good to see Kasey getting a start, but at the expense of all Texan fan's worried about Schaub having his blindside protected by those with minimal experience while up against a stiff defense.

Definitely watch RB blocking against the Cowboys, because Kubiak will and is probably going to have some basis on cuts and position on the depth chart.
 
Vinny said:
I saw a good moment for Kasey ......
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Ya, I reviewed my DVR earlier this week and there were several plays on that drive where White, Studdard and Frye were just obliterating their counterparts (on the entire right side).... All three really looked great and I think the coaches took notice and are giving Studdard a chance here to see what he can do....
 
edo783 said:
The thing that is most bothersome to me about Studdard starting is that he will be on the left side. I doubt he has spent much time practicing there AND he will be next to the rookie D. Brown. I suspect that Schaub isn't comfortable with it either as the heat will come from that side and that is the one with the least experience.
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Actually, U R WORNG!!!!

Kasey's been playing with the 2's on the left side. He's been backing up Pitts so this should be natural for him.
 
Kaiser Toro said:
Definitely watch RB blocking against the Cowboys, because Kubiak will and is probably going to have some basis on cuts and position on the depth chart.
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Good point. I also expect to see even more play-action stuff and possibly even more rushing to move the emphasis away from the pass-oriented offense we've been having lately.

Also, with the blocks that Slaton showed us all against the Saints, I think the blindside will be OK.
 
Malloy said:
Good point. I also expect to see even more play-action stuff and possibly even more rushing to move the emphasis away from the pass-oriented offense we've been having lately.

Also, with the blocks that Slaton showed us all against the Saints, I think the blindside will be OK.
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As things stand now, with or without a successful Slaton, I believe that the Texans would be wise to play to their indisputable strength, and seriously entertain the philosophy of passing to set up the run.
 
This is just a tad bit off the subject but did anyone notice how Chris Brown did on pass protection?

I did see the good enough block he gave for Matt to throw the TD to Leach.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
As things stand now, with or without a successful Slaton, I believe that the Texans would be wise to play to their indisputable strength, and seriously entertain the philosophy of passing to set up the run.
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I agree that that could work, but at the same time this may be our last pre-season chance to 'really' force the running game to see how it produces?

I guess we'll see, it'll be interesting regardless of what strategy they'll apply tomorrow :)
 
Malloy said:
I agree that that could work, but at the same time this may be our last pre-season chance to 'really' force the running game to see how it produces?

I guess we'll see, it'll be interesting regardless of what strategy they'll apply tomorrow :)
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I agree on the point they need to TRY to make the run work this game, even if it fails horribly. THEY NEED THE PRACTICE!

It's beginning to look like last year; we pass, pass, pass, and pass and then run for a yard or two. Granted, we are a great passing team, but you still have to run if you want to make it to the playoffs.
 
Thorn said:
I agree on the point they need to TRY to make the run work this game, even if it fails horribly. THEY NEED THE PRACTICE!

It's beginning to look like last year; we pass, pass, pass, and pass and then run for a yard or two. Granted, we are a great passing team, but you still have to run if you want to make it to the playoffs.
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I am OK with passing to set up the run to some degree.

However, it is imperative to be able to run the ball even when the other side is counting on it. When the Texans have the lead in the 2nd half (which I hope is the majority of the time) they NEED to be able to pound out some serious yards on the ground.
 
edo783 said:
The thing that is most bothersome to me about Studdard starting is that he will be on the left side. I doubt he has spent much time practicing there AND he will be next to the rookie D. Brown. I suspect that Schaub isn't comfortable with it either as the heat will come from that side and that is the one with the least experience.
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Good point. It is a reason for concern because Chester is our best OLineman
IMO and much more athletic than the slothfooted Studdard.
Mario is becoming very effective as a pass-rusher, but he doesn't have the lightning-quick moves of the Cowboys' Ware. I'm just hoping Studdard doesn't stumble over his own feet trying to protect Schaub if he has to
go one-on-one against Ware in a stunt-scenario ?
 
nunusguy said:
Good point. It is a reason for concern because Chester is our best OLineman
IMO and much more athletic than the slothfooted Studdard.
Mario is becoming very effective as a pass-rusher, but he doesn't have the lightning-quick moves of the Cowboys' Ware. I'm just hoping Studdard doesn't stumble over his own feet trying to protect Schaub if he has to
go one-on-one against Ware in a stunt-scenario ?
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I think you are overrating Ware and underestimating Studdard. Like Vinny and others have stated, Studdard has looked very good thus far. Honestly, I've noticed Studdard get to the second level just as much if not more than the ones.

I might be wrong (wouldn't be the first), but Studdard can hold his own.

:fans:
 
The Texans know what they have in their passing offense and I would expect them to protect the potential liability of a young left side with few long drops in the pocket while Schaub is in. Studdard does not appear to be a liability with the run and as we all know we have sorting out to do in our backfield. Therefore, I expect us to run often.

Lastly, this will be a good scout game for the Steelers defense, we do not want to show our best players orchestrating the best of our playbook in my opinion.
 
This will be a great test for Studdard and the rest of our line. The thing about Gibbs' system is that ALL the linemen have to be on the exact same page for it to work- it'll be interesting how the 5 of them mesh with a new guy in there (1st team).

An injury like this to Pitts can easily happen at any time, just sayin. We could be going into the season with our starting OL looking like this:
LT- late 1st rounder (Rookie)
LG- 6th round pick (1 year in nfl)
C- 6th round pick (3 years in nfl)
RG- undrafted free agent (2 years in nfl)
RG- 3rd round pick (2 years in nfl)

This is the epitome of a Gibbs offensive line. If we are successful at pass/run blocking against Dallas with our 1st team... I dare say Gibbs is on the fast track to already turning this team around.
 
Señor Stan;977818 said:
I am OK with passing to set up the run to some degree.

However, it is imperative to be able to run the ball even when the other side is counting on it. When the Texans have the lead in the 2nd half (which I hope is the majority of the time) they NEED to be able to pound out some serious yards on the ground.
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I don't know about NEED. It would be great, yes; but, we sure gotta a lotta options for short passes. I would much rather have this problem than Dominick Davis and NO passing game--well, except to him anyway.
 
First, I'm disappointed that this move is happening because of an injury. I believe the second team is playing at a higher level, against the competition they face, than our first team. Which would lead me to believe something is going right on the second team, and it may be a person who needs to be moved up to the starting team.


But that's neither here nor there.

Kaiser Toro said:
Lastly, this will be a good scout game for the Steelers defense, we do not want to show our best players orchestrating the best of our playbook in my opinion.
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I here what you are saying, but our run game is so bad, we don't need to worry about holding back any secrets... JMO, we need to throw it all out there, and get something going.
 
thunderkyss said:
I here what you are saying, but our run game is so bad, we don't need to worry about holding back any secrets... JMO, we need to throw it all out there, and get something going.
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I was referring to our passing game. The ZBS is about execution. If executed properly it is difficult to stop.
 
HOU-TEX said:
I think you are overrating Ware and underestimating Studdard. Like Vinny and others have stated, Studdard has looked very good thus far. Honestly, I've noticed Studdard get to the second level just as much if not more than the ones.

I might be wrong (wouldn't be the first), but Studdard can hold his own.

:fans:
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The V-Man gave us a good example of what Studdard does pretty well, which is mauling a defender when he gets ahold of him or gets him down. In a phone-booth with a D-player, I'd probably also put my money on Studdard. But what I'm mainly concerned about is his pass-blocking skills, especially against an elite edge rusher.
And I'll watch him closely Friday to see if he's getting upfield for cuts on the backside plays as you say ?
BTW, I don't think I'm overrating Ware. And no I'm not a Cowboy fan. I do
think he's more valuable than Mario in a 3-4 like the Cowboys run, but Mario's is the more valuable player in a 4-3 like we run. They are both tremendous young NFL players.
 
nunusguy said:
The V-Man gave us a good example of what Studdard does pretty well, which is mauling a defender when he gets ahold of him or gets him down. In a phone-booth with a D-player, I'd probably also put my money on Studdard. But what I'm mainly concerned about is his pass-blocking skills, especially against an elite edge rusher.
And I'll watch him closely Friday to see if he's getting upfield for cuts on the backside plays as you say ?
BTW, I don't think I'm overrating Ware. And no I'm not a Cowboy fan. I do
think he's more valuable than Mario in a 3-4 like the Cowboys run, but Mario's is the more valuable player in a 4-3 like we run. They are both tremendous young NFL players.
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First off, you're not overrating Ware at all. Dude is a stud! Duane Brown will field most of the pass-blocking responsibility on Demarcus Ware. They may run a few loop stunts where it will be up to Studdard to fend him off, but Ware is primarily an edge rusher. What KS will have to handle are the inside slants, stunts, and blitzes that are common out of 3-4 schemes. That is what I'll be looking at to see how he handles himself against that. I have confidence in him though.
 
fwiw I thought Brown did very well against a very credible pass rusher in Will Smith and felt he looked pretty darn good overall as far as I could tell from just watching on TV last week. No doubt that Studdard is gonna have to prove he can pull and get his blocks in space and protect the passer so this game is gonna go really be a defining moment in his young career.
 
Vinny said:
fwiw I thought Brown did very well against a very credible pass rusher in Will Smith and felt he looked pretty darn good overall as far as I could tell from just watching on TV last week. No doubt that Studdard is gonna have to prove he can pull and get his blocks in space and protect the passer so this game is gonna go really be a defining moment in his young career.
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Duane Brown has blowed me away in how quickly he's been able to grasp pass protection. He's done very well against Elvis Dumervil and Will Smith and now he'll have a look at one of the best 3-4 defenses in the league. Then in the last week he'll see Gaines Adams (#4 pick in 2007) if both these players play in that last game.

I don't think you could get any better preseason matchups for a young rookie trying to be our franchise LT (outside of the Giants... this is great competition).

I was very supportive of our trade down and the selection of Brown, but even at that thought he wouldn't start game 1. I was fine with Salaam for the first few games with Brown seeing significant time during the game... and then he'd probably take over the starting job starting weeks 4-8. He's completely surprised me on how NFL ready he actually was.

I can't say enough good things about our Drafts for 2006 through 2008 (and our free agent pick ups during that time like Sage, Kevin Walter, Andre Davis, etc). I love being a Texan.
 
Insideop said:
White playing Guard with the 2nd team brings up an interesting question. I noticed Eslinger playing Center with the 2nd team, and most people seem to have White penciled in as the backup Center. With Eslinger playing Center and White playing Guard during the preseason, will Eslinger be the backup Center during the season and White a backup guard? :thinking: Thoughts?
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Eslinger played C for the Gophers of U of Minn (they run a ZBS).
At Minnesota, he was a four-year starter. As a senior, he was awarded the Outland Trophy, which is given to college football's best interior lineman, as well as the Dave Rimington Trophy, awarded to college football's top center.
An injury in 06 most likely set him back.
If he still has PS eligibility, that's probably where he'll end up, unless he comes up huge in the next two games (or the injury bug catch somebody.)

When McKinney went down last year, then Flanagan (in the Chargers game), White came in at C, played decent except for a couple of mistakes.
When Weary went down in the game in Nashville, White came in to play RG, and did it well until he himself got rolled over from the backside by a Titan player.

Studdard came in and immediately laid egg, allowing Tony Brown to get to Sage (luckily the ruling was that Sage's arm was in the forward motion, otherwise it would have been an INT and a TD for the Tacks.)
Despite that fiasco, I still like Studdard's motor.
I'm looking for him make it as backup at both G positions.
(He played LG for the Longhorns.)

White will probably make it as backup at both C and G.
Of course, these are only my speculations.
 
Thorn said:
I agree on the point they need to TRY to make the run work this game, even if it fails horribly. THEY NEED THE PRACTICE!

It's beginning to look like last year; we pass, pass, pass, and pass and then run for a yard or two. Granted, we are a great passing team, but you still have to run if you want to make it to the playoffs.
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As soon as our young O-linemen get it down, we'll be fine.

Let me take this example, as I just finish reviewing the first offensive series against the Broncos in the first pre-season game.

Taylor was robbed at least 2 yd a pop on 3 carries.
1. Myers was late off the snap and allowed the defender to get into the backfield and chased the play.
2. Duane Brown made the same mistake.
3. Winston missed a cut block on the next level.

I know I've seen more of those during other running plays.
All of our starting O-linemen made a minor mistake here and there that limited the running game.
 
76Texan said:
Eslinger played C for the Gophers of U of Minn (they run a ZBS).
At Minnesota, he was a four-year starter. As a senior, he was awarded the Outland Trophy, which is given to college football's best interior lineman, as well as the Dave Rimington Trophy, awarded to college football's top center.
An injury in 06 most likely set him back.
If he still has PS eligibility, that's probably where he'll end up, unless he comes up huge in the next two games (or the injury bug catch somebody.)

When McKinney went down last year, then Flanagan (in the Chargers game), White came in at C, played decent except for a couple of mistakes.
When Weary went down in the game in Nashville, White came in to play RG, and did it well until he himself got rolled over from the backside by a Titan player.

Studdard came in and immediately laid egg, allowing Tony Brown to get to Sage (luckily the ruling was that Sage's arm was in the forward motion, otherwise it would have been an INT and a TD for the Tacks.)
Despite that fiasco, I still like Studdard's motor.
I'm looking for him make it as backup at both G positions.
(He played LG for the Longhorns.)

White will probably make it as backup at both C and G.
Of course, these are only my speculations.
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Eslinger has been on Denver's PS for 2 years, so I don't think he has anymore eligibility.
 
76Texan said:
...White will probably make it as backup at both C and G.
Of course, these are only my speculations.
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agreed. i'm fairly confident that he'll be the 2C even though he hasn't had any reps simply because he can do both. my feeling is that since we haven't had much depth at the G position through camp because of Weary and Jackson's injury situations that White has had to play at G simply because we have 3 C's on the roster right now.

with Jackson out they were forced to move Frye out to LT. minus one G. then Weary's progress wasn't there. minus 2 G's. So there's White and Studdard so that kind of forces Eslinger into the 2 C spot even though White is probably the 2C come final roster because he can do both. how well I don't know since he's gotten zero reps there in the preseason.

i don't know how they could get White any reps at C when we're so thin at G (good depth but very little depth).
 
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