All About the O

[pipeline]

With the fat lady now finishing up act V, this upcoming offseason should really be all about offense. With the exception of Indy, Wash, and Dallas we are in all of these games point wise.

The most points we have put up all season was in week 2 at Indy. 24 freaking points! Our defense may have some problems, but if we scored some points we would be a legitimate .500 ball club this season. Even with a pretty tough schedule.

Andre and E Moulds are great receivers. Owen Daniels and a healthy Putzier are awesome. A stud runningback, and continued improvement of the O Line, along with the essential change at QB and we are competitive.

Our defense will be much improved by the offense being able to produce.

I think we would all much rather see some excitement on Sundays than watch us go out like we do week after week. This is a much improved team in many facets of the game. It is difficult to take the losses but they are getting pretty close to getting some respect.

 

[Texans32]

what we need is a running game......think of what our offense would be like if we could average 100 yds. per game

 

[eric138]

i'm really starting to lean back on the O-line here. give david time in the pocket without having to worry about who is needs to toss to in .5 seconds and we will succeed. They are doing an okay job with the run protection but a little better with holding a lane open and we can do even better which we haven't done terrible as of lately.

 

[DC Texan]

Offensive Line and QB are the most important. I think if either of the two were to improve, you would see more 100 yard games with the running backs you have.

 

[pittbull]

i'm really starting to lean back on the O-line here. give david time in the pocket without having to worry about who is needs to toss to in .5 seconds and we will succeed. They are doing an okay job with the run protection but a little better with holding a lane open and we can do even better which we haven't done terrible as of lately.

I'm glad someone else said it. Any other time you mention Carr, you might get clipped on this board. The O-line is playinng with 1 starter since the beginning of the season. I don't know of 1 team that could be successful like that! We'll be better, but the injuries, year after year are the things that have plagued this team!

 

[Vinny]

what we need is a running game......think of what our offense would be like if we could average 100 yds. per game

When we had a running game we couldn't throw then either.

 

[HOU-TEX]

what we need is a running game......think of what our offense would be like if we could average 100 yds. per game

Umm....it'd be what it is now, except with a consistant running game. Even when Dayne got into a rythm knocking off good yardage, we still dumped the ball. That was the point of the game where any other offense would've attacked through the air. The titans were biting on PA for a few plays, so there was ample time to make a throw.

 

[A Texan]

It's hard to have a good running game when the defenders can cheat up because they know you're not going to go deep. Dayne has done a good job lately though with just hard running.

 

[dantem]

Offensive Line and QB are the most important. I think if either of the two were to improve, you would see more 100 yard games with the running backs you have.

If you replace Carr and not the o-line, you will be in the same boat, potentially worse with the QB's that may be available this off season. Every offensive play pivits on the offensive line, if they are successfull, the play may succede, depending on the QB, RB, Rec etc. But if they cant get there job done, it rarely matters who is the QB, RB, WR etc. The plays will either fail or be effectively held in check.

The only ecception that I know of to this is the quick out to a reciever at the line of scrimmage. Other than that if the line sucks the whole offense effort will suck. Which is exactly what we are seeing now that most of our starting linemen are out for the season.

 

[dantem]

If you replace Carr and not the o-line, you will be in the same boat, potentially worse with the QB's that may be available this off season. Every offensive play pivits on the offensive line, if they are successfull, the play may succede, depending on the QB, RB, Rec etc. But if they cant get there job done, it rarely matters who is the QB, RB, WR etc. The plays will either fail or be effectively held in check.

The only ecception that I know of to this is the quick out to a reciever at the line of scrimmage. Other than that if the line sucks the whole offense effort will suck. Which is exactly what we are seeing now that most of our starting linemen are out for the season.

sorry, quoted the wrong post...

 

[DayneBum]

what we need is a running game......think of what our offense would be like if we could average 100 yds. per game

well, look at the past 2 weeks. U guys just needed a healthy rb, thats all.

 

[pipeline]

Dayne is much improved, but he is not going to break many 10+ yard runs even with a better O Line. I think the O Line will be much improved in '07 just being healthy, more time in the system, and with a pick-up or two. They looked far better against the Titans this past Sunday than the previous matchup.

A runningback, and a QB that can throw to all parts of field and we are having some fun. Madden was saying the other night (Saints Cowboys) that a player or two can make a huge impact in credibility with the team.

I think Kubiak is going to be a damn good coach. He just didn't have much to gett started with. The draft last year is the most impressive I have seen. t could have been unbelievable. The fact is that there were only about 4-5 players on that team that were high calibre players That number has now doubled.

 

[Dunta_23]

When we had a running game we couldn't throw then either.

Thats because to get the running stats, they had to run the ball almost every play....in the 2 last games where Dayne has gotten decent yardage, he got most of it on consecutive plays...and it seems almost as quick as the success comes, it goes away...we need to have consistancy running the ball on all 3 downs, and in whatever situation....not just in doing like 6-7-8 straight runs....

 

[Vinny]

Thats because to get the running stats, they had to run the ball almost every play....in the 2 last games where Dayne has gotten decent yardage, he got most of it on consecutive plays...and it seems almost as quick as the success comes, it goes away...we need to have consistancy running the ball on all 3 downs, and in whatever situation....not just in doing like 6-7-8 straight runs....

I'm talking historically....when Dom Davis was tearing it up we couldn't pass with any consistency then either.

 

[eriadoc]

Defense ranks 26th in Points Per Game allowed, with 22.8. The offense ranks 29th, getting 16.8 PPG. To contrast, the Bears are near the top in both, with about a 14 point differential.

We have a long way to go.

 

[pipeline]

I agree we have a long way to go. Chicago which is near the top was tied with us in 2005 scoring at 16.3 PPG. They have had a great D. But their offense has improved dramatically with what major additions? New Orleans was ranked 31st in scoringwith 14.7 points per game.

 

[hollywood_texan]

what we need is a running game......think of what our offense would be like if we could average 100 yds. per game

If an NFL defense isn't concerned about the passing game downfield, general speaking, it is going to be harder to run the football.

Just because you have a great running game doesn't mean you will have a great passing game, or vice versa. As of a couple weeks ago, New Orleans had one of the worst rushing offenses but the best pass offense. On the other side, Atlanta had the best rush offense while one of the worst pass offenses.

The better QB you have under center, the easier it is for all other players on offense to do their job. The offensive line doesn't call the plays, run the routes, decide where to throw the football, actually throw the football, or catch the football. The more issues you have with those areas, the less it really matters how good your offensive line blocks and the harder it is for the offensive line to do their job because the defense really isn't concerned about getting burned by their schemes.

Carr and Kubiak have worked together long enough that the passing game should be running up at least 250 yards a game on a regular basis with a few big plays mixed. Considering what I am seeing, I am not so sure the best protection is going to matter if the decision making on the play calling and execution doesn't get any better.

 

[hollywood_texan]

Defense ranks 26th in Points Per Game allowed, with 22.8. The offense ranks 29th, getting 16.8 PPG. To contrast, the Bears are near the top in both, with about a 14 point differential.

We have a long way to go.

Since 2002, the Texans have averaged around 16 points a game every season.

 

[Texan_Bill]

I agree we have a long way to go. Chicago which is near the top was tied with us in 2005 scoring at 16.3 PPG. They have had a great D. But their offense has improved dramatically with what major additions? New Orleans was ranked 31st in scoringwith 14.7 points per game.

Beleive it or not the only difference this year that I can see for the Bears has been Rex Grossman over Kyle Orton last year... I know that sounds funny, but..........

 

[POWERBALL]

I Think We Should Give The Offense Some Time To Gel.we Need To Keep On Building Our Defense.this Team Reminds Me Of The Ravens Before They Won The Title.struggling Offense,but A Solid Defense To Carry The Load.i Would Like To See Us Get More Big Tough Guys On Offense To Impose The Running Game.carr Can Excel Better With A Bruising Ground Game.patience Is The Key.i Can See It All Coming Together.i Love Our Improvement On All Three Phases Of The Game.....patience People...patience

 

[West Texas Texan]

I had the opportunity to see my first ever Texans game in person. I have been observing the message boards all year. Out here in W. Tx. we get the Texans on occasion. I finally had a chance to see "the whole field" at the game and offer the following observations:

Forget about the VY / MW debate. VY will win some games with his legs, but he will never, ever win the SB. Radio (6 on the wonderlick) will face more sophisticated defenses and give the ball up. He's having a rookie sensation type of year(Remember my Ben Rothlisberger, the fans want him cut already). Don't think next year defenses will adjust. The QB has to be able to pass - accurately. VY can't do that. His passes were behind and short all day. First pass of the day, he underthrows #83 by 15 yds, who had the DB beat by 8 yards. #83 actually had to stop (he was on a post pattern) to try to catch the ball. The pass interference call in the 4th qtr was a joke, the ball was 15 feet over the receivers' head. Had that bad call not been made, the titans don't score and lose the game. Faggans almost intercepted VY twice. Both were on extremely poorly thrown balls.

MW played well. He was very active and in the backfield often. I think he has some type of foot injury, and to be in the backfield that often, even when double teamed, tells me that he is already a dominant force. Remember, a good offense will win some games, but great defenses win SB's. When Chuck Noll was hired by the Steelers, His first draft pick in 1969 to start the dynasty was a "Mean" DT from North Texas State by the name of "Joe Green". All great, intelligent coaches understand that you win games with offense, but win superbowls with great defenses. Why do you think Indy hasn't won the SB yet with Manning at QB and that high powered offense. Their 3 losses in a row are all on the defense.

The Texans ran better to the right than to the left. ES's legs have to be pretty bad, and can't get any type of push. RD's big runs all were to the right. For some reason they keep running WL to the left over Salaam. I don't understand why they run WL to the left and RD to the right.

Under play action pass, DC had on average 6-7 seconds to throw the ball, due to the succes in the running game. However, DC didn't throw downfield, yet continued to dump off. I noticed EM open several times, yet never thrown to. 6-7 seconds is plenty of time to see two, maybe three checkdowns. I don't think DC understands the pre-snap reads very well. this thought comes from the fact that he calls time outs at the line of scrimmage than most starting qb's in the league. I did notice that several times the ball was released AFTER the receiver had already made their move/cut. This gave the db to recover and make a play on the pass.

As a former qb, two things you always are cognizant of is the line of scrimmage and the first down marker. I am still at a loss as to why there were two illegal pass penalties, for DC making a pass past the line of scrimmage. Both of those drives stalled because of the penalties. One of the times, in the 4th qtr, DC could have run to the Texan 40 and picked up the first down. 5 more yards and you kick another field goal.

As far a Winston is concerned, I think I saw one time where he was caught on the inside, but DC scrambled to the right, stepped over the DE and completed a 14 yarder to OD. Both TD runs by RD were over EW. I think if you go back to the beginning of the year, the majority of the rushing TD's for the year were over EW. His run blocking is the best on the O Line, bar none.

Last week he was given no help on a pro-bowler, and for an O Line coach to provide a rookie NO HELP on a pro-bowler is inexcuseable. I put that on Sherman. This week he went to task on another potential pro-bowler and fared much better. Two tight end set with Bruener there provides big bodies to just out physical other teams. Kubiak needs to give up the play calling. That's what an OC is for. We had success with the run, yet didn't keep pounding it. Running the ball works the clock, keeps your defense off the field and wears out the other teams' D, so that when you need fresh defensive legs in the 4th qtr, you have them. Too may 3 and outs by the O.

Defensively the team got tired in the 4th qtr and ran out of gas. The blitz in OT on 3rd and 14 was a good call, just not executed well by the D. If I was Kubiak, I would have called time out, give the D a chance to get their legs, and perhaps send a corner who would be able to chase down VY. DR had a shot at him and missed. The other LB's just don't have the speed to catch VY. And why was MW not in the game for the last series in OT? Bad coaching.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my first Texans game, and am looking forward to attending more in the future.

 

[threetoedpete]

sorry, quoted the wrong post...

that's ok. You're heart was in the correct place. Makes two of us that believes this way. The only way we break the skill rut is to draft All Day Peterson, let that bomb also...start over again. With the running back variable and a new QB, the only thing left in the equation will be the o-lineman tallent. We can stand it as long as they can ..huh ?

 

[thunderkyss]

what we need is a running game......think of what our offense would be like if we could average 100 yds. per game

Just to point out how misleading stats are (or can be).

The Houston Texans (to date) have avg'd 99.6 ypg rushing.

Philly..... 70 yards
..... for some reason our coach abandoned the running game when the passing game couldn't keep us on the field, and our defense resembled a sieve.

Indy..... 108 yards
....... again, even though we got behind early (10 points) I beleive we gave up on our run game too early against one of the worst(if not the worst) run defenses in the league. The best defense against this team is to keep their offense off the field.... it's been that way for a few years now.

Washington.... 61 yards
....... we started the 3rd Qtr with a run(duh.... 2 yards by Dayne), then 2 incomplete passes for a 3 & out. when our offense took the field again, we were down by 21 points, & the threat to run wasn't fooling anybody.

Miami.... 65 yards
...... although running the ball didn't look very productive in terms of yardage, in the Time of Possesion game, we won by almost 2:1. Keeping our defense off the field helped us win this game....... even though it came down to an exciting defensive goal line stand to win the game.

Dallas..... 34 yards
........ Like Miami, our run game was keeping us in the game(with T.O.P.) if it weren't for 3 touchdowns, this one could've gone either way.

Jacksonville... 131 yards
...... Wali Lundy was happy to be back in the line up.

Tennessee.... 148 yards
..... with 427 yards of offense, you'd think we would have won this game. Especially since the Titans never sustained a drive over 40 yards. & The Titans never got into the redzone.

NYG...... 81 yards
..... New York just wasn't having it.

Jacksonville...... 148
.....at least we own a team with a winning record.

Buffalo.... 27 yards
.... we lost this game, despite running for more yards than them(21)

NYJ...... 25 yards
... we lost because they out-rushed us by 2 yards(27)

Oakland.... 129 yards
... Dayne avg'd 5.2 ypc.... it would have been more, but Oakland realized we didn't trust our QB with the ball in his hands early in the 2nd half.

Tennessee... 107 yards.
..... but we gave up 218.

in the last 8 games, we failed to gain 100 yards 3 times. Winning 3 of the 5 games we did gain 100 yards.

........ no one is concerned too much about our running game. Or our passing game for that matter. Defenses look at us from 10 yards in, whether it's a passing down, or a run down....

But. I believe you meant to say we need a runner who can avg 100 yard games.... someone who might break off a 20/30 yard run with some consistency.

But like Vinny said, we had that......... and our passing game still sucked.