Case Keenum - Fan Pulse Check [UPDATE] Rams claim Case on waivers

[badboy]

If he does what was mentioned above I'd welcome that problem with open arms.

I can see him dancing around singing "Pay that funky music white boy!"

 

[Playoffs]

Case did some good things out there last night.

 

[ObsiWan]

Case did some good things out there last night.

He looked more relaxed and played like it too. He was money on those crossing routes but I didn't like a couple of his throws into double coverage.

 

[Scooter]

i thought case was our best quarterback last night, and certainly the only one who looked comfortable making throws on time and in the pocket. the sideline pass on the run to labhart was incredible. my favorite work happened before the snap, case was able to identify the coverage, change the line call to pick up the blitz and complete an easy throw for 15 yards on schedule.

he certainly wasn't getting any help though with the penalties, mistakes and busted routes. if #17 had been on the same page with a free release on a blitz, he'd still be running. i'm not even mad at the interception, that throw only gets made because you expect your tightend to be the strongest guy across the middle and he has to catch what hits his hands.

put case in with the #1's and see how he looks compared to fitz.

 

[Thorn]

In one way or the other, Case is on the final roster. I like that. Because I still want Case to be The Guy and this gets him another year on the Texans.

 

[DocBar]

i thought case was our best quarterback last night, and certainly the only one who looked comfortable making throws on time and in the pocket. the sideline pass on the run to labhart was incredible. my favorite work happened before the snap, case was able to identify the coverage, change the line call to pick up the blitz and complete an easy throw for 15 yards on schedule.

he certainly wasn't getting any help though with the penalties, mistakes and busted routes. if #17 had been on the same page with a free release on a blitz, he'd still be running. i'm not even mad at the interception, that throw only gets made because you expect your tightend to be the strongest guy across the middle and he has to catch what hits his hands.

put case in with the #1's and see how he looks compared to fitz.

I thought Fitz was clearly the better QB. He showed good poise and presence in the pocket and could feel the pressure and scramble when he needed to.

Fitz was 9-12 (75%) for 97 yds. (8.08 YPA) and a TD against mostly 1's.
Keenum was 6-12 (50%) for 81 yds. (6.75 YPA)and an INT against 2's and 3's.

I'm not saying stats are the end-all-be-all, but they sure seem to confirm what my eyes told me during the game.

 

[Number19]

... i'm not even mad at the interception, that throw only gets made because you expect your tightend to be the strongest guy across the middle and he has to catch what hits his hands...

The ball is at about the 9 yd line and Griffin is beginning to extend his right hand to catch the ball. As the ball crosses the 7 yd line, Griffin's right arm looks like it is being yanked backward and his body is twisted around a bit. Contact is being made prior to the ball getting there. It should have been a penalty, but the action is so fast, this contact is unobservable in real time and is not subject to review. The review was only to see if the safety had held on to the ball for the interception. This was simply good football. You win some and you lose some. This time the safety got away with a little extra curricular activity.

 

[speedfreek]

If Case had not thrown that INT he would have been the better QB
last night. Bad pick into double coverage.

I got the distinct feeling that BoB pulled Fitz after the first score because
of the emotional high. Tremendous confidence booster for the first team.
-- I was surprised to see him switch to backup QB so quickly..

I think the risk of a mistake goes up with Fitz the longer he is in the
game, and after last week confidence is important. I actually thought
the 2 minute drill was better than the first scoring drive.

As far as YPA that's meaningless to me. The actual YPC was higher
with Keenum who went down the field more. Also, Fitz had MUCH
better run support with the ones and Keenum had to overcome multiple
negative yardage carries on first and second down.

Keenum and Savage also had noticeably worse protection than
Fitz as well.

The good news, for me, is that by the time the regular season rolls
around we should have 2 QB's comfortable in the system (Fitz/Case)
and a young guy that can grow into a NFL QB without being rushed
into it.

I thought Fitz was clearly the better QB. He showed good poise and presence in the pocket and could feel the pressure and scramble when he needed to.

Fitz was 9-12 (75%) for 97 yds. (8.08 YPA) and a TD against mostly 1's.
Keenum was 6-12 (50%) for 81 yds. (6.75 YPA)and an INT against 2's and 3's.

I'm not saying stats are the end-all-be-all, but they sure seem to confirm what my eyes told me during the game.

 

[Lucky]

Keenum is minisculely more mobile than Fitzgerald.

Fitzpatrick's mobility is very underrated (he could do the slide more often). It's good to have QBs that can make something happen when the protection breaks down. And there will be protection breakdowns this season.

 

[speedfreek]

My gripe with the play wasn't holding. It's the fact that on the replay
the ball looks like it actually hit the ground.

Tillman saw the same thing I did in the replay.

Wouldn't have mattered though, as the team would have had to settle
for 3 anyway, which wasn't desirable, given how the team moved into
the red zone so well before the wheels fell off..

The ball is at about the 9 yd line and Griffin is beginning to extend his right hand to catch the ball. As the ball crosses the 7 yd line, Griffin's right arm looks like it is being yanked backward and his body is twisted around a bit. Contact is being made prior to the ball getting there. It should have been a penalty, but the action is so fast, this contact is unobservable in real time and is not subject to review. The review was only to see if the safety had held on to the ball for the interception. This was simply good football. You win some and you lose some. This time the safety got away with a little extra curricular activity.

 

[Number19]

As is apparent, I've looked at this play in detail, in slow motion stop action. But I do have a technical question. Can this throw be considered into double coverage?

When Case makes the decision to throw to Griffin, there was only the LB on him and he had a step and a half on his defender. The deep safety came over to help after the play was developing and ended up with the interception. But I consider double coverage to be a case of two defenders covering the receiver basically from the start of the play.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

One of Case's past greatest criticisms apparently has left the building.........he consistently got the ball out in quick fashion. His second greatest criticism has also apparently exited with the first.........he showed himself able to read the D quite well. At least 3 of his passes were dropped. Furthermore, it was quite evident Case being in there opened options not available with Fitzpatrick. Case at very least deserves a crack with the 1's, where his options are likely to be able to be more utilized and more productive.

 

[Lucky]

As is apparent, I've looked at this play in detail, in slow motion stop action. But I do have a technical question. Can this throw be considered into double coverage?

When Case makes the decision to throw to Griffin, there was only the LB on him and he had a step and a half on his defender. The deep safety came over to help after the play was developing and ended up with the interception. But I consider double coverage to be a case of two defenders covering the receiver basically from the start of the play.

Well, you've got to be able to read the coverage in regards to where the safety is and can be. But, there are times when a QB has to squeeze the ball in, as well. I don't want to get into a big argument about Keenum's arm strength. But, I don't think he has enough to make that throw downfield into coverage.

 

[Scooter]

I thought Fitz was clearly the better QB. He showed good poise and presence in the pocket and could feel the pressure and scramble when he needed to.

Fitz was 9-12 (75%) for 97 yds. (8.08 YPA) and a TD against mostly 1's. WITH THE 1's
Keenum was 6-12 (50%) for 81 yds. (6.75 YPA)and an INT against 2's and 3's.WITH THE 2's and 3's

I'm not saying stats are the end-all-be-all, but they sure seem to confirm what my eyes told me during the game.

doc counted 3 drops, and i've got at least 2 busted routes. playing against an all decade team or a bunch of highschoolers doesn't really matter if your teammates aren't capable of doing their jobs.

my issue with fitz is that the only good throws he made were after scrambling, and a couple of those were cross-body. that isn't going to work when things go live. you have to hit your back foot and be ready to throw, fitz has yet to do that while keenum looked very calm in the pocket.

 

[speedfreek]

Case is better this year than last -- even in a new scheme.
He improved last year as well.

It's all about time in the league. He will continue to improve
(as will Tom) if he gets more reps.

getting the ball out quickly is a mental thing, and that's a learning process.

One of Case's past greatest criticisms apparently has left the building.........he consistently got the ball out in quick fashion. His second greatest criticism has also apparently exited with the first.........he showed himself able to read the D quite well. At least 3 of his passes were dropped. Furthermore, it was quite evident Case being in there opened options not available with Fitzpatrick. Case at very least deserves a crack with the 1's, where his options are likely to be able to be more utilized and more productive.

 

[DocBar]

If Case had not thrown that INT he would have been the better QB
last night. Bad pick into double coverage.

I got the distinct feeling that BoB pulled Fitz after the first score because
of the emotional high. Tremendous confidence booster for the first team.
-- I was surprised to see him switch to backup QB so quickly..

I think the risk of a mistake goes up with Fitz the longer he is in the
game, and after last week confidence is important. I actually thought
the 2 minute drill was better than the first scoring drive.

As far as YPA that's meaningless to me. The actual YPC was higher
with Keenum who went down the field more. Also, Fitz had MUCH
better run support with the ones and Keenum had to overcome multiple
negative yardage carries on first and second down.

Keenum and Savage also had noticeably worse protection than
Fitz as well.

The good news, for me, is that by the time the regular season rolls
around we should have 2 QB's comfortable in the system (Fitz/Case)
and a young guy that can grow into a NFL QB without being rushed
into it.

One of Case's past greatest criticisms apparently has left the building.........he consistently got the ball out in quick fashion. His second greatest criticism has also apparently exited with the first.........he showed himself able to read the D quite well. At least 3 of his passes were dropped. Furthermore, it was quite evident Case being in there opened options not available with Fitzpatrick. Case at very least deserves a crack with the 1's, where his options are likely to be able to be more utilized and more productive.

doc counted 3 drops, and i've got at least 2 busted routes. playing against an all decade team or a bunch of highschoolers doesn't really matter if your teammates aren't capable of doing their jobs.

my issue with fitz is that the only good throws he made were after scrambling, and a couple of those were cross-body. that isn't going to work when things go live. you have to hit your back foot and be ready to throw, fitz has yet to do that while keenum looked very calm in the pocket.

I'll rewatch the game as soon as I can figure out why NFL.com won't play it.

 

[speedfreek]

no DVR?

I'll rewatch the game as soon as I can figure out why NFL.com won't play it.

 

[Hervoyel]

I thought Fitz was clearly the better QB. He showed good poise and presence in the pocket and could feel the pressure and scramble when he needed to.

Fitz was 9-12 (75%) for 97 yds. (8.08 YPA) and a TD against mostly 1's.
Keenum was 6-12 (50%) for 81 yds. (6.75 YPA)and an INT against 2's and 3's.

I'm not saying stats are the end-all-be-all, but they sure seem to confirm what my eyes told me during the game.

I thought the opposite.

When I see Keenum playing against 2's and 3's I can't help but also notice that he's surrounded by 2's and 3's as well. It cuts both ways. He had easier opposition but he also had lesser talent around him.

6 incompletions to 3 incompletions. I wish I had recorded the game because I'd like to know how many of those incomplete passes (from both QB's) went where they should have but weren't caught.

Case looked (in my opinion) to be about equal to Fitz. Fitz was on last night which is great. Hope he keeps it up since he's our annointed starter and that doesn't appear to be up for discussion per OB. How long does that last though? That's the question. I always liked Warren Moon but I eventually realized he was always going to throw that back-breaking pick. It was just built into him. After a while I always knew Carr would check down or go fetal (I think we all eventually knew that was coming). QB's eventually become who they are and they almost never change after that.

The biggest, maybe only advantage I see in Case over Fitz is that I'm not quite convinced that he is locked into the kind of player he is always going to be. Not quite yet. There's still a little crack of hope there in my mind. Maybe it's not shared by many but I think there's reason to hope.

Fitz did good last night. That's why he's not "Shitz" to me right now.

Shitz always comes back though. Unless OB can really coach up a storm we'll see Shitz again.

 

[Number19]

...The good news, for me, is that by the time the regular season rolls around we should have 2 QB's comfortable in the system (Fitz/Case) and a young guy that can grow into a NFL QB without being rushed
into it.

Good comment. Now, if we can just do something to help improve the situation at RT.

 

[Hervoyel]

My gripe with the play wasn't holding. It's the fact that on the replay
the ball looks like it actually hit the ground.

Tillman saw the same thing I did in the replay.

Wouldn't have mattered though, as the team would have had to settle
for 3 anyway, which wasn't desirable, given how the team moved into
the red zone so well before the wheels fell off..

Yeah. I'll consider that a pick when the game log on NFL.com credits it to "The Turf" because that's who actually caught it.

 

[ObsiWan]

As is apparent, I've looked at this play in detail, in slow motion stop action. But I do have a technical question. Can this throw be considered into double coverage?

When Case makes the decision to throw to Griffin, there was only the LB on him and he had a step and a half on his defender. The deep safety came over to help after the play was developing and ended up with the interception. But I consider double coverage to be a case of two defenders covering the receiver basically from the start of the play.

For my money, yes. The safety help has to be considered when the QB picks his target. That's why you hear the talking heads (mainly ESPN's Jaws) harping on a given QB's ability to "look off" the safety. The better a QB is at doing that, the less time a safety has to see who his target is and come over to help out thereby turning single coverage into double coverage.
Admittedly, it takes time/reps to get really good at that skill. If O'Brien is really a QB guru, then there's hope that Case will improve in that area.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

For my money, yes. The safety help has to be considered when the QB picks his target. That's why you hear the talking heads (mainly ESPN's Jaws) harping on a given QB's ability to "look off" the safety. The better a QB is at doing that, the less time a safety has to see who his target is and come over to help out thereby turning single coverage into double coverage.
Admittedly, it takes time/reps to get really good at that skill. If O'Brien is really a QB guru, then there's hope that Case will improve in that area.

Actually, Case did a pretty good job of looking off the safeties, to a degree that the announcers commented positively on it.

 

[DocBar]

no DVR?

Nope. I'm a hotel room in Charlotte, NC.

I'm rewatching the game and I'm sorry, I just don't see Case looking as good as Fitz did. 3 of his completions were WR screens and he hit two completely wide open WR's on busted coverages (it looked like to me). He very nearly threw 2 int's on very questionable throws and made an absolutely horrible throw behind his TE when both TE's were running pretty much the same route. And I'm still trying to find a "dropped" pass that wasn't thrown into tight coverage. Oh yeah, someone earlier stated that Keenum had to deal with being backed up due to penalties. Well, he got bailed out on that drive by a terrible face mask penalty called on a scramble by him. I would've been throwing nerf balls at the TV if it had been called against the Texans in a regular season game.

I'm not hating on Case, just calling it like I see it. I would like to see him get a shot with the 1's as much as anybody, since I think he'll end up starting some games due to injury.

To be fair, Fitz made some iffy throws also and was lucky not to have a pick or two.

 

[JCTexan]

Nope. I'm a hotel room in Charlotte, NC.

I'm rewatching the game and I'm sorry, I just don't see Case looking as good as Fitz did. 3 of his completions were WR screens and he hit two completely wide open WR's on busted coverages (it looked like to me). He very nearly threw 2 int's on very questionable throws and made an absolutely horrible throw behind his TE when both TE's were running pretty much the same route. And I'm still trying to find a "dropped" pass that wasn't thrown into tight coverage. Oh yeah, someone earlier stated that Keenum had to deal with being backed up due to penalties. Well, he got bailed out on that drive by a terrible face mask penalty called on a scramble by him. I would've been throwing nerf balls at the TV if it had been called against the Texans in a regular season game.

I'm not hating on Case, just calling it like I see it. I would like to see him get a shot with the 1's as much as anybody, since I think he'll end up starting some games due to injury.

To be fair, Fitz made some iffy throws also and was lucky not to have a pick or two.

Those were actually counted as rushing plays and were not credited as completions for Keenum. If those were counted Keenum would have been 9/15 for 107 yards.

 

[xtruroyaltyx]

Keenum looked good, and on a couple of plays he showed some really good anticipation like a savvy vet.

 

[Nitrofish]

One of Case's past greatest criticisms apparently has left the building.........he consistently got the ball out in quick fashion. His second greatest criticism has also apparently exited with the first.........he showed himself able to read the D quite well. At least 3 of his passes were dropped. Furthermore, it was quite evident Case being in there opened options not available with Fitzpatrick. Case at very least deserves a crack with the 1's, where his options are likely to be able to be more utilized and more productive.

Let's be honest here. Case only faced more than a 4 man rush twice. IMHO his biggest weakness is against the blitz.

On the first blitz (5 Man) Keenum completed the pass for a 15 yard gain.

On the second blitz (5 Man) Keenum threw an interception.

The rest was pretty pedestrian stuff against a 4 man rush (3rd and 4th stringers) all night with the exception of one excellent pass in the 3rd Qtr.

3rd Quarter

• 14:32 4 man rush flushed out for 3 yard gain
• 14:00 4 man rush Sacked for two yard loss
• 12:58 4 man rush complete 18 yard gain (Beautiful pass on the play action rollout but into double coverage)
• 10:29 4 man rush (incomplete)
• 05:35 4 man rush complete for 11 yards
• 04:21 4 man rush incomplete (almost int)
• 04:16 4 man rush complete for 25 yards (Mostly YAC by Lemon)
• 02:23 5 man rush complete 15 yards
• 01:42 4 man rush complete 9 yards
• 01:08 4 man rush complete 3 yards
• 00:33 4 man rush incomplete

4th Quarter

• 15:00 5 man rush intercepted (Double Coverage)
• 8:38 4 man rush incomplete
• 7:52 4 man rush incomplete

 

[thunderkyss]

Well, you've got to be able to read the coverage in regards to where the safety is and can be. But, there are times when a QB has to squeeze the ball in, as well. I don't want to get into a big argument about Keenum's arm strength. But, I don't think he has enough to make that throw downfield into coverage.

I don't put that INT on Case, however, I would have a discussion with him about what he was thinking & how he came to make that decision (from what I can see, it probably was the best option, but I need to know that he looked at & saw everything).

My biggest gripe on that INT is with Griffin. "Big for nothing!" as my mom would say. He's got to want that ball more than the other guy & use his body to get it.


Great QBs are a huge part of this game, but they all have someone step up for them at times like that. That was Griffin's time. Next time, we need to see more effort.

Both discussions would be the, "We need to get better & these are things we can do to get better." type of discussions, not the "You're this close from being unemployed." type.

 

[thunderkyss]

Fitz did good last night. That's why he's not "Shitz" to me right now.

Shitz always comes back though. Unless OB can really coach up a storm we'll see Shitz again.

Agreed. Which is why I don't want to see him start when the regular season begins. He is who he is. As a Texans fan I'm hoping Fitz will have the best season of his career, I'm rooting for him.

I would have named him our starter, just like Bill did, but I'd be looking hard at either Case or Tom being our starter week 1. For all I know he is, we can only wait & see.

 

[thunderkyss]

I'm not hating on Case, just calling it like I see it. I would like to see him get a shot with the 1's as much as anybody, since I think he'll end up starting some games due to injury.

I could be wrong, but I don't think Fitzpatrick has ever not played due to injury.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

I could be wrong, but I don't think Fitzpatrick has ever not played due to injury.

He played with an injured throwing hand in mid November 2010 and had less than a 50% completion record. He then missed the last game of the 2010 season with a knee injury. Then, in 2011, he suffered 2 rib fractures and played the last 9 games with this condition. Of course, his performances during this period was distinctly poor and this ended up his worst INT year (from an average of 1-2 INTs/game prior to the injuries to 2-4 INTs/game after). It's interesting to note that the Bills denied rumors of these rib injuries until the offseason the following year, when Chan Bailey in a interview finally admitted to it.

 

[dream_team]

I thought Fitz played well enough to pretty much secure his starting job (assuming it wasn't already secure)... and Case played well enough for the Case-fans to argue he should be in the competition for #1.

Like Nitro already mentioned above, Case was barely blitzed on... and we all know that's his biggest weakness, reading defenses and adjusting to the blitz. Case made some nice throws, but he also made some horrible throws and a couple of terrible decisions IMO.

 

[thunderkyss]

I thought Fitz played well enough to pretty much secure his starting job (assuming it wasn't already secure)... and Case played well enough for the Case-fans to argue he should be in the competition for #1.

I hope OB is doing everything he can to identify the best QB on the team & getting that guy prepared best he can for Sept 07.

Playing against the Falcons in week 2 of the preseason shouldn't really settle or solidify anything. Denver in week 3 (Demarcus Ware, Von Miller... decent secondary) is going to tell us a lot.

 

[DocBar]

I could be wrong, but I don't think Fitzpatrick has ever not played due to injury.

He played with an injured throwing hand in mid November 2010 and had less than a 50% completion record. He then missed the last game of the 2010 season with a knee injury. Then, in 2011, he suffered 2 rib fractures and played the last 9 games with this condition. Of course, his performances during this period was distinctly poor and this ended up his worst INT year (from an average of 1-2 INTs/game prior to the injuries to 2-4 INTs/game after). It's interesting to note that the Bills denied rumors of these rib injuries until the offseason the following year, when Chan Bailey in a interview finally admitted to it.

I guess you can go to WebMD and try to out-diagnose the good Dr....

I hope OB is doing everything he can to identify the best QB on the team & getting that guy prepared best he can for Sept 07.

Playing against the Falcons in week 2 of the preseason shouldn't really settle or solidify anything. Denver in week 3 (Demarcus Ware, Von Miller... decent secondary) is going to tell us a lot.

Couldn't agree more!!

 

[badboy]

I am giving credit to coaches in advancing performance of 3 QBs. Need to see that next two weeks then all season..has Fitz topped out? We will see as McNair said we only need adequate at the QB.

 

[thunderkyss]

I am giving credit to coaches in advancing performance of 3 QBs. Need to see that next two weeks then all season..has Fitz topped out? We will see as McNair said we only need adequate at the QB.

For us to be in the "only need adequate QB" camp, our running game & defense need to get to a higher level, quick.

The run game looks good, competent... but not dominant, not explosive. I like Grimes, tough little runner, but I don't know if he's got home-run ability.

 

[badboy]

For us to be in the "only need adequate QB" camp, our running game & defense need to get to a higher level, quick.

The run game looks good, competent... but not dominant, not explosive. I like Grimes, tough little runner, but I don't know if he's got home-run ability.

agreed but hopefully Foster will be our Babe Ruth.

 

[DocBar]

I am giving credit to coaches in advancing performance of 3 QBs. Need to see that next two weeks then all season..has Fitz topped out? We will see as McNair said we only need adequate at the QB.

If Fitz topped out last night, we're in trouble. He was pretty ok but not good. I really hope Case gets some reps with the 1's next week against Denver.

For us to be in the "only need adequate QB" camp, our running game & defense need to get to a higher level, quick.

The run game looks good, competent... but not dominant, not explosive. I like Grimes, tough little runner, but I don't know if he's got home-run ability.

Grimes impressed me with his blitz pickups/passpro last night. With the unsettled situation on the OL, I'm pleased and concerned with the run game all at the same time. The Texans need an RT in the worst way. Newton just isn't going to cut it there. He has promise for working inside, though. I expect to see a number of OL additions once roster cuts start happening.
My :homerpalm: is coming out, but I thought Blue looked better than his stats showed. Any input on him?

 

[Double Barrel]

I voted on the same day that Keenum had thrown three INTs in practice and had a string of horrible practices.

I'd like to change my vote to Case being a backup QB, mainly because Savage looked like a boy among men out there and in way over his head.

Unless they bring another arm into camp after cuts, Keenum will be the back up QB.

 

[b0ng]

Long live dime store Romo.

 

[EllisUnit]

Nope. I'm a hotel room in Charlotte, NC.

I'm rewatching the game and I'm sorry, I just don't see Case looking as good as Fitz did. 3 of his completions were WR screens and he hit two completely wide open WR's on busted coverages (it looked like to me). He very nearly threw 2 int's on very questionable throws and made an absolutely horrible throw behind his TE when both TE's were running pretty much the same route. And I'm still trying to find a "dropped" pass that wasn't thrown into tight coverage. Oh yeah, someone earlier stated that Keenum had to deal with being backed up due to penalties. Well, he got bailed out on that drive by a terrible face mask penalty called on a scramble by him. I would've been throwing nerf balls at the TV if it had been called against the Texans in a regular season game.

I'm not hating on Case, just calling it like I see it. I would like to see him get a shot with the 1's as much as anybody, since I think he'll end up starting some games due to injury.

To be fair, Fitz made some iffy throws also and was lucky not to have a pick or two.

you have to watch it in reverse, it is like one of those old records with hidden messages. You'll get it

 

[76Texan]

This is what John Harris saw:

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Put-the-Film-on-Bro-Texans-vs-Falcons-II/9a0a663f-115e-46d6-a7ac-5a761fe673e8

Harris was never a Keenum's fan; though, I don't think he was ever harsh on Keenum either.

My opinion in red.

....

1st Drive - Texans Offense
Play 1 - 1st and 10
Case Keenum at QB, started with a power play to the left. Falcons OLB Jacques Smith who's become a Hard Knocks star put on a stack and shed clinic. He stood up TE Zach Potter, shed him and slowed RB Alfred Blue until his help could arrive.
Result: No gain, Texans holding penalty.

Play 2 - 1st and 20
Straight dropback, excellent pass protection, excellent coverage. There was nowhere to throw the ball so Keenum found a seam in the front and took it. Massive DT Ra'Shede Hageman saw Keenum split and the former Minnesota Golden Gopher snapped the Texans QB up in two steps. That's an enormous man that covered some serious ground.
Result: Three yard gain, penalty (declined)

Here, I noticed the Falcons were playing quarter (4 deeps, 3 underneath match-up zone.)
KMart was running a quick slant from right to left; he was passing the middle zone into the left zone, with a LB in each.
This is probably why Keenum didn't go there - IMO, OB probably prefers that he did; ie., just get the ball to KMart for a yard or two; who knows, he may break up a tackle or two (doubtful though, since two LBs were ready to pounce on him.)
Needing 20 yards for a first down, perhaps Keenum wanted something more.
With 6 to block 4, it was probably not a bad idea.
The ball was snapped at the 14:32 mark; Keenum took of just before 14:29, well within the 3-sec threshold.
Not a bad decision, IMO; even though I still think that OB probably prefers the short dump-off to KMart.

Play 3 - 2nd and 17
Play action, although fake didn't really sell the run...similar to the previous play, Falcons rushing four, coverage is excellent, so Keenum took off. This time he escaped Hageman but he nearly missed Falcons LB Tim Dobbins. The former Texan LB grabbed the top of Keenum's helmet as he tackled him. I was standing right there and saw it clear as day. The penalty got the Texans out of a hole and kick started this scoring drive.
Result: No gain but face mask penalty gave automatic 1st down.

Here, the ball was snapped just before the 14:00 mark; the Falcons look to be in 3-deep, 4-underneath coverage; no
no receiver was open early. Keenum took off around the 13:58 mark; again, well within the 3-sec limit, and especially with a ball fake that requires a little time to perform.
His dump-off target was the delayed RB, but Keenum never had a real chance to attempt a throw.
Ferentz (at Center) needed to do a little better job holding up the middle.
I don't see anything else Keenum could have done here.

Play 4 - 1st and 10
Outside zone/zone stretch to the left...behind LT Matt Fieler and LG Xavier Su'a-Filo, there is a massive hole in the B gap. C James Ferentz can't quite get his head and hips on the playside of the nose tackle Travian Robertson who eventually made the shoestring tackle. That wasn't an easy block for Ferentz but if he shot his outside hip through Robertson to get him turned, oh boy, it was a huge run.
Result: Four yard gain.

Play 5 - 2nd and 6
Bootleg...excellent ball handling by Keenum, a great fake. As he booted back to the right, he spied slot WR Travis Labhart who ran a corner route away from the safety. Said safety got caught watching the ball and Labhart just ran to open space. One more look at the play showed how Labhart sold the route to the safety as well. He angled his route at the linebacker which the safety bought as a run away from them. When Labhart then got past the linebacker, the safety was already on his way to
assist on the other side of the field. Labhart took advantage of undisciplined eyes and beat the safety to the sideline. Keenum dropped a dime on him right on the sideline for one of the best executed plays of the night.
Result: 19 yard gain.

Falcons were in 5-2.
Nice ball fake by Keenum.
Like Harris said, it fooled the SS, who couldn't recover in time.

Play 6 - 1st and 10
Packaged play - inside zone/bubble screen...there's a ton going on with this play. There is a post snap read that'll determine the play to be run. The OL blocked for an inside zone/blast run, while the WR trio ran a bubble screen. If Keenum saw the safety, in this case Dezmon Southward, creeping into the box, Keenum knew that he had two blockers for two defensive backs in space and Keshawn Martin with the ball on the perimeter. If Keenum saw a two safety high look or the safety favoring the three wide receivers, he'd hand it to RB Ronnie Brown. Keenum saw single high safety and the safety closer to the box. He threw out to Martin for a big gain.
Result: 12 yard gain.

Play 7 - 1st and 10
Same play the other way. Labhart just flat out drilled Javier Arenas, driving him yards downfield. Martin burst upfield for another first down.
Result: 13 yard gain.

Play 8 - 1st and 10
Same play the other way - just zig zagging across the field. This time, Southward ran it down for a short gain.
Result: Two yard gain

These 3 laterals might be underrated by some; saying that it was KMart who did all the work.
Not so fast.
As Harris said, it requires the correct read by the QB.
He then needs to get the ball out quickly, times the lateral pass just right and places it in a good location.
The better the execution, the better the chance for the receiver/runner to make more yards.
On the third play, the blocking receiver #19 didn't quite win his blocking assignment.
Also, credit has to be given to the safety #41 (Southward) who was very quick in pursuit.

Play 9 - 2nd and 8

Blast inside...Ferentz pancaked Robertson but LB Prince Shembo nearly made the play. RG Alex Kupper got caught by Robertson on the back of his legs and fell to his knees. To his credit, Kupper stayed on his block, from his knees, to keep Shembo from making the stop for no gain.
Result: Three yard gain.

Play 10 - 3rd and 5
Straight dropback...Keenum wanted TE Ryan Griffin down the seam. ILB Shembo carried Griffin down the field, staying in Griffin's hip pocket the entire way. Shembo also got some safety help over the top. Keenum tried to force the ball into Griffin, but the window was just too small. Keenum had good protection but a small window to find Griffin. Keenum really wanted this route because he came back to it in the fourth quarter - it didn't work out then either.
Result: Incomplete.

The Falcons were playing 3-deep.
The Texans ran a two-vertical scheme to threaten the middle safety, whom Keenmum held with his eyes.
As he saw the middle safety cheating to help defending the receiver on the seam route, Keenum correctly went with his TE on the post route.
The ball left his hand before the 2-1/2 sec mark.
Credit the LB staying in Griffin's hip pocket, not allowing much of a window for the QB to throw into.
Here, either the TE makes a play, or nobody else does.
As it was, the ball just went off Griffin's hands.
There's a reason why the Texans drafted a TE high.

Play 11 - 4th Down
40 yard field goal by K Randy Bullock is GOOD

Texans - 16, Falcons - 7

....

3rd Drive - Texans Offense

Play 1 - 1st and 10
Iso with FB Jay Prosch leading...it's not often when Prosch doesn't get a clean shot or a clearing block. But, on this play, former Colt LB Pat Angerer shed Prosch in the hole and tackled Brown for a short gain.
Result: Two yard gain

Play 2 - 2nd and 8
Straight drop out of shotgun...excellent protection, Keenum held the safeties with his eyes, then
scanned right, didn't see Labhart break free, progressed back to the other side of the field and found EZ Nwachukwu on an in route wide open. If Keenum could do that on every play...
Result: 11 yard gain.

Falcons played 3-deep, similar to the incompletions to Griffin earlier.
Basically, from what I saw, they played quarter (2-deep) on one side, and cover 2 (one-deep) on the other.
Man coverage underneath.

The Texans ran a short hi-lo concept on the left side, with Griffin on a 10-yd route inside to hold the safety back.
Labhart would run a quick in toward the vacant spot (as the LB was running downfield with Griffin.)
Keenum made the correct read and deliver the ball on time.
Labhart could have gained a few more yards if he just continues downfield instead of trying to make the CB miss.


Play 3 - 1st and 10
Zone BOB (back on backer)...Falcons OLB Tyler Starr faced up RT Mike Farrell, shocked him and shed him brilliantly. That play we'll all see on Hard Knocks this week.
Result: Two yard loss.

Play 4 - 2nd and 12
Straight dropback...Keenum wanted his TE Ryan Griffin down the seam. That was a tricky throw. He threw it behind Griffin, presumably because Shembo broke into the passing lane. Hard to tell if Keenum didn't think he throw it to Griffin's inside because of Shembo's positioning or whether it was just an off-target throw
Result: Incomplete

I agreed with Harris that Keenum was wanting a backshoulder type of pass to Griffin since the LB #53 was jumping the passing lane.
underneath, to the inside of Griffin.
A deeper throw will also see the middle safety coming up.
Keenum didn't have time either.
He was hit by both his LG #72 and the pass rusher as soon as the ball left his hand (just after the 2-sec mark.)
It's hard to tell, but the RDE might have affected or influenced the throw a little bit.

Play 5 - 3rd and 12
Straight dropback...3x1 set to the left. Griffin and Labhart, the two inside receivers, cleared the zone by running go routes down the field. Outside receiver Alec Lemon waited for Labhart, in particular, to clear and then darted into the void in the middle of the field. Keenum hit Lemon in stride and the former Syracuse product turned upfield for a big gain.
Result: 25 yard gain

A different route concept from the pass to Labhart, but the idea is similar.
As soon as Keenum realized the 3-deep look, he knew exactly where to go with the ball.
Push the safeties back with his eyes on the two verticals and get the ball to the guy underneath and let him make a play.
Excellent execution.

Play 6 - 1st and 10
Outside zone...Ferentz lost his feet but still had position on Robertson inside, but for some reason

Brown cut the ball back. Unfortunately, he ran right into Ra'Shede Hageman who tackled both Farrell and Brown on the backside of the play. Had Brown stayed on the outside zone track, he could've had something as Matt Fieler completely rolled Jacques Smith.
Result: Two yard loss

Play 7 - 2nd and 12
Same play...this time Brown followed the outside path but Falcons S Kemal Ishmael blew up the play with his run support. This time, Smith beat Fieler and the two Falcons essentially eliminated any running lane to the outside.
Result: One yard loss

Play 8 - 3rd and 13
Quick game out of shotgun...Keenum hit Labhart on the slant route. Again, subtle route running acumen got Labhart wide open. He sold the seam route to the slot corner then broke back to the inside on the slant. As he broke into the open, the ball was right on his numbers. Pitch and catch.
Result: 15 yard gain

Falcons showed blitz and went with the blitz.
Keenum held both LBs to the left side of the field (on Griffin) to give Labhart the wide open field in the middle.
Again, excellent execution.

Play 9 - 1st and 10
Empty set, quick game...Keenum hit Brown on a quick slant. The veteran's running skills are rusty, but he has an excellent pair of hands.
Result: Nine yard gain

Keenum read the 2-deep 5-under coverage, held the safeties back, and got the ball to Brown as he realized that the LB was playing a bit soft in coverage.

Play 10 - 2nd and 1
Quick game...Keenum to Labhart, again. The former Aggie read zone on the option route, settled up at about five yards and the ball was on him as he turned.
Result: Five yard gain

Texans spread the field with an empty look.
Needing just a yard and a half for a first down, Keenum saw that the two ILBs were on the line (on either side of the Center) to prevent a possible QB sneak.
He realized that they wouldn't be able to get back quickly enough to defend the short route and went to Labhart smartly.
Not a chance for the Falcons to defend that play.

Play 11 - 1st and 10
Shotgun...Keenum eyed Nwachkwu the entire way, unfortunately, EZ didn't. He ran the seam route but never looked back for the ball. Not sure what he saw and Keenum didn't and vice versa. But, based on looking at the open area in the coverage, Keenum appeared to be right. Either way, no dice.
Result: Incomplete

Falcons were in some kind of a rotation coverage, with the SS stepping up.
It looks like both CBs were dropping back deep for a 3-deep 4-under zone look.
Since the RCB was dropping back and there's only one safety in the middle, EZ' seam route was running into the void... if only he was looking for the ball.

I agree with Harris; Keenum was most likely right.

Play 12 - 2nd and 10
Blast out of shotgun...the interior OL had this play blocked perfectly. Hat on a hat and room to scoot inside. Falcons S Baker was the only hope as he took a chance that he could get to Brown sprinting off the left edge. Baker got there, if only barely, but that was enough to make a shoestring tackle.
Result: Two yard gain

Play 13 - 3rd and 8
Straight dropback...went to "the Griffin down the seam route" again, but this time Ishmael made an amazing interception to give the ball back to the Falcons
Result: INTERCEPTION

The Texans was in max-protect with 7 to block a 5-man delayed blitz.
Keenum read cover 2 and held both safeties back by lookin straight up field.
The pass was right into the middle of the field, inside the hashmarks.
The strong side safety did not have position over the TE Griffin.
I would say that's it's a good decision, a good throw, to the exact location.
The ball hit at least one of Griffin's hand - he had the position in front of the safety.
Griffin needs to either make that catch or prevent the INT.
The ball hits the ground anyway. That was never an INT.
Also, the ball left Keenum's hand under the 2-sec mark, with the LG about to be beat.
Keenum was probably hit right after he released the ball.
No matter, I would not put the INT on Keenum.

 

[76Texan]

There were 2 more passes by Keenum in the next series, and I would contend that they were both drops.
On the first one, Adams needs to sit in the proper place in the zone (similar to EZ).
On the second one, with no time to wait (the pass rush was getting on him), Keenum gets the ball into the receiver's hands and away from the defender.
That is all one can ask of the QB.

 

[badboy]

I think it will be interesting to have Andre Johnson available for some of those that Martin got. Aj should be looking forward to working with Case.

 

[Texecutioner]

I thought that the Yates apologists were pretty hilariously ridiculous, but this Keenum stuff has became downright crazy. A pretty bad embarrassment to the football IQ of the fans of this franchise.

A guy who couldn't win one game and struggled immensely that wasn't even drafted? Lol! Many of you are far past being a homer at this point. Keenum is garbage and he will never be a full time starter here without a major injury happening.

 

[JCTexan]

I thought that the Yates apologists were pretty hilariously ridiculous, but this Keenum stuff has became downright crazy. A pretty bad embarrassment to the football IQ of the fans of this franchise.

A guy who couldn't win one game and struggled immensely that wasn't even drafted? Lol! Many of you are far past being a homer at this point. Keenum is garbage and he will never be a full time starter here without a major injury happening.

I don't consider myself a Keenum homer but you must have way more confidence in Fitzpatrick than I do. The only thing it will take for Keenum to be the full time starter this year is Fitzpatrick having a couple games like he did vs. Arizona.

 

[76Texan]

I don't consider myself a Keenum homer but you must have way more confidence in Fitzpatrick than I do. The only thing it will take for Keenum to be the full time starter this year is Fitzpatrick having a couple games like he did vs. Arizona.

And this is where I'm at.
Unless, the D play near or at a better level than ever before and the ST also improves quite a bit, it's not too far fetched to think of a 2-4, 2-5 start.

Well, maybe Foster can be at his best and the Texans can avoid the injury bug.
But that means the team will need to carry the Beard.

Perhaps, Fitz finally learns to play within his limitation.

But then again, if Keenum simply improves about 10% from last year, and the rest of the team click, I don't see any difference between the two, except for Fitz' experience to start the year.
He still needs to have his best year (or close to it) though.

I can see the improvement in Keenum's game.
I can't say that Fitz is playing at his best.
It's still possible that Fitz can find a little more consistency; it's something that has plagued his whole career.

TeX, I had "voiced" that a 9 or 10 win is a possibility with Fitz at the helm; but it will require that many things go right for the Texans, including Fitz playing within his limitation.

 

[Number19]

...Griffin needs to either make that catch or prevent the INT.
The ball hits the ground anyway. That was never an INT.
Also, the ball left Keenum's hand under the 2-sec mark, with the LG about to be beat.
Keenum was probably hit right after he released the ball.
No matter, I would not put the INT on Keenum.[/COLOR]

So you're saying it's impossible for Case to have thrown that pass 2 seconds sooner?

 

[Number19]

There were 2 more passes by Keenum in the next series, and I would contend that they were both drops.
On the first one, Adams needs to sit in the proper place in the zone (similar to EZ).
On the second one, with no time to wait (the pass rush was getting on him), Keenum gets the ball into the receiver's hands and away from the defender.
That is all one can ask of the QB.

Thanks for posting this excellent analysis, with your own comments. Broken down like this, it just shows why some of us see the potential is there.

 

[thunderkyss]

Thanks for posting this excellent analysis, with your own comments. Broken down like this, it just shows why some of us see the potential is there.

I got excited when I saw Case run that bootleg & throw that deep pass to Labhart on the run. No way he had his feet under him, it was all arm & it had plenty of zip on it.

Then there were those times he was rushed out of the pocket, & instead of getting rid of it, he'd hesitate, look for someone, run.. stop, look... get takled for a loss (thank God Dobbins wrapped him in the head or that drive was over) or pick up two yards falling forward, liable to get himself killed.

Thankfully he didn't run back into the end zone, or fumble the ball on the five yard line, but for me, those are the kinds of things he needs to clean up. He may be more athletic than Fitz (I haven' seen it), but when Fitz makes up his mind, he makes up his mind. He gets in the open & runs for a first down, or he goes down protecting the ball, or he throws the dang thing away.

I don't like Fitz. But when he breaks the pocket I'm going, "Go, go, go, go, slide you dumbazz!!!"

When Case breaks the pocket I'm saying, "No, no, no... Yeaaaaaaa!!" every once in a while, but more times than not it's, "No, no, no.... you big dummy!!!"

 

[Number19]

There were 2 more passes by Keenum in the next series, and I would contend that they were both drops.
On the first one, Adams needs to sit in the proper place in the zone (similar to EZ).
On the second one, with no time to wait (the pass rush was getting on him), Keenum gets the ball into the receiver's hands and away from the defender.
That is all one can ask of the QB.

#72, Longo, played this entire series at LG. It's hard for me to evaluate oline play, but he seemed to play OK. On one pass play, I believe the 3rd play in the series, he allowed his opponent to get by him to pressure Case, but this was his only lapse. He had one good play, on a pass, where he was helping out the center and the safety blitzed. He caught this and slid out to chip him enough to slow him up and wasn't a factor in the play. On one run play, he blocked left to help out the OT, but the center got overpowered for a tackle. Perhaps he should have been helping out the center. It's hard for me to say. But on another play he got out to the second level with a good block on a linebacker.

I thought it was a pretty good performance for a rookie player new to the team with only a weeks worth of practice.

Longo has excellent upper body strength but he may need to gain some leg strength.

(edit) this was the second series.