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Gameday Thread - 8/14 - Texans VS 49'ers Preaseason Game 1

It was the first pre season game. Slack should be given for that reason alone. Next week not so much, third pre season game the 1st string better have their act together.
No slack should be given for the sucky tackling and bad angles.
I will give the defense slack for being bad against running QBs since our QBs have all the mobility of wingless storks.
The offense gets no slack. As Osweiler himself said (paraphrasing), no matter how conservative the play calling we need to execute those plays successfully.
 
No slack should be given for the sucky tackling and bad angles.
I will give the defense slack for being bad against running QBs since our QBs have all the mobility of wingless storks.
The offense gets no slack. As Osweiler himself said (paraphrasing), no matter how conservative the play calling we need to execute those plays successfully.

So who gets cut? Who gets fired/demoted?
 
Savage, with more playing time, thus more of a chance to get a rhythm going, and eventually against lesser talent after his first 3 series, looked better on the stat sheet and eventually on the eye test. But in his first 3 series, the same amount Osweiler had, he wasn't all that good.

Os played 3 series, his first 3 ever in this system, and that was it. No chance to continue and try to get into a rhythm. Savage, whose had more time in the system, was worse statistically in his first 3 series.

Brock certainly has a long way to go, a lot to prove, but let's not act like we have a QB controversy after 1 PS game. How did Russell Wilson look Saturday?
Exactly This^^^^

Wells said Speedy.
 
Osweiler's 1st 3 possessions;
4-7 (57%), 27 yards, 0/0, 3.8 Y/A, 65.8 rating

Savage's 1st 3 possessions;
2-5 (40%), 14 yards, 0/0, 2.8 Y/A, 47.9 rating

Savage looked decent against guys who'll soon be employed as night club bouncers or Uber drivers.

As for Brock, who knows how good he'll be when the regular season starts. I am still in total shock as to the $tens of millions the Texans threw at an unproven backup who'd only started a handful of games.
 
Alright everyone, take a step back. It was the first preseason game where the Texans ran vanilla sets. The tackling needs work, that is to be expected when teams don't hit much in the offseason. As for Brock, again, very vanilla offensive set. It seems like the Texans were just working on the basics of the offense. You could definitely tell.
 
I want to see Josh Lenz with the ones.

He was a revalation, but how can he earn a roster spot with the depth we have at WR? I mean to get that last spot he has to be a beast on ST and I'm not seeing that at this point.

You basically have 4 guys competing for either one or two spots - Shorts, Mumphrey, Wendell Williams, and Lenz. I don't see how Lenz jumps ahead of any of these guys who are either proven players or who have a unique athletic skill.

I don't have any real history on this guy but they mentioned he's been on other rosters. Does anyone know if Lenz has any PS eligibility? He's an easy PS player if he is eligible, and if we have to cut him, I suspect he'll make another roster.

Out of the complete unknowns last night, he was the biggest eye opener to me.
 
Savage looked decent against guys who'll soon be employed as night club bouncers or Uber drivers.

As for Brock, who knows how good he'll be when the regular season starts. I am still in total shock as to the $tens of millions the Texans threw at an unproven backup who'd only started a handful of games.

It's pretty much the price of doing business with a QB. If he hasn't soiled himself on the field (Which, to Os's credit, he really hasn't done that, he got benched after an RB fumbled the ball) and you need a QB you will have to pay, especially since the Broncos weren't just going to let him go without even offering him any money.
 
Savage looked decent against guys who'll soon be employed as night club bouncers or Uber drivers.

As for Brock, who knows how good he'll be when the regular season starts. I am still in total shock as to the $tens of millions the Texans threw at an unproven backup who'd only started a handful of games.

How many backups are proven? He played in 8 games for a team that won the SB. Went 5-2 as a starter. Denver was willing to pay him $66 million for being unproven.
 
Lenz over Shorts
Stephen Anderson over Ryan Griffen
Pack of Twinkies over Wendall Williams

None of those moves make the Texans a better team. You're just fiddling with reserves.

Well, depends on how fresh the Twinkies are...
 
No slack should be given for the sucky tackling and bad angles.
I will give the defense slack for being bad against running QBs since our QBs have all the mobility of wingless storks.

If you get the opportunity to watch the game again, try to put a name to the missed tackles & bad angles.

I only watched the first half a second time last night & we took our "starters" out pretty early. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised that you'll be saying, "Who's that?" more often than not.

Another good thing, somebody got on their butts chewed out last night, because a lot of the problem was "fixed" later on in the game. Texans were swarming to the ball & 49ers weren't going anywhere.
 
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Savage looked decent against guys who'll soon be employed as night club bouncers or Uber drivers.

As for Brock, who knows how good he'll be when the regular season starts. I am still in total shock as to the $tens of millions the Texans threw at an unproven backup who'd only started a handful of games.

OT... did y'all see Dak Prescott start for Dallas?
 
I really think we're better without the FB in there. I was getting frustrated Prosh was in so many plays in the beginning and I felt it was helping the niners clog up the field
 
He was a revalation, but how can he earn a roster spot with the depth we have at WR? I mean to get that last spot he has to be a beast on ST and I'm not seeing that at this point.

You basically have 4 guys competing for either one or two spots - Shorts, Mumphrey, Wendell Williams, and Lenz. I don't see how Lenz jumps ahead of any of these guys who are either proven players or who have a unique athletic skill.

I don't have any real history on this guy but they mentioned he's been on other rosters. Does anyone know if Lenz has any PS eligibility? He's an easy PS player if he is eligible, and if we have to cut him, I suspect he'll make another roster.

Out of the complete unknowns last night, he was the biggest eye opener to me.

That dude looked more like Wes Welker than any other guy we currently plan to put in the slot. & I'm not saying that just because he's white. & I'd love to see him return punts.
 
Guys I'm wondering if we even carry a true FB this year. Prosch isn't all that and a bag of chips and it does seem to totally telegraph the play to the D. We've had two really good FB's on this team, and Prosch isn't one of them. I think he is expendable.

We can always go hybrid with a TE like Fido in the backfield or something like that. Hell put Watt in at FB. He's already played QB and TE so why not lol.
 
Well the good news for Lentz is that he's also looked good in practice which means he's probably supplanted Mumphrey for the on-the-bubble spot at the very least. So it could come down to how many WRs they keep and whether or not they choose Shorts for veteranship.

I didn't notice Stephan Anderson on too many plays, I counted 3 and I was specifically looking for him. I wonder if they are intentionally trying to keep him out of the limelight or something. I kept seeing Tomlinson lined up out there alot and was getting frustrated.
 
Guys I'm wondering if we even carry a true FB this year. Prosch isn't all that and a bag of chips and it does seem to totally telegraph the play to the D. We've had two really good FB's on this team, and Prosch isn't one of them. I think he is expendable.

We can always go hybrid with a TE like Fido in the backfield or something like that. Hell put Watt in at FB. He's already played QB and TE so why not lol.

I agree, I think I don't want them to carry a FB this season and would rather they spread the defense out.
 
Yes and that's the sort of sharpness and command of the offense I expect from Osweiler.
Not seeing it yet.

Dallas Offensive line is one of the best in the business. So of course Dak looked Stella out there.

Houston offensive line is a work in progress. They were without 3 starters and you expected the same type of command. Even with us being ultra vanilla against all out blitz from the 49ers.

I surely hope you see the difference.

Already put together healthy offensive line verses a make shift with three starters out with injuries.
 
Does anyone have the full pre-season TV channel and time slots for Austin by any chance for the remaining pre-season games? (TWC preferable but a general list would be great)
 
Some observations and questions.

I'm concerned about our O-line. Anyone heard when Brown, Newton, or Martin are coming back? CND, any projections?

If Lenz gets playing time with 1st team and does well, he will probably make the team. If so, who gets cut? Mumphery? Wendell Williams? Shorts?

If they carry 3 TE's Anderson is in. If they only carry 2 and try to stash him on PS, he's gone!

As everyone else has noted, tackling was very bad! Gave up 236 yards on the ground! Hopefully, it will be better when Clowney and Cush return. Which brings me to my next point....

I hope they don't rush JJ back into service. If he's out for half a season, so be it. Maybe CND can add some clarity to JJ's situation. How long should someone with his type of injury be out before coming back on the field to play? I heard an Orthopedic doctor on the radio say that, given JJ's position (DE) with all the bending, twisting, and turning that he does, should be brought along slowly and it could take several months for him to get back on the field. If they rush him back too soon it could cause long term damage!

My last observation (or lack there of), did anyone see Cliett play in this game? I've been wondering what's happened to him. He hasn't been mentioned at all that I can remember this whole Off-season right up through TC.
 
Me and my son were speculating that Oz was told to call short routes only. Maybe that's where he needs the most practice? There were times it looked like a deeper route would have been a better call.
Yes and that's the sort of sharpness and command of the offense I expect from Osweiler.
Not seeing it yet.
S
 
Some observations and questions.

I'm concerned about our O-line. Anyone heard when Brown, Newton, or Martin are coming back? CND, any projections?

If Lenz gets playing time with 1st team and does well, he will probably make the team. If so, who gets cut? Mumphery? Wendell Williams? Shorts?

If they carry 3 TE's Anderson is in. If they only carry 2 and try to stash him on PS, he's gone!

As everyone else has noted, tackling was very bad! Gave up 236 yards on the ground! Hopefully, it will be better when Clowney and Cush return. Which brings me to my next point....

I hope they don't rush JJ back into service. If he's out for half a season, so be it. Maybe CND can add some clarity to JJ's situation. How long should someone with his type of injury be out before coming back on the field to play? I heard an Orthopedic doctor on the radio say that, given JJ's position (DE) with all the bending, twisting, and turning that he does, should be brought along slowly and it could take several months for him to get back on the field. If they rush him back too soon it could cause long term damage!

My last observation (or lack there of), did anyone see Cliett play in this game? I've been wondering what's happened to him. He hasn't been mentioned at all that I can remember this whole Off-season right up through TC.

I agree the line was pretty bad all the way around. I hope Lamm does not have to play during season.

I think Mumph and Williams are gone, Short's probably makes the cut and Lenz will if he keeps finding soft spots in zones.

I think we carry 3 TEs, Anderson will make the 53 IMO

Tackling was not great, but lack of containment and over pursuit was bigger issues IMO. McKinney had a awful game. Even take the fall out and it was still horrible. Vrabel is going to have a lot of material this week.

I did not notice Cliett on the field.
 
With Hopkins, Strong, Shorts, Fuller and Miller, we have 5 guarantees. Whoever plays the best special teams will likely get that 6th spot and that was Mumphrey yesterday.
 
With Hopkins, Strong, Shorts, Fuller and Miller, we have 5 guarantees. Whoever plays the best special teams will likely get that 6th spot and that was Mumphrey yesterday.

I'm not so sure Shorts is guaranteed. I do think Wendell Williams did not help his cause yesterday. He's really going to have to show something (TD's) in the return game or they will probably try to stash him on the PS. Mumph is definitely "on the bubble!"
 
I'm not so sure Shorts is guaranteed. I do think Wendell Williams did not help his cause yesterday. He's really going to have to show something (TD's) in the return game or they will probably try to stash him on the PS. Mumph is definitely "on the bubble!"

Our group is so young with Miller and Fuller as rookies and Strong in year 2, I would be surprised if we didn't keep Shorts. He's versatile in that he can play all the WR positions. He will be valuable if we start to see injuries.
 
Dallas Offensive line is one of the best in the business. So of course Dak looked Stella out there.

Houston offensive line is a work in progress. They were without 3 starters and you expected the same type of command. Even with us being ultra vanilla against all out blitz from the 49ers.

I surely hope you see the difference.

Already put together healthy offensive line verses a make shift with three starters out with injuries.

Shouldn't we have learned this lesson already. Why do we keep putting the highly paid leader of our team behind a patchwork crappy O-line?
 
Our group is so young with Miller and Fuller as rookies and Strong in year 2, I would be surprised if we didn't keep Shorts. He's versatile in that he can play all the WR positions. He will be valuable if we start to see injuries.

Funny since he's been injured more than anyone not named Clowney
 
Funny since he's been injured more than anyone not named Clowney

He's the second leading returning reciever. He tripled Strong's production last year.

They also just restructured his deal in June to a more team friendly 1 year deal.
 
He's the second leading returning reciever. He tripled Strong's production last year.

They also just restructured his deal in June to a more team friendly 1 year deal.

I'm aware of that... has nothing to do with my comment. How many games he miss last year?

Edit: Shorts missed more games last year due to injury than Strong played
 
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Our group is so young with Miller and Fuller as rookies and Strong in year 2, I would be surprised if we didn't keep Shorts. He's versatile in that he can play all the WR positions. He will be valuable if we start to see injuries.
Shorts is usually the injury, he is not needed.
 
He's the second leading returning reciever. He tripled Strong's production last year.

They also just restructured his deal in June to a more team friendly 1 year deal.
You really care about Strong's production last year. He is a totally different person and WR this season.
 
Cecil Shorts will play one more season with us. We're so young at the receiver position. So we have to have at least one vet. Next season we won't need his services any longer.
 
I have Hopkins, Strong, Fuller, Brax as solids with Shorts needing to beat out others. If team goes with 6 WRs I think it will be either Mumphery or Lenz both playing better than I expected. Brax and Strong should be excellent in slot with Nuk and Fuller on outsides.
 
Cecil Shorts will play one more season with us. We're so young at the receiver position. So we have to have at least one vet. Next season we won't need his services any longer.

I'm not as sold on this as some are here on this MB. I don't think Shorts is guaranteed anything unless they keep 6 WR's.
 
I'm not as sold on this as some are here on this MB. I don't think Shorts is guaranteed anything unless they keep 6 WR's.
yeah my pondering is this also as L. Miller, Ervin and Hunt can line up as WR or go downfield from RB position. Not sure where I stand on Hilliard; liked him when we picked him up but went to PS last year. He had some good moments Sunday and he is a patient back.
 
I'm not as sold on this as some are here on this MB. I don't think Shorts is guaranteed anything unless they keep 6 WR's.

Shorts is having one helluva camp. He's already familiarize with this offense. The slot position is his to lose. Miller will not start and he will barely see some real action this season. If one of our main receivers gets hurt, then he will see more PT.
 
Rewatching right now. On the Texan's 1st play from scrimmage, Fuller made an outstanding block on the CB. Fido also sealed off the inside well. Nice play call.
 
I haven't seen anything on this. Does anyone know for sure?
Cliett was in for a couple of plays on S.F.'s last possession and then on the punt return team. Nothing really came his way. He is definitely heavier than last year and looked a little stiff to me.
 
On the 3rd down play to Miller, the DB got away with a bit of a hold/illegal contact. His left hand grabbed Miller's right arm and slowed him down a bit. Os had all day to find a target, though. Good coverage.
 
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