TheRealJoker
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Have a little faith Texans fans. This is an evenly matched game as shown by the first two games. No need to act like the sky is falling because we have tough opponents in the playoffs!
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Have a little faith Texans fans. This is an evenly matched game as shown by the first two games. No need to act like the sky is falling because we have tough opponents in the playoffs!
First and foremost, Thank you for your service. Second, best post of the new year!Ok, first let me say Happy New Years to you guys !!!
Next, let me say you guys are killing me.
I love you guys, but could you get excited about a playoff game and have some confidence please ?? You could be Bengals fans....
Are the Colts 9-1 over their last 10 ?? Sure, but take a look at who they played and the score. There's more to things than just the record.
Bills, Raiders, Jags, Dolphins, Giants, Titans and that one loss came at the hands of the Jags where the Colts couldn't score a single point.
A 1 point win with three additional 3 point wins. Come on guys, minus beating the Cowboys they did what solid teams SHOULD do against bad teams.... Win.
It's not like they were knocking off winning, first place teams for the most part.
Don't get me wrong, Luck and TY are certainly formidable. However, Watson and Hopkins are equal to that at a minimum.
I think it will be another close game, but to chalk it up as a loss, at this point, seems silly to me.
The only QB to throw more INT's than Luck is Roethlisberger, so get on your horse and pressure Luck.
The battle between the Colts o-line and the Texans front 7 will decide the game in my opinion.
Outside of that, Watson needs to show up big, which I also agree is not a foreign concept to him in big games.
So buck up Texans fans and get ready for a great game. I was trying to get tickets and flights to come down, but it proved too challenging on short notice.
That being the case, know there will be a packed house in Cincinnati Ohio wearing Texans gear and yelling loudly at the TV.
Hopefully we get the "W" and move on to the next round.
GO TEXANS !!!
Ok, first let me say Happy New Years to you guys !!!
Next, let me say you guys are killing me.
I love you guys, but could you get excited about a playoff game and have some confidence please ?? You could be Bengals fans....
Are the Colts 9-1 over their last 10 ?? Sure, but take a look at who they played and the score. There's more to things than just the record.
Bills, Raiders, Jags, Dolphins, Giants, Titans and that one loss came at the hands of the Jags where the Colts couldn't score a single point.
A 1 point win with three additional 3 point wins. Come on guys, minus beating the Cowboys they did what solid teams SHOULD do against bad teams.... Win.
It's not like they were knocking off winning, first place teams for the most part.
Don't get me wrong, Luck and TY are certainly formidable. However, Watson and Hopkins are equal to that at a minimum.
I think it will be another close game, but to chalk it up as a loss, at this point, seems silly to me.
The only QB to throw more INT's than Luck is Roethlisberger, so get on your horse and pressure Luck.
The battle between the Colts o-line and the Texans front 7 will decide the game in my opinion.
Outside of that, Watson needs to show up big, which I also agree is not a foreign concept to him in big games.
So buck up Texans fans and get ready for a great game. I was trying to get tickets and flights to come down, but it proved too challenging on short notice.
That being the case, know there will be a packed house in Cincinnati Ohio wearing Texans gear and yelling loudly at the TV.
Hopefully we get the "W" and move on to the next round.
GO TEXANS !!!
Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton didn’t need the added importance of playoff football to play through an ankle injury down the stretch of the regular season, so he certainly isn’t planning to stop playing now that it’s the postseason.
Hilton wouldn’t have practiced if the Colts did more than hold a walkthrough on Tuesday and he may not practice at all this week, but he sounded sure of his status for Saturday when talking to reporters. Hilton scorched the Texans for 13 catches and 314 yards in two regular season meetings and said the prospect of a third meeting has been beneficial to his ankle.
“That’s probably why it’s starting to feel better,” Hilton said, via Kevin Bowen of 1070 The Fan.
Hilton has been less than 100 percent in recent weeks, but he’s remained productive and head coach Frank Reich said that anything they get from the wideout is a big plus.
“Even him limited, we want him out there,” Reich said. “He’s willing to do that. It is that much more important to spread it around get everyone involved, and then get him involved at strategic times when we need him to make plays for us.”
The Colts will practice on Wednesday and Thursday before heading to Houston to kick off this year’s playoffs.
what's the point? want to be able to say 'I told ya so'?
Nah, just sharing the angst. Better out than in.
Ok, first let me say Happy New Years to you guys !!!
Next, let me say you guys are killing me.
I love you guys, but could you get excited about a playoff game and have some confidence please ?? You could be Bengals fans....
Are the Colts 9-1 over their last 10 ?? Sure, but take a look at who they played and the score. There's more to things than just the record.
Bills, Raiders, Jags, Dolphins, Giants, Titans and that one loss came at the hands of the Jags where the Colts couldn't score a single point.
A 1 point win with three additional 3 point wins. Come on guys, minus beating the Cowboys they did what solid teams SHOULD do against bad teams.... Win.
It's not like they were knocking off winning, first place teams for the most part.
Don't get me wrong, Luck and TY are certainly formidable. However, Watson and Hopkins are equal to that at a minimum.
I think it will be another close game, but to chalk it up as a loss, at this point, seems silly to me.
The only QB to throw more INT's than Luck is Roethlisberger, so get on your horse and pressure Luck.
The battle between the Colts o-line and the Texans front 7 will decide the game in my opinion.
Outside of that, Watson needs to show up big, which I also agree is not a foreign concept to him in big games.
So buck up Texans fans and get ready for a great game. I was trying to get tickets and flights to come down, but it proved too challenging on short notice.
That being the case, know there will be a packed house in Cincinnati Ohio wearing Texans gear and yelling loudly at the TV.
Hopefully we get the "W" and move on to the next round.
GO TEXANS !!!
I'm concerned return from injury is between ears thing for Colvin. He's also had little part in season and may be out of synch.Colvin has been relegated to ST and bench duty, he couldn't even see a defensive snap last week with JJo out. Dude has been a bust FA signing
Oh no you are turning into 76..my screen will not survive!!!I'm cautiously optimistic that BOB has figured out what's going to give us the best chance on offense to win in the playoffs. I don't think that we're going to be the same team that played Indy last time. BOB's been bringing back the RPO and I've got clips below to show why I think it's going to work in the playoffs.
Fairly self explanatory.
Even when they hone in on the right guy -- Watson is able to make guys miss.
Keeps 26 honest on run blitz
Rolling W out. Line blocks left drawing D w/ them. Naked boot and Watson's eyes are downfield the entire time. Seems logical to mix this in every now and then if you're having trouble holding blocks for 3 seconds.
We've been doing this all year! No we haven't. You can't have RPO without "R"
91 maybe or maybe doesn't make this play on Miller but we'll never know because he's all in on Watson because of the run threat.
Can't block for 2 seconds? This buys some time.
Putting the R in RPO one play at a time.
Yeah, but all that RPO is going to get Watson killed! And this isn't?
I stopped cutting clips w/ 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter because it's a little much. But I wanted to make the point that this is different from what we've been doing all year. Of course we've had some RPO elements to our game this season but not nearly the same % of what we just ran vs the Jags and more importantly, the vast majority of RPO looks earlier in the year, Watson didn't keep the ball and wasn't a credible run threat unlike the Jags game which is what makes the offense work. I addressed keeping Watson healthy in the last gif. I trust Watson to be smart about protecting himself in the open field more than I trust this OL to keep guys off his ankles and knees. And no, I'm not saying run this every play -- maybe 30-40% to mix it up and keep teams guessing. Why did it take BOB all year to start mixing this in again? No idea, but IMO, this is our best chance of beating teams in the playoffs and why we're going to beat Indy -- Watson's legs.
This is best post of 2019. Just be realistic and root for our team. Try not to break tv or kick dog.I don't think critical analyzing means you're not pumped up for the game. At least not for me. I can't wait for kickoff. But I can't dismiss what I've seen all year from this team. Yeah, they won 11 games but they've struggled in damn near every game they've played. I mean, if Frank Reich hadn't gifted them the win in week 4, this game would be in Indy.
Should Colts fans be worried about Watson and Nuk like we are Luck and Hilton? Sure. But does anyone think Luck will have to deal with a damn near instant onslaught of pass rushers like Watson will? Luck's the 2nd least sacked QB in the league.
The Texans have a history of the speedy receiver having a big day. They also have a history of top end TEs having big days. They get both in this game, plus a top tier QB.
I'm not saying the Texans can't or won't win this game, but it just seems to me they've always got a lot to overcome, and have had all season. But they still find ways to win. So I'm not discounting that either.
Saying all the things the Texans need to do to win doesn't mean it's going to happen. They need to quit getting behind schedule so often. The constant 2nd and 11, 3rd and long, choke this offense. They can't have possessions ending because they can't stop getting negative yards on 1st down. They need to pressure Luck, get him uncomfortable, get him hit, get him down. OK, great, Nick Foles was reading War & Peace when he dropped back, how does that change? More red zone conversions, less FGs. Yes, please, but how when they've sucked at it all season? This o-line isn't magically going to turn into Tuinei, Stepnoski, Newton and Allen.
I don't doubt the Texans can win, and I can't wait for the game to start, but I can't just ignore all the mountains they have to climb damn near every game. And that's just playing the Jets, Titans, Redskins, Broncos, Bills, etc. Now it's playoffs.
A) 3 point game that goes either way
B) Texans blowout
C) Colts blowout
Each on a scale of 1-5, 5 being most likely to happen, how would you rank them?
I'll be at the game. I'll be screaming my ass off. That's where I'll be waving my poms poms and cheering. Here on this message board, I'm going to talk about what I see and what I expect based on what I see. That's all.
Playoffs are a different animal but this will be a close game like all the others this year have been. All hands will be on deck so i expect Coutee & Foreman to play and be major factors in the pass game for DW4.
The question will be what Crennel decides to do on defense to hold Luck in check long enough to thwart those 4th qtr comebacks he's known for.
Texans 27
Colts 24
Also aside from aggressively blitzing and using deceptive line stunts, have a corner play tight on Hilton and have a safety over the top of him at all times. With Ebron, attack him with a linebacker when he comes off the line and put a safety on top of him at all times as well. Keep a spy, Mercilus, on Mack at all times to keep him from running all over the defense (not as worried about him considering stopping the run is not a weakness). The rest, use zone coverages and rush Luck hard stopping the run on the way to him.Agreed, and I'm hoping Crennel's adjustment is blitzing more, that it works, and the score is Texans by 10 or more. I'd like to see us have a victory in all phases, forced turnovers, and an efficient red zone offense. I hope Clowney takes his neutral zone penalty personally and himself strip-sacks Luck 4 times! Urrrrrrr!
I won't be suprised if the line flips the Colts way by kickoff.
Colts 27
Texans 20
I just don't like this matchup.
ON OFFENSE…
The Colts faced the Texans twice this year: once when Andrew Luck’s arm was still rounding back into form (a Week 4 loss), and once after it had (a Week 14 win). Let’s examine what happened in Week 14: The Colts came out in heavy personnel (six offensive linemen, plus blocking aficionado Ryan Hewitt at tight end) and promptly went three-and-out on their first four series. So, they shifted to a spread quick-strike passing game and found some rhythm. Then they went back to the heavy personnel, by then knowing how Houston would play it, and got T.Y. Hilton deep against mismatched safety Justin Reid for 60 yards. Hilton and the aerial attack would go on to control the game from there.
It’s imperative Houston’s corners press Hilton, who is battling a bum ankle and is Indy’s only consistent source of explosiveness. (Against Houston this year Hilton has 13 catches for 314 yards.) The Colts will likely align Hilton inside, or at least in a tight split, where press coverage is harder to employ.
Even if the Texans can contain Hilton, Luck is a savvy enough field general to win with his ancillary weapons. Something Indy did in the last meeting was flood one side of Houston’s two-deep zone coverages with three receivers. That’s typical. What wasn’t typical is that those floods came on the short side of the field, not the wide side of the field. The Texans will have a plan for defending Indy’s three-receiver route combinations to the field’s short side. So look for the Colts to run crossing routes away from that short side, especially with Pro Bowl tight end Eric Ebron or flex running backs Nyheim Hines.
ON DEFENSE…
Get Deshaun Watson to play like he did when these teams met back in Week 14. Watson is an intriguing young talent, but he was the reason Houston lost that game. He was unsettled in the pocket, he didn’t identify some good reads and at times stayed too long on bad ones. Plus, he misfired on a few designer zone-beating routes to wide receivers.
The question for Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is: How do you get Watson to play like this again? One idea could be to go with nickel personnel, even when the Texans are in their base two-tight end sets. Yes, that will leave the Colts light in run support, and Texans head coach Bill O’Brien is a patient enough play-caller to make them pay. But it also fortifies Indy’s pass defense, combatting the 1st-and 2nd-down throws that O’Brien can dial up to get Watson some comfortable reads against predictable looks. Show Watson something unexpected early on, even if it’s as simple as a nickel package against a base set, and you can (hopefully) get him relying too much on his athleticism and not enough on Houston’s designs. In Week 14, the Texans in base personnel had success attacking Colts linebacker Matthew Adams in coverage. It’s a different equation if stud slot corner Kenny Moore is aligned where Adams would have been. Moore is also a physical tackler and proficient blitzer, so the drop-off in run defense might not be as potent as one would expect.
Chance at an upset: 70%. The Colts are soaring on all fronts.
We're doomed!A glimpse at how Frank Reich was able to dissect the Houston defense in the 2nd game and how they expect to beat the Texans on Saturday:
https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/03/n...er.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=themmqb
I'll take my chances with Watson. Nobody makes ALL the throws, hopefully he learned from the 2 meetings and is ready to carve up some pony meat on Saturday - with OBriens help of course
A glimpse at how Frank Reich was able to dissect the Houston defense in the 2nd game and how they expect to beat the Texans on Saturday:
https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/03/n...er.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=themmqb
I'll take my chances with Watson. Nobody makes ALL the throws, hopefully he learned from the 2 meetings and is ready to carve up some pony meat on Saturday - with OBriens help of course
Hey Rico. We know that stats. Don't need to be reminded. Here's the thing. In the playoffs, Luck is a choke artist. In a big game when the lights are the brightest, Watson brings his best game. It ain't over brother.
Hey Rico. We know that stats. Don't need to be reminded. Here's the thing. In the playoffs, Luck is a choke artist. In a big game when the lights are the brightest, Watson brings his best game. It ain't over brother.
Don't proclaim the Texans a loser before the game even begins. Your negativity is not warranted or wanted. Get on the train or get off.
You got it brother. Let's hope for a big win come Saturday. Happy New Year to you too.Some people prepare to win .. others just hope not to lose. You have me confused in my support of this team, but appreciate the passion keep it up happy new year!
"Nah, man, that's for clowns," Joseph said. "That's for TV. That's what they do. You put something in their face, anybody can say it."
In two games against the Texans this season, Hilton has totaled 13 receptions and 314 yards. And Hilton hasn't been shy about pointing out his individual dominance.
"Sounds good, it's easily said," Joseph said. "I could easily say that, too. We could call the division our division since I've been here, last five out of eight years. It's not our first rodeo, so we'll be ready.'
I just hope O’Brien doesn’t line JJ Watt behind Watson for a goal line jumbo package dive with a fat ass being his lead blocker. That play should have been Houston folklore along with Stagger Lee.
I just hope O’Brien doesn’t line JJ Watt behind Watson for a goal line jumbo package dive with a fat ass being his lead blocker. That play should have been Houston folklore along with Stagger Lee.
That’s the one.The play that ripped his groin muscle yeah?
That’s the one.
I just hope O’Brien doesn’t line JJ Watt behind Watson for a goal line jumbo package dive with a fat ass being his lead blocker. That play should have been Houston folklore along with Stagger Lee.
I don’t know if Wilfork even blocked anyone on that play. But that play took the oxygen right out of the stadium.Oooff .. not one of OBriens better moments that's for sure.
So I am the youngest possible person (52 next week) to get a Stagger Lee reference?
DENVER — You're Jerry Glanville, coach of the Houston Oilers. Most of your players are in the playoffs for the first time. You're playing against the team with the best record in the American Football Conference, the Denver Broncos, in Mile High Stadium, where all but a few brave souls among the 76,188 are screaming for you to lose.
Your players were jittery before the game. Overconfidence isn't going to be one of your problems today. To make matters worse, your offense has the ball for the first time on its own five-yard line, at the enclosed end of the stadium, which is filled with orange-clad Broncomaniacs. It is about as quiet as the Persian Gulf.
What play do you call?
Remember that you have two hard-running backs, Mike Rozier and Alonzo Highsmith, and an offensive line that has only one man under 275 pounds. Seven days before, in a wild-card game against Seattle, the fullback, Highsmith, averaged 6.2 yards a carry.
What did Glanville call?
He sent his quarterback, Warren Moon, onto the field with two plays to be run without a huddle in between, thinking he could catch the Broncos off guard.
On first down, Highsmith tried to run up the middle and lost one yard. Facing second down and 11 from the four, the Oilers lined up hurriedly in a spread formation that looked like something out of the United States Football League. Both tackles, Bruce Davis and Dean Steinkuhler, and tight end Jamie Williams lined up about 15 yards to the left of the ball, in front of Rozier, who was behind the line of scrimmage.
While the Broncos scurried around, trying to decide whether they should laugh or call time out, Moon threw the ball to Rozier, who had stepped two yards back into his own end zone.
The play is called Stagger Lee, named for an old country blues song about gamblers.
Before we proceed, perhaps we should explain about Stagger Lee. He lost his money and his Cadillac to somebody named Billy in a card game, then went home to get his .44. When he returned, Billy pleaded for Stagger Lee not to shoot. Billy said he had a wife and two kids. "You'll see them in heaven," Stagger Lee said.
In Sunday's game against the Broncos, Stagger Lee fired the pistol and shot himself in the foot.
Moon's pass, which actually was a lateral because he threw it back to Rozier, bounced off Rozier's shoulder pads and fell to the ground at the Houston one-yard line. Officially a fumble, and Denver cornerback Steve Wilson recovered.
Two plays later, the Broncos scored the game's first touchdown on their way to a 34-10 victory that sends them into next Sunday's American Football Conference championship game here against Cleveland.
"It does seem stupid to throw a lateral pass in that situation," Denver nose tackle Greg Kragen said. "But that's Glanville for you."
Glanville, a respected defensive coordinator before he became a head coach, does not have a reputation as a gifted play caller. In fact, his reputation is the opposite.
But he defended the lateral.
So his did players, loyal to the bitter end.
If the result had been different, they might have had a case. The Broncos' defensive coordinator, Joe Collier, said he was tipped off early last week about the play by someone he wouldn't identify. Speculation is that the unnamed intelligence agent is Pittsburgh Coach Chuck Noll, who is hardly a Glanville fan. Before Sunday, the Oilers ran the play only three times this season, all against the Steelers. On each occasion, it worked for a significant gain.
So the Broncos said they were ready for the play.
When they look at the films today, they will see that they were not. In trying to find their proper positions, they looked like the Keystone Kops. The films will show them that Rozier had three blockers and only two defensive players in front of him.
Moon did his job.
"I thought I hit him in the chest," he said. "I don't know, where did I hit him?"
In the chest.
"That's a pass that Mike Rozier catches 10 out of 10 times," guard Bruce Matthews said.
Try 9 out of 10.
"I looked in front of me and there was a lot of room," Rozier said. "But I didn't look up too early. I just jammed my finger trying to catch the ball. It would have worked."
If it had, Glanville said, the Oilers would have gained 15 or 20 yards, gotten them out of a hole and shortened the field.
Instead, it shortened the field for the Broncos.
"You have to execute whatever play you call whether you like the play or not," Moon said. "If he had caught the ball and run 20 yards down the sidelines, everybody would be saying what a great call it is."
But now everybody is saying that perhaps Glanville shouldn't have taken such a big risk in that situation, while the Oilers were still trying to get grounded. If he wanted to use the play, everybody is saying that he should have had Rozier take two steps forward instead of backward. That way, if he dropped the ball, it would be just another incomplete pass and not a fumble.
Now everybody is saying Glanville should learn from another country song about a gambler and cards. It says something about knowing when to hold them and went to fold them
Have you noticed that it was during a "strenuous" WALKTHROUGH?Has anyone noticed that Coutee is full participation today? I hope he can play. It’ll really stretch our offense.
O'Brien wanted those plays on film.........not for the benefit of upcoming Ds, but for our offense to be able to review the plays to see what they did right and what they did wrong......to be able to adjust when most important......during the playoffs. Without the benefit of film review it is much more difficult for coaches and players to evaluate performance, especially on new plays. It is not the same learning experience as performing these plays in practice against your own D.I think, like us, BO'b wasn't convinced this talentless team could make the playoffs much less be in the AFCCG. But when it looked like the Texans could actually win the division, 4 minutes into the 4th qtr, he opened up the playbook & started stretching his legs.
In the case of a fracture, the treating physician can use fairly objective criteria via imaging studies to determine the extent of healing. For soft tissue injuries such as an ankle sprain, there are not a lot of reliable objective criteria and clinical tests that one can use to determine whether the athlete has fully recovered. This may be one reason why up to 40 percent of all athletes who suffer a grade II or III lateral ankle sprain will go on to long-term sequelae from the original injury. These sequelae would not be appreciated so much on STs, where most of the movement is straight line...............as opposed to cornerback play which requires acute cuts, stops, explosive starts and push offs a ankles...........maneuvers that maximally stress an ankle.Colvin has been relegated to ST and bench duty, he couldn't even see a defensive snap last week with JJo out. Dude has been a bust FA signing
Also aside from aggressively blitzing and using deceptive line stunts, have a corner play tight on Hilton and have a safety over the top of him at all times. With Ebron, attack him with a linebacker when he comes off the line and put a safety on top of him at all times as well. Keep a spy, Mercilus, on Mack at all times to keep him from running all over the defense (not as worried about him considering stopping the run is not a weakness). The rest, use zone coverages and rush Luck hard stopping the run on the way to him.
Romeo needs to abandon the bend don't break philosophy and just aggressively attack Luck and the offense every single play. This is not an offense to play conservatively. They have to be attacked and pummeled every single down.
In 6 playoff games Luck has 9 TD, 12 INT, 56.5% completion percentage and a 70.8 passer rating.
Well this shows Luck is a big time choke artist in the playoffs.
This game is as even of a matchup I’ve seen in the playoffs in a while.
Having Coutee will be huge. Remember how big he was in our win over the Colts. I also expect DW4 to have 10+ carries. That will be a new wrinkle the Colts haven’t really seen from us this season.
On Defense, it’s simple, we need our big guns to dominate. Watt & Clowney will need to be disruptive, especially on 3rd down.
Agreed, and I'm hoping Crennel's adjustment is blitzing more.
O'Brien wanted those plays on film.........not for the benefit of upcoming Ds, but for our offense to be able to review the plays to see what they did right and what they did wrong......to be able to adjust when most important......during the playoffs. Without the benefit of film review it is much more difficult for coaches and players to evaluate performance, especially on new plays. It is not the same learning experience as performing these plays in practice against your own D.
This may be the get right game Luck needs.
Good thing B.Gaine fixed the safety position.