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What i saw

G

Grid

All Pro
I was forced to go watch the game in a sportsbar because my cable company decided not to show the game (they will be getting a call on Monday and if I cant get some guarantee that every regular season game will be aired, im canceling and going to directv)

My Thoughts:

Morency looks great! I guess that first game was rookie jitters. He really does hit the hole fast..and i saw him cut inside a couple times when (against the broncos) he would have kept trying to get around the corner.

One thing I noticed about his running style.. he hits the hole fast.. and he has pretty good speed.. and is capable of making the first guy miss.. but he doesnt shuffle his feet like Davis. When Morency tries to juke..he ends up skipping.. which brings him off the turf and makes him easier to bring down. I think this is just how he runs..dunno if it will ever change. Davis keeps his feet on the ground, and because of that he is able to cut quicker, and bounce off of tacklers. I still think Morency is almost a lock at #2 though.

I wasnt paying much attention to his blocking throughout the game..but I did notice that he missed a block really badly..and it Got Ragone tackled for a loss..luckily he threw it away first.

Speaking of Ragone.. he looked alot better than Banks tonight. This is due in no small part I think..to the fact that Ragone had Morency, while Banks had Hollings.

I think its time to cut our losses with Hollings. I can count on one hand the number of times that ive seen Hollings make a play for us.. and I wouldnt even use the whole hand. Hollings is incapable of making the first guy miss.. hes incapable of going between the tackles, and hes incapable of getting outside... therefore..he is just plain incapable. He serves no big purpose on special teams and I think with Morency, Wells, Davis.. and possibly Jason Anderson.. we are fine without Hollings.


I saw both good and bad from Travis Johnson. Mostly good though.. I think if a lineman goes down, we will have a good backup in him this season.. and he will be starting by next season. He makes some mistakes but he looks good out there.

Charlie Anderson rocks!

Swinton looked damn good. Its gonna be tough to decide between him and Kasper.


I saw Mathis and Thomas both drop balls they should have had. Neither one of them appears to have great hands.

The protection for Banks looked horrendous... I didnt see who we had in there on the Oline.. but if that was our starting guys..ouch.

We STILL dont look like we know how to get into the endzone when its 1st and goal. We keep running it..and they keep stuffing it. We dont have an RB on our team that is capable of dragging 2 or 3 guys into the endzone with them, and we need to quit acting like we do. I know its preseason and we arent using everything the playbook.. but after the 4 stuffs last game..i figured we would come into the game today with more than that.

We still have a great secondary.. getting us those interceptions when they are crucial. Coleman looks great.. cant wait to see our secondary this season.


My early guesses at our Depth Chart come week 1:

QB: Carr, Banks, Ragone
RB: Davis, Morency, Wells
FB: Norris, Wells
LT: Riley
LG: Pitts
C: McKinney
RG: ? I didnt get to see Wand
RT: Wade
TE: Murphy, Bruenor, Miller
WR: Johnson, Bradford, Armstrong, Gaffney, Swinton, Mathis

DE: Smith, Walker, Johnson, Deloach, Ioane
DT: Payne, Smith, Johnson
ILB: Wong, Greenwood, Orr, Polk
OLB: Babin, Peek, Anderson, Pettway(looks good on ST)
CB: Robinson, Buchanan, Faggins, Sanders, Bell
SS: Earl, Walker, Brown
FS: Coleman, Simmons, Lord

(Didnt put depth at linemen cause honestly ive no idea who we have that has played well)
 
The line that consisted of Washington, Jones, MBrown, Weary, and ??? was AWEFUL!!!!

Jones looks to have some promise and I thought Wand showed fairly well at guard. I don't remember seeing Hodgdon out there tonight though.


I thought the starting OLine was quite good.
 
It seems like I'm not alone in thinking the Hollings experiment is heading for an unhappy ending. That was a waste of a #2 if you ask me and in hindsight (which is always 20/20 but hear me out) a really stupid move. We grabbed Hollings with very little information to go on because our backs basically sucked. At least that's what it looked like when all we had to go on was Wells and Allen running behind no line.

The very same off-season that we blew a 2 on Hollings we signed Stacy Mack and drafted Domanick Davis. We didn't need to take a chance on Tony Hollings in the supplemental draft but we did anyway. Personally I saw more out of James Allen then I've ever seen out of Tony Hollings and James Allen had a much worse line to run behind.

I see no reason for this guy to keep a roster spot on a team with Davis, Wells, and Morency.
 
The starting OLine looked good, and the interior did pretty well against Washington and Sapp. Wand looked good at RG. I'm not too worried about our goal line offense. On the pass to Bradford in the EZ that was knocked away by Gibson it looked as though AJ was open on an inside slant but hard to tell at that angle. Mathis was pretty impressive. He showed that he's more than just a speed guy. He made some nice catches, but more impressive was his blocking for a guy his size. He made some pretty nice blocks on runs to his side, and I think a year in the Texans strength and conditioning program will help him become an even better blocker and all around WR.
 
Well at the time..we couldnt know what we had in Davis.. and I dont think we considered Mack to be a long term answer at RB. We were fishing for some talent.. and apparently we just got a little too desperate. Maybe if we had thought on it a little longer we wouldnt have made the move? Or maybe Hollings was legitimitaly worth the pick..and just isnt panning out.

Either way.. I think with the way Morency looks..and how Wells has improved.. Hollings is on the way out.
 
I agree with most on here that Hollings is gone. I just don't think that 4 starts in college was ever enough to chance a #2 pick on this guy. I know its hindsight.
 
Hollings is down but not out yet, we'll see a lot more of him the last couple of pre-season games to draw more conclusions but if I had to make a call after these first two games, plus last season I'd say he is put on the practice squad and hope another team who needs a RB claims him and his fat contract :cool:
 
Grid said:
betcha a dollar that Hollings doesnt make third string.
Click to expand...

ok, well who takes 3rd string? Wells?

I think Capers wants a chance to utilize Wells, and Davis in the backfiled at the same time. Plus he is a special teams pro.

Ill take that bet. :) :read:
 
texasguy346 said:
The starting OLine looked good, and the interior did pretty well against Washington and Sapp. Wand looked good at RG. I'm not too worried about our goal line offense. On the pass to Bradford in the EZ that was knocked away by Gibson it looked as though AJ was open on an inside slant but hard to tell at that angle. Mathis was pretty impressive. He showed that he's more than just a speed guy. He made some nice catches, but more impressive was his blocking for a guy his size. He made some pretty nice blocks on runs to his side, and I think a year in the Texans strength and conditioning program will help him become an even better blocker and all around WR.
Click to expand...

i have to disagree with you about wand. i just watched the game on tivo and he looked horrible. i dont know a lot about our zone blocking but wand wasnt blocking anyone. in the first three series i saw wands man shed his block and tackle the back for a loss multiple times. wand also gave up the first sack on banks. on the td by carr wands man got inside of him and wade had to block the guy in the back to keep him from getting in the backfield(probably should have been a penalty).

im a big wand fan and have been rooting for him. i also thought he was improving at lt tackle. but he did not have a good night. maybe he was just thinking to much. he was playing a new position.

i did think or rookies played well. as did the first team offense.

fa**ings looked bad. and there wasnt much of a pass rush. one of the players said that they were playing the base defense and didnt have much of a chance for a good pass rush.

i think im getting old. i just wake up in the middle of the night and cant go back to sleep. isnt that a sign of age?
 
i tend to agree more with markbeth in his assessment with wand. he didnt play at a great level (i just re-watched the first half offense a few min ago). when wand "zoned" to the 2nd level of LBs he could not drive them back. he was often pushed aside to get to the ball carrier. i could not tell you if it was technique or just leverage issues as to what kept wand from excelling in his start. i dont think there were multiple times where wands man stopped the HB for a loss (i recall 1 with hollings).

on that one sack on banks however, the only thing steve touched on that WHOLE play was the football. he did not get one had on his defender and i think him and wand were about to double sapp. the only defense for him is that he had not played that position before (that i am aware of) and he was going against some really good veterans in sapp and washington.

also i noticed on that pass intended to andre in the endzone, riley had got beaten horribly which caused him to roll to the right (that created wades man to run carr down as well).

although peek and babins name were not mentioned during the game that does not mean they did not impact the game and contribute. im not calling people out, but some said peek could not tell run from pass plays and i think that is just completely incorrect. for instance, on faggins miscue, they had 3 receivers running routes with 2 backs staying in to block peek and babin. BOTH OLBs getting doubled! im not trying to make excuses cuz yes there was issues with getting pressure and its something we have to work on.
 
Carr and 1st team = great. Should have played at least 1 quarter...............
Banks is done!
Defense looked lost?
Mathis looked good, and Morency.
 
beerlover said:
Hollings is down but not out yet, we'll see a lot more of him the last couple of pre-season games to draw more conclusions but if I had to make a call after these first two games, plus last season I'd say he is put on the practice squad and hope another team who needs a RB claims him and his fat contract :cool:
Click to expand...

Hollings is not eligible for the practice squad.
 
I would like to see Kasper make a few more returns before annointing Swinton. I doubt we will see it this week though. Swinton once being a Cowboy will probably get the return duty this week.
I also agree with most here that Hollings has two more shots to show he belongs here.
I have a hunch that Mathis will be starting before the year is over.
Morency is a player but I do not feel he is an upgrade over DD.
I haven't seen the fire in TJ that I was hoping to see. IIRC he was in some series against the Raiders second teamers and didn't dominate like I thought he should. I could be wrong on Johnson as I am relying on memory, I do not record games and play them back to double check my impressions.
Dissappointed in our lack of O-line drive for short yardage when needed and also in our D-Lines inabilty to slow down the Raiders ground game.
Not quite ready to join the "sky is falling club" (we know who you are) but I might consider it if our lines don't step up the next two weeks.
Here's hoping that Vinny or some other of you level headed posters (we know who you are too) can return me to my senses. :)


cac: :coffee:
 
If Hollings had the same blocking that Morency did, we would be talking about how Hollings had secured the backup job. After the first drive, Ted Washington and Warren Sapp shut down the Texans running game.
 
Hulk75 said:
Everyone listen please............Go watch the game agian and watch how many missed blocks by Wand there was. He was falling over himself almost every play trying to keep up with the backers. (I only watched the first series so maybe he did better later on but he looked bad in the first series.)
Click to expand...


I'm likely the biggest Wand supporter on this board. Having said that, I went through the first half offensive series' three times, with my eye on Wand once, Pitts once, and Riley once.

The good news: Pitts looked damn good! Riley also was good but you can see that there will be some whiffs on speed rushes on occasion this year.

Th bad news: Wand was pathetic. He played soft. He was constantly thrown aside by linebackers. He never stayed on a block for long. He was the cause for almost all the Qb pressures in the first half and certainly the first sack. I know I'm not that delusional. My impression of him last year was very different. Maybe all this talk about his lack of confidence has more merit than I was giving it. Unfortunately, it looks like we need our starting unit to remain intact this season.

And finally, I never thought I'd say this, but, maybe IBAR has apoint in regards to the oline.............. No, nevermind, forget I said that.
 
ccdude730 said:
i tend to agree more with markbeth in his assessment with wand. he didnt play at a great level (i just re-watched the first half offense a few min ago). when wand "zoned" to the 2nd level of LBs he could not drive them back. he was often pushed aside to get to the ball carrier. i could not tell you if it was technique or just leverage issues as to what kept wand from excelling in his start. i dont think there were multiple times where wands man stopped the HB for a loss (i recall 1 with hollings).
Click to expand...
I dunno....see even though Wand is a very big man (something like 6'7" &
> 300), he's really not very strong for someone of his size, but he is relatively athletic and quick on his feet for that kind of size. So he can match up fairly well against some DEs who are quicker but smaller than DTs. Now when he has to go up against a big DT like Warren Sapp he tends to get a butt kickin.
There was a play in TC when Peek at what 255 bull rushed him, overpowered him, and knocked him down - Sapp is 75 lbs > ?
 
I know that most on this board want to hear the good, so I'll start there...

- Offensive 1's looked solid on the first series mixing the ground/air attacks nicely. A little shaky close to the goal line, but they should get better here.
- Houston's 3rd team is better than Oakland's.
- Mathis looks like he could be a player. He was starting to get separation on the CB on the long pass interference play, but Ragone underthrew the ball badly.
- Swinton had a much better game all-around.
- Charlie Anderson looks like a player, at least on passing downs. I can see him sub-ing in for Babin at times this year on 3rd down.
- Morlon Greenwood made a cameo appearance.
- Morency had some good runs. Nice burst thru the box. It's too bad he doesn't have breakaway speed or he'd have had a couple of touchdowns.
- Special teams play was solid.

The bad...

- Offense is still inconsistent. Tony Banks is not a very good QB. Can we see Ragone against a first team defense? For the second week in a row they went 2 quarters without a first down. Lots of pressure on the QB's all night. 85 total yards in the first half was emberrassing.
- 1st team defense was dominated. They were bailed out a few times with interceptions but Oakland moved the ball at will. Receivers were wide open all night. Very little pressure on the QB.
- Game management at the end of the first half. Seemed to be a lot of confusion from the coaching staff on what to do.
- Travis Johnson wasn't much of a factor.
- Faggins.
- Tony Hollings is not the answer to anyone's question. He will be cut unless they keep Wells as an FB.
- Other than the Murphy touchdown last week, has there been a pass attempt to a tight end? Is Miller now fourth on the depth chart. He ran with the 3rd string quite a bit last night.

Other than the 3rd stringers, it was a very poor performance last night. It was like Groundhog Day... same problems that we see just about every game from this team.
 
beerlover said:
Hollings is down but not out yet, we'll see a lot more of him the last couple of pre-season games to draw more conclusions but if I had to make a call after these first two games, plus last season I'd say he is put on the practice squad and hope another team who needs a RB claims him and his fat contract :cool:
Click to expand...

I've always defended Hollings. I've always said he just needed an opportunity. Well, he got a good one last night and did not take advantage. If what he showed last night is the best he brings the remainder of pre-season, the above assesments are accurate.I feel sorry for the kid but he HAS gotten his shot. This is why they ran the ball so much when he was in, they wanted to get a good look at him....p.s. I didnt know he had a phat contract? how much is it?
 
nunusguy said:
I dunno....see even though Wand is a very big man (something like 6'7" &
> 300), he's really not very strong for someone of his size, but he is relatively athletic and quick on his feet for that kind of size. So he can match up fairly well against some DEs who are quicker but smaller than DTs. Now when he has to go up against a big DT like Warren Sapp he tends to get a butt kickin.
Click to expand...

6'7", 330 lbs. One of our biggest players, if not the biggest. It's just spread out on a long frame with equally long arms. He's a tackle; his build and speed suit him for that position.

He's also not had a lot of time at guard.
 
Wow.

I'm shocked this thread has revolved around a RB who likely won't make the squad and a dinosaur who we know is average at best.

I love Petey, but he was awful. Buchanan better get it together. Coleman was hit in the hands.

The biggest problem on this team is the secondary. If they don't get it together quick, Robinson won't see a ball thrown his way all year.
 
David_Carr said:
Wow.

I'm shocked this thread has revolved around a RB who likely won't make the squad and a dinosaur who we know is average at best.

I love Petey, but he was awful. Buchanan better get it together. Coleman was hit in the hands.

The biggest problem on this team is the secondary. If they don't get it together quick, Robinson won't see a ball thrown his way all year.
Click to expand...

our secondary is our strength (at least the starters are).

petey had an ok night minus the 70 yarder. buchanan did fine last night. coleman was hit in the hands with a ball that he caught for an INT. earl will bring some more talent to the SS spot with his athleticism and speed.

lots of passing yards does not equal horrible secondary
 
Everyone remembers that Weigert is our starting RG right? Wand is just an experiment right now. Does anyone think that C.C. Brown could move into the starting line up by the end of this year?
 
David_Carr said:
The biggest problem on this team is the secondary.
Click to expand...

The front 7 giving the QB all day to throw will make the the best secondary in the league look like like the worst. And make no mistake, we have one of the best secondarys in the league.

Sort of like Roger Clemens being wasted by a team that can't hit.
 
Runner said:
6'7", 330 lbs. One of our biggest players, if not the biggest. It's just spread out on a long frame with equally long arms. He's a tackle; his build and speed suit him for that position.

He's also not had a lot of time at guard.
Click to expand...

Alot of my evaluation of Wand is centered on the fact that he had less than a week to learn the position, and how he performed relative to our other backups at G (Weary, Brown). While he was shaky early on he got more comfortable as the game went on. He had more than his share of mistakes, and there's no doubt that Weigert's starting spot is secure. I just think that given more time to learn his role that Wand will provide us with better depth at both G and T than Weary or Brown bring to the table. JMO of course.

As for our secondary I have to agree that it's one of our strengths. As some have mentioned they were left hung out to dry when the front 7 wasn't able to consistantly get to the QB. Payne probably did the best out of all the front seven, and Walker did okay on some plays as well. The LBs were swallowed up for the most part, and I didn't see alot of Smith. Overall the pass rush wasn't very effective at all against the Raiders bigger and stronger OLine. We'll face our fair share of teams with bigger and stronger OLines this year (KC, Pitt), and we'd better make sure we get some pressure or we'll be in for a long game.
 
texasguy346 said:
As some have mentioned they were left hung out to dry when the front 7 wasn't able to consistantly get to the QB. .
Click to expand...

According to several defensive players this was by design. They don't want to show all of their blitz packages in the pre-season.

In other words, they haven't found a scheme that works.
 
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