Your positives and negatives from the game?

[TheRealJoker]

Positives:

1) Kris Brown is about as good as it gets when it comes to NFL kickers.

2) Looks like we'll have some solid WRs if Anderson gets the opportunity to carry over his play to the regular season. The guy isn't big or fast but he finds ways to get open and catches everything thrown at him, those types of guys should always have a place on an NFL team.

3) Duane Brown held his own against a premier edge rusher in Elvis Dumervil. He had the feet to match him in pass protection. Needs improvement in run blocking and against the bull rush however.

4) Steve Slaton showed flashes of his potential. He's gonna have to grow up real fast though if the production from the other backs will be similar to tonight's all season.

5) MARIO IS A BEAST!!! He looks to be picking up where he left off last season..that's a scary thought.

Negatives:

1) Ahman Green injured on his 1st touch of the game. This takes away pretty much any tiny bit of confidence I had left in him playing a full NFL season.

2) Our interior OL/DL was beaten most of the game. The holes we weren't opening seemed to be opening for the Broncos. Aside from a few key times when we could stuff them.

3) Chris Taylor didn't look like the training camp beast some of the members here have built him up to being. He looked subpar to be honest. Darius Walker looked average and Slaton looked the best for no reason other than he showed flashes of his elite burst through the hole at times. Our running backs were one of the weakest units tonight.

4) Jacoby Jones needs to learn that ball security is of the utmost importance even when the games dont count. That fumble should've never happened because the play should've been over like a minute before it happened lol.

5) It seems our outside linebackers still have trouble stopping the screen pass. We're gonna need to work on this before Pittsburgh eats us up with it on opening day.

 

[Hardcore Texan]

From the gameday thread:

http://www.texanstalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=969403&postcount=555

Here's my thoughts on the game tonight:

- Darius Walker looked like our best RB out there tonight.
- Green is just not going to be dependable, hope I am wrong.
- Taylor looked so-so at best.
- Slaton looked so-so.
- The ZBS needs more work for sure, looked pretty sloppy.
- The other starters on offense played decent.
- Andre Davis is picking up where he left off last year
- Anderson is going to make the squad.
- Mario looked like he is getting ready to have a great season.
- Demeco look like Demeco, which is great.
- Diles made some nice plays
- Jacoby is a great athelete but needs to get some consistency.
- Brown held his own.
- The safety play was unimpressive except for maybe Demps.
- We still can't stop the run.
- Cochran is playing pretty freaking hard out there and looks hungry.
- We still can't punch it in from the redzone

 

[TheRealJoker]

Redzone offense was another negative that I forgot to mention. It always has been, I hope the solution is found sooner rather than later. We have the weapons to get it in from the redzone passing. I think we lack the short yardage back/interior OL to punch it in however.

 

[Hardcore Texan]

Redzone offense was another negative that I forgot to mention. It always has been, I hope the solution is found sooner rather than later. We have the weapons to get it in from the redzone passing. I think we lack the short yardage back/interior OL to punch it in however.

Or at least the threat of it, which will open up everything else. Without the threat we get shutdown.

 

[GP]

Redzone offense was another negative that I forgot to mention. It always has been, I hope the solution is found sooner rather than later. We have the weapons to get it in from the redzone passing. I think we lack the short yardage back/interior OL to punch it in however.

Yeah, RZ has been a sore spot. Forever.

Very little creativity. The naked bootleg is no secret anymore. LOL.

 

[TheRealJoker]

Or at least the threat of it, which will open up everything else. Without the threat we get shutdown.

True, the lack of a short yardage threat causes Schaub to try and force throws that he shouldn't which has led to turnovers and will lead to turnovers again unless they can find a solution to the redzone problem.

 

[Hagar]

I specifically watched two guys tonight, Duane Brown and Frank Okam.

Duane did a damn good job and only missed one block all night. He gives up a little too much ground in his pass protection, but that's an easy fix given his size and strength.

Frank on the other hand started off real slow. The first few sets of down, Frank didn't really fire off the ball. He sort of popped up, looked around to see what was happening and then tried to move towards the ball. He just looked out of place. As the game wore on, you could tell Frank started move a bit more aggressively. He was firing off the ball much better and attacking the man in front of him. I think he'll make the first round of cuts, and then we'll see what happens. Frank's definitely got the tools, lets see if he has the desire.

 

[AnthonyE]

Positives:

1) Kris Brown is about as good as it gets when it comes to NFL kickers.

2) Looks like we'll have some solid WRs if Anderson gets the opportunity to carry over his play to the regular season. The guy isn't big or fast but he finds ways to get open and catches everything thrown at him, those types of guys should always have a place on an NFL team.

3) Duane Brown held his own against a premier edge rusher in Elvis Dumervil. He had the feet to match him in pass protection. Needs improvement in run blocking and against the bull rush however.

4) Steve Slaton showed flashes of his potential. He's gonna have to grow up real fast though if the production from the other backs will be similar to tonight's all season.

5) MARIO IS A BEAST!!! He looks to be picking up where he left off last season..that's a scary thought.

Negatives:

1) Ahman Green injured on his 1st touch of the game. This takes away pretty much any tiny bit of confidence I had left in him playing a full NFL season.

2) Our interior OL/DL was beaten most of the game. The holes we weren't opening seemed to be opening for the Broncos. Aside from a few key times when we could stuff them.

3) Chris Taylor didn't look like the training camp beast some of the members here have built him up to being. He looked subpar to be honest. Darius Walker looked average and Slaton looked the best for no reason other than he showed flashes of his elite burst through the hole at times. Our running backs were one of the weakest units tonight.

4) Jacoby Jones needs to learn that ball security is of the utmost importance even when the games dont count. That fumble should've never happened because the play should've been over like a minute before it happened lol.

5) It seems our outside linebackers still have trouble stopping the screen pass. We're gonna need to work on this before Pittsburgh eats us up with it on opening day.

I'm not going to complain about that play and here's why. From my seat (right behind Jacoby when he fumbled, and could see basically what he could see), I saw a wide open field ahead of him. Had he held on to the ball and made one more guy miss he would have had an open field for a touchdown. I'm still going to fault him for fumbling, because he even didn't receive the punt cleanly, but the moves that he made during the play really excite me about his potential this season. Seems he has that swagger back from last preseason.

 

[dalemurphy]

Rashod Butler and Brandon Frye were both very good tonight. Both held up in pass protection well and both men regularly cut their man to the ground on the back side of the running plays. I'm thrilled these two athletic, young guys control the edges for 3 quarters!

I thought Okam looked very lazy and disinterested (quite a shock for a Mack Brown coached player, I know).

Fletcher was awesome! He looked like a different guy and I totally believe Kubiak's talk about him playing his way into the starting lineup.

Buhlman was very slow off the ball every single play. I think, since he's in a 4 point stance, he's unable to watch the ball on the end and is reacting to the tackle- that's not gonna get it done. He won't make the team.

DBarber looked very good as well. Very physical and aggressive on ST and at safety. He seemed to understand where he was supposed to be. I wonder why Scheffler was still in the game in the 4th quarter, but it's not to embarassing to get beat by Scheffler in your first game as a pro.

Eslinger sucks!

 

[Malloy]

I'm still going to fault him for fumbling, because he even didn't receive the punt cleanly, but the moves that he made during the play really excite me about his potential this season. Seems he has that swagger back from last preseason.

Thats a real good point actually, he looked like he was enjoyinh himself out there, and thats good. I also liked his sole reception, sweetness

 

[Thorn]

Positive: We are still a good passing team, and our corner and safety play (compaired to last year) seems to be improving a tad. Mario looks to have a good year. We have one of the best FG kickers in the league, if not the best.

Negative: Still can't run the ball or punch it in in the Red Zone.

 

[prostock101]

My two cents!

Running game - WTF! We started camp with supposedly strong competition at the position and by halftime we looked worse than last year. We may have to bring the Dayne Train back and hope for the best.

Offensive Line - I think everyone agrees Brown looked pretty good in his first start. The Oline looked ok in pass downs, but running the ball was just awful. The entire line looked clueless and Taylor's 1.9 ypc was the icing on the cake.

Schaub v. Rosenfels - I've always thought Schuab was the better QB. The exception is those idiotic throws into heavy traffic. I hope Kub rips him a new one for that throw.

Defense - Mario is a beast as advertised. They dominated the first series and after that they just layed down. I'm starting to believe that these guys are so afraid of injury in the preseason that unless they're fighting for a roster spot, they just phone it in.

Jacoby - He deserves his own line here. Great catch and then he does what he did last year on punt returns and try to outrun the coverage in the wrong direction instead of just heading upfield. Too many more mental mistakes like that and he'll get what Spencer Tilman calls, "An apple and a road map."

Bottom line is they don't find a running game with the mess at running back and the offensive line running around like Keystone Kops, it's going to be a long season.

 

[Thorn]

Bottom line is they don't find a running game with the mess at running back and the offensive line running around like Keystone Kops, it's going to be a long season.

I agree, but I've still got faith that Gibbs will get it turned around.

 

[wolf123]

I think its its unfair to judge chris taylor off of just last nights performance b/c the whole line struggled to get any movement in the first half.

Are WR's are very good. I hope that david anderson's good play lights a fire under Jacoby jones.

Earl Cochrans play impressed me and I liked his hustle. the whole second DL unit got it handed to them all game.

I'm likeing the depth at CB and really wish I could have seen molden out there.

 

[BattleRedToro]

I thought Darius Walker and Shane Boyd looked good out there and I hope they both make the team

 

[Mr teX]

Or at least the threat of it, which will open up everything else. Without the threat we get shutdown.

You guys have to remember AJ wasn't out there.

As far as my thoughts:

positive:
- we got out relatively healthy save for Green.
- Schaub's shoulder looks ok which is a good thing
- Mario looks like he's picking up where he left off last year & Amobi looks like he's ready to turn the corner.

- Slaton looked better than i thought he would, Kubes should definitely give him some 1st team reps.
- For a team who really didn't want to show much & to be playing a team who pretty much knew your offense inside out, we did well.


Negative:
- A. Green, i've just lost what little confidence i had left in him.
- Don't see what the big deal is about C. Taylor... actually i never have. Last night he didn't look all that great to me.
- Haven't rewatched the game, but outside of slaton, none of our rooks stood out last night, one particular play i remember seeing Adibi get de-cleated..... not a good look kid.

 

[Texans_Chick]

I thought Okam looked very lazy and disinterested (quite a shock for a Mack Brown coached player, I know).

I focused on Okam through the binoculars while he was in the game because he was one of the few guys still in that I thought might have a place on this team with some upside.

I do not know where you are getting that lazy/disinterested thing. At all. Personally, I believe if you are going to say such things, you should give illustrations other than a generalized stereotype.

He almost got the quarterback a couple of times, and was in on a tackle for a loss. There were a few plays where he ran laterally across the field to help with a tackle and literally was the only big body in the vicinity. He looked surprisingly quick, I thought, for someone of his size. He may also have had a tip on one play, but I couldn't tell for sure.

By that point in the game, Denver wasn't trying to run anything through the middle of the field and was bouncing most things outside.

He was usually the first one lined up on the line, like he couldn't wait to go again.

I got the same sensation watching Okam as I did watching Eric Winston preseason his rookie year. That they were learning, but that they were better than the 2nd/3rd string guys they were playing with.

They had a couple of linemen come off the field for a play, and he went directly to Jethro Franklin and they were discussing things. Doesn't sound disinterested to me.

I saw enough of him to be interested to see what he would look like running with the 1s.

FWIW.

 

[pappy]

Positives:

1) Kris Brown is about as good as it gets when it comes to NFL kickers.

2) Looks like we'll have some solid WRs if Anderson gets the opportunity to carry over his play to the regular season. The guy isn't big or fast but he finds ways to get open and catches everything thrown at him, those types of guys should always have a place on an NFL team.

3) Duane Brown held his own against a premier edge rusher in Elvis Dumervil. He had the feet to match him in pass protection. Needs improvement in run blocking and against the bull rush however.

4) Steve Slaton showed flashes of his potential. He's gonna have to grow up real fast though if the production from the other backs will be similar to tonight's all season.

5) MARIO IS A BEAST!!! He looks to be picking up where he left off last season..that's a scary thought.

Negatives:

1) Ahman Green injured on his 1st touch of the game. This takes away pretty much any tiny bit of confidence I had left in him playing a full NFL season.

2) Our interior OL/DL was beaten most of the game. The holes we weren't opening seemed to be opening for the Broncos. Aside from a few key times when we could stuff them.

3) Chris Taylor didn't look like the training camp beast some of the members here have built him up to being. He looked subpar to be honest. Darius Walker looked average and Slaton looked the best for no reason other than he showed flashes of his elite burst through the hole at times. Our running backs were one of the weakest units tonight.

4) Jacoby Jones needs to learn that ball security is of the utmost importance even when the games dont count. That fumble should've never happened because the play should've been over like a minute before it happened lol.

5) It seems our outside linebackers still have trouble stopping the screen pass. We're gonna need to work on this before Pittsburgh eats us up with it on opening day.

positives
#1 is right on
#2 True but i bet jacoby is playing his way off the team
#3 Brown did well today and he seemed to be doing better than others at run blocking
#4 Slaton did not make mistakes so im with you here
#5 Go mario

The bad
Im fine with no green or jacoby returning punts from here on out . Our offensive linemen were not pushing back denvers front at all , if you watched denver push you seen them push as much as ten yards at times . Taylor looks to be still gimpy and makes bad reads as well as not going up the field instead of sideline to sideline . There does seem to me that smith wants to rotate ( left side to right side ) not only DL but linebackers as well and greenwood simply does not do well on the right side . However all night the DB players made the plays on the backs and the tightends so every linebacker was failing to cover anyone .

 

[Texans_Chick]

The running game looked completely undependable. Very deja vu feeling.

Taking out Boyd and Turks' runs, the Texans were under 100 yards. Time of possession was crud on a stick too.

When Ahman Green came out of the game, did anyone else have the words echoing in their heads...."I've fallen and I can't get up."

It's just the first preseason game, but so far it looks like the same ole from the last two years. Can throw the ball reliably to a lot of different targets. Run the ball, not so much.

 

[Vinny]

Rashod Butler and Brandon Frye were both very good tonight. Both held up in pass protection well and both men regularly cut their man to the ground on the back side of the running plays. I'm thrilled these two athletic, young guys control the edges for 3 quarters!

they had their good moments but they also had really bad snaps...I'm not as enthusiastic about Frye as I am about Butler though.

I thought Okam looked very lazy and disinterested (quite a shock for a Mack Brown coached player, I know).

I thought he played pretty well myself.

DBarber looked very good as well.

I like how he runs to the ball....he seems pretty decisive once he reads the play properly.

On some of the comments above, the red zone is where most all zbs schems bog down because they are generally undersized. I kinda expect us to struggle here early on since we have to rely more on finesse than your run of the mill, straight up smash mouth hog filled offensive line does.

We have a huge problem at rb....Green was looking for turf before contact. Dude wasn't even hit and he is already hurt. I'm done sipping this kool-aide. Taylor was unimpressive and Walker isn't a starting back in this league...he's a poor man's Dom Davis. He would struggle to make any roster in the NFL imo. Preseason week 1 and Chris Brown is hurt and Green makes 1/2 plays before he is hurt....we are already down to option 3 in the running game.

No way you can cut David Anderson....he was wide open early in the game when Schaub found the FB....he was open quite a bit all game. I've got him making the squad...period.

I'm still very high on Boyd....he is a very interesting prospect at QB.

off topic but the fannin park n ride cash lot was a joke. I got locked my car at 6pm and barely made the kickoff using metro rail since there were massive lines at the machines and they had zero support there (unlike last season). There were hundreds of fans behind me that probably came in late to the game even though they arrived at the stadium in plenty of time.

 

[TEXANRED]

My take on the game.

First and for most, it was just a preseason game. This means the play books were limited and the coach's were looking to work in new plays, schemes, and coverages.

That being said:

Our Pass blocking looked terrific. D.B. won me over to the point were he he gets initials rather than calling him by his full name, ala AJ, Drob, OD, ect..

On the other side of that, our run blocking was horrible. I know a lot of you guys are be critical of the running backs, but in the zone scheme there should be holes. There were no holes and the Broncos LBs roamed free all night.

Schaub looked sharp. He only played one series, 5 passes, 4 completions. Nothing really to evaluate. He did good.

Sage looked good. But Anderson made him look good.

Speaking of Anderson, that corner come back catch was down right ESPN highlight real material. Good Gawd! Anderson just moved up to the #4 spot in my book. Jacoby, you just moved down and barely hanging on to this team. If he runs back wards again during punt returns next week he should be immediately cut.

Speaking of getting cut, Green needs to go. What is it that Kubiak says? You have to be on the field to help this football team win? I remember last year a caller called 610 and kind of grilled Green about his knee and after the call Mark said, So your not in Green Bay anymore.....No, no he's not. His free pass was last year. Taylor did what he was told, one cut and go, which he did, only there was no where to go to. Walker looked good. I like the fact that he put his nose down and crashed into a defender. That was my problem with him last year, he would rather go out of bounds than make contact. Slaton impressed me greatly but it was against scrubs. I would love to see what he could do in the earlier part of games.

Our first team D looked nasty at the start of the game. You could tell the reigns were pulled back a little. If they come out for real like that in the regular season that OH HELL YEAH!!!!

Thats my take.

 

[markn]

I'm not too concerned yet with our running game. This is an entirely new system for them to get to grips with and I saw enough to think there may be light at the end of the tunnel. WRT Green's hamstring: Frustrating I know, but I'm just going to write it off as a freak at this point.

I was very concerned watching the Broncos 2nd possession. The ease with which that drive marched them down the field against our first choice D was disturbing. We've got to find a way of halting these kinds of drive, it hurt us last season and is going to put even more pressure on the offense to score if we can't get average teams like Denver off the field.

 

[GP]

Am wondering if our running woes might be a result of the OL trying to "gel" (uggh, I know. I know. I shudder at that word, too).

We have a new center. We have a rookie LT. And they block for Green, Brown, Taylor, Walker, and Slaton--Five guys with different running styles/rhythms. So, this was their first real action against a real opponent.

I'm grasping at the straw of optimism here.

The DL's lack of fire after the first possession is concerning, unless it was planned so as to protect them from injury.

My positives:

1. No major injuries

2. We won, even thought it's a meaningless game

3. D. Anderson, Andre Davis, K. Walter, and Owen Daniels looked good

4. Duane Brown didn't look like a screen door on a submarine

5. Kris Brown and Matt Turk, as well as the ST unit, look ready to go

6. We made two interceptions, which is good for us (since we seem to struggle at getting turnovers for long stretches of time).

7. Few penalties on us


My negatives:

1. Our running game was stagnant, while Denver's was having their way with our D.

2. DL looked hesitant after first series

3. Couldn't seal the deal in the Red Zone

4. Ahman Green, and I don't know what to say on this one. Just tired of it. And I think Chris Brown is going to be the same thing.

5. Turk didn't get the first down. If he doesn't suck it up and get the job done on a measley 4th and 16 run...he needs to get cut. [/sarcasm]

 

[Number19]

There's been numerous comments about the sub-par run blocking and the run game in general.

I have a question for those of you who have had the opportunity to really get a grasp on the team this pre-season : I believe I read that our OL'men were not going to cut-block against the Broncos. If this was accurate, just how well does yesterday's game reflect what we will see when we fully implement our running scheme?

 

[prostock101]

There's been numerous comments about the sub-par run blocking and the run game in general.

I have a question for those of you who have had the opportunity to really get a grasp on the team this pre-season : I believe I read that our OL'men were not going to cut-block against the Broncos. If this was accurate, just how well does yesterday's game reflect what we will see when we fully implement our running scheme?

I definitely saw Brown make a feeble attempt at a cut block.

 

[Vinny]

There's been numerous comments about the sub-par run blocking and the run game in general.

I have a question for those of you who have had the opportunity to really get a grasp on the team this pre-season : I believe I read that our OL'men were not going to cut-block against the Broncos. If this was accurate, just how well does yesterday's game reflect what we will see when we fully implement our running scheme?

its too early to get all worked up over the running game...but it's a concern since it is unproven. The Bronco running game didn't look much better.

 

[Pantherstang84]

I'm not too concerned yet with our running game. This is an entirely new system for them to get to grips with and I saw enough to think there may be light at the end of the tunnel. WRT Green's hamstring: Frustrating I know, but I'm just going to write it off as a freak at this point.

I was very concerned watching the Broncos 2nd possession. The ease with which that drive marched them down the field against our first choice D was disturbing. We've got to find a way of halting these kinds of drive, it hurt us last season and is going to put even more pressure on the offense to score if we can't get average teams like Denver off the field.

I just got through rewatching the 1st half. We actually had our 2nd string D line after Denver's first couple of snaps on that posession. However, the 1st string LBs and secondary were still there.

That being said, there are no excuses for our D coordinator this year, many coordinators have done more with less talent. We have the talent to have at least a top 15 defense this year. I better see more 3 and outs starting Sept. 7th.

 

[Pantherstang84]

Am wondering if our running woes might be a result of the OL trying to "gel" (uggh, I know. I know. I shudder at that word, too).

We have a new center. We have a rookie LT. And they block for Green, Brown, Taylor, Walker, and Slaton--Five guys with different running styles/rhythms. So, this was their first real action against a real opponent.

I'm grasping at the straw of optimism here.

The DL's lack of fire after the first possession is concerning, unless it was planned so as to protect them from injury.

My positives:

1. No major injuries

2. We won, even thought it's a meaningless game

3. D. Anderson, Andre Davis, K. Walter, and Owen Daniels looked good

4. Duane Brown didn't look like a screen door on a submarine

5. Kris Brown and Matt Turk, as well as the ST unit, look ready to go

6. We made two interceptions, which is good for us (since we seem to struggle at getting turnovers for long stretches of time).

7. Few penalties on us


My negatives:

1. Our running game was stagnant, while Denver's was having their way with our D.

2. DL looked hesitant after first series

3. Couldn't seal the deal in the Red Zone

4. Ahman Green, and I don't know what to say on this one. Just tired of it. And I think Chris Brown is going to be the same thing.

5. Turk didn't get the first down. If he doesn't suck it up and get the job done on a measley 4th and 16 run...he needs to get cut. [/sarcasm]

Exactly. I can't believe Kubes didn't bring another punter into camp. lol

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

I focused on Okam through the binoculars while he was in the game because he was one of the few guys still in that I thought might have a place on this team with some upside.

I do not know where you are getting that lazy/disinterested thing. At all. Personally, I believe if you are going to say such things, you should give illustrations other than a generalized stereotype.

He almost got the quarterback a couple of times, and was in on a tackle for a loss. There were a few plays where he ran laterally across the field to help with a tackle and literally was the only big body in the vicinity. He looked surprisingly quick, I thought, for someone of his size. He may also have had a tip on one play, but I couldn't tell for sure.

By that point in the game, Denver wasn't trying to run anything through the middle of the field and was bouncing most things outside.

He was usually the first one lined up on the line, like he couldn't wait to go again.

I got the same sensation watching Okam as I did watching Eric Winston preseason his rookie year. That they were learning, but that they were better than the 2nd/3rd string guys they were playing with.

They had a couple of linemen come off the field for a play, and he went directly to Jethro Franklin and they were discussing things. Doesn't sound disinterested to me.

I saw enough of him to be interested to see what he would look like running with the 1s.

FWIW.

This is what most impressed me.........his range for such a big guy. As you pointed out, for whatever reason the Broncos were not calling plays down the middle, where we could have probably seen why Okam was our pick. "Disinterested" is not what I came away with. He had limited opportunity to show his wares..........He took advantage of what he was dealt. I would agree, that he should be given some opportunity to take snaps with the "A" team. I believe he could make a lot of those out there "believers."

 

[whiskeyrbl]

I reserve the right to wait after our 3rd preseason game to state my neg's and pos's.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

I definitely saw Brown make a feeble attempt at a cut block.

I believe it was understood by both sides that "cut blocking" was not going to be on the table. When I did think I saw it on a very few plays, they could have been accidentally applied.

Comments on the ZBS by the Texans, for the running game specifically, it was more like the ZERO blocking system. The OL was not fluidly "sweeping" in one direction. It seemed that each lineman had his own agenda separate from the others.........attempts on one-on-one confrontation, which is exactly opposite of the principle of run blocking in the ZBS.

Chris Taylor looked to me, at least in this showing, to be a slow plodding RB. He was very hesitant, and was the furthest thing from a one cut and run RB.

I'm not sure about Slaton as a returner. He seemed to run behind his wall of blockers, but instead of taking adavantage of his quickness and speed breaking laterally when his wall met resistance with their opposition, he chose to run right up their butts.

 

[Brandon420tx]

I focused on Okam through the binoculars while he was in the game because he was one of the few guys still in that I thought might have a place on this team with some upside.

I do not know where you are getting that lazy/disinterested thing. At all. Personally, I believe if you are going to say such things, you should give illustrations other than a generalized stereotype.

He almost got the quarterback a couple of times, and was in on a tackle for a loss. There were a few plays where he ran laterally across the field to help with a tackle and literally was the only big body in the vicinity. He looked surprisingly quick, I thought, for someone of his size. He may also have had a tip on one play, but I couldn't tell for sure.

By that point in the game, Denver wasn't trying to run anything through the middle of the field and was bouncing most things outside.

He was usually the first one lined up on the line, like he couldn't wait to go again.

I got the same sensation watching Okam as I did watching Eric Winston preseason his rookie year. That they were learning, but that they were better than the 2nd/3rd string guys they were playing with.

They had a couple of linemen come off the field for a play, and he went directly to Jethro Franklin and they were discussing things. Doesn't sound disinterested to me.

I saw enough of him to be interested to see what he would look like running with the 1s.

FWIW.

Aww you beat me to it. There were also some outside runs that Okam looked like he had no chance of reaching, but the big dude sprinted after them anyway. Poor fella I thought he was going to be gassed so quick, but he played really well.

On the near-interception by Roberson, Okam was the one that deflected the pass at the line of scrimmage. (It was a fricken sweet acrobatic move)

 

[dalemurphy]

I focused on Okam through the binoculars while he was in the game because he was one of the few guys still in that I thought might have a place on this team with some upside.

I do not know where you are getting that lazy/disinterested thing. At all. Personally, I believe if you are going to say such things, you should give illustrations other than a generalized stereotype.

He almost got the quarterback a couple of times, and was in on a tackle for a loss. There were a few plays where he ran laterally across the field to help with a tackle and literally was the only big body in the vicinity. He looked surprisingly quick, I thought, for someone of his size. He may also have had a tip on one play, but I couldn't tell for sure.

By that point in the game, Denver wasn't trying to run anything through the middle of the field and was bouncing most things outside.

He was usually the first one lined up on the line, like he couldn't wait to go again.

I got the same sensation watching Okam as I did watching Eric Winston preseason his rookie year. That they were learning, but that they were better than the 2nd/3rd string guys they were playing with.

They had a couple of linemen come off the field for a play, and he went directly to Jethro Franklin and they were discussing things. Doesn't sound disinterested to me.

I saw enough of him to be interested to see what he would look like running with the 1s.

FWIW.

I was at the game using binnoclucars also. Like you, I was focusing on Okam.
I saw him stand up straight, engage his arms with the guard and/or center and waltz horizontally with him, often giving ground and disengage and stop moving towards the ball at the end of the play- I never saw him hustle through the whistle. Also, I never saw him penetrate at the point of attack on a run.

I will say this: He looked better as the game continued. I think I saw three positive plays from him.

1. Maybe 7-8 snaps in, he was blocked one on one with the Denver RG, and got a good push and a hand in the face of the QB.

2. He and a LB? made a tackle for a 3 yard loss. Certainly that was encouraging. However, it looked like a blown blocking assignment.

3. He held his ground well against a double team late in the game.

I've not reviewed the game on DVR yet, and perhaps it's difficult to appreciate the effort of a 340 lb man from my vantage point in section 636.

 

[dalemurphy]

I believe it was understood by both sides that "cut blocking" was not going to be on the table. When I did think I saw it on a very few plays, they could have been accidentally applied.

Comments on the ZBS by the Texans, for the running game specifically, it was more like the ZERO blocking system. The OL was not fluidly "sweeping" in one direction. It seemed that each lineman had his own agenda separate from the others.........attempts on one-on-one confrontation, which is exactly opposite of the principle of run blocking in the ZBS.

Chris Taylor looked to me, at least in this showing, to be a slow plodding RB. He was very hesitant, and was the furthest thing from a one cut and run RB.

I'm not sure about Slaton as a returner. He seemed to run behind his wall of blockers, but instead of taking adavantage of his quickness and speed breaking laterally when his wall met resistance with their opposition, he chose to run right up their butts.

The backside cut blocking was pretty rough. I wouldn't worry, though, since it was their first attempt at those blocks ever. Brown certainly struggled on the backside in the run game.

Same for the RBs... They're relearning what to key on and how to react. I thought CTaylor was close to breaking a few big runs. I thought he looked fine.

Also, their was a lot of overpursuit last night. Particularly the backside tackle is going to look kind of silly trying to block when the DE and OLB overpursue. That's fine, though, because that's what creates the bootlegs and end arounds.

If you want to see effective cut blocking, watch Frye and Butler in the second half. I'm shocked people aren't raving about their play. They were fantastic... Butler, for instance, played RT for the second quarter and then played LT for the second half. He was solid in pass protection and good in the run game on both sides. Frye came played the entire second half at RT (except one play at LT when Butler limped off) and was good in pass protection and great at the point of attack and on the backside. I thought he played nasty and aggressive. Certainly, he seemed a little unsure on a couple of blitzes. Otherwise, I thought he was fantastic.

 

[Malloy]

Honestly, if our lack of running game is due to the ZBS not being utilized in the denver game, then I'm OK with the yeards and runs we got. If however, our running game creates the same amount of yards when the ZBS is being used, then we're in big trouble.

I guess we won't REALLY know until game 1.

 

[gtexan02]

The fact that we didn't run the full ZBS against Denver pisses me off.

#1) It basically admits that Kubiak and Shanahan agreed not to use cut blocks in order to avoid injuries. This totally corroborates how cheap cut blocks are, and how risky they are to Dl. I don't have a problem with playing within the rules, but by avoiding using cut blocks on Denver DL and against our own guys during practice, we are just asking for other teams to call foul against us.

#2) We waste one of only 3 real opportunities for our OL to practice cut blocking before it counts for real. We only have 4 preseason games, and starters usually don't play the last game. So we have 3 games, and if we don't cut block in the first, that leaves us only 2 real games to practice. If this is the scheme we are running as our main run scheme, I'd like to know that the guys have actually done it before in a game time situation.

 

[gtexan02]

My positives and negatives from the game:

Positives:
1) Matt Schaub looks calm and collected in the pocket. He made good decisions. He made accurate throws that didn't put our WRs in tough situations

2) Our OL looks like it can handle pass blocking pretty well. We had minor pressure most of the night

3) Owen Daniels is going to be a star. He is one of the toughest guys I've ever seen on our roster. He catches everything his way and hangs on through tough hits

4) David Anderson really shined tonight. He made some really tough grabs and showed good awareness throughout the game

5) Mario Williams looked very strong against the run, something that I have considered a weak point of his

6) Our safeties looked competitive. On a couple of plays, I noticed them taking good angles to help deep routes. Lower string guys made some bonehead moves (Barber getting beat by Schefler), but all in all they looked OK

7) We played smart, and didn't get penalized. This won us the game

8) We seemed to take to heart the take care of the football slogan, and didn't commit many turnovers

Negatives

1) Our Dl looked slow and passive after the 1st series. They weren't getting pressure nearly as easily. They did well in the 3rd and 4th quarters occassionally, but I noticed a big drop off after that 1st drive

2) Our LBs disapointed me most of the night. Greenwood took a bad angle, Demeco got beat pretty badly by a TE and he had to resort to a heel trip (luckly a no-call) to save a TD. I was mostly concerned with their pass coverage skill

3) Our defense still doesn't understand how to play the screen or the draw. If it wsn't for penalties, there were a few plays we would have gotten killed with. This isn't year 1 for most of these guys. They bite on the fake too often

4) Our run game was really embarassing. We didn't use our future scheme, which annoys me. Chris Taylor looked terrible. He didn't hit the hole with conviction. He spun around a lot and went no where. Walker looked the best in my opinion. He didn't break off anything long, but he consistently found 2-3 yards, which is better than a bunch of losses followed by a 10 yard gain imo. Slaton did OK for his first NFL actoin, but you can tell he is going to try and stick with his college speed advantage. He tried for the edge and got beat a lot. Walker is the ONLY guy I saw take 1 cut and go.

5) Sage Rosenfels looked uncomfortable. He did pretty well, but he seemed nervous. Although I think Payton looks nervous too, so maybe this is nothing

6) Our WRs did not get good separation in my opinion. Most of their catches were spectacular grabs or grabs in traffic. I never really saw a guy get open, except for Tim Carter, who promptly whiffed on the catch. We didn't have any opportunities really for YACs.

 

[beerlover]

Positives:

1) Kris Brown is about as good as it gets when it comes to NFL kickers.

yeah buddy, I still reflect back (can't help it) to the 2005 season against Tennssee to win the game, y'all remember the one, shanked OB, the kick that earned the Texans the #1 pick & Mario Williams. yes we have alot to thank Kris Brown for.

2) Looks like we'll have some solid WRs if Anderson gets the opportunity to carry over his play to the regular season. The guy isn't big or fast but he finds ways to get open and catches everything thrown at him, those types of guys should always have a place on an NFL team.

once again very competitive group, WR has gone from one of weakness to one of strength. some mention needs to be made also of the positive play from LaRon McCoy, he's fringe proto-typical NFL WR body that might be the best back-up to Andre in terms of size & athletic strength. very impressed with him as well as Anderson (Wes Welker like).

1 Andre Johnson
2 Kevin Walter
3 Andre Davis (KR)
4 David Anderson
5 Jacoby Jones (PR)
6 LaRon McCoy

3) Duane Brown held his own against a premier edge rusher in Elvis Dumervil. He had the feet to match him in pass protection. Needs improvement in run blocking and against the bull rush however.

have no complaints not even run blocking (did they run behind him on his side?) for those of us long suffering "get a LT degenerates" Houston we have a good looking, young LT. thank you Rick Smith/Gary Kubiak/Alex Gibbs

4) Steve Slaton showed flashes of his potential. He's gonna have to grow up real fast though if the production from the other backs will be similar to tonight's all season.

forget the change of pace thingy, if Chris Brown cannot take snaps along with Ahman Green, Slayton will be the starting tailback for the 08 Houston Texans. He has the natural instincts, speed & quickness to hit the hole in Gibbs ZBS better than anyone left standing. somewhat dissapointed with Chris Taylor too, I know he's inexpereinced but he just doesn't have good vision & see the cutback lanes, has to be more deceisive & explosive coming off the ball.

5) MARIO IS A BEAST!!! He looks to be picking up where he left off last season..that's a scary thought.

Lawrence Taylor-ish from the end position

Negatives:

1) Ahman Green injured on his 1st touch of the game. This takes away pretty much any tiny bit of confidence I had left in him playing a full NFL season.

release him, & let Rick Smith work the waiver wire, they're are going to be alot of RB's hitting the open market with teams 53 man roster cuts, practice squads were a team might think they can hide a player would be an excellent starting point.

2) Our interior OL/DL was beaten most of the game. The holes we weren't opening seemed to be opening for the Broncos. Aside from a few key times when we could stuff them.

can't understand this other than our stength in these positions comes from our starters, that the Texans still lack quality depth in this area so they are running them out there to see what they've got in back-ups.

3) Chris Taylor didn't look like the training camp beast some of the members here have built him up to being. He looked subpar to be honest. Darius Walker looked average and Slaton looked the best for no reason other than he showed flashes of his elite burst through the hole at times. Our running backs were one of the weakest units tonight.

see above; Gibbs will earn his money here.

4) Jacoby Jones needs to learn that ball security is of the utmost importance even when the games dont count. That fumble should've never happened because the play should've been over like a minute before it happened lol.

not a good game for sure but in Jacoby's case a wake-up call, he'll improve greatly from here on. one of the negatives in a playmaker is the risk-reward mind set of taking something & trying to make a big play out of nothing.

5) It seems our outside linebackers still have trouble stopping the screen pass. We're gonna need to work on this before Pittsburgh eats us up with it on opening day.

once again mostly back-ups by an large the Texans speed intermediate zone has improved greatly. really like Dominique Barber's play I would not leave him exposed on the practice squad, even if that means saying goodby to Earl or Harrison.

 

[prostock101]

The fact that we didn't run the full ZBS against Denver pisses me off.

#1) It basically admits that Kubiak and Shanahan agreed not to use cut blocks in order to avoid injuries. This totally corroborates how cheap cut blocks are, and how risky they are to Dl. I don't have a problem with playing within the rules, but by avoiding using cut blocks on Denver DL and against our own guys during practice, we are just asking for other teams to call foul against us.

#2) We waste one of only 3 real opportunities for our OL to practice cut blocking before it counts for real. We only have 4 preseason games, and starters usually don't play the last game. So we have 3 games, and if we don't cut block in the first, that leaves us only 2 real games to practice. If this is the scheme we are running as our main run scheme, I'd like to know that the guys have actually done it before in a game time situation.

I just rewatched a good portion of the first half and I saw them cut blocking on numerous running plays. The problem was they were not very good at it. Most of the plays I saw, the DL they were attempting to cut was way past them and they just threw themselves at his legs. Too little too late.

 

[Specnatz]

The fact that we didn't run the full ZBS against Denver pisses me off.

#1) It basically admits that Kubiak and Shanahan agreed not to use cut blocks in order to avoid injuries. This totally corroborates how cheap cut blocks are, and how risky they are to Dl. I don't have a problem with playing within the rules, but by avoiding using cut blocks on Denver DL and against our own guys during practice, we are just asking for other teams to call foul against us.

#2) We waste one of only 3 real opportunities for our OL to practice cut blocking before it counts for real. We only have 4 preseason games, and starters usually don't play the last game. So we have 3 games, and if we don't cut block in the first, that leaves us only 2 real games to practice. If this is the scheme we are running as our main run scheme, I'd like to know that the guys have actually done it before in a game time situation.

It is very common for teams that have a history or a linkage like Houston and Denver to have agreements like this, and it is why they play in week one versus any other week. With starters only working a series or two, it is not like they are going to get this huge work load in this game. Starters play as much in game four as they do in game one.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Negatives:



release him, & let Rick Smith work the waiver wire, they're are going to be alot of RB's hitting the open market with teams 53 man roster cuts, practice squads were a team might think they can hide a player would be an excellent starting point.

The problem with this tact is that whatever player we may pick up is not going to ready for prime time for at least several games into the season..............that's IF that RB even ultimately "works out."

 

[beerlover]

The problem with this tact is that whatever player we may pick up is not going to ready for prime time for at least several games into the season..............that's IF that RB even ultimately "works out."

whats the difference, I've heard Ahman might have to miss the rest of pre-season to rest his groin, of course your the expert on these physical injurys maybe you can shed some light on Greens proclivity to seek medical habitual rest, I sure as hell don't

 

[rockabilly]

Positives:

1. Our defensive line is going to be stout. Nevermind after that first series...preseason game 1 means scale back after one go at it. The key is no injuries in preseason.

2. We are set at WR. Our depth, hands and speed is impressive.

3. We are set at QB. Schaub is consistent, Sage is only a minor drop off from Schaub, and if we keep 3 Boyd has a great arm and legs.


Negatives:

1. Our running game concerns me.

2. Red Zone offense concerns me.

3. Jacoby Jones still makes mistakes trying to make plays

Overalls:
QB: We have a great group.

RB: Darius Walker needs to stay on this football team. He was the only back who consistenly got positive yardage and looks the most confident in what he is doing. Ahman Green is a failed project - I smell "collecting a paycheck" here. Slatons speed is going to be great if he would use it correctly for NFL. Taylor didnt make me feel either way on him.

WR: Davis was a great pickup, Anderson has more cajones than he knows what to do with, Jacoby is learning how to be a WR and his speed is gonna get him some big plays.

TE: Owen Daniels is one of the best TE's in the league. He runs great routes, catces the ball consistenely and takes the hits.

OL: Pass defense was positive looking. Duane Brown was pretty consistent at LT for being a rookie - his practice with Mario is going to make him improve alot faster than other rookies. Run defense is a concern. I do feel though that because this is preseason, we held back on our scheme - which is what you want to save for the 3rd preseason game as a test run for the season.

DL: This group is going to create trouble for QB's this year. In my opinion, that first outing you saw is going to be more of what you see in the regular season. Mario Williams is looking scary - possibly could up the level of being a DE in this league..it looks almost unfair. Colvin is going to help us alot. I like what I saw from him.

LB: I think this group is going to be stout as well. Don't judge them on preaseason.

CB: Not so sure about how I feel here. I feel like our 1st string is a 2nd string. I do think though that Reeves is going to be alot better than people think...i don't think he was in the right system in Dallas.

S: We have some hard hitters back there...which is what you want. I am not concerned back here.

KR: Davis is going to make plays. Slaton has the speed, but he is having trouble with the vision.

PR: Jacoby Jones has the talent to be Hesterish. Problem: He makes mistakes by trying to make a big play. Fumbling because you left the ball behind you when gaining speed is a problem. Take what you can get, and take more if its there.

P/K: Kris Brown is still great - no need to talk here. Turk made a great effort on the fake - thumbs up.

Texans vs Our Division based on our Preseason game 1 and theirs:

Colts: They are indeed the same old Colts....if they have Peyton Manning. If we can get lucky enough to have Peyton miss the first season game against us, we can get a decisive victory on the Colts. They don't looked improved to me. They will be the same or less good.

Jags: This team is the real freakin' deal. I think this is the year the Jags overthrow the Colts at the top of the division. We will not be able to run on JAX. Our passing game is going to have to win us the game - luckily it is our strongest area.

Titans: Vince Young still can't pass. If we can keep him from running around on us and keep Rob Bironas from field goal range, we could beat them this year. They are REALLY strong on DL...they are going to give us major headaches with pressure and run defense. Lendale White for some reason gets yardage.

 

[Lucky]

I do not know where you are getting that lazy/disinterested thing. At all. Personally, I believe if you are going to say such things, you should give illustrations other than a generalized stereotype.

He almost got the quarterback a couple of times, and was in on a tackle for a loss. There were a few plays where he ran laterally across the field to help with a tackle and literally was the only big body in the vicinity. He looked surprisingly quick, I thought, for someone of his size. He may also have had a tip on one play, but I couldn't tell for sure.

I would agree with this analysis. Okam looked active, with a good push up the middle on the pass rush. He doesn't have the speed of Travis Johnson, but he does hustle on the outside runs.

I saw him stand up straight, engage his arms with the guard and/or center and waltz horizontally with him...

That was a knock on Okam coming into the draft, and it reared it's head again last night. When he keeps his pad level low, like on the play he blew up in the backfield, Okam is tough to deal with. Okam gave Jethro Franklin plenty of tape to both praise and critique.

Some quick thoughts on the other rookies:

Brown - I like his ability to stay in front of pass blockers. I didn't see the Broncos run a lot of stunts or blitzes on his side, and that is my biggest concern. The running game was never in sync, and that may have been attributable to Denver reading the keys so well. They see the same attack in camp everyday. Too soon to pass judgment, IMO.

Molden - Did he play? Didn't notice him.

Slaton - Had a couple of nice reads. Shows a burst the other Texans backs lack. I would have liked to see Slaton work with the starters some, at least on 3rd down.

Adibi - Looks fast on a defensive unit that seemed sluggish. When he's more comfortable with his reads, I can see the X-man contributing in the nickel as a rookie.

Barber - I was disappointed in the play of the Texans safeties, in general. I don't expect a rookie like Barber to see the play develop and react quickly. I'll give him a pass. Barber hustles and looks to hit.

Brink - DNP-Coaches Decision. Looks slight for a NFL QB.

Moffitt - A try hard kind of guy who doesn't look like a NFL athlete when in space.

Nading - Another hustle guy who might be worth a practice squad spot.

Long - Didn't notice much.

Overall, it was a sloppy game. The Broncos were just sloppier than the Texans. I expect a better performance next week, in New Orleans.

 

[nunusguy]

Nobody gonna give it up for Zac Diles ? I thought he had the most impressive
performance of any Texans defensive player. Him and Anderson were the stars of the game. Not counting kickers.

 

[m5kwatts]

Positives - THE ROOKIES for the most part especially duane brown adibi slaton and okam. brown didn't screw anything up which is about all you can ask from a rookie playing left tackle for his first ever NFL snaps...slaton looked good after a rude welcome to the NFL on his first special teams play, i like his burst and i'm gonna go out on a limb and say he leads the Texans in rushing with barley under 1,000 yards.....okam looked the way he did his whole Longhorn career by getting in the backfield and stuffing runs on atleast 2 plays and demanded heavy blocking other times....adibi made some plays and looks like a solid fast backup linebacker with upside for the future...

Negatives - THE RUNNING GAME didn't have the immediate impact I assumed would take place. Taylor showed flashes of great running and flashes of awful running and overall Slaton was the best back despite being put in bad running situations where the run was obvious and we needed to juice clock. Walker was consistent as always but he is what he is. Slaton has the best future in this rushing offense.

 

[TEXANRED]

Aww you beat me to it. There were also some outside runs that Okam looked like he had no chance of reaching, but the big dude sprinted after them anyway. Poor fella I thought he was going to be gassed so quick, but he played really well.

On the near-interception by Roberson, Okam was the one that deflected the pass at the line of scrimmage. (It was a fricken sweet acrobatic move)

I have said it ever since we drafted Okam, he is the the missing piece to our defensive line.

There were quit a few plays last night that he shined brightly.

And on another note, did any one catch how well Reeves looked? First play Reeves jumps the route and breaks up the pass. IIRC the broke up another play and covered his guy pretty well. He didn't look like a scrub.

 

[aj.]

I think my favorite play of the game was the second play of Denver's second series when Mario blew up Clady on that run left.

 

[The Pencil Neck]

I have said it ever since we drafted Okam, he is the the missing piece to our defensive line.

There were quit a few plays last night that he shined brightly.

And on another note, did any one catch how well Reeves looked? First play Reeves jumps the route and breaks up the pass. IIRC the broke up another play and covered his guy pretty well. He didn't look like a scrub.

Before the draft, I said that we needed a big body in the middle of the d-line but after an interview that Jethro gave on 610, I didn't think we were going to get one. I was ecstatic when we got Okam.

I don't think Okam starts the season for us but I see him winning the NT spot by the middle of the season and I see him being a beast for us.

 

[Da_General]

One thing I haven't seen anybody mention yet was the big blindside hit that Sage took. Chris Taylor was oblivious to the outside rush and it went right behind him while he stood there doing nothing. Not good at all. Reminded me of watching Schaub get mauled last season.