Is the Texans Defense the Worst in NFL History?
Perhaps I'm being a bit dramatic as I sit here a day after the brutal 31-15 bloodletting that occurred at Reliant Stadium yesterday, but I don't think so. 495 yards of total offense for the Redskins. Are you freaking kidding me? Mark Brunell goes 24-27 for 261 yards and 1 TD after completing TWENTY-TWO PASSES IN A ROW? Even Mark Brunell's mother didn't think he was capable of that. Indeed, the only negative yardage the Redskins incurred on offense all day was when Brunell took a knee to let the clock mercifully expire at the end of the game. Or so I've heard. I don't really know, as I was weeping with my head in my hands at that point.
I have to admit, I thought the Texans were going to win yesterday. I thought the 'Skins would struggle to score, and that Kubiak's offense would put enough points on the board to win. And how smug I felt after Carr & Co. marched right down the field on their first possession (after, I might add, a stout three-and-out from Richard Smith's charges)! Then, in the true spirit of Texans football, the wheels came completely off. Clearly, I gave the Texans' putrid defense too much credit.
I'm not going to talk about the offense in this post. It had some problems (see, e.g., center-QB exchange), but it doesn't have near the egg on its collective face as the defense does. To label the Texans' defense a horrible disgrace would be too kind. I have NEVER seen a team more consistently out of position or just flat-out destroyed like the Texans were yesterday. If I didn't know better, I'd swear the secondary mailed it in. Either that, or they are just that awful. It was the single most disastrous performance I've ever seen by a group of defensive backs, and I'm including the intramural games played in college when our secondary would show up drunk and/or high. With regard to the pass rush, if anyone thought the pressure on Peyton Manning was nonexistent a week ago, how would you describe yesterday's "effort?" I've puzzled over this since yesterday afternoon, and here's my take:
Texans versus Manning:2000 Baltimore Ravens Defense::Texans versus Brunell:A Pop Warner Team of Comatose Six Year Olds.
Watching Brunell complete screen pass after screen pass and shovel pass after shovel pass was enough to make me wonder if Richard Smith was even watching the game. Seriously, the Redskins dinked the Texans to death for four quarters. The only adjustment that was made throughout the game was to my tab at the bar. Like the Redskins' offensive statistics, it just kept increasing exponentially. And the run defense...well, let's just say you've got a lot of problems when Ladell Betts rolls up 124 yards on 16 carries WHILE Clinton Portis is simultaneously gashing you for 86 yards on 16 carries (oh, and let's not forget Portis' additional two catches for 78 yards). Sweet Mariah.
I'm not going to say the season is over. That would be silly. After all, we've only played three games, and all three of the Texans' opponents were considered playoff contenders at the beginning of the year. But am I feeling confident about my 8-8 prediction for the hometown team? No. No, I'm not. Am I feeling increasingly nauseous about the prospect of picking in the top three come April? Yes. Yes, I am.
I have to admit, I thought the Texans were going to win yesterday. I thought the 'Skins would struggle to score, and that Kubiak's offense would put enough points on the board to win. And how smug I felt after Carr & Co. marched right down the field on their first possession (after, I might add, a stout three-and-out from Richard Smith's charges)! Then, in the true spirit of Texans football, the wheels came completely off. Clearly, I gave the Texans' putrid defense too much credit.
I'm not going to talk about the offense in this post. It had some problems (see, e.g., center-QB exchange), but it doesn't have near the egg on its collective face as the defense does. To label the Texans' defense a horrible disgrace would be too kind. I have NEVER seen a team more consistently out of position or just flat-out destroyed like the Texans were yesterday. If I didn't know better, I'd swear the secondary mailed it in. Either that, or they are just that awful. It was the single most disastrous performance I've ever seen by a group of defensive backs, and I'm including the intramural games played in college when our secondary would show up drunk and/or high. With regard to the pass rush, if anyone thought the pressure on Peyton Manning was nonexistent a week ago, how would you describe yesterday's "effort?" I've puzzled over this since yesterday afternoon, and here's my take:
Texans versus Manning:2000 Baltimore Ravens Defense::Texans versus Brunell:A Pop Warner Team of Comatose Six Year Olds.
Watching Brunell complete screen pass after screen pass and shovel pass after shovel pass was enough to make me wonder if Richard Smith was even watching the game. Seriously, the Redskins dinked the Texans to death for four quarters. The only adjustment that was made throughout the game was to my tab at the bar. Like the Redskins' offensive statistics, it just kept increasing exponentially. And the run defense...well, let's just say you've got a lot of problems when Ladell Betts rolls up 124 yards on 16 carries WHILE Clinton Portis is simultaneously gashing you for 86 yards on 16 carries (oh, and let's not forget Portis' additional two catches for 78 yards). Sweet Mariah.
I'm not going to say the season is over. That would be silly. After all, we've only played three games, and all three of the Texans' opponents were considered playoff contenders at the beginning of the year. But am I feeling confident about my 8-8 prediction for the hometown team? No. No, I'm not. Am I feeling increasingly nauseous about the prospect of picking in the top three come April? Yes. Yes, I am.
posted by Anonymous | 6:29 PM
5 Comments:
Mark Brunell's mom...that's classic.
I'm confused - I thought that the Cover Two was impenetrable. Seems to be child's play for Mighty Mark Brunell.
Stunning to me that our DBs weren't pressing the receivers and that we didn't send an extra LB or DB in pass rush the entire game. It was like Richard Smith was napping under his desk.
From a big-picture perspective, no one outside of John Granato truly thought that the Texans would be any better than 1-2 at this point. The easier part of the schedule is certainly the back half, so all is not lost. The question is do you really want the Texans to win any extra games, or is getting another top-3 draft pick in the team's best interests?
Oh, and remind me to not watch a single preseason play next August. I never thought it mattered, anyway, but now that's beyond question.
I definitely want the Texans to win as many games as possible, regardless of how damaging it is to their draft hopes. This team has grown far too accustomed to losing. It's time to change the culture.
The Texans are on pace to give up over 7,700 yards this season!
The scary part here is that not only is there a serious lack of talent on the defensive side of the football, but coaching seems to be an even bigger problem. These guys arent even close to being in the right position to make a play. I know Im not an NFL caliber coach, but Mark Brunell Starts tearing up your defense, dont you think it may be time to make a few adjustments?
Why even discuss the Path-exans when the Stros are breathing down the Cardinals' necks? I doubt Detroit fans are talking about the Lions! Bring back Astros-talk!
Totally agreed, Andy. As disturbing as the big plays against the Texans defense have been, I'm far more concerned about the staff's apparent refusal to adjust to anything.
Excellent point, Mark. I've refrained from discussing the 'Stros purely out of fear of jinxing them, but screw it. Next post will be about Houston's only real winning franchise.
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