Houston Texans

Could A QB Challenged Team Make The Playoffs?

June 30, 2015 by Micheal Savoie

As OTAs wrap up and teams gear up for training camp, a surprisingly high number of NFL teams are having a “quarterback conundrum”, either overtly or covertly. Let’s take a look at some of the teams that are still up in the air on choosing their starting field general.

The Cleveland Browns made headlines much more often than they cared to last season due to Johnny Football‘s on-field and off-field antics. The Brown’s wisely signed quarterback veteran Josh McCown. Manziel has seen marked improvement after rehab but according to NFL.com, McCown would “have to crumble during training camp to lose his grip over the starting gig”. I believe Manziel will see significant action this season and if he has a solid performance in training camp and shows a dedicated attitude, he could still be the Brown’s starter. Everyone love’s to see a comeback kid.

Next up, we look at the Buffalo Bills. New head coach Rex Ryan is playing it cool, but the Bills are in trouble. Last season was a disaster with E.J. Manuel, who had a 80.3% rating, threw for 838 yards with 5 TDs, 3 interceptions and a fumble. (stats obtained by espn.com) The Bills pulled Manuel and began using Kyle Orton as starting QB for the rest of the season, but Orton is gone now. So it’s a three way battle between Manuel, Matt Cassel and Tyrod Taylor. Ryan is taking his time with a decision, stating on 6/10/2015 that he will go into training camp to see the guys practice in full pads before making any decisions.

The New York Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey announced on 5/20/2015 that Geno Smith would return as the starting quarterback. However, since that announcement there has been an uptick in chatter about Ryan Fitzpatrick, the journeyman QB the Jets traded a draft pick to the Texans for. “Fitzy” has been seeing a lot of first team playing time in recent OTAs and Jets quarterbacks coach Kevin Patullo is impressed with his pocket presence.

With the Houston Texans trading Ryan Fitzpatrick, they have to decide between Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer, who they acquired from the Cleveland Browns. In a 5/14/2015 SB Nation poll, 82% of respondents voted for Mallett while 18% voted for Hoyer, so it is clear who the fans would like to see as starting QB. Head coach Bill O’Brien stated on 6/10/2015 that he will make the decision very soon because the entire team needs to know who the leader is going to be.

So there you have it. These are just four of the teams struggling with quarterback decisions. The NFL 2015-2016 season is certainly shaping up to be another wild ride! Do you think it is possible for a team without a clear leader at QB to make it to the playoffs? Lets hear what you think on our Fan Page or in the comments section below!

It’s A Hard Knock Life For Us — Texans

June 8, 2015 by Micheal Savoie

By: Miriah Perez

Hard Knocks is the first sports reality series on HBO that gives football fans a glimpse behind the scenes of an NFL team preparing for the upcoming season. The one hour, five episode series gives viewers an all-access look at what it’s like to be a professional football player during training camp, fans even get to listen to the coaches pep talks in the locker room.

As summer is approaching, viewers are anticipating the reveal of the next star team for the show’s 10th season. Hard Knocks has featured teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and The Cincinnati Bengals. In the last few months there have been rumors surrounding the possibility of three teams in the works for the series; the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and the Washington Redskins.

On Wednesday, May 27 the final verdict was revealed when Houston Texans Owner, Bob McNair, held a news conference to announce the team’s lead role. Last Season, the Houston Texans placed 2nd in the AFC South division with a 9 wins and 7 losses record. Not to mention 40 touchdowns through the entire season.

The Hard Knocks series is known to put the spotlight on the team’s rookies, but it’s clear by the 2015 trailer that JJ Watt will steal the show this season. Watt is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and it comes as no surprise that he is the highest paid defensive player in the NFL.

In the past, we’ve seen Hard Knocks featured teams improve their record following the sports reality series. There were also some teams whom didn’t have the same kind of luck. Tune in to HBO on Tuesday, August 11th, at 9:00 p.m. CDT to keep up with the Houston Texans.

Is Schaub The Question Or The Answer For Houston Texans?

October 2, 2013 by Micheal Savoie

Is Matt Schaub The Question Or The Answer For The Houston Texans? Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans – 28 November 2010 – Source: Wikipedia.org

The Houston Texans started the 2013 NFL Season with Super Bowl aspirations. Now, with a couple of close wins after mounting big 4th quarter comebacks, and two straight losses, including one game where they were in control, the Texans (2-2) might not even win their division, and would be out of the playoffs if the season ended today.

After years of being dominated by Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, the Texans finally took control of the AFC South and won the division title two straight years after Manning got injured, released and signed with the Denver Broncos. The Texans expected to be challenged for the division crown by the Indianapolis Colts (now led by Andrew Luck), but the Colt’s lack of depth and experience compared to the Texans did not make them a legitimate threat to the Texans. The Colts (3-1) now lead the division, while the Texans sit in third place with a long shot for playoff contention.

One of the reasons the Texans are losing is the play of quarterback Matt Schaub, who is having a really tough season. Schaub is actually a good quarterback, and he has the statistics to prove it. He has thrown for over 4,000 yards in three of the past four seasons, the only exception was the 2011 season when he was injured and only played in 10 games. Schaub already has 6 interceptions this season, which is tied with the total number he threw in 10 games in 2011.

The problem with Schaub is he doesn’t handle pressure well, most of the time when the game is on the line, you can almost count on Schaub making a play that would either cost the Texans the game, or give their opponents a chance to win the game. This season, Schaub has the dubious distinction of being the only NFL quarterback that has thrown an interception that was returned for a touchdown by the opposing team in three straight games.

The interception Schaub threw against the Tennessee Titans (3-1) almost cost the Texans the game, the Texans were trailing by one point when Schaub threw an interception to Alterraun Verner, who returned it for a touchdown and an eight point Tennessee lead. Although the team was able to overcome that, they were not as fortunate against the Baltimore Ravens (2-2), a three point lead for the Texans turned into a blowout after Daryl Smith intercepted a pass from Schaub and ran it in for a touchdown, which rallied the Ravens who were stagnant offensively up to that point.

These fans think Matt Schaub is not the answer.

The final straw came against the Seattle Seahawks (4-0)! This was a game that was supposed to be a measuring stick for the Texans to show they belong with the other Super Bowl favorites in the league. Again the Texans outplayed the Seahawks for the first half, but were unable to score points in neither the second half nor in overtime. They still had a chance to win the game with three minutes left but Schaub threw an ill advised pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown when he should have just taken a sack.

If the Texans are serious about contending for a championship they will have to address their quarterback situation, if Matt Schaub can’t be trusted to take care of the ball in critical situations, the Texans will be better served having somebody else under center.