[UPDATE] I have a taker for the last spot – but I need this to go fast so if the first responder (Chris S.) doesn’t accept my invite by the end of the day (the invite has been sent), I’ll go to the next person who replied – Mr. X, and so on.

First one to respond in the comments section, you’re in.

Two guys who wanted in (JimboTexan and Boomer Collins) never accepted their invites. I filled one of those spaces already, but one is left. Just remember – only opt in if you are sure you can manage your team every week. I don’t want anyone who’s going to just give up and stop managing halfway into the season, or when things go south.

We can also use the comments below to begin discussing a draft date. Right now, the draft is set for Tuesday, September 7 at 7PM.

I’m open to changing it, but it’s going to be majority rule. So far I’ve gotten three or four votes of “that’s fine with me” and one of “I don’t like it.” Let’s hold off on discussing rule changes at this point. Once the league is full and we have a date, I’ll start a whole new entry for us to discuss scoring changes.

Wow, was that ever ugly. Of course, just as we can’t overreact to success against the Cardinals, we can’t start jumping off of buildings after getting beaten to death by the Saints. Uh… right?

The defense was completely and throughly dominated
The pass rush was completely non-existent, and the run defense was beyond embarrassing. Nothing – NOTHING – in the NFL illustrates how bad your run defense is more than giving up huge chunks of yardage inside the tackles to Reggie Bush. Bush looked like Larry Csonka and John Riggins on the inside. Of course, to be confused with physical runners such as those, I guess he would have had to make contact with defenders. Sadly, the guy was barely touched… while running inside – which is only half as shocking as it is alarming. Kim Kardashian in pads could have done just as much damage to the Texans defense as her ex-boyfriend did last night.

The defensive line looked tired, confused, and I hate to say it – lazy. It seemed they were guessing wrong all night. They overpursued more than I think I’ve ever seen them overpursue. They missed tackles on almost every play, and it seemed like even when they did get the initial tackle, that they still got dragged an extra 2-4 yards. It was just an overall tail-kicking in performance, demeanor, preparation, and execution. The Saints looked every bit like the Super Bowl champion they are, and the Texans looked like they had a nice little vacation in New Orleans.

As if all of that wasn’t enough of an embarrassment…
The Texans kept their first-team defense on the field – and got shredded even WORSE by a combination of Saints first and second-teamers, led by what we were told was Chase Daniel, but MUST have actually been Drew Brees wearing his backup’s uniform. Remember the JaMarcus Montana fiasco? It was that… but thankfully, it didn’t count.

Steve Slaton… ugh
Yes, he had one very exciting, explosive kickoff return, but as a running back he looked every bit as bad as he did last year, as did the offensive linemen in front of him. When the bright side is “at least he didn’t fumble,” you know things just aren’t right. Slaton had 19 yards rushing on five carries… his longest run? 16 yards. He had one good carry, a bunch of bad ones, and wow was it ever a mess in front of him. Still, he looked a bit hesitant and indecisive, but what is he supposed to do when there are blue jerseys tumbling backward towards him?

Arian Foster took his turn at fumbling
Foster looked decent out there, but I’m not seeing the types of things out of him OR the line in front of him that look like we are in for any sort of significant improvement in the running game. Sure, it will be better, but it still looks like a struggle on almost every carry. Foster had a bad fumble last night, but at least it wasn’t the same kind of inexplicable fumble that Slaton has sadly made a part of his regular répertoire. Foster was just trying to make a play, and raised his football-carrying arm up to try and get around a defender. Bad idea, worse result – but that’s not something I’m concerned about him doing regularly. Foster is still the clear number one running back, but that’s more about how the rest of the position is not-so-good than it is about how good he is. Even with his preseason/camp struggles, I still think Ben Tate would have eventually overtaken Foster as the starter sometime in the second half of the season. He just has more natural talent. Anyway. Spilled milk.

Scary moment when Andre Johnson goes down
I have no idea why Andre was even still in the game at that point, but when Tracy Porter went low and took his knees out, I’m sure we all had the same reaction. You were also gasping, clutching at your chest, kicking your pets, and reaching for the lighter fluid, right? Andre continued playing, but the sight of him getting up slowly is about as much excitement as I want in the preseason. No more, please.

There’s, so, SO much more to complain about after that debacle, but it is, after all, just a preseason game. I expected the Texans to struggle against New Orleans, but I had no idea we were in for such a complete beating. I know they are the Super Bowl champs and all, but the gap between the two teams was enormous. I’m sure coach Kubiak isn’t going to be the most loved guy by his players this week in practice, and yeah – they deserve it. Unfortunately it looks like it wasn’t just a matter of getting outplayed, but more that the team was SEVERELY outcoached, especially when it came to the Saints offense versus the Texans defense. Frank Bush did not have his guys ready to do anything, and it showed.

Worse, the Texans were so completely dominated in the time of possession game (40:00 to 20:00) that they didn’t even get good looks at the guys playing on offense. That’s just adding insult to injury right there. We know preseason doesn’t matter for wins and losses, but what IS important about preseason is talent evaluation. The Texans were so bad, they barely got a chance to accomplish even that.

First, check out ESPN’s AFC South Blogger Paul Kuharsky’s Camp Confidential report on the Texans. Kuharsky continues to be FAR and away the best national writer when it comes to knowledge of the Texans. He’s up on way more than just the broad strokes.

After multiple viewings of the Texans’ first preseason game against the Cardinals, two things are clear – 1) Houston’s starters looked composed, ready to play, and dominant. 2) Arizona’s starters were composed and ready to be dominated.

Tonight, the Texans take on the Super Bowl champion Saints, who are better in all facets of the game than the Cardinals. Their defense is more aggressive (and proved their playmaking abilities all last year) and obviously their offense is one of the best if not the best in the NFL. I don’t expect to see the Texans dominate they way they did last week, but it would be very encouraging to see them stop the New Orleans defense at least a couple of times while all the starters are on the field.

Gary Kubiak continues offensive line tinkering
The Texans tried to address the obvious interior offensive line issues in the offseason, but it boiled down to one move (signing veteran Wade Smith) and having open competition between the rest (originally having Smith, Mike Brisiel, Chris Myers, Antoine Caldwell, and Kasey Studdard fight it out for three positions).

Kubiak has since stated that Myers is now locked in at center (so there’s no upgrade there). He’s also insisted that competition remains open for the remaining two guard spots, but Kubiak’s division of the playing time indicates that Caldwell is all but a lock to keep the right guard position. So, again – no upgrade at right guard, but Caldwell is a young, improving player and it’s no stretch to think that he could develop into a very solid player. It might be a stretch, but because of his youth and pedigree, there’s a good chance the Caldwell of 2010 will be an upgrade over the 2009 version.

Tonight, the Texans will have Wade Smith starting at left guard ahead of incumbent starter Kasey Studdard. Who knows if it was always the plan to get a look at Smith as a starter in the preseason, but Studdard certainly didn’t help his case last week against the Cardinals. The guy is just flat out not a very good run-blocker. You could see it on the field, but if you’re not apt to look at such specific things during a game, check out Rivers’ assessment of Studdard (and the rest of the team) in his ongoing tape study series. This is just one “incident” with Studdard, but for him, bad run-blocking has been a pattern.

Will the run game continue to build momentum?
Offensively, I’m still not sure what to expect from the Texans’ running game. The numbers looked great last week, but the bulk of Arian Foster’s yards came on one carry. Of course, that’s not to discount the one long run he made. It’s got to be getting close to put up or shut up time for Steve Slaton. The Texans can NOT afford to continue to give him “all the time he needs” to fix this horrendous fumbling problem. By the way, if you missed it – check out the newest Texans fanblog, Texans Bull Blog for an interesting look at Slaton from the Cardinals game.

I noticed during the broadcast that Slaton was clenching and unclenching his hand, and briefly wondered if he had re-injured his neck, but since he continued in the game and had some decent runs, I thought nothing of it. It’s obviously not an “open and shut” case they present, but it definitely makes you think about it – which is all they were trying to do I think. The guys at Bull Blog are killing it, by the way.

After Slaton, another guy who needs to put it together fast is Chris Henry. All he did last week was reinforce what everyone has ever said about him – that he looks like an All-Pro in practice but can never put that talent on display during a game. Jeremiah Johnson severely outplayed Henry last week, and if Slaton’s issues continue, Johnson might be on the fast-track to the number two spot on the running back depth chart.

How will Kareem Jackson compete against a top passing attack?
Jackson has been up and down in training camp, but for a guy who was a big-time player at a big-time program, I’d like to see him in live action before letting his camp struggles worry me. Obviously, he was getting beaten up and down the field by Andre Johnson everyday in practice – but he struggled against other receivers too. In my time out at practice, he didn’t always have the best body language, but I don’t want to overreact to that. Recent reports have suggested that he’s improved in practice, and is starting to look more like the starter the Texans are hoping he becomes. Still – you have to expect that he will struggle tonight against the Saints potent attack.

Speaking of the secondary, I noticed last week that even down a player (Jackson missed the game due to a death in the family) the Texans had Antwaun Molden as the nickel corner (ahead of Jacques Reeves on the depth chart). Molden will be another one to monitor tonight. I want to see if he’s once again on the field ahead of Reeves, and of course I want to see how he holds his own against that offense.

We still have a few weeks until these games officially count, but it’s been a blast reading up on the Texans Blogosphere’s analysis, predictions, roster discussions, etc. Next week, we have our annual “date” with the Cowboys. It’s fun to beat on that group no matter what the stakes are. Check back after the game for analysis and reaction.

[EDITOR'S NOTE] Kyle is back to drop his 2010 season preview on the universe. If you thought Kyle’s crack habit was bad leading up to the draft – wait until you read THIS. This guy is tweaking HARD. I’m kind of afraid for his life. Kyle – you have family that love you. It’s okay to admit you need help. Take it away:

The World’s best 2010 NFL Season Projector IN THE WORLD!!!

Every year, football experts put together predictions for the upcoming season, and, as any fan of TMQ knows, they always get them totally wrong. Why?

1. They pick the same teams every year, ignoring the parity that makes the NFL great.
2. They ignore football curses, even those that have been proven nearly 100% true.
3. They fail to use fantasy football as a research tactic.

By taking a superstitious approach to my projections, I provide a much different projection than what you will find elsewhere on the internet. Does that make mine right? I guess we’ll see.

AFC East
Buffalo’s out because they are just a terrible team. They are one of four teams that I predict will compete for the #1 overall pick in 2011.

As for the rest? They are all in the mix for the title, even though most people have discarded Miami as a threat. Not so fast. New York is about to get hit with THE HARD KNOCKS CURSE! The first two teams to appear on the HBO show failed to make the playoffs, and the third team, Cincinnati, has their own way of suffering through curses. Now, all the HKC does is escalate problems that go from little things to paralyzing afflictions. The two hot topics on the show are Mark Sanchez feeling the pressure, and Rex Ryan turning the Revis Island holdout into a gigantic media circus. When your best player and starting QB have issues, your team is in trouble.

New England is in the hunt, but they are getting old and, frankly, have been coasting off their Super Bowl wins and 18-1 season ever since the Matt Cassell phenomenon. This leaves Miami. Walterfootball.com did a piece on the effect of new receivers for their QB’s. In short, new receivers lead to a breakout season for the QB, and, if Henne has a borderline-Pro Bowl year, and Karlos Dansby plays up to his new contract, this is the team that will take the East.
WINNER – Miami

AFC North
Baltimore is the frontrunner in my book for Home Field, and will probably have the luxury of resting their starters, which is good, since the frailty of a large chunk of their core (Ray Lewis, Anquan Boldin, Ed Reed, Lardarius Webb, Derrick Mason, and Todd Heap are all important players who are either old or injury-prone).

Why will they lock up the North so fast? Because Cleveland is transitioning from a terrible season, Cincinnati is about to implode upon itself due to the large number of radioactive personalities on the team, and the Steelers had their season ruined by Big Ben and Santonio before it even began.
WINNER – Baltimore

AFC South
WINNER – Houston

Now that I have your attention, here’s why. Though our running game will still not break into the Top 20 in the NFL, it is passable, and there is no better QB-WR tandem in the NFL than Schaub and AJ. (For those who said Peyton and Reggie Wayne, head back to the end of the line). The defense is chock full of young leaders, at least one of which should step up and have a monster game each week.

The real reason Houston has not made the playoffs? Divisional strength. Didn’t they just go 9-7 with a 1-5 divisional record? Imagine if they went 4-2 in division?

Jacksonville is team #2 in my predicted fight for the #1 pick. (2-0) Tennessee will suffer from the Fantasy Football Phenomenon of “The RB with Too Many Carries Last Year”. Stats prove that after as many carries as CJ had last season, he’s due for a drop-off. If this team went 8-8 with a 2000-yard rusher, how do you think they’ll do when he only rushes for 1200? (3-1)

As for Indy…SUPER LOSER CURSE!!! Since 2000, The team that lost the Super Bowl almost always fails to accumulate a winning record and make the postseason the next year. Considering that, of the 3 exceptions, 2 only made it because they played in the NFC West, I’d say this is as good a reason as any to sell high on the Colts (4-2).

There you have it. The Texans can easily go 6-4 or 7-3 outside of the South, and are likely to go 4-2 in division. That smells like a winner to me. Now, since it bears repeating…
WINNER – Houston

AFC West
This is where it gets interesting. First of all, KC is team #3. Second of all, Denver WILL NOT succeed after losing Mike Nolan and Elvis Dumervil, their defensive mastermind and pass rush stud, respectively. So San Diego has a cakewalk right?

WRONG! Oakland will win this division. The only thing that has held back this perennially underrated team is the mad-hattery of Al Davis. If the draft is any indication, Al Davis is no longer in control of this franchise. Rolando McClain now looks like a beautiful decision since they secretly transitioned to the 3-4, and this team has replaced three daggers in their heart (Russel, McFadden, Heyward-Bey) in the starting lineup with three talented players (Campbell, Bush, Louis Murphy), they kept their two best defensive players (Seymour and Asomugha), and let’s not forget that they have arguably the best special teams in the NFL. San Diego always starts slow and tries to finish strong, banking on a Denver choke job, but Oakland won’t choke.
WINNER – Oakland

Playoff standings: #1 BAL, #2 MIA, #3 HOU, #4 OAK

Wildcard #5 – Cleveland
WHAT?!? Didn’t I just say the team was in transition? Well, that’s why they won’t come close to the 12-4ish Ravens. However, Jake Delhomme has looked sharp early in the preseason, the team has a GREAT offensive line and solid weapons, and their defense could be a lot worse.

Keep this in mind: The #1 rule that experts forget is the NFL Turnover Rate. Each year, about 6 teams make the playoffs that sat out the year before. IF you want any chance of predicting the future, you NEED to be willing to accept that a couple of teams will come OUT OF NOWHERE and make the playoffs.

Wildcard #6 – New England
With the Jets and Colts cursed, it was either the Patriots or the Chargers, and the Patriots have more talent.

Playoffs – New England @ Houston
Houston will be fired up for their first home playoff game ever, and the PAtriots will cash it in like they’ve been doing.
WINNER – Houston

Cleveland @ Oakland
The Black Hole is a tough place to play, but Cleveland has something Oakland doesn’t have: a playoff-experienced QB and UNBRIDLED RAGE!!! The town of Cleveland has been dumped on especially since LeBron left. This season, the Browns will turn this into Cleveland vs. the World and, like Michael Cera in Youth in Revolt, they will find an awkward way to turn rebellion into victory.
WINNER – Cleveland

Cleveland @ Baltimore
Three things:
1. Divisional match-ups in the playoffs are prone to upset because the visiting team isn’t intimidated by the home crowd and they REALLY know their opponent.
2. Teams that rest starters and have bye weeks have statistically struggled in their first playoff game.
3. Remember how I made a long list of important Ravens who are likely to be injured? You don’t think they’ll ALL be here in this game, do you?
WINNER – Cleveland

Houston @ Miami
To my knowledge, every time these teams play, Houston wins by single digits. As you can tell, I don’t argue with past history in football.
WINNER – Houston

Cleveland @ Houston
The nation will want Cleveland to win as a huge underdog story, but in this case, Houston is the better team by too much of a distance to overcome with passion and rage.
WINNER AND AFC REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SUPER BOWL – Houston

NFC East
With the Big Game headed to Cowboy Town, Dallas has all the pressure to succeed. Fortunately, they are one of the most talent-rich teams in the league, and, though this is the toughest division in the NFL, Dallas should be able to get to the playoffs on top. Getting there has never really been the problem.
WINNER – Dallas

NFC North
Chicago will stink, and Detroit will be significantly better, but this race is between Green Bay and the Minnesota Favres. Don’t buy the hype. This hurts to say, because I missed my fantasy draft and got stuck with Sidney Rice as my #1 WR, but Minnesota will not be special this year. They’ll be in play for the wildcard, but this is Green Bay’s year, at least in conference.
WINNER – Green Bay

NFC South
WINNER – Tampa Bay
No, I’m serious. Go Wikipedia the NFC South, and tell me I’m wrong. GO on. I’ll wait.

…

SEE?!? Every year since the realignment, the last place team from the year before made the playoffs, and, in all but one case, won the division outright.

As for New Orleans…MADDEN CURSE!!! Drew Brees will get hurt, and Mark Brunell will throw their season away.

NFC West
Arizona will stink this year. TRUST ME. This is good news for Houston fans who are tired of hearing that Larry Fitzgerald may be better than Andre Johnson, which is about as accurate as a blind archer.

St. Louis is team #4 competing for the top pick, and this is the 49ers year to crawl over the trash pile and take a 9-7 season to the playoffs.
“WINNER” – San Francisco

Playoff Standings – #1 Green Bay, #2 Dallas, #3 Tampa Bay, #4 San Francisco

Wildcard #5 – Atlanta

The Falcons have quietly amassed a VERY complete team that is MUCH better than the Wildcard spot that the Football Gods bestowed upon it.

Wildcard #6 – Washington

Philadelphia used to send a bunch of 8-8ish teams to the playoffs because Donovan McNabb gutted out a win or two on his own. Now, he is doing it AGAINST Philly.

PLAYOFFS – Washington @ Tampa Bay
Okay, okay. The NFC SOUTH “CURSE” only gets them to the playoffs. It won’t help them here.
WINNER – Washington

Atlanta @ San Francisco
I don’t think Alex Smith is going to be able to help the 49ers get far in the playoffs. David Carr on the other hand…
WINNER – Atlanta

Washington @ Green Bay
This game will be a close one, but I don’t trust the Redskins’s pack of aging running backs against Ryan Pickett and B.J. Raji, and I don’t trust their decent secondary against Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley.
WINNER – Green Bay

Atlanta @ Dallas
This is where Dallas’s completeness comes into play. The Falcons’ interior line will have no answer for Jay Ratliff, and the only hole on the Cowboys’s roster, left tackle Doug Free, will not face enough of a pass rush threat to stop Tony Romo from torching Dunta Robinson.

That said, don’t count out Matty Ice, and past history tells me that, even though the thought of a Super Bowl of Houston @ Dallas is too awesome for words, you DO NOT bet on the Cowboys to make it far in the playoffs while Wade PHillips and Tony Romo are playing.
WINNER – Atlanta

Atlanta @ Green Bay
This comes down to Greg Jennings vs. Dunta and Roddy White vs. Charles Woodson.
WINNER AND NFC REPRESENTATIVE TO THE SUPER BOWL – Green Bay

SUPER BOWL – Houston vs. Green Bay
This may feel like a home game just a few hours from H-town, but the Pack would bring their army of fans, so it wouldn’t be a noticeable majority.

As far as the game, the Houston offensive line struggles against the 3-4, and Charles Woodson should be able to keep AJ under 100 yards. I don’t think our defense will let us get blown out, but this one is not a game I think we can win. Sorry guys.

Green Bay 20, Houston 13 (Not as close as the scoreboard indicates)

So there you have it. After factoring in:

-Playoff Turnover Rate
-Madden Curse
-Super Loser Curse
-NFC South Turnaround
-Hard Knocks Curse
-Fantasy Football Rule of Too Many RB Carries
-Fantasy Football Rule of New Receivers
-Past History
-and, when all else failed, simple logic

This is what you get. You get a season where Houston turns their first ever playoff appearance into a Super Bowl run (after defeating CLEVELAND), and the Dallas Cowboys choking away the first-ever hometown Super Bowl.

MVP: Aaron Rodgers – Stats will be through the roof plus Home Field = MVP
OPoY: Andre Johnson – Will completely outshine all other “peers”
DPoY: Karlos Dansby – Huge stats and a huge part of Miami’s Divisional Conquest
ORoY: C.J. Spiller – With no pass game and two other backs hurt, Spiller will probably amass a TON of meaningless yardage.
DRoY: Rolando McClain – Entering a perfect situation, and will take advantage
Coach of the Year: Tom Cable – The Browns’ turnaround may be more exciting, but that was the GM not the coach. Plus, Oakland won their division.

Thanks for making it through the projections.

Tough break for Ben Tate
Gary Kubiak has now confirmed that rookie RB Ben Tate will miss the entire 2010 season with an ankle injury. It’s still not clear exactly what injury occurred, but it doesn’t matter. He’s done for the year. It’s a big blow to the player, and potentially a big blow to the team. I know Arian Foster has the starting RB spot locked up, but he’s had his own injury problems in the past, and, let’s face it – Tate is the most naturally-talented runner on the team, even if he hadn’t yet put it all together on the field. I do think that he would have had some kind of impact on the Texans in 2010, it probably just wasn’t going to happen until much later in the year.

After the first preseason game, the pecking order at running back is clear. Foster remains deeply entrenched as the starter, with Steve Slaton holding what I would hope is a tenuous grasp on the second spot. Jeremiah Johnson decisively separated himself from Chris Henry on Saturday night, so those two come in at three and four. The team will likely sign another back soon. Whether or not they go for a veteran like Ladell Betts or a younger guy remains to be seen.

Bulman also done for the year
Tim Bulman had been out for a short while with a significant shoulder injury, but I never saw any indication that it was severe enough to threaten his season. Clearly, it’s bad. Bulman was placed on injured reserve today as well, and the Texans signed free agent defensive end James Wyche, a seventh-round draft pick of the Jaguars in 2006. Wyche (6-5, 279) is 28 years old.

Schobel hangs it up… or so it seems
The Aaron Schobel-to-Houston saga appears to be over. John McClain reports that Schobel has decided to retire, and he doesn’t seem sure that he could fully commit to football anymore. We’ll see if Schobel bothers to file his retirement paperwork. I still think he’d be a good addition to the team at the right price, but if he’s being honest about how he’s not sure he wants to play, or not sure he can fully commit to football – that’s not the kind of guy you want on your team anyway, regardless of his skill.

Of course, there’s still the (slight) chance that Schobel is just biding his time, not wanting to go through training camp, but he sure does sound serious.

The Texans looked like they were ready to GO Saturday night in Arizona. Their play certainly backed it up. The Texans’ starters dominated the Cardinals for the short time they were on the field, and you have to be happy with a lot of what you saw.

The Texans hit the field on offense, and quickly raised the eyebrows of many of us who have been dying to see that running game get going again. Arian Foster busted a 21-yard run on his first carry, and an entire fan base remembered what it was like to have a legitimate running threat.

Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson clearly haven’t missed a beat, and connected on a 44-yard touchdown strike. It wasn’t even close. Johnson made a move on Justin Miller and it was over before it started.

The defense came out snarling, and looked scary-good. To say Mario Williams overwhelmed his defenders would be an understatement. He notched two sacks in two series and the starters got good pressure on the Cardinals, even just using the four defensive linemen. Williams caused some concern with his recent hip problems, but unless embarrassing your opponent causes further inflammation, it looks like Williams will be just fine. No word yet from Gary Kubiak if his hip flared up after some game contact.

The Cardinals aren’t going to be who they were the last couple of years. Matt Leinart is still unproven, still shaky, and Arizona lost key players to free agency on defense. They’re probably a 6-8 win team in 2010, so as preseason success goes, this is even less of an indicator. Of course, the Texans will go starter vs. starter with the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints next week, so we might get a better idea of where the first-teamers are against tougher competition.

The Texans’ red zone woes continued in the first game, and there are still legitimate concerns about the interior offensive line. The Texans still seem content to spread the offense out near the goal line, a clear indication that even they don’t feel like they match up inside. When they did run it up the gut, Steve Slaton fumbled yet again. That of course goes to show that Slaton still isn’t where he, we, or the team want him to be – but in a regular season situation, Slaton is not going to be the goal line back.

Houston continued with a few roster experiments, and the results were mixed. Speed-burner and kick return specialist Trindon Holliday had an awful game. His one decent kick return for 30 yards was grossly overshadowed by repeated mistakes fielding the ball, and awful decisions when the return was set up ahead of him.

Seventh-round choice Dorin Dickerson continued to impress, pulling in three catches for 38 yards. Rookie linebacker Darryl Sharpton might have been the most impressive draft pick of the night. He was all over the field, and finished with seven tackles and an interception. Earl Mitchell didn’t exactly wreak havoc on the field, but you could see him getting some good pressure, and at one point he unleashed a hellacious spin-move, blowing right by his defender, but wasn’t able to hold on to the quarterback and finish the sack. Still, you can definitely see the potential there. Kubiak said of Mitchell “Earl Mitchell inside, very good. A lot of good things going on.”

Another young player who stood out was second-year safety Troy Nolan. Nolan had two tackles, an interception, and dropped another interception. The Texans are very thin at safety, and Nolan looked like a guy who can make an impact this year. If nothing else, at this early stage in the preseason he seems to have a nose for the ball.

With second-round pick Ben Tate down and possibly out for the year with a severe ankle injury, the Texans need one of either Chris Henry or Jeremiah Johnson to step up. Henry continued to reinforce the “book” on his own career, looking lost at running back despite his success in practice. Johnson, however, looked like the sleeper a lot of us thought he might be. He was lightning quick to the hole, and looked like a guy who can help this team right now. If he can get the pass protection side of being a running back figured out, he’s going to be tough to keep off the field.

Arian Foster looked great as the starter, but let’s not forget that he got 21 of his 31 rushing yards on one carry. Foster, who had injury issues in college, looked like he was walking gingerly after a couple of plays Saturday night, and Steve Slaton continues to be a fat question mark after his goal line fumble. It’s not totally out of the question that Johnson’s role could very quickly expand for this team in 2010.

It’s hard to believe that the Texans won’t have a much shorter leash on Slaton and his fumbling issues in 2010. Last season, Slaton was given ample opportunity to correct the problem (injury or not) and now that he’s allegedly healthy, the Texans should have his role figured out by the end of preseason. If he continues to have fumbling problems, and his field vision remains questionable, they just need to be done with it and bump him down the depth chart. There’s no reason to drag it out, especially if Johnson continues to impress.

Neil Rackers had a chance at a game-tying field goal at the end of the game, but Kubiak opted to take one more shot at the end zone, rather than give his kicker a chance to jump ahead in one of the team’s most hotly-contested position battles. Kubiak did botch the situation, but had this been a regular season game – the coach obviously would have opted to kick the field goal. It is a bit of a head-scratcher that Kubiak had a chance to see Rackers kick in a “pressure” situation, but opted not to try. Sure, they wanted to avoid overtime. Sure, they wanted to see if they could get a score… but isn’t it more important at this point to see if Rackers is a real threat to win the kicking job? So what if John David Booty would have thrown a miracle TD pass to end the game. Would that help the team as much as figuring out this kicker problem?

The Texans will now hit New Orleans for a week of practice against the Saints, then preseason game number two on Saturday night. The defense will go from defending against Matt Leinert to defending against Drew Brees. The offense will have a much more aggressive, playmaking defense to deal with. It should be an interesting week of practice. I wonder if we’ll have DeMeco Ryans vs. Jeremy Shockey II?

So what if it doesn’t count. For football junkies, the preseason is a great time. We get to see the guys at the bottom of the depth chart fight for jobs, and we all come out and argue on their behalf. This is what being a fan blogger is all about. That, and Cheeto-stained fingers.

I had plans to do a quick podcast today, but something has come up and it’s not in the cards. Instead, you will get the tried and true “things to watch for” entry that every other blog and newspaper seem to go with. To use a favorite athlete phrase – it is what it is:

Can Earl Mitchell translate practice success to game day?
In the four open practices I attended, I lost count of how many times defensive line coach Bill Kollar shouted praise and encouragement at rookie DT Earl Mitchell. At the final open practice, where I was in the media area (and thus could hear a lot better since I wasn’t having awful music blasted at me in the fan area) Kollar was giving Mitchell props after almost every single snap. I can’t say I heard Kollar say anything to Amobi Okoye, except for one time when he told him he needed to get off the ball faster.

Ben Tate should probably think about impressing us tonight.
Anyone who went to the open practices knows that Gary Kubiak has been all over rookie RB Ben Tate. Kubiak has even said some negative things about Tate to the media (“needs to get his motor going at the start of practice, not 30 minutes in”), which almost never happens with the coach. I can tell you from seeing it myself that Tate has not had the best body language, a fact that other Texans observers, fans, and media members have confirmed on the radio, in print, and through Twitter. Tate’s head is swimming right now. I honestly don’t expect to be impressed too much tonight, but that’s not really a knock on him. The guy is going to be nervous and I will have much higher expectations for him in the second preseason game against New Orleans than I have for him tonight. Some guys come into the league and they’re ready to handle the big time. Some guys aren’t. I think Tate is going to need some time.

Dorin Dickerson is going to make it hard on the coaches come roster cut time.
For a guy who was drafted in the seventh round, Dorin Dickerson is having a hell of a camp. He did what the coaches asked him to do as far as shedding some weight to play the WR position, and every day I was at camp he did something impressive. He’s still got a ways to go when it comes to route-running and fighting for the ball, but the guy can flat out get open and get behind defensive backs. I’m excited to see what Dickerson can do against some unfamiliar defenders. DD is going to have to bowl the coaches over to make this team, and if he keeps on the trajectory he’s set for himself at practice, he could do just that.

Steve Slaton really wants his job back.
It’s hard not to root for a guy like Steve Slaton. I have been very skeptical of Slaton’s chances of returning to his rookie form, but when it comes to matters of the Texans, I’ve never wanted to be so wrong. The team has had a handful of full-pad, full-contact practices leading up to tonight’s preseason debut – but has Slaton taken that BIG shot to the head or neck that will give him confidence to know he’s 100% okay? I doubt it. Hopefully someone will lay a big shot on Steve tonight and he’ll come through it with no ill effects.

Hopefully the O-line issues will start to come into focus.
Antoine Caldwell seemed to have the RG position locked up, but Kubiak continues to stress that there’s still competition for all three interior spots. I’ll be interested to see if they trot Mike Brisiel out to the center spot as they’ve started to do in practice. I’m a little bit disturbed that none of the incumbent starters have put a stranglehold on their starting jobs to this point. Maybe it’s too early to say that and I should save it for after preseason game two against the Saints. It’s just that – if you’re returning as a starter, then Kubiak thinks you’re the guy for the job. If you’re not starting to at LEAST separate yourself from the “depth” a little bit after several practices, does that mean the starters aren’t much better than the backups, or does that mean the group as a whole just isn’t that talented in the first place? Again, probably too early to say. I’ll revisit this question in a couple of weeks.

The kicking competition? Meh.
I still think this whole kicking competition is a charade. There are no “pressure kicks” in preseason. The only pressure they have is to win the job, which is a lot – but it’s different than game-winning field goal pressure. I’d sure love for one guy to look much better than the other, rather than them both looking mediocre… and that’s all the words I care to write about kickers.

Enjoy some real football tonight, everyone. I’ve got a crazy schedule over the next 24 hours so I’ll be back on with thoughts on the game probably sometime tomorrow afternoon.

Confession time.

I was (am) very, very worried about Mario Williams’ hip/pelvic/groin injury. So much so, that I was stupidly afraid to write about it (I know, it’s sad). There wasn’t much need to “decipher Kubiakspeak” today. He was pretty straightforward:

“Mario’s picked up again this morning. He’s doing very good; we’ll rest up here the next 24 hours and he’ll play. He’ll play, like I said, 10 to 12 plays.”

That Kubiak is even considering playing Mario is a bit of a relief, but should it be, really? The fact that they don’t know what’s wrong with him is quite frightening – especially in that area of the body considering the position he plays. Obviously the inflammation has gone down or they wouldn’t play him Saturday (of course, they still may NOT play him).

I don’t know that year five of Mario’s career is a “pivotal year” for him, because what does that even mean? I do know that you have to at least have a little bit of concern knowing that Mario has had two healthy, productive years since he was drafted – and two not-so-healthy, not as productive years. When you start the year off with problems after the first camp practice, it’s worrisome. I know the guy will play through the pain – there is NO questioning Mario’s toughness… the question is, how much will we get from the guy if he isn’t at full strength?

Like many of you, I would take an 80% Mario Williams over most of the defensive ends in the league at 100%, but the Texans don’t have much in the way of a pass rush when Mario’s not able to FULLY do his thing. That’s of course one of my chief concerns going into 2010 (along with a myriad of other things). It’s tough to count on Connor Barwin to suddenly become a pass-rushing force, and as good as Earl Mitchell has looked – I wouldn’t expect him to make much of a significant impact on the pass rush as a rookie. If Mario isn’t able to play at or near full-strength this year and nobody else emerges as a pass-rush threat, then my head will quickly re-familiarize itself with every solid object within reach.

So, let’s all aim some positive vibes toward Mario’s hip, pelvic, and groin area. Yeah, that’s right. Do it. It’s for the sake of the team. It’s for the sake of our sanity. There’s nothing weird about it. If you see Mario around town, just shake his hand and say “hey, man – I’ve really been thinking about your hip, pelvic, and groin area,” and then just look down and give it a nod. He’ll know what you’re talking about. He’ll probably nod back at you.

You’ll thank me later.

Last night we started seeing news that former Colts DT/DE Raheem Brock will be visiting the Texans today. Someone on Twitter asked me how this made more sense than bringing in Aaron Schobel.

My answer was (and I was reaching, yes) that first, he’s waaay cheaper. That’s about the end of the “real” reasons. After that, well, he’s played in all 16 games plus playoffs in the last two years, and um, maybe he can give us some insight into the Colts? (Yes, the idea of signing a player from a team to gain info on that team might be THE most overrated, over-analyzed idea we see reported in the NFL.)

For me, this just goes to confirm what I’ve thought all along about the Texans and Aaron Schobel. Sure, he wants to be here. Sure, the Texans would probably like to have him – but he’s WAY too expensive for the team considering how he would fit in, and I’ve always maintained that Schobel really has no reason to give the Texans the fairly huge discount it would take to get him in a Houston uniform. Why? So what if it’s his hometown – he’s going to be 33 and this is his last contract.

Brock has only started at DE when injuries allowed, that’s what happens when you’re behind Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. He’s been an effective, unspectacular player with the Colts. At 32, he may not have much left in the tank – but he has been durable.

Texans also showing interest in DT Kendrick Clancy?
The Texans also are apparently in the running for veteran DT Kendrick Clancy. Clancy will be 32 next week, and has spent his last three seasons with the Saints. His primary function was to be a run-stopper, and in his younger days he was fairly decent at it. He’d be a solid piece of depth if he can stay healthy.

Clancy (6-1, 305) was a third round draft pick of the Steelers, and has also had stints with the Giants, Cardinals, and the aforementioned Saints. I found an article from last offseason where the Saints beat writer called Clancy “the most underrated player on the Saints roster.” More from the article:

“He has been one of the most durable members of the defensive line the last two years, and he has been a consistent run stuffer on a defense that doesn’t give up many big gains up the middle.”

If he can stay healthy, he does seem like a decent addition. I don’t know how the coaches are feeling about Shaun Cody these days, but I can’t imagine they are over the moon about him. Clancy would join a competitive position group if he came to Houston. Rookie DTs Earl Mitchell and Malcolm Sheppard are impressing in camp, and the incumbent starters Cody and Amobi Okoye figure to retain their starting jobs (for now). Frank Okam is widely thought to be near the end of his career with the Texans, but he’s still getting most of the second-team snaps in the practices I’ve attended. You’ve also got DelJuan Robinson in the mix, but he’s been so up and down in his time with the Texans that I honestly have no idea where he fits in right now.

I’ll keep watching the wires for updates.

Gary Kubiak isn’t one to let the media in on a lot of how he REALLY feels about certain things – especially when discussing players’ progress during training camp. That’s why the “Deciphering Kubiakspeak” feature has popped up on this blog here and there for a few years now. Let’s look at some recent Kubiak quotes and see what we can discern (quotes courtesy of HoustonTexans.com:

On Mario Williams: “I don’t know. I’m the wrong guy to ask. I just know he’s had inflammation on his hip and pelvic region. I knew there were big concerns…”

Translated: “I’m afraid this thing is far from over. We might be looking at another year where Mario never plays at full-strength. But he’s a good kid, and he will battle.”

On Ben Tate: “He’s up and down right now. He’s every bit the talent that we drafted. He’s learning to be a pro. He has to catch up because he missed a lot time because he missed OTAs. He needs to know to get his motor going when he leaves out of the locker room and not 30 minutes in to practice.”

Translated: “His body language is horrible, he’s hesitant, he’s at times looked like he wasn’t very excited to be a pro football player. He’s a DISTANT #3 on the depth chart, and the only reason he’s not #4-5 is because of his draft status, because both Chris Henry AND Jeremiah Johnson have looked better in camp.”

On Dan Orlovsky: “He’ll play at least two quarters.”

Translated: “He better play well for at least two quarters.”

On rookie guard Shelley Smith: “I really like him. I think he’s got a lot of athletic ability. He needs to learn to finish plays better, but he’s got all the skills you’re looking for in a player. We just got to get him to come on as quick as we can.”

Translated: “He’s going to the practice squad.”

On who will kick first between kickers Kris Brown Neil Rackers: “I’ll have to ask (special teams) coach Joe (Marciano). No, I would imagine (K) Kris (Brown) would go first.”

Translated: “Kris Brown will always get the benefit of the doubt and the only chance Rackers has to win the job is to beat Brown pretty handily.”

On RB Chris Henry: “Well, I just like the way he’s worked. He has a great opportunity on this team to get out there and play.”

Translated: “We liked Chris last year too. You might have heard all of this before. The only difference is that this time around we have him for preseason.”

On rookie DT Earl Mitchell: “Basically he’s going to play with the twos. Depending on what’s happening with our first group from a nickel standpoint and those types of things, he could end up being with the ones.”

Translated: “I have a new nickname for Amobi Okoye. It’s “nickel.”

On the cornerback group: “…I don’t think we’re not right there, as a team.”

Translated: Uh…. *Kubiakspeak Translator 5000 begins to smoke*