After re-watching the Texans victory over the Broncos, I’ve scribbled some notes down. I’m going to try to make a habit of doing a post a week like this, where I hit you with random thoughts from the second viewing in no particular order whatsoever.

Joe Mays’ hit on Matt Schaub was vicious, no doubt. I think some people are missing the point on this. He launched himself into Schaub with the crown of his helmet. That’s been a penalty for a while now. If ex-players and guys who think the game is being hurt by taking some of the inherent violence away are upset, they shouldn’t be mad at the call, they should be mad at the rule. It was clearly penalty-worthy. It was probably ejection worthy. If that bothers you, hate the RULE, not the call.

Oh, also – on the touchdown pass to Owen Daniels, Joe Mays quit on the play. He was trailing coverage by the other linebacker, and he slowed up. If Owen had been held up near the goal line, Mays could have been in a position to make a play – but it was all moot because Daniels scored – and Mays quit.

Connor Barwin once again not only didn’t register a sack, but didn’t really get near the quarterback very much. Am I concerned? Not at all. The defense has been dominant, and if you listened to Battle Red Radio, you can hear an interesting theory on Barwin’s supposed regression. Let’s not also forget that Barwin had only one sack through his first few games in 2011 as well. Oh, and also – THE DEFENSE IS DOMINANT!

I did see at least one instance where Barwin was headed for a sure sack (or throwaway by Manning) where he was blatantly held, and the refs missed it. That said, I also saw Joel Dreessen once block Barwin with ease in a one-on-one situation.

Interceptions dropped: Johnathan Joseph (2), Earl Mitchell, Brice McCain. Having Mitchell on the list may be a little harsh, as would the inclusion of Glover Quin, who had a good shot at a pick – but it would have been a nice leaping grab even for a WR. Seeing as he’s not a WR, I’m not going to expect him to make that play. It’s also noteworthy that one of Joseph’s drops would have likely been returned for a touchdown, as would McCain’s drop.

Andre Johnson had a couple of drops himself, but his effort to keep the Broncos safety from intercepting one of his drops was a nice recovery. Johnson allegedly told Schaub he was playing like crap and “wanted another chance,” which is kind of hilarious to me. He and Schaub of course hooked up for a 12-yard drive-extending play late in the fourth quarter to help clinch the win.

Gary Kubiak had one of his best games calling plays. He was aggressive from the start, and aggressive with a lead. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Kubiak started to force the run game to run clock (and because the Broncos were starting to struggle to contain Foster). To open the second half, Kubiak came out passing, recognizing how sharp Schaub was, and recognizing that the back half of the Broncos’ secondary was struggling.

Brian Cushing started the season a little bit slow, but he seems to be himself again. He’s never going to be a guy who can cover well, but against Denver he was supremely aggressive, he diagnosed plays quickly, shot through gaps to stop runners, and virtually took away the dump-offs to running backs by putting himself in good position to stop them.

The defense as a whole played a masterful game until Peyton got hot. They did a great job fighting through blocks on screen attempts, and played well sideline to sideline. I was wary of the Denver screen game coming in, but the Texans never once came close to allowing a big play to one of their screens. Impressive. It goes without saying that JJ Watt had yet another dominant game, and to me in the fourth quarter – it looked like the Broncos offense was having more issues with the thin air than the Houston defense. If not for Joel Dreessen’s fluke touchdown, we would be marveling at Houston’s short-yardage defense on that drive.

The Texans were on their way to closing this game out with the first drive of the fourth quarter. Arian Foster, as he often does, had begun to wear the defense down. The Texans did not run the ball at will in this game, but they were getting good chunks, interspersed with a stop by the Denver defense after a one or two yard gain. To start the fourth quarter, Foster was starting to feel it. He was reeling off runs with good chunks of yardage, and the Denver defense started to look gassed. Then Ben Tate came in, fumbled the ball, and the momentum shifted. Without that fumble, I really do feel like the Texans were on their way to putting an end to that game with one of those long, clock-chewing drives.

Derek Newton struggled in this game, but he also had some nice moments in the run blocking game. I don’t know what the stats in this game were for running right vs. left, but despite the rotations going on at both right-side offensive line positions, they seemed to run the ball better to that side.

My biggest takeaway from this game as it relates to Newton, is that on the final offensive possession of the game when the Texans had to get yards to move the chains and keep Peyton Manning off the field, Newton was on the sideline. Ryan Harris actually did pretty well in his stead. Kubiak all but confirmed that this was not a one-game deal. It sounds like going forward, the Texans will now have the right guard and right tackle positions rotating in and out for the foreseeable future. I did not focus on Ben Jones in this game, but I did see him out there plenty, and did not see him causing any disasters. I think there’s a pretty good chance that Jones will be starting full time soon as Antoine Caldwell continues to underwhelm.

That should close the book on the Broncos game. Now we look ahead to the Titans!

Yet again this week I joined host and friend of the site Rivers McCown for another rousing episode of Battle Red Radio. The new voice you hear is Brett Kollmann, who did an excellent job on his first -ever appearance. There’s some good X & O talk to kick things off, and Brett offers up an interesting theory as to what, if anything, is going on with Connor Barwin.

We also hit on the Broncos victory, the hits on Matt Schaub, and you KNOW I’m good for some juvenile name-calling when we are about to take on those gutter-slurping, inbred, barefoot, slack jawed, possum-grilling hillbillies from Nashville.

You can listen to the podcast here.

The Texans are now almost universally considered to be the best team in the NFL after a quality road win in Denver. Houston started slowly after a safety on their first offensive play of the game, but soon after jumped all over the Broncos on both sides of the ball.

Schaub, Kubiak excelled
Matt Schaub had one of his best games as a Texan. He was on point all game long, leading receivers with the deep ball, and distributing the ball effortlessly to eight different receivers. He kept getting hit, and he kept getting up. Schaub has never gotten enough credit for his toughness, but he showed it once again in this game. One game where Schaub suddenly is leading receivers with near-perfection doesn’t mean he’s going to be able to do that going forward, but on Sunday Schaub was simply ON.

Another knock on Schaub has always been “if you rattle him early, you get in his head and he doesn’t stay strong in the pocket.” That has always been exaggerated, but Schaub certainly was not rattled despite a couple of vicious hits. Were they dirty? I don’t know. In the heat of the game I thought a couple of them were, but the day after I’m just not sure. I’m going to have to watch the game again.

Gary Kubiak is a winning head coach in the NFL for the second time in his career (he was briefly over .500 after the division-clinching win in Cincinnati last year as was pointed out to me on Twitter). For his 50th win as Texans’ head coach, Kubiak called an absolute masterpiece of a game. He mixed the run with the pass artfully, and dialed up the play action bombs at the right moments.

Sure is nice having an elite defense
On the defensive side of the ball, the Texans simply dominated for most of the game until Peyton Manning did what Peyton Manning does. Every defensive coordinator wants to get a good push on the quarterback with just four men rushing, but that wasn’t working out especially well for the Texans. Wade Phillips dialed up some blitzes, and the Texans got better pressure. When that happened, the secondary stepped up yet again, despite some big yardage numbers from Manning.

Though the defense left some turnovers on the field in the form of dropped interceptions, the front seven just DOMINATED the Broncos for the most part. The Texans did a good job busting through and containing screens, played well sideline to sideline to limit big plays, and came up huge in some short yardage situations.

I called this game a heart-stopper in the headline, but a fluke touchdown catch by ex-Texan TE Joel Dreessen is the only thing that kept this from being a more convincing win. Those things happen in the NFL, though. You have to throw stats out the window sometimes, especially against a Hall of Fame quarterback on the road.

The return of big plays
The Texans haven’t made, and haven’t needed a lot of big plays on offense to this point in the season – but all of a sudden the big plays were coming from all over the place yesterday. Andre Johnson scored on a 60-yard touchdown pass. Kevin Walter pulled in a 52-yarder. Lestar Jean had a 46-yard catch and run. Garrett Graham had a 27-yard reception. Arian Foster and Keshawn Martin each had rushes just over 20 yards.

Player of the game – Offense – No doubt, it’s Matt Schaub. He had some great stats but throw those out the window. I give it to him for his toughness, his leadership, and his fearless ability to step up strong in the pocket despite some very spotty pass protection.

Player of the game – Defense – Who else could it be but JJ Watt? 2.5 sacks, seven tackles, four tackles for a loss. I’m sick and tired of the overuse of the word “beast” to describe players, which is no problem because the word “beast” isn’t nearly enough to describe Watt at this point. He’s a freaking JUGGERNAUT.

Play of the game – Texans have the ball and lead 31-25 with 2:49 left in the fourth quarter. It’s 3rd & 5 from the Houston 25 yard-line, and the Broncos are out of time outs. Another first down from the Texans doesn’t end the game, but it allows you to take snaps and time away from Peyton Manning. Schaub hits Andre Johnson from the shotgun on a 12-yard out route. Champ Bailey was a fingernail away from knocking it away, but the Texans converted. This ultimately allowed the Texans to run the clock from 2:49 left, to :20 left by the time the ball was back in Manning’s hands.

Looking ahead – and yes, the Titans are BAD
Houston is now the only undefeated team in the AFC, and matched only in the NFC by Arizona and Atlanta, who also sit at 3-0. The Texans’ big challenge now is to not get complacent, and keep from having an emotional letdown against the Titans. For some early flavor, the Titans are 31st in the NFL in total defense, 30th against the pass, and 29th against the run. That said – they’re a divisional opponent, and coming off a rousing (and fluky) win against Detroit in Dirty, Meth-Addicted Hillbilly Town.

In no UNIVERSE should the Texans lose this game, but it’s at least worth noting that the Titans have had a pretty tough schedule so far. But nothing tougher than Sunday. Reliant is going to be on FIRE.

We have much to discuss after one of the most satisfying (and terrifying) wins in Texans history. For now though, I am traveling for work. Enjoy basking in the after-fright, and check back all week for updates!

Though you won’t find a bigger fan of the Houston Texans than I am, it’s never been difficult for me to pick against them. However, since the “Wade Phillips” era began, I don’t feel that typical Houston pro football fan’s sense of constant dread.

I was all set to pick the Broncos to beat the Texans on Sunday. Then the Monday night game happened and Peyton Manning struggled mightily. This set off a series of irritating and somewhat contradictory feelings. Observe:

1. Peyton Manning’s throws looked as bad to me against the Falcons as they did in Denver’s win against Pittsburgh, yet somehow the outcome of each game was vastly different.
2. Despite the first quarter of that game, which had to be the worst quarter in Manning’s career, the Broncos still found themselves within one score of the Falcons – in Atlanta – against a very tough team on a Monday night.

The thing about Manning is, it’s very clear he doesn’t have the same zip on the ball – but he’s still the same guy mentally. If he keeps trying to fire the ball into tight spaces, we’re going to see his career evaporate (unless his arm strength is gradually returning.)

If he is able to recognize his level of limitation and match that with his accuracy in such a way that he manages the short and intermediate routes, he should still be pretty close to the same guy. That’s a more drastic adjustment than it probably sounds like, but if there’s a guy in the NFL that could do it, and do it on a quick turnaround, it’s Peyton Manning.

As far as Sunday’s game goes, the Texans have a few things to worry about on defense. First and foremost, as discussed on Battle Red Radio this week and on other Texans sites, Houston has to expect that Manning will be keying on Kareem Jackson. Expect a lot of quick outs, slants, and otherwise to Eric Decker or whoever Kareem covers.

Secondly, Bradie James is obviously a liability in coverage against running backs and tight ends, so we will see how Peyton takes advantage of those matchups when James is on the field. Of course, I don’t want to give too much credit to Manning and none to Wade Phillips, who is as much of a defensive mastermind as Peyton is a mastermind as a quarterback.

Wade may publicly say how well Bradie James is playing for Houston, but behind closed doors he knows how much of a disaster he has been so far. There just isn’t much the Texans can do at this point, given their lack of depth behind him.

On offense, the Texans’ biggest worry is of course Derek Newton and how he will hold up in pass protection against what should be a heavy dose of Von Miller. Miller is one of the most dynamic pass rushers in the game today, and his speed could be a big issue for Newton. I would expect Miller to be lined up against Newton all game long, perhaps with the occasional rotation with Elvis Dumervil from the other side. I fully expect Duane Brown to handle Elvis Dumervil. I can’t put it any clearer than that.

The Broncos are said to have a built-in advantage when they play at home due to the thin air. I have always held the belief that this is an overrated, overstated advantage. These are highly-conditioned professional athletes and I expect them to be able to handle it. However, I have heard a few former defensive players say this week that it is actually quite a factor. I suppose I have to amend my feelings on the subject as their opinion on this matter clearly carries more weight than anyone else’s.

I really did have it locked and loaded to pick the Broncos in a close one, but I just think this Texans defense is playing at too high a level right now. I also expect Manning to be stubborn with his arm strength and continue to play the game as if everything is the same – for now. That will change as the year goes on if his arm strength doesn’t return.

It certainly would not be a “bad loss” or a disaster if the Texans dropped this game, but to see them go on the road and get a win against a good team like Denver – it’s just not something the “Pre-Wade Era” Texans were capable of. Neither on the field, nor in their heads.

Texans 24
Broncos 23

Houston Texans
Record: 2-0
Week 2: Beat Jacksonville to death with blunt objects 27-7
Next: at Denver
The Texans couldn’t be much better than they are right now. If we are nitpicking, we point out that they have played one below average team with no quarterback (Miami), and one GOD AWFUL team with Blaine Gabbert taking snaps where a quarterback should be. For competitive whiplash, the Texans will now go from facing Blaine Gabbert to facing Peyton Manning. Manning’s arm strength is very clearly an issue despite Wade Phillips and Gary Kubiak’s attempts to convince the media and their players that he is the same old Peyton. Of course he’s not – but in his brain, he still is. If the Texans go into Denver overconfident and do not manage some of their coverage liabilities (Bradie James, Kareem Jackson), then they are going to be in for a long night at Mile High. Manning made it work against an aggressive defense in a win over Pittsburgh, and I’m not at all going to accept that what we saw on Monday night against the Falcons is going to be the Peyton Manning we see going forward. He is a brilliant football mind. He will adjust accordingly. If he doesn’t, and he continues to try to force the ball into places he’s not able to anymore – the Texans’ secondary will come up huge.

Indianapolis Colts
Record: 1-1
Week 2: Defeated Minnesota 23-20
Next: Hosts Jacksonville
I figured Indianapolis for about a 6-10 type season. I really do think Andrew Luck is all that, and he will win a few games for them on his own. Unfortunately for the ever-entitled Colts fan, their defense is pretty much a pile of wet garbage at this point, and their running game is a big fat nothing. The Colts will beat a few teams with very weak defenses, especially in the secondary – but the Titans are so bad that Indy may be the new prohibitive favorite to look up at Houston from the 2nd place seat in 2012. Crazy thing is – the Texans play a very “losable” game this week in Denver, and I’m definitely picking the Colts to beat Jacksonville, which would put Houston and Indianapolis in a tie for first place (which of course will not last long if it goes down that way).

Tennessee Titans
Record: 0-2
Week 2: Lost to San Diego 38-10
Next: Hosts Detroit
The Titans are a complete and total disaster. Jake Locker looks out of sorts and often out of control. Their once mega-star running back Chris Johnson is now just a clown who shows minimal effort, no toughness, and takes no responsibility for his failings. It used to be fun to pick on the Titans and their hillbilly fans, but now it’s just sad (and REALLY fun). Titans fans, your owner is a joke, and now you have the team to match. I hope you’re all glad he wasted any shot you had at an offseason by chasing the pipe dream of signing Peyton Manning. See you in a couple of weeks, twonks.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Record: 0-2
Week 2: Got their heads bashed into powder by the Texans 27-7
Next: Move to LA (or possibly a visit to Indianapolis)
Blaine Gabbert is significantly improved! Blaine Gabbert is not the same QB from last year! Blaine Gabbert is gonna surprise a lot of folks! Ummkay. Maybe he will look better against other teams, but he looked as bad or worse against Houston as he did last year. Granted, the Texans are A JUGGERNAUT, but not one time did Gabbert ever have a fingertip of control of that game. I will say this much for him – the patented “Gabbert Collapse” wasn’t there this year. It has apparently been replaced by running directly to the OLB for a sack.

I have some very disturbing pictures of Rivers, so naturally I am on Battle Red Radio yet again this week talking Texans, Jaguars, and of course – the Denver Broncos.

This time we only spend 40 minutes of the show on Bradie James and Kareem Jackson, so that’s a bonus.

You can listen to the podcast here.

There was a lot to be impressed with in the Texans big divisional road win Sunday in Jacksonville. As the Richard Smith and Frank Bush era defenses appear more and more distant in the rear view mirror, we forget how this team used to react to adversity.

Okay, really – none of us have forgotten. Texans fans are some of the most shell-shocked, post-traumatic stress afflicted fans in all of Sport. We are, in a way, the Blaine Gabbert of fans. Ouch.

Anyway, speaking of Gabbert – LET’S TALK ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE MUCH IMPROVED!

The way the Texans responded to Jacksonville’s scoring drive in the second half was exactly the kind of thing you want to see in a great football team. After Gabbert and the Jags “herped and derped” their way to a Bradie James-assisted touchdown on a two play, 51 second drive, the Texans’ offense came up huge.

Rather than allow the Jaguars to build on their TD with a quick defensive stop, the Texans effectively ended the game with an 80 yard, 17 play, nine minute, 14 second drive.

During the drive:

-Matt Schaub went 5-6 for 59 yards, with two completions to Andre Johnson, two to Ben Tate, and one to Garrett Graham.
-Arian Foster rushed seven times for 26 yards.
-Ben Tate rushed four times for 10 yards, including the finishing two-yard Touchdown.

There was only one big play in this entire game by the Texans’ offense, a 26-yard run by Tate that was originally called a 28-yard touchdown which was somewhat dubiously reversed. As Lance Zierlein tweeted earlier today, it was the first game since 2007 that Schaub did not complete a pass over 20 yards.

The Texans didn’t need big plays on Sunday. They ran almost at will. The defense was never threatened. There was really no need for deep shots, though I’m sure if Kubiak forced a few, they probably would have connected on one.

With the Patriots suffering a BAD home loss to Arizona, and the Ravens dropping a close one in Philadelphia – the Texans are the clear cut top team in the AFC. That said, it’s a valid point that the Texans have yet to play a good team, or even an average quarterback.

Players of the game:
Offense – Ben Tate. No doubt about it. It was his best game as a Texan. He ran with such violence and determination, it was a thing of beauty. Schaub also has a claim here.
Defense – J.J. Watt yet again. Another 1.5 sacks, a couple more passes defended, and consistently wreaked havoc up front.
Play of the game – I’ll go with Tate’s 26-yard run, which set up a short TD by Foster. It helped to set the tone in the run game early, and it put the Texans up 10-0, which was more than enough to beat the hapless Jaguars.

Denver is up next, and as I type this the Broncos and specifically Peyton Manning are not looking so hot. Manning’s throws are wobbling and lack velocity, but here’s the peculiar thing – I thought the SAME THING last week when they beat the Steelers. Not sure why it worked last week but is a complete disaster tonight.

Despite how shaky the Broncos look on Monday Night Football, Houston’s game in Denver is obviously a worthy test. I will be interested to see how the offensive line handles Denver’s front seven, specifically Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller.

I will get you some more postgame reaction tomorrow, because I need to travel for work on this glorious Sunday evening.

Quickly though, the Texans absolutely obliterated a divisional opponent on the road, so officially there should be NOTHING to complain about… but you know me, I’ll find something.

Get back to running the football the way the Texans run the football? CHECK
Get back to stopping the run the way the Texans stop the run? CHECK
Kick the ever-living hell out of Blaine Gabbert and remind everyone how terrible he is? CHECK

I’ll leave you with this before I hit the road. Through two games, the Houston Texans:

-Have allowed 10 total points on defense
-Have turned the ball over 0 times, and forced 5 turnovers for a +5 ratio
-Have outscored their opponents 57-17
-Have what I’m going to go ahead and call the best defensive player of 2012 to this point in J.J. Watt

Should be a fun week to talk Texans, and to get ready for the first real test of the season, a VERY difficult road game against the Denver Broncos.

For now, enjoy the win and you’ll hear more from me tomorrow.

When the Texans walk off the field in Jacksonville on Sunday, Gary Kubiak hopes to be walking off with a 49-49 record as Houston’s head coach. Needless to say, it will be the first time Kubiak will have a chance to pull even after what we will call “an extended rebuilding period.”

On paper this looks like a mismatch. When you then factor in Jacksonville’s injury problems, it looks like a HUGE mismatch. For me, it’s just too early to pick a big blowout in this game. It’s a divisional game, the Jaguars have a pretty good defense up front, and the Texans showed some weaknesses last week that at this point I don’t feel comfortable blaming on intangibles that will fix themselves.

What the Texans must do to win:
Simply stated, stop the run. With backup RB Rashad Jennings out for the game, the Jaguars are expected to rely heavily on Maurice Jones-Drew, who we all know is coming off a long holdout. The Jaguars are down at least one offensive lineman in RT Cameron Bradfield, and LG Eben Britton is questionable. After last week’s disappointing performance against the run, I’m concerned, but certainly not panicked. This week, if the Texans struggle against the run? Yeah, I’m officially going to jump from concern to worry.

It was widely reported in the preseason that Jags QB Blaine Gabbert LOOKED much improved from last year. Now, after one regular season game it’s being widely reported that he IS much improved. Okay, great. Let’s say he is… but what does that mean exactly? Abhorrent would be a KIND way to describe his ineptitude last season. This year he’s got more weapons, and played pretty well against a terrible Minnesota pass defense.

I’ll accept that Gabbert is better, but if the Texans stuff the run and are able to tee-off against Gabbert? I’ll gladly take my chances against him. Significant improvement would still put Gabbert a notch under below average.

What the Jaguars must do to win:
Get pressure on Matt Schaub. The Jaguars do not have a pass rush right now. Even if they are able to stop Arian Foster and the Houston run game, their secondary is weak. The Jags’ best secondary player right now is probably CB Derek Cox, and he’s questionable with a hamstring issue. Regardless of whether or not Cox is in the lineup, Matt Schaub should be able to exploit Jacksonville’s back half if the Texans are forced to – or choose to – rely on his arm.

Game prediction:
Though it is a divisional opponent, and the Texans rarely if ever have an easy time in Jacksonville, I think they will pull away late after a fairly hard-fought game. I look for two things to get back on track for Houston – a more consistent pass rush, and their ability to stop the run. With Jacksonville’s average personnel on offense and their injury issues, the Texans need to put a boot on their throat early and get it done on the road.

Texans 27 Jaguars 13