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Oct 25 2014 06:18am
Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith had dialogue - a few of them were small conversations with their agent - with other so-so quarterbacks like Chad Henne, Kyle Orton and Matt Cassel. Two of those guys quickly re-signed and came off the market. Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn't our first choice of free agent quarterbacks last off-season but the pool was pretty slim in terms of talent.

Meanwhile teams like the Browns and Rams have found some incredible luck, seemingly out of nowhere, with their starting quarterback. Maybe we could pry Johnny Football away from the Browns for a draft pick or two as he isn't in their future plans. Sam Bradford could be a possibility for us during the next free agency. I'm pretty sure the Rams will part ways with him. Too expensive and he's been injury prone. We can sign him for cheap and see what he has. Either that or we draft another young guy in the 2015 draft. First we must see what Ryan Mallett can do. Why Bill O'Brien is starting Fitzpatrick at Tennessee tomorrow is beyond my comprehension. We know what Fitzpatrick can do. It isn't pretty.

That being said we'll probably beat the Tennessee Titans tomorrow and Ryan Fitzpatrick will look good. It doesn't really mean a whole lot when you beat mediocre competition. If we had won any of the past three games against good teams with winning records that would have meant a heck of a lot more to me. A 4-4 average record coming back home against the Eagles, another amazing team, just means we're the same average franchise that can't beat any of the big boys in this league. We've been average to below average for far too long. Except for the two wild-card wins over the Bengals. A team that hasn't won a playoff game since 1991. I mean yeah, believe it or not, some NFL franchises have been even worse than the Houston Texans since they entered the league back in 2002.

A part of me wants the Texans to lose to the Titans tomorrow just so that can accelerate the decision to start Ryan Mallett at quarterback. But unfortunately we can't afford a loss tomorrow because a 3-5 record would pretty much end our 2014 season. It would literally be impossible to win the last wild-card spot in the AFC at that point. It's going to be tough enough even at 4-4 which officially marks the halfway point of the regular season.
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Oct 25 2014 09:30am
One thing I can't harp about enough. Our 2014 draft class. I didn't expect all of our big-name rookies to contribute so little. I didn't know Jadeveon Clowney would get hurt in the second quarter of Week 1 or that Louis Nix III would be put on IR. I expected more production out of our rookies. Had that been so we'd probably have another win or two, if not won the past three games, despite Fitzpatrick's poor play at quarterback. I don't think we'd have given up 24 points in one quarter during back-to-back weeks. When you draft a defensive player number one overall to add to a talented unit that already features the best defensive player in the game, J.J. Watt, it's only natural to have very high expectations.

I was looking forward to the draft at this time last year. Now is not the time to look forward to the draft. We're a 3-4 team that just needs to string together a four or five-game winning streak to sneak back into the picture for the AFC wild card race. We can do that by starting Ryan Mallett and hoping that Jadeveon Clowney can make some big plays as he eases back into playing shape.

Beating the Titans tomorrow with Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn't really do much for me. I sort of expect it. A 4-4 record is average. My entire point is that the Texans, as an organization, whether it's the front office, coaches, players or fans, should stop settling for average. We want to win a Super Bowl one day. I still haven't given up on the 2014 season but I realize it's going to take more from not only the quarterback position but from the so-called "once in a decade" talent we drafted number one overall in the 2014 draft.
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Oct 27 2014 02:36am
The Texans picked up a much needed 30-16 win at Tennessee to end their three-game losing streak and even their 2014 record to 4-4 halfway through the season. Arian Foster had another phenomenal game scoring three touchdowns: 20 carries for 151 rushing yards on the ground. He also added 4 catches for 22 receiving yards.

J.J. Watt led the way defensively with two sacks, two pass deflections, three quarterback hits and one fumble recovery. The Texans have a big home game coming up against the Eagles on Sunday. Surprisingly, the Texans are only one game back of the 5-3 Colts for first place in the AFC South. With eight games left anything can happen but we don't currently own the tiebreaker so the Texans have to keep winning games.

I can't wait for Sunday's game against the Eagles. This will be a good test to see how far the Texans have progressed this season. They came up short by one score and lost against the last three good teams they played (C owboys, Colts and Steelers), but now first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney is back and the team seems to be better equipped to rush the passer on defense. They should be able to feed off the home crowd's energy and noise, and bring the heat against Nick Foles.

I'll be very excited and pleased if the Texans can improve to 5-4 with two wins in a row going into their bye week. That would be two weeks off to rest, become healthy as a team and prepare for a potential playoff run going into their final seven games. Things are starting to look better for the Texans. I'd still like to see what Ryan Mallett can do at quarterback but that's up to Bill O'Brien the head coach.
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Oct 27 2014 08:45am
I can't wait for Sunday against the Eagles. Brian Cushing will likely return and we should finally see Watt, Clowney and Cushing at the same time. That hasn't been the case since the first half against the Redskins back in Week 1. We need to keep our three best defensive players healthy so they can dominate at the same time. I want this defense to be the backbone of a very successful team. I want to see it flourish in the second half of the season and for many years to come. Sort of like the Ravens and Steelers had that awesome reputation and identity of having a "nasty, physical and talented" defense for the past few decades.

At 4-4 we're still in the playoff mix guys. One game back of the 5-3 Colts for first place albeit they own the tiebreaker for now. We need to do something this Houston Texans franchise has never done: Beat the Colts at Indianapolis (0-12 all time). We'll play them at Indy on December 14. A Texans road win against the Colts is all I want for Christmas this year. Get 'er done. That game could be huge if we spark a winning streak coming off the bye week. This Eagles game on Sunday is going to be a battle.

J.J. Watt and Arian Foster have put this team on their backs. Everybody else has to follow their leadership, hard work and dedication. I've been enjoying this 2014 Texans season. Even when we lost those three games in a row they were some competitive games, one score losses, against three really good teams. Now the focus is simply on winning games. Nothing a four or five-game winning streak can't fix moving forward.

I'm so bleeping pumped up, amped up, on an adrenaline high right now. I really want to put some pads on myself and line up at nose tackle for the Houston Texans defense. I'd cause some monstrous havoc every snap out of pure emotions. I would lay it all on the line for Romeo Crennel and his three Super Bowl rings. He's the best defensive coordinator in the game. It's time for the players to step up and get the job done. Follow J.J. Watt and Arian Foster to the promise land.
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Oct 30 2014 03:12am
A Texans win over the Eagles on Sunday and a Giants win over the Colts on Monday Night would have the Texans tied with the Colts for first place in the AFC South at 5-4 going into our much needed bye week. It makes that 33-28 loss to the Colts here in Houston that much tougher to swallow because they own the tiebreaker.

We're going to have to beat the Colts at indianapolis on December 14. We've never done so before, 0-12 all time. But the past is meant to be changed. We're literally right there in the AFC South race. It's so ridiculously close I'm feeling like we can do it. I'm just focusing on beating the Eagles on Sunday to be honest with you. That's all that matters.
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Oct 30 2014 03:36am
The Houston Rockets are off to a 2-0 start to the 2014-2015 NBA season. Two nice road wins on back-to-back nights against the Los Angeles Lakers (108-90) and the Utah Jazz (104-93). Dwight Howard and James Harden are the two superstars and leaders on the team. Both of them can dominate any given game. The Rockets are shooting 50 % from three-point range in the early going which makes it tough to lose when you make a high percentage of your threes.

Trevor Ariza is shooting 60 % from threes, hitting 4-of-7 for 20 points against the Jazz and 5-of-8 for 16 points against the Lakers. Rookie Kostas Papanikolaou, who I like to refer to as Papa-WOW, made four straight three-pointers against the Jazz and was really shooting the ball well. Also the ageless veteran Jason Terry made a couple threes in both of the games. He's looking to be a very nice free agent addition.

The Houston Rockets gear up for their home opener at Toyota Center on Saturday Night against the Boston Celtics. An 8:05 PM Eastern start time. Hopefully the Rockets continue to play at a high level and improve to 3-0 on the season. They are playing very unselfish basketball and passing the ball around extremely well on offense. This is the best basketball that I've seen the Rockets play in a while.

Dwight Howard is commanding double teams inside the paint which allows a wide open three-point shooter to take advantage of the opponent's decision to focus on their interior defense. Houston's defense is looking much better than last season. Even James Harden is more committed to playing good defense. As long as the Rockets keep winning games people will not criticize head coach Kevin McHale. He's been on the hot seat after back-to-back years of being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. A new season brings new hope.
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Nov 3 2014 04:42am
The 2014 NFL season is practically over. At least for me anyways. The Texans are 4-5 and they won't make the playoffs. They can't beat a good team. They can probably finish 8-8 and avoid a losing record but the off-season priority list includes a quarterback, cornerback, safety and wide receiver. They also have major issues on the offensive line. I would like to see them win a road game at Indianapolis for the first time in franchise history (0-12 all time). They'll have their 13th crack at it on December 14. If they win that game I would feel like this season wasn't a total waste.

It looks like Andre Johnson has finally lost a step at 33 years old. The Texans waited too long to trade him. At this point he probably won't fetch us anything better than a third or fourth-round pick if we trade him in the off-season. We probably could have gotten a first-round pick for him had we dealt him last off-season when he was coming off another monster season yardage wise.

We have a bye week now and two weeks before the next game at Cleveland. I would like to see Ryan Mallett start that game. At some point we have to evaluate Mallett because if he lights the world on fire we may not have to draft a quarterback in the first round. Plus is he even worth re-signing? Those questions can't be answered unless he plays.

Obviously first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney has been a huge disappointment as a rookie but it's unfair to label him a bust. Only playing in two games - a half in one of them and on a limited snap count in the other one. Also Brian Cushing has missed the past two games. We need both of those players healthy in 2015 to cause some havoc alongside J.J. Watt. They both should be back for the Browns game but this season is a lost cause. Perhaps Clowney and Cushing can play in these final seven games in 2014 just to go into the off-season with some confidence.

I need some Randy mock drafts, hopefully some two-round and three-round mocks, to help me feel better right now. I'm hoping that J.J. Watt will win the 2014 defensive player of the year award. He deserves it for the second time in his young career. The voters will hopefully look past our mediocre 4-5 record. We did compete hard in every game. Watt is a one man wrecking crew. If he had any help around him - cough, cough, Clowney and Cushing - our front seven pass rush would look pretty damn good.

The tight end situation has also been a major disappointment this season. We used to get a lot of production out of our tight ends when Gary Kubiak was here but under Bill O'Brien that is no longer part of the offensive attack. I know he wants to use the tight ends but so far C.J. Fiedorowicz, Garrett Graham and Ryan Griffin have given us very little value in 2014. Part of that may be because our struggling offensive line and the fact that Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn't scan the entire field during most of his passes.

I do have to remind myself that this was a 2-14 team last season. So if they go 8-8 this year that's a noticeable improvement. As much as I wanted the 2014 Houston Texans to make the playoffs it's obvious to me they are still another year away. Hopefully at this time next season we will be much improved in those areas of weakness I have touched upon on this post.
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Nov 4 2014 04:26am
The Rockets are now 4-0 after defeating the 76ers on the road last night, 104-93.

James Harden scored a game high 35 points with 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
He shot 7-for-18 from the field, 50 % from threes (4-of-8) and 17-for-18 at the free throw line.

Dwight Howard, who played with a bruised knee, finished with 11 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals.
Trevor Ariza is a three-point assassin, making six of nine (24 points) to go along with 7 assists and 6 rebounds.

The Houston Rockets play a back-to-back on the road against the Miami Heat tonight: 7:30 PM Eastern on NBA TV.
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Nov 13 2014 06:18am
I'm looking forward to watching Ryan Mallett make his first career NFL start at Cleveland on Sunday. The Texans needed a change at quarterback a long time ago and with a 4-5 record it might have happened a few weeks too late. Hopefully the Texans can pick up a big road win against a very good 6-3 Browns team. Jadeveon Clowney and Brian Cushing have both been practicing this week. It's not too late for the Texans to make the playoffs but they practically have to run the table and win every game left. 11-5 should be good enough to clinch a wild-card spot in the AFC.

The Astros are going to increase their team payroll by at least $20 million dollars this winter. It should be exciting to see if they can sign a couple of good free agents. Coming off a 72-90 season, their best record in four years, there is a sense of overwhelming optimism around this team. It helps when players like Jose Altuve won the battle title and silver slugger award, Dallas Keuchel won the gold glove award and George Springer greatly impressed as a rookie.

The Rockets continue their amazing start to the 2014-2015 season. Looks like they're going to reach a 9-1 record, their best start to a season since they started 15-0 back during the 1993-1994 season (the year they won their first NBA championship), if they can beat the 76ers on Friday Night and the injury-depleted Thunder on Sunday Night. The Rockets will be heavily favored to win both games. Trevor Ariza and Jason Terry are proving to be two amazing additions. Dwight Howard and James Harden have both carried the team and two rookies, Tarik Black and Kostas Papanikolaou, have undeniably contributed a lot of strong play on both ends of the court.
Member
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Nov 17 2014 11:14am
The Texans soundly defeated a good Browns team on the road yesterday, 23 to 7.
It was an impressive team win all around. The type of game I've been waiting to see.

I wish head coach Bill O'Brien and the Texans had started Ryan Mallett way back when. As early as the Cowboys game. We may have beaten the Cowboys and Colts with his cannon arm. Possibly even the Steelers or Eagles game that also got away because of bad quarterback play. If we had just beaten the Colts in Houston we'd be in first place in the AFC South right now. As it stands now, with a 5-5 record, we're only one game back of the 6-4 Colts.

But oh well, like J.J. Watt said in his post-game conference last night. "one game at a time. Let's go beat the Bengals and pick up another win." If the Houston Texans can just finish strong and let's say we win all six games left, including a franchise changing victory at Indianapolis for the first time ever (0-12 all time at Indianapolis), we may win the AFC South at 11-5. I think the Colts could realistically end up 10-6 or 9-7. They may lose two or three more games.

If the Texans were to lose one more game and finish 10-6 that may be enough to clinch a wild-card spot in the AFC. It seems a bit silly to even talk about the Texans making the playoffs when they wasted too many opportunities and lost all of those heartbreakers with the mediocre Ryan Fitzpatrick starting at quarterback. But as funny as it may seem it's never too late. Better late than never.

I'm excited and ready for the Texans versus Bengals game here in Houston. Kickoff at noontime on Sunday.
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