The Texans really stunk it up last Thursday Night against the Bucs.  Sage Rosenfels made a brief appearance and he completed 3 of 5 passes for 39 yards.  Shane Boyd had a so-so game completing 8 of 17 passes for 83 yards.  Rookie QB Alex Brink had a night to forget completing 4 of 11 passes for 15 yards with 1 interception.  Marcel Shipp led the Texans in rushing in this game with 21 yards rushing on 5 carries (4.2 ypc).  Darius Walker was busy with 9 carries but he could only muster 18 yards rushing (2.0 ypc).  TE Joel Dreessen was the leading receiver in this game for the Texans with 4 grabs for 42 yards (10.5 avg).    The Texans finished up with 58 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 33 passes for 137 yards.  The Texans only had the football for 20:55 in this game and that is downright pathetic.

Linebackers Kevin Coley (15 tackles) and Ben Moffitt (13 tackles) led the way for the Texans’ defense in this game.  The Bucs finished up with 129 yards rushing on 37 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 33 passes for 201 yards.  The Texans finished up the preseason with a 2-2 record.

2nd year WR Harry Williams was seriously injured against the Cowboys in last week’s football game as he fractured part of his spine.  It required surgery which has ended his NFL career but at least he has started walking.  Williams finished his career playing in only 2 games and he didn’t catch any passes.  He did make two tackles on special teams as a rookie out of Tuskegee College last season.

The Texans put up a good fight Friday Night in Dallas but they came up a two point conversion short in the 4th quarter.  Matt Schaub had a solid game as he completed 15 of 27 passes for 166 yards with a 11-yard TD pass to WR Kevin Walter.  Sage Rosenfels was also effective in this game as he completed 4 of 8 passes for 29 yards with a 8-yard TD run on his only carry.  Chris Taylor led the way on the ground for the Texans with 47 yards rushing on 11 carries (4.3 ypc).  Rookie Steve Slaton was also effective carrying the ball 10 times for 44 yards (4.4 ypc).  WR Kevin Walter led the way in the passing game for the Texans with 61 yards on 6 catches (10.2 avg) with a TD grab.  Andre’ Davis (3 receptions, 46 yards) and TE Owen Daniels (4 receptions, 35 yards) also looked good last night in the passing game for the Texans.  The Texans finished up with 114 yards rushing on 28 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 35 passes for 195 yards.

The defense didn’t look too good for the Texans against the high powered Cowboys’ offense on Friday Night.  CB Jacques Reeves and LB DeMeco Ryans each led the way for the Texans with 7 tackles apiece.  The Cowboys finished up with 111 yards rushing in this game on 27 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 32 passes for 273 yards passing. 

The Texans have signed 30-year old running back Marcel Shipp to compete for a job in the backfield.  Shipp played in all 16 games for the Cardinals last season and he carried the ball 15 times for 41 yards (2.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 4 passes for 25 yards (6.3 avg) last season.  The signing of Shipp might signal that the Texans are not happy with Ahman Green as there have been whispers that they might cut him.  Shipp has now played in 88 games (28 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 605 times for 2,197 yards (3.6 ypc) with 11 TD runs.  He also has caught 113 passes for 937 yards (8.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  This is a good signing for the Texans as Shipp is a very talented back.

The Texans won a offensive shootout with the Saints last Saturday Night.  Matt Schaub was outstanding as he completed 14 of 16 passes for 187 yards and he threw TD passes to WR Kevin Walter (26 yards) and FB Vonta Leach (1 yard).  Sage Rosenfels followed Schaub in the game and he was solid completing 6 of 8 passes for 94 yards.  Rookie Alex Brink completed his only pass attempt for 8 yards.  Rookie RB Steve Slaton stole the show on the ground as he lead the Texans’ in rushing with 57 yards rushing on 13 carries (4.4 ypc) with a 10-yard TD run.  Chris Taylor pitched in with 34 yards rushing on 12 carries (2.8 ypc) with a 1-yard TD run.  Chris Brown was not very effective in this game as he rushed for 19 yards on 8 carries (2.4 ypc).  WR Kevin Walter was outstanding for the Texans with 6 catches for 100 yards (16.7 avg) with a 26-yard TD reception.  WRs David Anderson (61 yards) and Andre’ Davis (37 yards) each caught 3 passes apiece in this game.  The Texans finished up with 116 yards rushing on 32 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 25 passes for 289 yards.  The Texans were ball hogs in this game as they had possession of the ball for a stunning 35:24 on Saturday Night and that was a huge reason for this victory.

Safety Will Demps led the way for the Texans’ defense in this game with 5 tackles.  The Saints finished up with 87 yards rushing on 19 carries (4.6 ypc) in this game and they also completed 19 of 30 passes for 244 yards.  This was a impressive win for the Texans and hopefully they can build on it.

I’m kind of surprised that the city of Houston didn’t have a parade for the Texans’ based on the fact that they had the first non-losing season in team history in 2007.  Kubiak led the Texans to a 8-8 record last season as the Texans were the only team in the AFC South not to make the playoffs.  That’s the big problem for Kubiak this season as the Colts, Jaguars and Titans all appear strong again.  In any other division in the NFL the Texans might be a playoff team but this is a tough draw.  Still, if everyone stays healthy the Texans could take a step forward and surprise the NFL.  Kubiak is now 14-18 (43.8%) in his two years in Houston and if the team can improve just two games like they did last season then they will likely join the playoff party in 2008.

The Texans gave a good all around effort and it paid off in a win as Kris Brown nailed a 25-yard field goal as time expired.  Matt Schaub made a brief appearance in the game on Saturday as he completed 4 of 5 passes for 29 yards.  Sage Rosenfels was the most impressive QB on Saturday Night for the Texans as he completed 10 of 15 passes for 137 yards with a TD pass (16 yards to David Anderson).  Shane Boyd finished up for the Texans at QB completing 4 of 5 passes for 25 yards.  Steve Slaton led the Texans in rushing against the Broncos with 37 yards on 11 carries (3.4 ypc).  Darius Walker was also effective with 29 yards rushing on 8 carries (3.6 ypc).  Chris Taylor did not have a good game for the Texans carrying the football 10 times for 19 yards (1.9 ypc).  WR David Anderson had a solid game against the Broncos with 6 receptions for 67yards (11.2 avg) with a TD grab.  The Texans finished up with 140 yards rushing on 36 carries (3.9 ypc) against the Broncos.  They also completed 18 of 25 passes for 179 yards in this game. 

Linebacker Zac Diles led a good team effort on defense with 6 tackles.  CB Jamar Fletcher also had a solid game with 3 tackles and a interception.  The Broncos finished up with 123 yards rushing on 26 carries (4.7 ypc).  They also completed 18 of 28 passes for 153 yards.  The Texans were happy to win the first preseason game as they try to build momentum heading into September.

The Texans have lost LT Ephraim Salaam for the next 3-4 weeks due to arthroscopic surgery on his knee.  The 32-year old Salaam started all 16 games for the Texans’ last season but he has lost his starting gig to rookie Duane Brown.  It will be interesting to see how clean Texans’ QBs are with a rookie watching their backs.

The Houston Texans have placed cornerback Jimmy Williams on Injured Reserve ending his season due to a knee injury.  Williams also didn’t play last season because of his bum knee which could signal the end of his playing days soon.  The 29-year old Williams has played in 80 games (7 starts) in his NFL career and he has made 134 tackles, has 1 sack, has defensed 10 passes and intercepted 3.  The Texans have re-signed CB Dexter Wynn to replace Williams in the defensive backfield.  He played in 8 games for the Texans last season and he made 6 tackles and defended 4 passes.  Don’t expect Wynn to get much playing time unless some DBs in front of him go down to injury.  Wynn has now played in 45 games in his NFL career and he has made 51 tackles, has 1 sack and he has defensed 13 passes.

The Houston Texans have signed running back Mike Bell as the Denver pipeline to Houston continues.  Bell is 6’0″, 225 pounds and he was lining up at fullback for Denver which shows that he runs with power.  Bell played in only 5 games (0 starts) for the Broncos last season and he carried the ball 6 times for 3 yards (0.5 ypc).  He also caught 1 pass for 7 yards last season.  Look for Bell to get a real chance to not only win a job with the Texans but to earn a lot of carries.  Bell has now played in 20 games (3 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 163 times for 680 yards (4.2 ypc) with 8 TD runs.  Bell has also caught 21 passes for 165 yards (7.9 avg) in his career.  This was a nice low risk/high reward signing for the Texans as Bell is a talented player.

UPDATE:  Wow, it didn’t take long for the Texans to get rid of Mike Bell as they have waived him.   He came to the Texans out of shape and that didn’t sit too well with head coach Mike Kubiak.