Houston Texans

The Houston Texans sign G/T Wade Smith

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:12:43 +0000

The Texans have signed 28-year old G/T Wade Smith to a 4-year, $12 million dollar deal. He played in 16 games (9 starts) for the Chiefs last season. He has now played in 74 games (34 starts) in his NFL career. Smith will likely start at one of the guard spots for the Texans this season.

The Houston Texans re-sign Kevin Walter

admin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 21:50:34 +0000

The Texans have re-signed 28-year old WR Kevin Walter to a 5-year, $21.5 million dollar deal with $8 million bucks guaranteed. Walter played in 14 games for the Texans last season and he caught 53 passes for 611 yards (11.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs. He also carried the ball 4 times for 26 yards (6.5 ypc) for the Texans last season. Walter has now played in 62 games in his four years with the Texans and he has caught 195 passes for 2,470 yards (12.7 avg) with 14 TD grabs. He has also carried the ball 13 times for 82 yards (6.3 ypc) in his time with the Texans. This was a great move for the Texans because a lot of teams were very interested in stealing Walter away from them.

Steve Slaton is on the hot seat for the Houston Texans

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:30:12 +0000

24-year old Steve Slaton was excellent as a rookie in 2008 but last season he was pretty horrible. He fumbled the ball 7 times losing 5 of them last season. He played in 11 games for the Texans last season and he carried the ball 131 times for 437 yards (3.3 ypc) with 3 TD runs. He also caught 44 passes for 417 yards (9.5 avg) with 4 TD grabs last year. Slaton had a neck injury that probably had a lot to do with his production last season. But, he will have competition for the starting job in 2010 as Arian Foster played well for the Texans at the end of the year. Look for the Texans to also sign, trade for or draft a running back before training camp. Slaton has now played in 27 games for the Texans and he has carried the ball 399 times for 1,719 yards (4.3 ypc) with 12 TD runs. He has also caught 94 passes for 794 yards (8.4 avg) with 5 TD grabs in his career.

The Houston Texans found a couple of building blocks for the D last April

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:16:48 +0000

The Texans need they were going to have a great offense in 2009 so they focused on defense last April. LB Brian Cushing (1st round, #15 overall) out of USC was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL in 2009. Cushing played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he finished with 134 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 10 passes defensed and 4 interceptions. He was not only the best pick in the first round of the NFL Draft but he is already one of the best defensive players in the league. DE Connor Barwin (2nd round, #46 overall) out of Cincinnati has the potential to be a solid player down the road for the Texans. He played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he finished up with 18 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3.5 sacks and 4 passes defensed. In the third round (#77 overall) the Texans selected guard Antoine Caldwell out of Alabama. Caldwell played in 11 games (3 starts) for the Texans last season and he has the potential to be a starter down the road for the Texans. CB Glover Quin (4th round, #112 overall) out of New Mexico was a solid player for the Texans as a rookie. He played in 15 games for the Texans last season and he finished with 68 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss and he defensed 11 passes. Quin will likely be a impact player in the near future for the Texans when he starts picking off some passes. TE Anthony Hill (4th round, #122 overall) out of North Carolina State only played in 5 games making 1 catch for 9 yards. Fellow TE James Casey (5th round, #152 overall) out of Rice played in 15 games for the Texans as a rookie and he caught 6 passes for 64 yards (10.7 avg). He also returned 1 kickoff for 0 yards and he made 6 tackles. CB Brian McCain (6th round, #188 overall) out of Utah played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he finished up with 15 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception. Safety Troy Nolan (7th round, #223 overall) out of Arizona State spend his rookie season on the Injured Reserve List.

GRADE FOR 2009: A-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE: A

The Houston Texans got outstanding production out of the QB position in 2009

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:37:03 +0000

28-year old Matt Schaub finally stayed healthy for a complete season and he put up staggering numbers. Schaub played in 16 games for the Texans this season and he completed 396 of 583 passes (67.9%) for 4,770 yards with 29 TD passes and 15 INTs (98.6 QB Rating). He also carried the ball 48 times for 57 yards (1.2 ypc) this year. Schaub got robbed for the Pro Bowl as he outplayed Tom Brady. Maybe he will make it next season if he has another year like he did in 2009. Schaub has now played in 76 games in his NFL career and he has completed 923 of 1,413 passes (65.3%) for 11,087 yards with 59 TD passes and 40 INTs (91.3 QB Rating). He also has carried the ball 120 times for 300 yards (2.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.

29-year old Rex Grossman was the only other Texans’ QB to get on the field this season. He played in 1 game and he completed 3 of 9 passes (33.3%) for 33 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT (5.6 QB Rating). He also carried the football 3 times for 9 yards (3.0 ypc) this season. Grossman has now played in 37 games in his NFL career and he has completed 524 of 971 passes (54%) for 6,197 yards with 33 TD passes and 36 INTs (69.5 QB Rating). He has also carried the ball 58 times for 89 yards (1.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs. The Texans will probably stick with Dan Orlovsky as the back-up QB in 2010 and let Grossman go.

Brian Cushing of the Houston Texans wins the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:28:02 +0000

Linebacker Brian Cushing of the Houston Texans has won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Cushing played in all 16 games for the Texans last season and he made 134 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, forced 2 fumbles, defensed 10 passes and he intercepted four passes. The Texans have really done a good job of drafting the last few years and they need to keep up the good work.

Houston Texans 34, New England Patriots 27

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:56:51 +0000

The Texans scored the last 21 points of the game yesterday to prevail showing a ton of heart. Matt Schaub was very effective once again for the Texans as he completed 24 of 39 passes for 303 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT. Arian Foster was excellent yesterday as he rushed for 119 yards on 20 carries (6.0 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also added 3 receptions for 26 yards (8.7 avg). TE Joel Dreessen led the way for the Texans in the passing game with 6 receptions for 81 yards (13.5 avg) with a TD grab. WRs Andre Johnson (6 rec, 65 yards) and Jacoby Jones (5 rec, 65 yards, TD) also had solid games for the Texans yesterday. The Texans finished up with 439 total yards on offense (144 rushing, 295 passing) in this game.

Safety Bernard Pollard led the way for the Texans in this game with 6 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 interception and he recovered a fumble in the end zone for a TD. Demeco Ryans (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss), Glover Quin (7 tackles, 2 passes defensed) and Dunta Robinson (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) also pitched in on a decent effort by the Texans’ D yesterday. The Patriots finished up with 317 total yards on offense (74 yards rushing, 243 passing) in this game. The Texans finished with a winning record (9-7) for the first time in frachise history by they were eliminated from the playoffs last night when the Jets pounded the Bengals.

New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans

admin — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:12:25 +0000

The Texans need a win and some help to make the playoffs for the first time in team history so they should be focused while the Patriots are playing for the #3 seed in the playoffs so it’s quite possible that they will take it easy tomorrow. With the Patriots likely not completely motivated tomorrow the Texans should try to jump them immediately by throwing the ball down the field. If the Texans give Schaub time to throw the ball he will likely combine with Andre Johnson to torture the Patriots’ secondary. Look for Arian Foster to lend some ground support to Schaub in the game tomorrow.

The Texans won’t likely see much of Tom Brady tomorrow and if that is a fact they should be blitzing undrafted rookie QB Brian Hoyer a lot. But, if the Patriots are resting their receivers too then they will likely lean on the running game. That means that they will be challeging Pro Bowl linebackers Demeco Ryans and Brian Cushing with their very average set of RBs.

PREDICTION: TEXANS 30, PATRIOTS 17

The Houston Texans place Dominique Barber on I.R.

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:04:22 +0000

The Texans have placed 23-year old strong safety Dominique Barber on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a hamstring injury. Barber played in 13 games this season for the Texans and he made 33 tackles, defensed 4 passes and he had 1 interception. The Texans have re-signed 31-year old safety Brian Russell to replace Barber on the roster. Russell played in 2 games for the Texans earlier this season making 1 tackle. He has played in 11 games overall this season with the Jags+Texans in which he has 13 tackles.

The Houston Texans send four players to the Pro Bowl

admin — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:39:48 +0000

The Texans are sending four players to the Pro Bowl in Miami unless of course they are playing in the Super Bowl. 28-year old WR Andre Johnson has made the Pro Bowl once again. He has played in 15 games this season and he has caught 95 passes for 1,504 yards (15.8 avg) with 9 TD grabs. Rookie linebacker Brian Cushing is one of three rookies (Jairus Byrd, Buffalo and Brian Orakpo, Redskins) to make the Pro Bowl. 22-year old Cushing has played in 15 games this season and he has made 128 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 10 passes defensed and 4 interceptions. What a great pick Cushing was last April by the Texans. 25-year old linebacker Demeco Ryans earned a trip to Miami also. He has played in 15 games for the Texans this season and he has made 116 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 2 passes defensed. 24-year old DE Mario Williams will also make the trip. Williams played in 15 games for the Texans this season and he has made 41 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 3 passes defensed and he has 8 sacks. It looks like the defense is starting to finally catch up with the offense for the Texans and that means they have a very bright future.