Know Thine Enemy: Week 5 - Houston Texans

RugbyMuffin

ASFN IDOL
Joined
Apr 30, 2003
Posts
30,485
Reaction score
4,877
Houston Texans:


Depth Chart:
http://www.houstontexans.com/team/depthchart.asp


Summary:
Do NOT sleep on this team. Schaub can get the job done by leaning on Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels, and Kevin Walter. Steve Slaton can light your team up if he is playing well that day, and they have some role players on offense like Jacoby Jones that can hurt you if you do not plan for them.

On defense, the Cardinals are going to have to show that they actually learned from the mistake they made against the Colts. Mario Williams is a huge, huge problem for the Cardinals at DE, and he will man handle Gandy or Brown unless we help them out a little here and there. Not to mention Demeco Ryan is a force on the inside.
The Texans are the 2007 version of the Cardinals they are a very competitive team that will probably end up 8-8 this season.

Thoughts:
My thoughts on this game are VERY VERY simple. Are the 2009 Cardinals going to just talk the talk this season, or at some point are they going to collectively get their heads out of there asses and start playing discipline football as a team.

This Cardinals team has no excuse for thier performances as of late, EXCEPT for the fact they can say they had a short offseason, new coaches, and a few new cogs in the system. Well we are 25% of the way through the 2009 season and that excuse is gone.

If the Cardinals cannot win this game at home, then to quote Jimmy Johnson, "put a fork in them", and grab your construction hat because it will be time to "re-build (or re-design might be a better word)" for 2010 and the movement to future seasons with Leinart, Wells, and some younger offensive linemen.

This is not being extreme, it is being realistic. I have a lot of respect for the Texans, but there team is custom made to be dominated by a team like the Cardinals. When the Cardinals play to thier potential, they slaughter a team like this. Well, time is up, and the Cards backs are against the wall, it is put up or shut up time in the desert. You wanna make the playoffs ? You wanna prove last year was not a fluke ? Put the NFL on notice with a big win on Sunday. If not, then buy 53 name tags, write "Fluke" on them, and hand them out because that will be how the 2008 team will be remembered. A team that made it to the Superbowl, and lost because they really should not have been there in the first place. Which sucks, but that is what happens when you don't step up the challenge, when you are not consistent, and when not only do you not silence the critics, you prove them right.

By the numbers this is not a make or break season, but it is, in regards to the mentallity and commitment of this 2009 squad.


Cool Links Already on ASFN:
http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/f4/10-things-about-the-texans-141401.html

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb...t-to-know-about-texansvscardinals-141399.html
 

cardpa

Have a Nice Day!
Joined
Mar 14, 2003
Posts
7,370
Reaction score
4,061
Location
Monroe NC
Gee Rugby this reads more like a bitch session than a in depth analysis of the game. Very unlike your previous reports which I enjoy reading.
 
OP
OP
RugbyMuffin

RugbyMuffin

ASFN IDOL
Joined
Apr 30, 2003
Posts
30,485
Reaction score
4,877
Gee Rugby this reads more like a bitch session than a in depth analysis of the game. Very unlike your previous reports which I enjoy reading.

Agreed. But what else is there to say? I could break things down, but all the analysis doesn't matter if our team cannot execute the basics.

Our passing attack should dominate their passing defense. If that doesn't happen it will be the (including preseason) 8th time this year our passing attack fails to get the job done.

If that happens the Cardinals are done for 2009.

Don't worry tho, SuperSpock will come in and give some in depth analysis at some point and bring some value to to the thread.... :D

(Plus: Work is busy, so shotgun blogging/writing/whathaveyou in full effect - Wooden Nickel)
 
Last edited:

Catfish

Registered
Joined
Aug 14, 2006
Posts
4,551
Reaction score
64
That's it in a nutshell Muffin------These are the cold, hard, facts, and if the Cardinals fail to take charge and compete against this team, then Jimmy Johnson was right, IE "stick a fork in them". I REALLY hate to agree with your assessment, (especially with 11 games remaining after this one), BUT, if we don't play well in this one, I don't really see us having much chance to redeem this season, and we might as well begin breaking out the new look for 2010. If we lose and the Niners don't, then this season will be for 2nd place in the West, and that will not be good enough.

If we win, we still have a chance, even if the Niners win this week. If we play hard and well, but lose a closely fought game, and the Niners lose too, we still might make it to the playoffs.

I just believe that if we tank it again this week, we are done competing for all the marbles this year, and at that point, I would begin putting out my new look for 2010 and see what they are made of.
 

JeffGollin

ASFN Icon
Joined
May 14, 2002
Posts
20,472
Reaction score
3,056
Location
Holmdel, NJ
We cannot afford to fall asleep against anyone. Teams who "play down" to their opponents' level of competition are typically the ones who play a lot of golf in January.

On paper, the Cards should have a significant matchup edge in 2 offensive areas - (1) Our WR's vs. their DB's and (2) Our feeble running attack vs. their even-more-feeble run defense.

But the one area where Houston wails on us is in the Miscue column. Last week they were penalized just one time (vs. 9 times for Oakland). They have a slight edge in net take-aways. Schaub is excellent at exploiting coverage breakdowns and give Slaton a tiny opening and "he's gone."

Logically, the Cardinals should win if they leverage their "paper advantage" in talent by playing sound, mistake-free football and letting their numeric edges play out.

Problem is: they haven't proved they can consistently play to that high level, and it makes you wonder if some of that erratic play is an integral part of the team's DNA.

It's kind of like the recovering alcoholic trying to fulfill a promising career-potential. There are a lot of steps forward and backward - and the good guys don't always win.
 

Totally_Red

Air Raid Warning!
Joined
Apr 26, 2005
Posts
8,740
Reaction score
4,381
Location
Iowa
Coming off a bye, this team has absolutely no excuse for not blowing out a 500 team at home. If they can't win convincingly against the Texans, the season is basically over as far as any post-season hopes are concerned. The Cardinals are healthy and should be well-rested. You absolutely have to win the winnable home games, and this one qualifies IMO.

I'm expecting to see the Cardinals win by at least two touchdowns. Anything less will be extremely disappointing.
 
Joined
Nov 15, 2002
Posts
13,294
Reaction score
1,166
Location
SE Valley
I am of the same mind, this is a MUST win game for the Cardinals. No excuses, ifs, ands or buts. Get it done or be done!

Should the Cardinals lose to Houston on Sunday, we can start the 2010 draft threads...
 

TruColor

Trombonist in Roger Goodell's Wedding Rcpt.
Joined
May 13, 2002
Posts
4,113
Reaction score
2,944
Location
Prescott, AZ
This doesn't mean as much, since this is only the second game played between the two teams, but here's the all-time record between the Cardinals and the Texans:

ARIZONA vs. HOUSTON
RS: Texans lead series, 1-0
2005—Texans, 30-19 (H)
(RS Pts.—Texans 30, Cardinals 19)

I'm planning to post these before each opponent, if you guys like this kind of crap.

 

Doug

B a n n ed WARRIOR
LEGACY MEMBER
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Posts
1,589
Reaction score
1
Location
Lynn Haven Florida(Panama City)1 mile away.
Houston Texans:


Depth Chart:
http://www.houstontexans.com/team/depthchart.asp


Summary:
Do NOT sleep on this team. Schaub can get the job done by leaning on Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels, and Kevin Walter. Steve Slaton can light your team up if he is playing well that day, and they have some role players on offense like Jacoby Jones that can hurt you if you do not plan for them.

On defense, the Cardinals are going to have to show that they actually learned from the mistake they made against the Colts. Mario Williams is a huge, huge problem for the Cardinals at DE, and he will man handle Gandy or Brown unless we help them out a little here and there. Not to mention Demeco Ryan is a force on the inside.
The Texans are the 2007 version of the Cardinals they are a very competitive team that will probably end up 8-8 this season.

Thoughts:
My thoughts on this game are VERY VERY simple. Are the 2009 Cardinals going to just talk the talk this season, or at some point are they going to collectively get their heads out of there asses and start playing discipline football as a team.

This Cardinals team has no excuse for thier performances as of late, EXCEPT for the fact they can say they had a short offseason, new coaches, and a few new cogs in the system. Well we are 25% of the way through the 2009 season and that excuse is gone.

If the Cardinals cannot win this game at home, then to quote Jimmy Johnson, "put a fork in them", and grab your construction hat because it will be time to "re-build (or re-design might be a better word)" for 2010 and the movement to future seasons with Leinart, Wells, and some younger offensive linemen.

This is not being extreme, it is being realistic. I have a lot of respect for the Texans, but there team is custom made to be dominated by a team like the Cardinals. When the Cardinals play to thier potential, they slaughter a team like this. Well, time is up, and the Cards backs are against the wall, it is put up or shut up time in the desert. You wanna make the playoffs ? You wanna prove last year was not a fluke ? Put the NFL on notice with a big win on Sunday. If not, then buy 53 name tags, write "Fluke" on them, and hand them out because that will be how the 2008 team will be remembered. A team that made it to the Superbowl, and lost because they really should not have been there in the first place. Which sucks, but that is what happens when you don't step up the challenge, when you are not consistent, and when not only do you not silence the critics, you prove them right.

By the numbers this is not a make or break season, but it is, in regards to the mentallity and commitment of this 2009 squad.


Cool Links Already on ASFN:
http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/f4/10-things-about-the-texans-141401.html

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb...t-to-know-about-texansvscardinals-141399.html

One of my favorite posters on this awesome,awesome board of great thinkers and posters but I really beg to differ on time to blow things up or stick a fork in us or even that our backs are against the wall type of talk.

I hope none of those thoughts are anywhere near our players minds as they are way too negative.We just need to do what we do best and blow this team away.No turnovers when we have a great drive and put up 7 everytime.Quit thinking about the past or future.Just the now.Don't let them up at anytime in this game unless Warner is hurt keep him in the game.I'm not as concerned as others may be about Mario this week.I think Antonio Smith may play over his head and it will give Levi all he wants but I expect Levi is expecting just that myself.

Nothing in the NFL films department will EVER put fluke up next to the four game run the CARDINALS had last season.They just put what their talents to their best use and we won games we should have won.We should have won the Superbowl if not for a very bad break right before the half.

I hope the team isn't this dramatic this week.Hope all focus is on being more aggressive and putting another team away early.The heck with the home crowd if they don't want to be a part of a winner.

I'm glad this is the team we are playing this week.We need a challenge and this is one that plays to our strengths.This head coach has put himself back into an OJT position and I can only hope he is making better decisions than he has so far this season.Plus we must rush more than 4 and use different forms of blitz from every angle,like we even did in pre-season.No time for Shaub.The way we played the colts must be destroyed.That was a step backwards.

Forgive me.I sure did'nt mean to be rude or insulting at all.I always read everything you ever post and it always is important.Thankyou.:)
 
Last edited:

Doug

B a n n ed WARRIOR
LEGACY MEMBER
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Posts
1,589
Reaction score
1
Location
Lynn Haven Florida(Panama City)1 mile away.
I'm kinda hoping the CARDINALS take on the us against the world and our own fans approach.Let them prove it to the world and plan on getting no respect anywhere and be happy with it.They play better when they don't focus on such stuff anyway.

Sad how fragile this team is when things start to go bad and this year thinking we are better than we really are YET has put us in a bad place.

We don't need cliche's just everyone doing their own job and not trying to do someone else's job and getting caught out of position.

The creativity is up to the coaching staff that I hope is not already stagnant and stale for this year.Its a growing process that I was hoping would improve week by week.It still can.
 
OP
OP
RugbyMuffin

RugbyMuffin

ASFN IDOL
Joined
Apr 30, 2003
Posts
30,485
Reaction score
4,877
Forgive me.I sure did'nt mean to be rude or insulting at all.

WHY YOU SON OF ...... HOW DARE YOU!!

:D

Just kidding. I will never get insulted by differing views, and speaking your mind on a topic.

I have no problem that posters are finding my "Thoughts" portion to be over dramatic, too negative, etc., etc.

I didn't mean it to sound dramatic, but I did mean for it to sound challenging and negative. Cause those are my honest thoughts about this game. If it is not my best writing then I apologize, but I am not used of having expectations about my posts. Most of them are off the top of my head, B.S. as per the one above.

Anyway my mindset is, this team needs momentum, it needs a spark, it needs to play like we the fans know it can.

I personally don't think last year's run is a fluke, but we will hear that shouted from the roof tops if the Cardinals keep playing the way they have been for a majority of this 2009 season.

A winnable home game, after a bye, after a 1-2 start where our two loses have looked pretty bad, especially in regards to our bread and butter passing offense ? You don't need me or any other fan to say anything. The circumstances that are laid down before this Cardinals team implies a challenge. Furthermore, [all respect due to the Texans] this game is more about the Cardinals versus themselves than against the Texans.

Can they stop an elite pass rusher ? The Cardinals will have their answer because Mario Williams is coming for Warner

Can they get back to their high octane passing attack ? The Cardinal have a extremely young, 25th rating passing defense that they should SHRED, but will it happen.

Can the Cardinal trust in Beanie Wells ? He has had two weeks to learn more, and more about his assignments. Fumbles? Well, Hightower fumbled last game so it is fair game now.

Can the Cardinals defense re-gain their swagger ? They will have to stop Slaton, they will be going against and average QB, and Andre Johnson is waiting for DRC. This is a good fair test for our defense, IMO.

Are the Cardinals a playoff calibur football team or not ? This game, because of the circumstances surrounding it, will be a HUGE in answering that question.

You can't set a better stage than this game to answer some questions that have caused a lot of beers to be drank in frustration by Cardinals fans over the last two weeks.

Yeah, we may not be mathmatically eliminated if we lose this game, but momentum wise we might find ourselves in a hole that 12 games won't allow for us to climb out of in time.
 
Last edited:

SuperSpck

ASFN Addict
Joined
Mar 24, 2004
Posts
7,977
Reaction score
15
Location
Iowa
Record
The Texans are off to a 2-2 start so far with wins against the hapless Raiders and disappointing Titans. Their losses were to the surprising Jets and spectacular Colts.

The Texans have had scored around the 30-points in each of their last three games and there’s no indicator to assume this trend won’t continue. Expect a shoot-out.

Don’t lets the Texans uneven start be an indicator. This is a team that knows how to keep composure. Last season, they got off to an ugly start and managed to string together another 8 win season.

Like the Cardinals, the Texans are often a “sleeper” pick as a breakout candidate, only to disappoint. Sounds familiar…

Injuries
The Texans are relatively healthy, aside from a nasty flu floating around.

Offense
The Texans like to go deep. No matter who’s running the offense: Schaub, the departed Rosenfels, or current backup Rex Grossman one thing is sure, the Texans like to pass.

Last season, according to Football Outsiders, the Texans rarely ran a shotgun offense and when they did, they weren’t very good in it. They were very productive outside of shotgun, averaging 6.3 yards per play when in any other formation. Kubiak loves TE formations and they have one on the field at almost all times. Last season they threw the highest percentage of passes in the middle of the field. I don’t know if that’s a trend that’s continued this season. Additionally, they threw to the right a league low amount of times. We’ll see if these trends hold true.

Most teams choose to not blitz and Schaub last season. This is similar to what Manning saw last season, and when the Cardinals attacked him they paid dearly. While Schaub isn’t on the level of Manning he’s still very dangerous and his perimeter weapons are some of the best in the league.

People have poked fun at the Texans offensive line, but they’ve been playing together now for a while and they’re showing growing comfort in the legendary Alex Gibbs blocking system Kubiak brought with him from Denver. Last year they helped a rookie plow for over 1k yards.

Speaking of Slayton, he’s a perfect one-cut runner who has a good all around game. His one weakness is his goal-line ability, which just wasn’t very good last year. So far, the line and Slayton have gotten off to a slow start. The Cards have shown the ability to shut down any rushing game, but they could over-emphasize pass D and leave too many holes open, allowing the Texans to find the rushing game.

Back to the line, according to the Football Scientist LT Brown appears to be the weak link of the line he’s still learning the position but had a rough season last year, giving up a lot of one-on-one sacks and committing his fair share of holds, additionally he isn’t dominate against the run.

A brief word on WR’s: We all know about Andre Johnson, he’s one of the best in football right now. He, like Fitzgerald, is a complete player who can score from anywhere.

Last season, Kevin Walter became a surprising deep threat and the last two seasons he has put up good numbers. He’s a candidate to burn the Cardinals this week. He’s an under-the-radar guy who’s been hyper effective.

Speaking of U-t-R, Owen Daniels is also underappreciated outside Houston, but he’s a very good TE, especially in short and medium yardage situations. Outside of the redzone, of course where most of the Texans struggled last year.

Defense
When it comes to the defense, be afraid, be very afraid.

Mario Williams is as good as advertised and the Cardinals will probably leave Gandy and Brown on their usual islands. Williams is big, fast, and strong and he will win if the Cardinals don’t throw some help his way. He’s got 2 sacks so far; don’t be surprised to see the total grow. He doesn’t play the run nearly as well and can be run at.

If Doug’s sources speak of an improving Okoye and we know Antonio Smith has an understanding of what each Cardinals’ lineman strengths and weakness are.

DeMeco Ryans continues to be an underappreciated talent and rookie Cushing is coming on strong.

Their secondary is full of holes and question marks but so far have been better against the pass than most realize. Again though, playing the Raiders help.
Last year the Texans were terrible against the run and it showed as the Outsiders pointed out that the Texans gave up more yardage than any other team last year when the opposing offense had less than two WR’s on the field.

In short, the Texans can be taken advantage of defensively but that’s only if Warner gets time to do it. They can also be run on and if the Cards want to win they have to find balance. Pass to get the lead, run to keep it and stay of shotgun.
 

187

BIRDGANG
Joined
Apr 29, 2009
Posts
2,020
Reaction score
63
Location
Glendale, AZ
I will do a visual Know Thine Enemy incase anyone was too lazy to read your writeup (good stuff btw):

You must be registered for see images attach


and

You must be registered for see images attach



Luckily Super Mario is questionable for this game, if he is out our passing game should have no problem torching their secondary. If he is in, it could be another long day for our offensive line and Kurt Warner's ass. He does not have amazing speed (like Freeney) which tends to destroy our tackles, so I guess that's a slight positive. DRC better get his act together starting with this game, because Andre Johnson is going to be a load to cover. The thing that worries me a lot now that I think about it is Andre's size and strength. If DRC has to tackle this guy solo in the open field, it's not going to happen.
 
Last edited:

Doug

B a n n ed WARRIOR
LEGACY MEMBER
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Posts
1,589
Reaction score
1
Location
Lynn Haven Florida(Panama City)1 mile away.
Yes Super Mario hurt his shoulder in the raiders game and has been taking treatment and missed a couple of pressers due to it.I'm pretty sure he'll play but he'll be very,very sore on that shoulder.I hope whoever gets him makes sure his shoulder gets hit early and often.Won't be hard to notice which one is bandaged up.

I read about him missing signing some autographs last night due to it,on the texans website.We just need him to go visit the rookie OLB from USC so he can get the flu also.:) It won't kill him.So don't jump on me.He just won't need to take the shot then.:DIt'll save him money.
 

187

BIRDGANG
Joined
Apr 29, 2009
Posts
2,020
Reaction score
63
Location
Glendale, AZ
Hopefully whatever lineman is up against him (assuming he plays) is well aware of his shoulder injury and remembers to give it a solid, open fisted smack every few plays.
 

nashman

ASFN Icon
Joined
May 3, 2007
Posts
10,617
Reaction score
7,408
Location
Queen Creek, AZ
From everything I have heard they suck at getting pressure on the opposing QB which is why they brought in Antonio to try and help Mario, and it has failed miserably so far. From all accounts I have been listening to all week We should have plenty of time to throw and the Whiz was on KTAR about an hour ago saying we will finally take a good look at Beanie and see what he can do (it's about time). Hopefully Beanie gets a good 15 carries or so it would be nice to keep their offense off the field as I am still scared to death of our defense we play great then give up huge plays, our D is about as bi-polar as it gets!
 

Buckybird

Hoist the Lombardi Trophy
Joined
Nov 11, 2002
Posts
25,242
Reaction score
6,108
Location
Dallas, TX
Agreed. But what else is there to say? I could break things down, but all the analysis doesn't matter if our team cannot execute the basics.

Our passing attack should dominate their passing defense. If that doesn't happen it will be the (including preseason) 8th time this year our passing attack fails to get the job done.

If that happens the Cardinals are done for 2009.

Don't worry tho, SuperSpock will come in and give some in depth analysis at some point and bring some value to to the thread.... :D

(Plus: Work is busy, so shotgun blogging/writing/whathaveyou in full effect - Wooden Nickel)

Agree with your thoughts about the Redbirds needing this win or they're done. While we have an advantage with our passing game (if its clicking) against their defense, I still want us to pound the rock at one of the worst rushing defenses at least 30 times. I'm worried the Texans pass rush is going be coming in full force with blitzes after greybeard. Running the ball will also keep their explosive passing game off the field against our putrid pass rush 7 secondary.

POUND THE ROCK!!! When you are giving up 165 yds/game and 8 Tds thru 4 games we better see Beanies breakout game. Lets see how much Wiz has learned from the bye week.
 
Last edited:

az1965

Love Games!
Joined
Jan 23, 2003
Posts
14,760
Reaction score
0
Location
Austin, TX
DRC better get his act together starting with this game, because Andre Johnson is going to be a load to cover. The thing that worries me a lot now that I think about it is Andre's size and strength. If DRC has to tackle this guy solo in the open field, it's not going to happen.
I expect McFadden to cover Johnson. Andre will chew up DRC.
 

SuperSpck

ASFN Addict
Joined
Mar 24, 2004
Posts
7,977
Reaction score
15
Location
Iowa
I expect McFadden to cover Johnson.

Andre does move around a little (not as frequently as the Cards and their motion stuff, which is great) . As always, McF will line up offensive left, DRC on the right. So everyone may get the chance to test themselves against the league's best. I hope the Cards ditch the C-3/Zone shell and play some more traditional C-2/Man with safeties back deep.
 

az1965

Love Games!
Joined
Jan 23, 2003
Posts
14,760
Reaction score
0
Location
Austin, TX
I do expect cover two. Also, their run threat is not that great that will help in keeping the safeties in the middle and deep.
 
OP
OP
RugbyMuffin

RugbyMuffin

ASFN IDOL
Joined
Apr 30, 2003
Posts
30,485
Reaction score
4,877
Record
The Texans are off to a 2-2 start so far with wins against the hapless Raiders and disappointing Titans. Their losses were to the surprising Jets and spectacular Colts.

The Texans have had scored around the 30-points in each of their last three games and there’s no indicator to assume this trend won’t continue. Expect a shoot-out.

Don’t lets the Texans uneven start be an indicator. This is a team that knows how to keep composure. Last season, they got off to an ugly start and managed to string together another 8 win season.

Like the Cardinals, the Texans are often a “sleeper” pick as a breakout candidate, only to disappoint. Sounds familiar…

Injuries
The Texans are relatively healthy, aside from a nasty flu floating around.

Offense
The Texans like to go deep. No matter who’s running the offense: Schaub, the departed Rosenfels, or current backup Rex Grossman one thing is sure, the Texans like to pass.

Last season, according to Football Outsiders, the Texans rarely ran a shotgun offense and when they did, they weren’t very good in it. They were very productive outside of shotgun, averaging 6.3 yards per play when in any other formation. Kubiak loves TE formations and they have one on the field at almost all times. Last season they threw the highest percentage of passes in the middle of the field. I don’t know if that’s a trend that’s continued this season. Additionally, they threw to the right a league low amount of times. We’ll see if these trends hold true.

Most teams choose to not blitz and Schaub last season. This is similar to what Manning saw last season, and when the Cardinals attacked him they paid dearly. While Schaub isn’t on the level of Manning he’s still very dangerous and his perimeter weapons are some of the best in the league.

People have poked fun at the Texans offensive line, but they’ve been playing together now for a while and they’re showing growing comfort in the legendary Alex Gibbs blocking system Kubiak brought with him from Denver. Last year they helped a rookie plow for over 1k yards.

Speaking of Slayton, he’s a perfect one-cut runner who has a good all around game. His one weakness is his goal-line ability, which just wasn’t very good last year. So far, the line and Slayton have gotten off to a slow start. The Cards have shown the ability to shut down any rushing game, but they could over-emphasize pass D and leave too many holes open, allowing the Texans to find the rushing game.

Back to the line, according to the Football Scientist LT Brown appears to be the weak link of the line he’s still learning the position but had a rough season last year, giving up a lot of one-on-one sacks and committing his fair share of holds, additionally he isn’t dominate against the run.

A brief word on WR’s: We all know about Andre Johnson, he’s one of the best in football right now. He, like Fitzgerald, is a complete player who can score from anywhere.

Last season, Kevin Walter became a surprising deep threat and the last two seasons he has put up good numbers. He’s a candidate to burn the Cardinals this week. He’s an under-the-radar guy who’s been hyper effective.

Speaking of U-t-R, Owen Daniels is also underappreciated outside Houston, but he’s a very good TE, especially in short and medium yardage situations. Outside of the redzone, of course where most of the Texans struggled last year.

Defense
When it comes to the defense, be afraid, be very afraid.

Mario Williams is as good as advertised and the Cardinals will probably leave Gandy and Brown on their usual islands. Williams is big, fast, and strong and he will win if the Cardinals don’t throw some help his way. He’s got 2 sacks so far; don’t be surprised to see the total grow. He doesn’t play the run nearly as well and can be run at.

If Doug’s sources speak of an improving Okoye and we know Antonio Smith has an understanding of what each Cardinals’ lineman strengths and weakness are.

DeMeco Ryans continues to be an underappreciated talent and rookie Cushing is coming on strong.

Their secondary is full of holes and question marks but so far have been better against the pass than most realize. Again though, playing the Raiders help.
Last year the Texans were terrible against the run and it showed as the Outsiders pointed out that the Texans gave up more yardage than any other team last year when the opposing offense had less than two WR’s on the field.

In short, the Texans can be taken advantage of defensively but that’s only if Warner gets time to do it. They can also be run on and if the Cards want to win they have to find balance. Pass to get the lead, run to keep it and stay of shotgun.

Nice for you to join us....and thank goodness the cause the crowd was getting unruly since I mailed it in this week.

:D

But the new cable master on the new 76 foot model works, stupid work getting in the way of priorities.
 

b0ng

Newbie
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Posts
16
Reaction score
0
Yes Super Mario hurt his shoulder in the raiders game and has been taking treatment and missed a couple of pressers due to it.I'm pretty sure he'll play but he'll be very,very sore on that shoulder.I hope whoever gets him makes sure his shoulder gets hit early and often.Won't be hard to notice which one is bandaged up.

I read about him missing signing some autographs last night due to it,on the texans website.We just need him to go visit the rookie OLB from USC so he can get the flu also.:) It won't kill him.So don't jump on me.He just won't need to take the shot then.:DIt'll save him money.

Unfortunately (for Cardinals) everybody has been given a clean bill of health from the plague that ran through the locker room this week. Mario with an injured shoulder is worrisome, but I think that he'll play through the pain (He played through what is probably more debilitating plantar fascitis in his rookie season).

I'm looking for Smith to have a big game as he is quite familiar with the faces he is lining up against. I'm also hoping that Frank Bush can provide some insight on how to stop the Cardinals offense, even if a lot of the peices are different from when he was here.
 
Top