Washington Redskins Preview

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Texans lean on 'D'

Texans lean on 'D'

Texans lean on 'D'

2009 Houston Texans Preview



Is this final the year that the Houston Texans rise out of mediocrity and make the playoffs? NFL odds makers sure think so as the Texas are only 16-1 to win the Super Bowl odds and their over/under win total is 8.5. If the Texans don?t make the playoffs it could be head coach Gary Kubiak?s last season. Three coaches were fired after last season including defensive coordinator Richard Smith so Kubiak has run out of excuses.



Houston is led on offense by quarterback Matt Schaub. When healthy, Schaub is an excellent quarterback. The problem is that he has missed ten games in the last two years. The Texans went and signed free agent Dan Orlovsky as a backup, but if Schaub goes down again the Texans are in trouble. The running game is led by Steve Slaton who had 1,659 yards from scrimmage last season and 10 TD?s. The backup job is between Ryan Moats and Chris Brown. Houston has one of the best wide receivers in the game in Andre Johnson. It is scary how good Johnson can be. He led the league with 115 yards and 1,575 yards last season. Teammate Kevin Walter also had a solid season with 60 catches for 899 yards and eight touchdowns. Houston has a Pro Bowl tight end in Owen Daniels who had 70 catches for 862 yards. The offensive line for Houston was solid last season led by left guard Chester Pitts and Eric Winston.






On defense, Kubiak is placing his faith in new defensive coordinator Frank Bush who was promoted from senior defensive assistant. The Texans are led on defense by right end Mario Williams who had 26 sacks the last two seasons. The rest of the line is weak and needs to improve, especially right tackle Amobi Okoye. The linebackers are led by DeMeco Ryans in the middle but he doesn?t have a lot of help. Outside linebackers Zac Diles and Xavier Adibi were hurt last season. That could be one reason the team took USC linebacker Brian Cushing with their first pick in the draft. Cato June was picked up as a free agent and he could move into the starting lineup. The secondary has Dunta Robinson and Jacques Reeves at cornerbacks. The problem for Houston is that they don?t have much beyond those two and the safeties are nothing special. Kris Brown is an excellent placekicker but Matt Turk did not have a very good season.



This is a make or break season for the Texans. Another 8-8 season is just not going to be enough but that is exactly where Houston could end up again in 2009.

 

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Atlanta Falcons Preview

Atlanta Falcons Preview

Atlanta Falcons Preview
August 2, 2009

What can the Falcons do for an encore, other than getting to the Super Bowl? That's what callers to Buck Belue and John Kincade's popular sports talk show on 680 The Fan were asking in the Showcase City of the South after Atlanta's unexpected run to the playoffs last year, one that certainly didn't figure back in September when the Falcons were preparing for their first season with not only a new head coach, former Jags d.c. Mike Smith, but also a rookie starting QB, Boston College's Matt Ryan. Such combinations are usually expected to post losing records and secure a high selection for the following spring's draft, not barge into the postseason.

But excuse longtime Falcon fans for being a bit wary of that whole encore business following last season's unexpected wild card berth. Atlantans who have been around town long enough to remember the place before there was much development beyond the I-285 perimeter also know what has happened to their football team whenever big things are expected. That's because the Falcons have never posted consecutive winning records. Not after Norm Van Brocklin's winning teams in 1971 and '73, or Steve Bartkowski-led playoff runs in 1978 & '80, or playoff teams under Jerry Glanville in 1991 and June Jones in '95, or, most famously, Dan Reeves' Super Bowl squad in '98 that dipped to 5-11 in '99. Michael Vick's playoff teams in 2002 & '04 couldn't get above .500 the next year, either.


Optimists in town, however, believe that the organization has progressed a long way from its past disarray, and cite not only the impact of HC Smith, but also that of shrewd GM Thomas Dimitroff, together able to quickly alter the Atlanta football culture. Indeed, there finally seems to be a coherent blueprint at the Georgia Dome. But before getting too excited, consider that the Falcs were uncommonly blessed last season. Injuries were only a minor factor, and most of the close decisions fell in Atlanta's favor (indeed, six of the Falcons' 11 wins were by a TD or less).

But last campaign's success wasn't an accident, either. At HC Smith's behest, o.c. Mike Mularkey installed a power running attack while favoring a vertical aerial game designed to take shots down the field. The FA addition of ex-Charger RB Michael Turner was key, providing the power Smith and Mularkey sought, and then some, as Turner ranked second in NFL rushing behind only the Vikings' Adrian Peterson when gaining a whopping 1699 YR and scoring 17 TDs. Indeed, the Falcs were 9-0 in games when "The Burner" rushed for at least 96 yards, and 2-6 in games he didn't. Meanwhile, Ryan demonstrated the sort of poise at QB for a rookie that had been reserved only by past examples such as Dan Marino and Ben Roethlisberger, completing 61% for 3440 yards and, most importantly, making few mistakes (only 11 picks).

Prospects for 2009 are encouraging, especially after Dimitroff added an important piece that was missing from last year's puzzle-a TE who can do more than block. And he couldn't have done much better than Kansas City's longtime Pro Bowler Tony Gonzalez, who arrived in a trade after posting more huge numbers (96 catches and 10 TDs) in '08. A second-round pick next season was a steep price to pay for an aging TE, but Gonzalez obviously has some tread left on his tires. Moreover, it indicates that Dimitroff & Smith aren't going to stay content with their one-year turnaround, while Ryan's accuracy likely jumps to 66-68% from last year's 61%. With Gonzalez now a prime threat underneath, former first-round pick WR Roddy White should continue his emergence as one of the league's best deep threats (career-best 88 catches a year ago).

With the trade for Gonzalez answering the only glaring offensive need, Dimitroff went almost completely for defense in the draft, hoping to plug gaps in a platoon that lost some significant leadership and talent (including CB Domonique Foxworth, SS Lawyer Milloy, DT Grady Jackson, and LBs Michael Boley & Keith Brooking-whew!) in free agency. HC Smith, who prefers bulky DTs who occupy blockers so the LBs can roam freely, addressed Jackson's departure by nabbing Ole Miss DT Peria Jerry in the first round. Second-round pick William Moore (Missouri) will compete for Milloy's abandoned SS spot, with later picks such as San Jose State CB Chris Owens and Richmond DE Richard Sidbury providing more depth and flexibility for Smith's basic 4-3, Cover-2 zone defense. But since the Falcs don't blitz much, they need to find some pass rush help for DE John Abraham (161/2 sacks); former first-round DE Jamaal Anderson has to do better than the 2 sacks he recorded LY.

Bottom line...Forgive us for being a bit reluctant to jump on the Falcon bandwagon, and not just because we've been around to see all of Atlanta's past disappointments. Rather, we're more than a bit concerned about a "D" that was ravaged in free agency. And frankly, it's the nature of the NFL for teams to often regress after pulling a big surprise. We hate to make Ryan prove himself again before we're sold, but that's our inclination.