Week 3 vs. NY Giants REVIEW: Where was the execution?

Audio Recording: 'EPISODE67 - Bulls On Parade Talk - Week 3 vs. NY Gian...' From 'Bulls On Parade Talk'

The Houston Texans have suffered their first loss of the season.  Now why, after the Texans looked pretty good in their first two games, did they struggle to execute against the New York Giants?  The keyword is of course as previously mentioned: execution.  However, there were also several other factors that played into the Texans' loss against the New York Giants.

Starting at some point this past week, Arian Foster had a bit of a hamstring issue bothering him.  Because of that, he wasn't active for the game against the New York Giants.  They worked him out before the game and he just wasn't feeling good enough.  Whether he pulled himself out or not, the fact remains that Arian Foster's hamstring remains an issue.  Everyone points to the 50+ carries he was given in the just the first two games of the season.  In this day and age, the running backs barely get over 20 carries a game.  The feature back is slowly becoming extinct.

Turnovers are the other big reason that people point to as it regards to reasons as to why the Texans lost.  Now granted, when you turn the ball over more than your opponent, there is a very high chance you aren't going to win especially when your opponent can score points.  And of course a lack of a running game forces the quarterback to try and make plays almost by himself.

Lastly the run defense continues to show how much they are struggling to maintain gap discipline.  Rashad Jennings mustered 176 yards on the ground by himself against the Houston Texans.  When the running game is working, the West Coast offense will more than likely find their rhythm.  And lo and behold, Eli Manning and the NY Giants offense appear to have found their rhythm against the Texans.  Again it is all dependent on the running game and its effectiveness during the game.

So what's the overall takeaway?  The answer can be defined in one word: execution.  The Houston Texans did not execute and the New York Giants did.  Although the Texans made some slight adjustments at half time, it was not enough to catch up to the New York Giants that were executing on all cylinders.

Will the team adjust and bounce back against their next opponent: the Buffalo Bills?

The truth about Gary Kubiak's offensive system??!!

Former Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub recently spoke to Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area New Group about how much control he will have in the Oakland Raiders' offense.  These quotes from Matt Schaub have gotten several people, especially in Houston, talking about how Gary Kubiak's offensive system was really like especially for the quarterback.

It’s exciting. It’s just like going to a new place and getting a fresh start. To come to an offense where the coach is looking to give you more freedom, and looking to give you more control of things. I had that in some aspects in Houston, but there are things I’m being asked to do here that I didn’t have control of in Houston. I would have loved to, but we just weren’t in control of it. To now be in that position, and being the quarterback, that’s such a great place to be because you can get everyone on the same page.

From what I've understood about the offensive system Gary Kubiak ran during his time in Houston, the quarterback wasn't given much control at the line of scrimmage.  Based from what I've read and heard, the quarterback was given 2 offensive plays by the play-caller (Gary Kubiak in this case) to call in the huddle.  While at the line of scrimmage, the quarterback couldn't call an audible or adjust the protection based from what the defense was presenting.

Under Greg Olsen in Oakland, Matt Schaub will apparently have more control over the offense in games than he had in Houston.  For the most part, Matt Schaub has been productive during his time in Houston aside from the 2013 debacle that occurred in Houston.  Time will tell if he can turn things around in Oakland.

But as far as the offense that Bill O'Brien runs, the quarterback has loads of responsibilities during the games.  How do you feel about the new offense that'll start getting installed soon?

McNair let the bulldogs out??

Houston Texans owner Bob McNair spoke with FOX 26 in Houston about the plans the Texans have for the 2014 NFL Draft.  He apparently couldn't stop talking and probably gave too much information.  Here are a few quotes from the interview with FOX 26 in Houston:

Really at this point we don’t know and we really won’t know until right up at the time we have to make a decision because people are talking to us about the possibility of trading down and it’s a question of what people offer, whether their offer is such that it’s worthwhile to trade down.

He continues letting the bulls loose by saying:

You take a guy like Clowney.  He’s obviously the best player in the draft, but he’s a defensive end.  He’s not a quarterback.  If he’s a quarterback and the best player it’s easy, but that’s not the case.  So can that defensive player have a greater impact on the success of your team than one of these quarterbacks?  It’s not a sure thing that he is. . . . If somebody wants you to drop down and they give you two or three more picks that would let you get two or three more quality players, are you a stronger team dropping down a little bit, getting these additional picks and getting more depth?

Basically, the negotiations for the #1 overall pick have begun and it seems they are certainly looking to trade the pick for a lower spot in the first round and get a quarterback.  However, even if the Texans do pick a quarterback, which Bill O'Brien has said will definitely happen, Bob McNair is still concerned.

You got three quarterbacks and all of them have some holes in their resume.  A quarterback that goes out and performs for you and is a franchise quarterback is more valuable than a player playing another position, but there’s a lot more risk there.  It’s a more difficult position to play and there are lot more failures. 

You drop down and there’s another group close behind, not exactly where they are, and maybe one of those quarterbacks will become better than one of these other three. There are no slam dunks. There are no Andrew Lucks out there, no Peyton Manning's. If there were it would be an easy decision, but that’s not the case.

Despite all of that, Bob McNair continues having the mindset that no matter what happens, the Houston Texans will come out of this NFL Draft as a better team.

I think that we’re going to greatly strengthen our team as a result of the draft.  We’ve got 11 picks now in the draft and it’s a deep draft. So we’re going to get some good players regardless as to what we do.  If we trade down and pick up two or three more players, we’d have 13 or 14 [draft picks].  So you’re going to see some significant strengthening of our team as a result of this draft. 

Bob McNair also pointed out in the past that he has learned a huge lesson about starting a young rookie before he is ready referring to the David Carr experiment.  We shall definitely see how much the Texans have learned as we approach a big day in Texans franchise history: May 8th, 2014.

Who should the Texans draft with the 33rd overall pick (the first pick in the 2nd round of the 2014 NFL Draft)?

With all the attention on the #1 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft that the Houston Texans just happen to own, not a lot of attention is drawn to the rest of the picks the Texans have, particularly in the second round.  The Texans have the 33rd pick in this year's draft, which is the first pick in the second round.  This is important, due to the fact that there is plenty of 2nd round talent at the quarterback position in this year's draft.  In fact, there is a starting quarterback in the NFL today that was taken at the top of the 2nd round.  His name just happens to be Drew Brees.  This year's quarterback class that have 2nd round value consists of players such as Jimmy Garoppolo, Zach Mettenberger, A.J. McCarron, and others.  Many believe that it is with the first pick in the 2nd round where the Texans will draft a quarterback.  Are you one of them?  Or do you feel that the pick will be traded or used on another position of need?

What if there were no pro days for the NFL Draft

After Teddy Bridgewater's pro day, some so-called "experts" are dropping his draft stock.  It simply makes one pose the following question: if there were no pro days, how would the draft look differently in terms of how players (quarterbacks in particular) are graded on teams' draft boards?

Thoughts on Houston Texans Town Hall Meeting

Yesterday (March 31), the Houston Texans held a closed Q&A session at the Houston Texans Grille located in City Centre open only to media and Houston Texans season ticket holders.  He was asked about various topics including the draft and free agency.  Most are addressed in this latest episode of Bulls On Parade Talk.

Will the Texans trade another of their current quarterbacks from last year's roster?

Now that Matt Schaub has been traded to the Oakland Raiders, that now leaves 3 quarterbacks on the current roster.  Those quarterbacks are T.J. Yates, Case Keenum and newly signed free agent Ryan Fitzpatrick.  Bill O'Brien, in an interview with NFL Network, made it clear that the Texans will draft a quarterback.  The uncertainty remains about the spot at where the Texans will target a potential quarterback.  In addition, O'Brien stated in an interview with Marc Vandemeer on Texans All Access on SportsRadio 610 that all the quarterbacks will all compete for the starting job.

“I don’t see why we couldn't have four guys, including a drafted quarterback, in our camp.  Those guys have been told it’s a competition.  They’ll get reps and everybody is there to compete.  We are trying to put together a very competitive roster."

This does not, however, dismiss the possibility of T.J. Yates or Case Keenum getting trade before training camp.  The other possibility is that either of these quarterbacks could potentially be cut during the preseason as the roster is set to the final 53.  This leaves the question of where they could potentially land.

Two possibilities I can see are the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens.

Cleveland is looking for a quarterback.  While they are being patient with Brian Hoyer, I don't see why they can't look at either of these two as other potential "quarterbacks of the future."  One factor that people might forget is the current offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns.  That man is Kyle Shanahan.  He was the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans when Matt Schaub first arrived on the scene in Houston.  Around this time, Matt Schaub was putting up good numbers resulting in more wins even though they never really gave us a playoff berth.  That, however, has more to do with the fact there wasn't much of a team around Matt Schaub at the time.  But Case Keenum and T.J. Yates have both spent their young careers learning the Shanahan West Coast system that Gary Kubiak continued running in Houston during his tenure.  This is the one reason I believe it would be a good fit for both of them.

Baltimore presents another possibility but not in terms of being a starting quarterback.  That job belongs to Joe Flacco.  However, the new offensive coordinator is very, very familiar with Case and T.J.  Either of them could potentially battle with Tyrod Taylor for the backup spot behind Joe Flacco.

So could we trade Case Keenum or T.J. Yates before or after the draft?  We most certainly could.  But the better question is: will we?

Matt Schaub traded to the Oakland Raiders for a 6th round pick

The inevitable move in free agency that almost every Houston Texan fan has been waiting for has come to pass.  Matt Schaub and his expensive contract has been traded to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a 6th round pick.  This leaves Case Keenum and T.J. Yates along with newly signed free agent Ryan Fitzpatrick on the current roster.  Whether or not you like Matt Schaub or not, you have to at least recognize what he has done for the city of Houston during his time here.  Since the Texans acquired Matt Schaub from the Atlanta Falcons, the Houston Texans' offense started improving.  Matt Schaub led the league in passing during two of his seasons as the starting quarterback for the Houston Texans.  Now 2013 wasn't Matt Schaub's best year by any stretch of the imagination.  However, the fault can't be placed solely on the quarterback, and not because there were 3 different starting quarterbacks, but because everyone on the roster in some way was at fault.  The offensive line wasn't protecting well or creating running lanes for the running backs and injuries once again plagued the team forcing younger and inexperienced players to see action prematurely including Case Keenum and Dennis Johnson.  

Just because a player has one bad year or one bad game, it doesn't make them a bad player or a bad person.  Everyone has bad moments in their lives at some point.  It's what makes us human.  Do I like Matt Schaub?  I sure do.  Now do I feel that getting rid of him was a good move?  I do as a matter fact.  But it's probably for different reasons that some of you might think.  His contract would cost us cap space for the next two seasons and the fans have completely turned against him after last season.  Just ask the guy that went to his house and threatened his family.  The same can be said about Randy Bullock after missing several field goals during the Sunday Night game against Indianapolis which was Case Keenum's first start as well as the night which Gary Kubiak had that mini-stroke.

Overall, the season didn't turn out as planned for the Houston Texans.  But, I'd still like to take this time to thank Matt Schaub for everything he and his family have given to the city of Houston.  He is nothing short of a class act and I'm sure he will be successful no matter where he goes.