Yardbarker: Jacoby Jones

Texans WR/KR Jacoby Jones Suffers A Tailbone Injury

Wed, 27 May 2009 03:09:47 -0500

Texans wide receiver Jacoby Jones slipped at his home on Monday and suffered a tailbone bruise which held him out of Tuesday?s practice. He should...

Texans WR/KR Jacoby Jones Suffers A Tailbone Injury

Wed, 27 May 2009 02:30:00 -0500

Texans wide receiver Jacoby Jones slipped at his home on Monday and suffered a tailbone bruise which held him out of Tuesday?s practice. He should...

Texans to Look for a Third WR in the Offseason?

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 22:50:14 -0500

From: Pro Football Weekly One position the Texans could look to bolster in the offseason, the way we hear it, is wide receiver. Starters Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter aren?t going anywhere, but the Texans may add a receiver to complement their top two wideouts. Reserve WRs David Anderson, Andr? Davis and Jacoby Jones all bring [...]

Week Nine Preview: Vikings Host Red Hot Texans

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:30:11 -0500

Back from the bye week, the Minnesota Vikings have a stiff test at home Sunday when they play host to the red hot Houston Texans, winners of three straight after starting the season 0-4. The Vikings are looking to put a playoff run together, and need a strong start to their second half as at 3-4 they know that time is running out for a successful 08 season. The team has had letdowns on both sides of the ball at points in their first seven games. Gus Frerotte has played well enough to keep the starting job for now, but the team does need more from him and the O-line to open up holes for star runner Adrian Peterson. The second-year back is putting up 97.7yards per game and has five TD's, and he'll see the ball a lot Sunday vs the Texans to slow down their offense. Houston has the best WR in the game right now in Andre Johnson, who has four straight 100+ yard games receiving. He and Matt Schaub have been reeking havoc on defenses, and last week vs the Bengals they got an early punt return from Jacoby Jones and never looked back in a 35-6 win. The Texans are well aware that the Vikings D-line is a lot better vs the run than the pass, so look for them to do what they do best - throw. Steve Slaton and Ahman Green will get carries to keep the offense honest, but it will be up to Schaub and Johnson and that passing game to get yards to set up scores for the Texans. Houston is putting up 371.6 yards per game, 253.1 passing. The best defense for the Houston passing game is to pressure Schaub and run Peterson. While Frerotte will take a few shots down the field, it will be up to Peterson to keep the chains moving to keep the Texans off the field. If that works, the Vikings will be in a much better position to win and move to 4-4. This is a tough game to call, but the Vikings know that with a showdown with the Packers at home next week it's time to start playing better. They worked hard on getting things right in the bye week, and I think it will pay off with a big day for Peterson and a hard fought three-point home win.

Week Nine Preview: Houston Heads to Minnesota

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:17:35 -0500

Week 6 NFL Players Of The Week

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:40:05 -0500

Week 6 AFC Offense - QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Defense - CB Eric Wright, Cleveland Special - WR-PR Jacoby Jones, Houston NFC Offense - QB...

Schaub’s Sneak Lifts Texans to First Win 29-28 Over Miami

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:02:26 -0500

In what ended up as the most wild game of the early games in week six, the Texans used a Matt Schaub 3-yard QB run for a TD with three seconds left to win their first game of the season, stunning the Miami Dolphins 29-28 at Reliant Stadium. The Texans were down 28-23 with 1:45 to go when Ronnie Brown went six yards for the go-ahead score. Schaub, who missed last week with a virus, took the team down the field, getting sacked right away, but ending the drive 4-for-10 for 81 yards to get in position for the game-winning run. The big play was Schaub going to Kevin Walter for 30 yards from the Fins 41 with :29 seconds left. Three plays later, Schaub went in for the game-winner. Houston needed a win in the worst way, as they finally got their first win of the season against four losses. The Dolphins suffer the crushing defeat to fall to 2-3 on the season. The teams combined for 57 points and 855 yards, the Texans putting up 485 yards on a Dolphins team that held the Chargers in check last week in a 17-10 win. Schaub was 22-for-42 for 379 yards with a TD and two picks. The outing overshadowed a good day for Dolphins QB Chad Pennington, who was 19-for-25 for 284 yards, two TD's and a pick and a QB rating of 122.8. Steve Slaton led the Texans with 58 yards on 15 carries, and Andre Johnson had his best day of the season, with 10 grabs for 178 yards and a score. Miami was in control, up 14-3 after Penning hooked up with Patrick Cobbs, who caught two scores, on an 80-yard TD at the 11:37 mark of the second quarter. Houston came back with a field goal and TD when Jacoby Jones took a punt 70 yards with 5:24 left in the second quarter to make it 14-13. They took their first led when Schaub went to Johnson for a 12-yard score to make it 20-14 at the 10 minute mark of the third quarter. Miami got the lead back when Ricky Williams took it in from five yards out with 6:18 left in the quarter to make it 21-20. Kris Brown made it 23-21 with a 42-yard field goal with 6:04 to go before the two late scores by Brown and then Schaub. The Texans D did a good job on Brown who had just 50 yards on 13 carries. Williams had 46 yards on 11 carries. It was the Miami defense that was the letdown in this one, as Houston was able to overcome the early deficit, and then put together the game-winning drive even with a first-down sack and Schaub missing on six of the 10 passes. Next week the Texans are at home for the Detroit Lions at 4:05pm Eastern.

Week 1 Preview: Steelers vs. Texans

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 03:52:16 -0500

The Houston Texans got off to a surprising 2-0 start, looking solid with the addition of Matt Schaub at quarterback, Andre Johnson tearing up the league, and surprising newcomer Jacoby Jones making exciting play after exciting play. Defensively they still had problems, but rookie DL Amobi Okoye was b

Cowboys Survive Texans 23-22 Friday Night At Texas Stadium

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:05:32 -0500

The Cowboys finally won a preseason game this year, thanks to the Texans' Jacoby Jones dropping a 2-pt. conversion pass from QB Sage Rosenfels allowing Dallas to hold on to a slim 23-22 victory.? Even after the failed attempt, it took another Texans mistake to seal the game for Dallas.? With just under two minutes left, Dallas was facing a 3rd-and-11 from their own 23-yard line when QB Brad Johnson was sacked going back to pass.? Houston had called their final timeout just before the play, so if Dallas could just get a first down, the game would be over.? Houston was called for holding on the play, giving the Cowboys an automatic first down and they were then able to run-out the clock to preserve the victory. While Dallas did look impressive at times in the first half, they also?had some terrible turnovers that made the game much closer than it should have been.? Romo, who ended the day?15-of-19 for 166 yards?with one touchdown and one interception, missed some plays to Terrell Owens he?should have made and the pick in the red zone was very costly, leading to a touchdown for the Texans.? Marion Barber was impressive, as was the first team offensive line overall, with?75-yards rushing and a TD.? The scariest play in the game, however, was on a kick-off return by Isaiah Stanback, who made a nice return, but Texans WR Harry Williams collided head-to-chest with one of his own players and remained motionless on the field for several minutes.? He eventually was led off the field on a stretcher and kept completely immobilized.? It was later learned he had full movement of his arms and legs and is expected to make a full recovery.? Just a reminder to us all how dangerous the game can be. As for Stanback, he made a good return on that play, but at the start of the second half, he fumbled the kick-off giving the Texans great field postion, making the second turnover of the game for Dallas.? All totalled, the Texans received 13 points from Dallas turnovers, making this game much closer than it should ever have been.?? Stanback also suffered a shoulder injury on the tackle and wouldn't return to the game.? The Cowboys moved the ball practically at will during the first and second quarters, only stopping themselves on the Romo interception, while the Texans struggled offensively at first.? Matt Schaub was not throwing the ball well and the running game, behind mostly second-team RB's, was getting stuffed.? But after the Zach Diles interception in their own endzone, the Texans marched 80-yards quite handily to tie the game at 10 all.? Dallas responded with a nice drive of their own resulting in a 1-yard MBIII touchdown run and got a Nick Folk field goal just before the half after a good two-minute drill, to get to a ?20-10 half-time score. Although it was rumored that Romo and company would play deep into the third quarter, he and several others such as T.O., Witten, Barber?and Crayton?did not return after the half, but the first team OL and Brad Johnson took over.? After a decent drive following the Texans field-goal off the Stanback fumble, rookie RB Felix Jones missed a handoff from Johnson inside the Texans' 10-yard line and gave the ball back to Houston for Dallas' second redzone turnover of the night.? Matt Schaub, who was still in the game for the Texans, marched them down the field about 80+ yards for another FG, closing the score to 20-16.? Brad Johnson again led the team on a well-orchestrated drive following a good return of the kick off?and a long pass reception by WR Danny Amendola from Johnson, but the end result was just another FG by Nick Folk making it a 23-16 lead shortly into the fourth quarter now.? Sage Rosenfels entered the game for the Texans, who had a good season last year filling in for an injured Matt Schaub, and led the Texans on their final drive of the evening finishing it off with an 8-yard quarterback keeper for a touchdown to cut the lead to 23-22.? His next?pass just bounced off the fingertips of WR Jacoby Jones on the 2-pt. attempt and , as they say, the rest is history. The Cowboys did improve on several areas over the prior two games, but not the kick coverage aspect.? The Texans had one big return on the opening kick off,? a 68-yarder by WR Andre Davis of the Texans, which set-up their first field goal and another 50+ yarder late in the game setting up the last Houston touchdown.? The Cowboys?did have?a couple of good returns on punts and kicks themselves, other than the fumble to open the second half, but there is stil much work to be done on kick coverage teams. Penalties were kept to a low, with only 5 for 38 yards over the span of the game although at least two of them were rather questionable calls late in the game. ?One was an interference call?against S Pat Watkins and the other an illegal contact against CB?Evan Oglesby that greatly assisted the Texans in their touchdown drive.? The?starting offenses and defenses played very well, for the most part, but their is still a question as to some of the second and third?teamers.? The second-string OL had trouble protecting Brad Johnson and in run blocking while the second-string defense committed some penalties and had trouble stopping the run game.? An interesting fact that was mentioned in the game was the brother of Marion Barber, Dominique Barber,?who is a back-up S trying to make the Houston team, might get to play in the game.? He did get a little playing time, but never while his brother was also playing.

Romo, Cowboys Get Past Texans 23-22 in Big D

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 09:21:52 -0500

The battle for the Governor's Cup was started out in exciting fashion as Andr? Davis returned the opening kick off for 68 yards. This put the Texans in great starting field position but the offensive line was no match for the Dallas Cowboys' defensive line. Seven plays after starting on the Cowboys 37 yard line they settled for a 44 yard field goal from Kris Brown. The Texans lost the fight at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Ironically, this caused Houston to turn to the ground game. Chris Taylor and Steve Slaton were the most consistent weapons for the Texans. They were almost equally productive, but Slaton earned his 44 yards in a more entertaining matter. He bounced off of tackles and even stiff-armed Roy Williams and made Adam Jones miss in the same play. The D-line could barely get in arms length of Tony Romo. Mario Williams was double teamed on almost every play, yet he still managed to hurry Romo on multiple occasions. Williams came up big when the Cowboys threatened in the red zone. He jumped in the backfield and caused a fumble inside of the 5-yard line. Matt Schaub played for three quarters and never looked comfortable. Maybe it was a tough Cowboys defense or maybe it was a rattled Houston quarterback, but Schaub never got into a rhythm. After a Zach Diles interception, Schaub engineered a 12-play, 6:17 minute drive but it was mostly due to a steady dose of the speedy Slaton. The second and third teams got the best of the Dallas backups. They looked very sure of themselves and played the best football of the night, for Houston. They scored 9 points in the fourth quarter, when the first team only combined for 12 points in the first 3 quarters. In the last effort to steal the game, Gary Kubiak called for the two-point conversion with a one point deficit. A well-designed over/under play was executed but 2nd year player Jacoby Jones couldn't get both hands on the ball. Ultimately the Governor's trophy changed hands and Houston relinquished Texas-area bragging rights. Don't get bummed over this loss, though. Slaton will continue to get better and Matt Schaub is not always going to play like an awe-struck rookie.

Fantasy Football's Breakout Candidates

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:45:32 -0500

It's an election year, and while we're all being inundated with political commercials from both sides of the aisle, we should be looking at a different kind of candidate ? the fantasy football breakout candidate. What makes a good breakout candidate? In short, the player must have two things: increased opportunity and developing talent. Typically, breakout players are young. The simple fact is that the older a player is, the less likely he is to break out. Last season, at 27, Earnest Graham racked up 1,222 yards and 10 TD after Carnell Williams went down with a season-ending injury. It was Graham's fourth season, and in his previous three, he had carried the ball a total of 52 times. Justin Fargas (also 27) took over the starting spot in Oakland and finished with 1,197 yards and four TD. In his second season, LenDale White posted 1,224 yards and scored seven times for the Titans. In the realm of wideouts, Roddy White had a prototypical breakout season in his third year, going from 30-506-0 the previous season to 83-1202-6 last year. Braylon Edwards had a solid second season (61-884-6), but few predicted the numbers he would post in his third season (80-1289-16). Greg Jennings broke out in his sophomore season (53-920-12), which wasn't a huge surprise since he had such a solid rookie campaign (45-632-3). Brandon Marshall also made a big jump in his second season (102-1325-7) after Javon Walker missed half the season with a knee injury. Santonio Holmes is yet another example of a second-year breakout WR (52-942-8). At quarterback, Tony Romo (4211 yards, 36 TD) and Derek Anderson (3787 yards, 29 TD) both had breakout seasons in 2007. To a somewhat lesser extent, Jay Cutler (3497 yards, 20 TD) and David Garrard (2509 yards, 18 TD) did too. At tight end, Donald Lee (48-575-6), Dallas Clark (58-616-11), Owen Daniels (63-768-3) and Tony Scheffler (49-549-5) all had breakout seasons in 2007. Lee and Clark were in their fifth season, while Daniels and Scheffler were in their second. But enough about last season, you're probably wondering who is going to break out in 2008. If I could answer that question with any degree of certainty, I wouldn't be writing for a living; I'd be a professional fantasy football player. But I do have a few guys in mind that fit the profile. I'll list the top 10 in order of the likeliness that they'll break out, from the most likely to the least likely. I'll also include a sentence or two about some other players bubbling under the surface. 1. Calvin Johnson, Lions 2nd-year WR For most rookie wideouts, a 48-catch, 756-yard, 4-TD season would be stellar, but there were higher expectations for the #2 overall pick in the 2007 draft. He's a physical beast and he was playing in Mike Martz's high-octane offense. Johnson struggled with a bad back for much of last season; it was so bad that he needed to take Vicodin to manage the pain. Martz is gone, but Johnson will benefit from a year of seasoning (and staying healthy), so he should be able to break the 1000-yard mark in 2008. 2. Jay Cutler, Broncos 3rd-year QB Cutler actually had a breakout season in 2007 (3497 yards, 20 TD), but he struggled with weight and strength loss stemming from undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes. Now that it's under control and his strength is back, Cutler could be primed for the rare double-breakout season. He doesn't have an easy schedule, but it projects to be easier than last year, so he should be able to post better numbers in 2008. 3. Michael Turner, Falcons 5th-year RB After four seasons playing in LaDainian Tomlinson's shadow, Turner takes his gaudy 5.5 career ypc average to Atlanta. He runs hard, so he should make the most of the carries he gets. The main concern is that Atlanta is likely to be trailing most of the time, so just how many touches will he get? Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood combined for 330 carries last season, so assuming Norwood gets 100 ? he got 102 last season ? it would leave 230 for Turner. Assuming a 4.0-4.5 ypc, he's looking at 920-1,035 yards. Assume 5-8 TD and a few catches, and you have RB2/RB3-type numbers. 4. Vernon Davis, 49ers 3rd-year TE Davis is a physical specimen yet he's been a little injury-prone during his first two seasons. Davis' lack of production thus far in his career can be attributed, at least in part, to San Francisco's struggling offense. Mike Martz is now in town as the team's new OC, and while his offense isn't known to feature the tight end, he's never had one with Davis' skills. Throw in the lack of talent that the 49ers have at wide receiver and Martz would be a fool not to utilize Davis as much as possible in the passing game. 5. Selvin Young, Broncos 2nd-year RB Young had a pretty good rookie season (960 total yards, 1 TD) but now that Travis Henry is gone, he figures to play an even more prominent role in 2008. His biggest competition, rookie Ryan Torain, will miss most of the season, so Young should enter the year as Denver's starter. The Broncos always seem to have an effective running game, so if Young can stay healthy and break the 200-carry barrier, he should post RB2/RB3 numbers with some considerable upside. Don't overspend on draft day, however, as this is Skeletor's team and he's well known for pulling surprises at running back. 6. Aaron Rodgers, Packers 4th-year QB The table is set for the young quarterback. He plays in one of the most potent offenses in the league, he has a good running game (spearheaded by Ryan Grant) to lean on, he has a nice group of receivers (Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, James Jones and Donald Lee) to throw to, and he will be protected by a solid offensive line. The biggest hurdle is that he'll have to deal with the fact that he's being asked to fill Brett Favre's shoes. If he handles the pressure, he could post the same numbers Favre did in 2007 (4157 yards, 28 TD). If he caves, he could be in for a rough season. 7. Ted Ginn, Dolphins 2nd-year WR Over the last seven games of 2007, Ginn went for 26-267-1. Had he performed that way for an entire 16-games season, his numbers would have been 59-610-2, which would be pretty good stats for a rookie wide receiver. He's the Dolphins' top option in the passing game and with Chad Pennington in town, so given the normal second-year WR jump along with improved QB play, it's reasonable to assume a 25% increase in his numbers. That means Ginn might be in line for something like a 74-762-4 season. Not bad for a guy who can still be had once the rounds reach double-digits. 8. Zach Miller, Raiders 2nd-year TE Miller caught at least three passes in 10 of 16 games, totaling 38-389-3. Part of maturing as a player is being able to limit or eliminate the number of bad games you play. Let's say Miller is able to carry those 10 good games throughout an entire season. Then he would post 61-622-5, numbers that would have been good enough to be the #8 TE last season. He has played well in the preseason and JaMarcus Russell has looked to him often. Miller is an interesting option for those fantasy owners who load up on RBs, WRs and QBs in the early rounds and want to play tight end by committee. 9. Devin Hester, Bears 2nd-year WR (3rd-year player) The Bears are really hurting at WR, so they plan to use Hester early and often. He is listed atop their depth chart, and someone has to catch passes from Rex Grossman and/or Neck Beard, so Hester is a nice option as a cheap WR4 or WR5 with some upside. He's even more valuable in leagues that count punt or kick return TDs for the individual player. Word is that he's been working with Michael Irvin on his route running and the other "little things" that go into being a wide receiver in the NFL. Don't expect a miracle, but Hester is dangerous when he gets the ball in space, it's just a matter of the Bears being able to create those opportunities early and often. 10. Matt Schaub, Texans 5th-year QB An inability to stay healthy was the only problem with Schaub's 2007. In the nine games where he attempted at least 18 passes, Schaub racked up 2,184 yards and nine TD. That projects to 3,882 yards and 16 TD over a full season. It's safe to assume another four or five scores since he's had a year as Houston's starter, and with those numbers Schaub is looking like a top 15 QB if he can stay healthy and keep his interceptions to a minimum. Here are several other (less-likely) breakout candidates? 2nd-year WRs/TEs Robert Meachem, Saints David Patten is still in the way, but Meachem's solid preseason has him in line to be the Saints' WR3. If Patten, Marques Colston, Jeremy Shockey or Reggie Bush were to go down, Meachem stands to benefit the most in the New Orleans passing game. Sidney Rice, Vikings Rice showed flashes in his rookie season, scoring big fantasy points in four games. The problem was the other twelve games. Rice has great talent, but his current upside is limited by his sketchy QB play and the arrival of Bernard Berrian. Steve Smith, Giants Smith missed much of 2007 due to injury, but returned to post 3.4 catches for 36 yards in the team's final five games (including four playoff games). Over the course of a 16-game season, that projects to 54 catches for 576 yards. He should get some of Jeremy Shockey's looks too. Jacoby Jones, Texans Jones is a dynamic player who probably isn't ready to usurp Kevin Walter as the Texans' WR2. Owen Daniels is Houston's true #2 threat, so Jones is probably relegated to #4-type targets. Kevin Boss, Giants Boss will be asked to pick up the receiving slack now that Jeremy Shockey as left town. He had some good games down the stretch, so there is potential for decent TE2 season. 3rd-year WRs Derek Hagan, Dolphins Hagan improved his numbers in his second season and now he has made enough big plays in camp to pass Earnest Wilford as the Dolphins' WR2. With Chad Pennington in town, Hagan is suddenly on the fantasy radar in bigger leagues. Chad Jackson, Patriots Jackson is in his third year, which makes him an interesting option, but he hasn't played well in the preseason, so it is unlikely that he'll see many snaps behind Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Jabar Gaffney. Ben Obomanu, Seahawks Seattle is hurting at WR, so this is Obomanu's chance to make an impact. He's fighting with Courtney Taylor to start opposite Nate Burleson, and in Seattle's West Coast Offense, that usually means production. Jason Avant, Eagles Even with Reggie Brown ailing, Avant may not see many snaps due to the impressive play of rookie speedster DeSean Jackson. Vets with a shot Patrick Crayton, Cowboys Crayton is entering his fifth season and it's probably make-it-or-break-it time for him in Dallas. Jerry Jones has made no secret that he'd like to upgrade the starting WR opposite Terrell Owens, and Crayton simply isn't productive enough to draw any attention away from TO or Jason Witten. Still, he posted 50-697-7 last season, so if he can improve on those numbers, he'll become a viable WR3. Vincent Jackson, Chargers Talent isn't an issue with Jackson. He posted an average of 6-100-0.7 in the playoffs (when Antonio Gates was hurting), but the Chargers simply don't have enough balls to go around when everyone's healthy. Chambers and/or Gates need to miss time for Jackson to be starter-worthy, or the team has to rework its offense to feature Jackson more. D.J. Hackett, Panthers Hackett is rotating with Muhsin Muhammad as the Panthers' WR2, and Moose is reportedly looking very good. It's going to be tough for Hackett to post relevant fantasy numbers if he isn't getting WR2-type snaps. If he ends up starting and can stay healthy, the sky is the limit. Justin Gage, Titans Gage can make the tough catch in traffic, so he's a valuable asset to Vince Young and the Titans. He's worth rostering in deep PPR leagues, and conceivably could develop into a Bobby Engram-type player. Jabar Gaffney, Patriots Gaffney is slated to start opposite Randy Moss, but the Pats would really like Chad Jackson to win the job. Even if he does start, with Wes Welker in the slot and Ben Watson at TE, Gaffney has to feed on table scraps. QBs with expectations Jason Campbell, Redskins The third-year QB will be running another new offense with HC Jim Zorn now in town. Zorn runs a version of the West Coast Offense, so it's up to Campbell to catch on quickly. If he does, his numbers should rise. Matt Leinart, Cardinals Leinart is slated to start, but he has struggled in his first two seasons, so there is no guarantee that he'll ever catch on. He's in a great situation throwing to two terrific WRs, but sometimes it just doesn't happen. JaMarcus Russell, Raiders The second-year QB is, for all intents and purposes, entering his rookie season. He has a strong arm and good physical tools, so it's just a matter of how bad his growing pains will be. He could finish the season as a decent QB2.

Houston Texans (Toro Times)

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:58:42 -0500

Team MVP: Well, to be quite honest, this is a toss up. Anyone could throw out Andre Johnson's name into "Team MVP" conversations, but simply due to his recent past injuries, I don't think he'll be MVP, though he will be a powerful piece of the Offensive game plan. You could also make a case for the soon-to-be three year veteran, DeMeco Ryans. DeMeco, who was second last year in the AFC with 128 tackles, is no doubt the leader of the defense who keeps the 4-3 system working on the second level. And though Ryans will be one of the best linebackers in the league next year, don't expect him to be named Team MVP. That title will belong to, none other, than Mario Williams. Williams had a roller coaster like third year last year, having tied for third in the L with 14 sacks, being snubbed from the Pro Bowl, and maintaining his ability to be seen at clubs "making it rain". Mario not only will take this title for the Texans, but he may also make a case for League MVP. Breakout Player: Zach Diles. Yes, Zach Diles. If you don't know the name by now, learn it. Know it. Memorize it. Diles is a second year pro fresh out of K-State, and is on the verge to make a huge name for himself. Diles was drafted last year due to his fierce play and being a relentless ball hog. Everyone assumed that the kid would serve as DeMeco Ryans' backup for three years, get released, and sign on with another team (IE. Antwan Peek). But through hard work, Zach Diles landed a spot on the '07 roster, and on top of that, became what Kubiak once called "a freak at linebacker". Don't get me wrong, earning playing time at any LB position on this team is very difficult, but Diles has done it. Since TC is over, Diles has solidified a name for himself and is projected to start on the left shoulder of DeMeco, at Weak Outside Linebacker. Also, look for Diles to have a few INT's this year, as he displayed a great sense of pass coverage during Training Camp. Biggest Disappointment: I'm going out on a limb here- Owen Daniels. Daniels had a very productive year in 2007 and has had a fair camp. The reason that I make this claim then, is merely based on his performance in the clutch. I think everyone began getting sick of watching Owen drop balls on short five-and-ins, in fear of being crushed by the opposing LB's. Daniel's needs to get tough- fast! Joel Dreessen surprised many last year as the teams third tight end. I saw Dreessen make some plays that I would question Daniels to make. Owen is going to need to step up this year if he plans to be the future of Houston Texan tight ends. Fantasy Stud: Kevin Walter. Hands down, the elite compliment to an elite player. When I think of Walter, I see a bit of Wes Welker- great hands, possession receiver, short route/first down, type of guy. Walter didn't have 1,000 yard season last year, and he won't this year. But trust me, when opposing secondaries are flocking towards AJ every down, it opens up the No. 2 guy, in this case, Walter. The reason which I declare Walter the fantasy stud is primarily due to the fact the he had 800 yards last year in his first shot at starting. He also piled up 4 touchdowns, which is fair for a player in his role. Walter is someone that should be picked up with a late round fantasy pick. Offensive Outlook: Fair, with a chance of scattered showers. The Texans' finally have begun moving on. Not necessarily figuratively, but literally. With the number of Original Texan players dropping every year, our team is developing into a mold which the GM Rick Smith can clearly accept. The team gets something this year that they have NEVER had in the past- a decent offensive line. Yes, last year's line did well, giving up the seventh fewest total of sacks in the league, but this year is different. We finally drafted a lineman in the first round! Hello, Mr. Duane Brown, welcome to Houston. With Brown's amazing play, and overall athleticism, he has gained the starting job at LT opening the season. Barring injury of course, Ephraim Salaam will be benched, playing sparingly in spot situation of as a third tackle. Another new addition to the O-Line this year is, former Bronco (go figure), Chris Meyers. Meyer's is a fourth year pro who started every game for Denver last year, and he gives the team a more secured feeling at center, than in years past. The line this year will look like (LT-RT); Duane Brown, Chester Pitts, Chris Meyers, Mike Brisiel, and Eric Winston. A pretty solid group, who you could expect to be a tough match for opposing defenses. Then comes the situation in the backfield. Ahman Green is old, injury prone, and to be quite frank- is not ready to lead this team. After all the hype created on the "Arrival of Amazing Ahman" story, people began thinking our running back situation may be solved! That is until you realize that he is 31, and has only played in 25 games in the past three seasons! Come on, the dude is fragile. He needs to be wrapped up in bubble wrap, boxed up, and shipped outta town! Ahman played OK in his six games of action for the Texans in '07, compiling a grand total of 260 yards on 70 attempts (3.7 avg.). That's weak. But THANK GOD Rick Smith acknowledge this lack luster year by Ahman, and brought in an insurance policy- Chris Brown. No, this Chris Brown can't sing pretty melodies and dance like a Michael Jackson reincarnate, but he can run. Last year with the Titans, though injured for a good portion of the season, Brown carried the ball 102 times for 462 yards in a backup role with the team. Brown is a very long back, and can stretch the field. Odds are, Brown will touch the ball 10-12 times a game and a good season for him will be 600 yards. There isn't much competition now for the third RB spot, as Steve Slaton, the rookie out of West Virginia is a sure shot to make the team. Kubiak likes Slaton's speed an can imagine him as a possible third-down back. Slaton also has above average hands, and the speed to break to the outside. Chris Taylor, the oft-injured back from Indiana, and ND product Darius Walker will compete for the fourth spot at RB. A great perk to being a Texan running back, is being able to line up behind Vonta Leach. With another exceptional performance last season, the 250 pound ECU product has proven to be one of the best full backs in the AFC by dazzling spectators with huge hits and reliable hands. Jameel Cook will be Leach's backup. The squad looks solid at receiver, especially if Johnson comes back as healthy as predicted. Andre hopes that this year is the one that will set him above the rest and I think he's hoping correctly. Johnson has a good knee, and a great outlook for the year, which is good. And the other WR's are clearly ready to match Johnson's effort. Kevin Walter will be the Number 2 guy, with Jacoby Jones as his backup. Backing up Johnson, will be the highly acclaimed breakout player of last year, Andre Davis. Davis, and Jones alike, both showed great potential last year as special teams returners, and Davis also as a receiver. Jones is lightning fast with decent hands and will be a good number 4 receiver. Davis, also, is very fast, and will primarily be thrown deep balls this year. David Anderson is assuming the 5th spot on the team. Owen Daniels will start at tight end, and Mark Bruener will back him up- again. The two will nearly split time depending on the play called. Daniels = Pass. Bruener = Run. Also projected to make the squad at TE is Joel Dreessen. Dreessen played well last year and even nabbed a TD. As one could expect, Matt Schaub will be named the starting QB. Rightfully so, after throwing well enough to accumulate a rating of 87.2. Schaub only played in 11 games of the 2007 campaign, filling in for him was Sage Rosenfels. Sage dominated the opponents, throwing for more TD's in 5 starts than Schaub did in 11 (12:9). Sage is comfortable with his spot as a backup and he understands that Schaub, being a bit prone to injury, could go down at anytime. The team is very sound at the QB position and look for that to not be a problem in the upcoming season. Defensive Diagnosis: The Texans all-in-all will be good on this side of the ball. Defense has never really been the teams proud spot, until about two years ago when a couple of guys by the name of DeMeco and Mario were drafted to the team. Yes, I do speak of DeMeco Ryans and Mario Williams. To some it up; our D-Line is revamped, our LB corps is incredibly deep, and our secondary is missing it's savior (Dunta Robinson). Up front is the area where the opposition will fear. Mario Williams is coming off an amazing year in which he chalked up 14 sacks. Amobi Okoye, did everything expected of a rookie last year, and at 21 years old, hopes to have that DT spot claimed for the next few years. Also, Travis Johnson will return as a started at the other DT position. Johnson had a good year last year with 41 tackles. Travis has a bit of an attitude problem, but I doubt being a little angry never did bad on the field of play. At the other DE position, you'll find a tandem of players. Anthony Weaver is the named started, but will primarily play on rushing downs. On pass plays, expect former-Patriot addition, Roosevelt Colvin, to go in. Colvin was the talk of the Texans off season, by choosing to come to Houston as oppose to other bigger markets. Kubiak will find a place for Colvin on the field. The Texans also have reserve players Earl Cochran, N.D. Kalu, Tim Bulman, Frank Okam, Anthony Maddox, and Jeff Zgonina, all with much credibility and will all be competing for roster spots. The Texans show their true colors when talking about the Linebackers. DeMeco Ryans, arguably a top 3 LB in the NFL, will be back to pave the path to the QB. Ryans has made 283 tackles in two seasons, and was named as a Pro Bowler last year. Ryans has all of the attributes to be a superstar and it's just a matter of time before that potential is reached. Next to Ryans will be second-year player Zach Diles and Veteran Morlon Greenwood. Diles, who will be getting his first opportunity to start, will play the WLB position. Diles has great recognition of the offense, and makes huge hits. Greenwood, who had his best year as a Texan in 2007 (118 tkls.), will suit up again to play off of Mario Williams on the right side. Greenwood, 30, is back for another season and will contribute immensely. Backing up those three will be Chaun Thompson, Kevin Bentley, and rookie Xavier Adibi. All are excellent reserves and Adibi has the potential to be an amazing LB for years to come. The corps will be a force to be reckoned with and expect opposing runs to be shut down fairly significantly. An area of concern on the defense will be the secondary. Though 2007 proved to be a tough year for the corners and safeties, 2008 may be different-in the second half of the season. That is when Dunta Robinson returns. Robinson went out against the Raiders last year, after tearing his ACL on what many people deemed as a freak accident. Robinsons slot will be filled by Fred Bennett, who came on as a rookie last year and played above-par, totaling 62 tackles and 3 picks. Across from Bennett, will be off season signee Jacques Reeves. Reeves has been a corner for the Cowgirls for 4 years, and showed his ability to prevail in the clutch. Though, he does have some problems with coverage, Reeves will play well enough to hold his own until Robinsons return. Backing up the corners are; potential nickelback Jammar Fletcher, Peetey Faggins, and rookie Atwaun Molden. Molden, who excelled at corner for EKU last year, will get a plethora of opportunities with the injury to Dunta, and don't be surprised if he does well. At safety, the Texans will have Will Demps and C.C. Brown back. Both played well last year, and Demps revived his career (and name) through hard play and big hits. Also, Glen Earl, the teams former starting FS returns from injury and will push Demps for time. "Red Letter" Game: December 14, 2008. Tennessee Titans At Houston Texans. This is huge. Both teams entering this game will be fighting for third in the division, which like last year, could result in a chance at the wild card. The Titans beat Houston last year on Rod Baronis' record 8 made field goals, and revenge is oh so sweet. Season Projection: 9-7. I know, not great. But STILL an improvement over the 8-8 record last year. With a 9-7 record, the Texans may have an outside shot at squeaking into the playoffs. Don't get your hopes up too soon, as the team was only 1-5 against divisional teams. The AFC south is pretty damn tough. Parting Smack: Indianapolis Colts: Okay, we all know about Peyton Manning, the 6'5" QB with the rocket arm. Yea, awesome. Well, once Peyton got his ring, his acting career boomed. Except his acting sucked. So it's basically like watching a Helen Keller do A LOT of screaming when I see Gatorade commercials. I mean come on, the guy is doing exactly what Brett Favre is- leaving one field that you're great on and going to another one that you just happen to suck on! Seriously though, the Colts are good. Really good. And I'll be satisfied with one win against them. But if I have to see ONE MORE commercial featuring Manning, or his little brother, I think I'll be making vacation plans for the gallows. Jacksonville Jaguars: And here we are now, with the nasty Jaguars. So used to being the second best team in Florida, they finally did something about it! Drafted a lot of horrible first round receivers, let 'em do coke, and still they "remain optimistic about the future"! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? I've never had a problem with the Jags, well besides the fact that their uniforms look like my vomit (only after eating really old salad), and I have no room to talk about being the second best in the state.. But jeeze Jacksonville, Del Rio can only get you out of a minor hole- y'all are in a crater Tennessee Titans: The good ole Titans are on deck now. The team that sucked so bad, Houston didn't want them. Well not really, but I'm sick of Vince Young and all his antics. I remember the hype around VY, Mario, and Reggie Bush prior to the draft. VY hardly passed a test designed for second graders. God, speaking of Helen Keller, I think she's back! Just dressed as some freak athlete in a powder blue costume. And then there is us. The Houston Texans. The team that until last year, no one knew about. And that has hardly changed. But we are here. I think it's time. No, I don't think it's time for a Super Bowl, but I think it's time to add another last name. The Houston Texan-Broncos. Sounds applicable. But let's face it, the front office loves the Broncos, the fans don't. We'll see who is right during Preseason Week 1. - John R. Harden