Houston Texans Preseason Game Two Vs New Orleans Saints

What I liked:

Starting fast. Matt Schaub and the offense got going early and kept the pedal down scoring on the first four drives before missing a field goal on the fifth. In his first game back Andre Johnson showed up big time connecting with his QB four times for 100 yards. The Texans last year lacked any ability to move the ball early in the game often causing their defense to be on the field longer then it should. If the Texans keep this up, they may have the best offense in the league.

Running backs. Arian Foster, the league’s leading rusher, came back from his hamstring injury and showed the excellent cutting ability and explosiveness he showed last year (5 rushes 47 yards 2 TDs). Ben Tate also returned to the field for just his second game in two seasons. A broken ankle in his first preseason game kept him out of all of his rookie season. A nagging hamstring this training camp has been restricting him from getting on the field. However, finally he got a chance to showcase his fantastic running ability putting up 95 yards on JUST 9 carries as well as a TD. Chris Ogbonnaya, who has gotten praise from Kubiak, has put up decent yards but not on a great YPC in either game (under 4).

Pass Rush. Although it was not as impressive as the first game, the Texans defense racked up 4 sacks and kept the Saints as a team under 50% passing. Antonio Smith took down Brees in the Red Zone also forcing a fumble that Super Mario Williams would recover. Speaking of Mario, he still looked a bit shaky in his new role as an outside linebacker, but he was beginning to show his old self by generating pressure on Brees and pushing lineman around. Brooks Reed went out and proved that he probably should have gone in the first round where he was projected and that the Texans were lucky to get him in the second round. Two sacks, two forced fumbles and three tackles are quite impressive in limited action. Kubiak says, “No doubt, probably the one player right now showing the most vast improvement from day-to-day, practice-to-practice and game-to-game.”

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What I didn’t like:

Run Defense. The front seven was doing well to create pressure and stop short passes from turning into anything, but the Saints were running with ease in the first half, putting up 86 yards on a 4.6 average. Mario was doing better, but he still has a tendency to get pushed wide on running plays. In Wade Phillips scheme, the front seven must be able to stop the run so the safeties don’t need to drop down to help the run and instead stay high and help in deep coverage. New acquisition, Daniel Manning, was beaten deep for a 56 yard touchdown, reminding us of last year’s problems.

Special Teams. Credit will be given where it is deserved. Both competing punters have been showing great ability, and Neil Rackers, even though he missed a 34 yarder in this game, has been dead-on in every other opportunity all over the field. However, the return game has been dreadful. The Texans have been using a group approach when returning and have only mustered up a 16.9 average, good enough for 31 st this preseason. Jacoby Jones, the usual kick returner, and Daniel Manning, who in 2006 put up a league leading return average over 30 yards per attempt, have been focusing on their primary positions. Trindon Holliday has been hampered by a hamstring injury, but should be back soon. Hopefully he will be able to bring some life back into the unit with his blazing speed. Coverage of kickoffs could also be a lot better. They have not given up a TD but opposing field position is putting unnecessary strain on the defense.

By Derek Updegrove
ProFootball-fans.com Houston Texans Correspondent