Texan's offense at a glance

Since 2003, a year after the franchise debuted in the National Football League, the Houston Texans have relied on one contributor to carry its passing game: Andre Johnson. Over the last ten seasons Johnson has been the work horse of this team, making David Carr and Matt Schaub into better quarterbacks through his sheer skill and consistent play.

If not for Arian Foster and our once monstrous offensive line that is attempting to return to its former greatness, our offense would be abysmally mediocre. Over the past half decade or so the Texans (in the passing game) have worked through Johnson, former Texan Kevin Walter, and our above average tight end Owen Daniels.

Andre Johnson is one of the best receivers in the league, and has been for nearly a decade.

However, the seasoned veteran is past his prime; it pains me to admit it but Andre cannot carry this team any longer, and thankfully he will not have to.

Enter DeAndre Hopkins and the newly revamped receiving corps of the Houston Texans.

As was demonstrated in limited action Friday night, Schaub will have a few more targets this season, as a few young players have begun to emerge as playmakers.

In case you missed it, DeAndre looks to be as good, if not better, than what we have heard from the Texans coaches during camp. 

Martin (a fourth round pick) played decently throughout his rookie year (mainly returning punts) in tangent with the Texans 2012 third round pick Devier Posey who is out with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Last season neither surpassed 100 yards, but, they have grown as players and will continue to develop.

Expect big things from Martin and Jean, especially Jean who somehow gets overlooked when discussing the Texans offensive weapons.

This season, the Texans need to focus on expanding their air attack and spreading out defenses in an effort to open up gaps for Foster and Ben Tate, who is in a contract year.

Two seasons ago Tate almost ran for a thousand yards, while he missed a large part of the 2011-2012 campaign with an injury.

However both he and Foster have stated he is talented enough to start in the NFL. The easiest way to pimp himself out this season and make a foolish NFL franchise spend an abhorrent amount of money on him would be to match, if not surpass his numbers from 2010.  Jerry Jones, get your popcorn ready.

All will be for nothing if the man tossing the pigskin does not perform.

As goofy as Matt Schaub is, and although he will not dazzle with his supposed 5.04 (highly debatable) 40 time, he is a good quarterback prone to few errors and, when given the opportunity, can put up exceptional numbers.  

If Schaub isn’t on point this season with his copious amount of skilled receivers, I heard a young man who attended college in the 713 and somehow went undrafted is ready to take the starting job.

Kidding, obviously. Case won't be starting until at the earliest 2015: bank on it. 

Thanks for the read, next piece: Brian Cushing. 

Trading Bud

The Houston Astros are doing about as well as most talking heads around the MLB predicted. As of now the Astros stand at 29-48, sitting in last place of their new division, the AL West.

Any person who claims to be a fan of the Astros knew that we would not be finishing the 2013 campaign at or anywhere near .500. We have the lowest payroll in all of baseball (just under 30 million dollars), and outside of Jose Altuve and Bud Norris, our roster is full of has beens and young ball players. Under owner Jim Crane, the Houston Astros are trying to rebuild their franchise from the ground up, which is why trading Norris is an intelligent and ultimately necessary move.

I am not going to go as far as saying Bud is an asshole, who slandered his team and demanded to be traded, as some better known sportswriters have stated. Quite the opposite, Norris is one of my favorite players on the ‘Stros, because he is a skilled pitcher, our ace, which is why he is the highest paid player on the club. I do not understand everything Crane and co. is attempting to do with this team, but Norris could be traded for some players of worth, who would benefit us in the long term.

Most of our talent is in the minors playing for the RedHawks, Hooks, Jethawks, and the Bandits, as we are trying to rebuild.

Norris is already 28 years old and, in my opinion does not ensure anything for future seasons. This season he is pitching decently (3.60 ERA) and would be a good 3 or 4 pitchers for contenders around the MLB.

Norris wants to play for a contender, obviously, and he understands the Astros will not be making the playoffs the next few seasons. Having said that, he still seems dedicated to win games for Houston, and will respond to the call of duty every 5^th game;

"I want to go out there and keep pitching for the last month [prior to the Deadline] and see what happens. If the Trade Deadline is here and I'm still in an Astros uniform, I'll be happy with that. I understand something could happen, but at the end of the day, my focus right now is still in Houston, and that's where it's going to stay."

Norris is a pitcher the average Joe can root for, I would be sad to see him go but other team’s attraction to him is too much to ignore. As teams attempt to solidify a spot in October, they will try to add arms that can pitch against good teams and make it into the 7^th inning.

Bud fits that description and I doubt that our ace will be an Astro come August.

Heisman Watch

Collin Klein (Kansas St. QB)
     2020 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, 3 interceptions,
     748 rushing yards, 20 rushing touchdowns, 4.9 YPC

This man is a monster dual threat collegiate quarterback. He is most equivalent in his style of play to Tim Tebow, and we all see what a success Little Baby Jesus’ NFL career has been. The only person standing in his way to win this award is himself. If Kansas State wins out they will not only be on their way to a title game, Klein will win the Heisman.

Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M QB)
     2780 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions
     1014 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns, 6.5 YPC

The Red shirt freshman is playing out of his mind, and has pulled A&M into relevance in the brutal SEC. Early losses to LSU and Florida seemed to throw A&M out of the picture in the SEC, but after a shocking upset of top ranked Alabama, the Aggies could secure a berth in a BCS bowl. Johnny football will need to keep up his ridiculous production to stay in this Heisman race.

Manti Te’o (Notre Dame LB)
     90 tackles (40 solo), 2 sacks, 6 interceptions

The story of Te’o is extremely uplifting, if you have not read about him I highly recommend it. Te’o has lead the resurgence of Notre Dame’s football program and deserves to be considered in this race despite being a defensive player. This award has recently been reserved for Quarterbacks and running backs. If Notre Dame wins out and receives help from either Oregon or K-State, credit should be given to Te’o for helping transform this program back into a respectable powerhouse.

Kenjon Barner (Oregon RB)
     1360 rushing yards, 19 rushing touchdowns, 6.8 YPC

Oregon’s offense has been among the most explosive in the nation over the past few seasons. It seems as though there is always one Oregon running back in contention for the Heisman trophy. Barner’s numbers are off the charts, however due to Manziel and Klein’s ridiculous passing and rushing numbers, he is only considered the 3^rd best offensive player in the nation.  To move up in the rankings, past Te’o, Barner has to have himself an incredible end of the season.

Braxton Miller (Ohio State QB)
     1753 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions
     1166 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, 6.3 YPC

Incredibly athletic dual threat quarterback on an ineligible Buckeye squad. Miller has been exceptional yet again this season. As a sophomore Miller has a few more years ahead of him to become a top contender, however this season, due to Ohio State’s bowl ineligibility, Miller has taken a back seat to Klein and Manziel. His numbers are on the same level as the two other QB’s and this young man has a bright future ahead of him. 

Rockets Cool off following hot start to season

Three days into the Rockets season, James Harden seemed as though he could easily transform this mediocre NBA franchise into a serious playoff contender. With the high profile offseason acquisition of Jeremy Lin, the Rockets were suited for a season of growth with talented rookies Terrence Jones, Jeremy Lamb, and Royce White, adjusting to the Big Show.

However in a turn of events just days before the beginning of the season, unable to agree on a contract with the reigning Sixth-Man of the Year, the Thunder shipped Harden to the Clutch City. Oklahoma City received shooting guards Jones and Kevin Martin along with three draft picks.

With little preparation, and only a few days to connect with his teammates, Harden exploded for 37 and 45 points in consecutive games. Harden seemed as though he could be the first All-Star caliber player for Houston since Tracy McGrady. However following those two games, the Rockets dropped three straight games and now stand at 3-4.

I was dismayed with the acquisition of Harden and was fully prepared to forget this season, but after trading away future draft picks, and a solid rookie in Terrence Jones, the Rockets seem to want to gain a position in the playoffs this season.

Only time will tell whether or not the NBA should fear the combination of Harden and Lin, or the Rockets should fear an embarrassing campaign after a flub of an offseason. At this point, a 3-4 record is nothing to whine about, but after the fiery start and explosion of James Harden, it will be interesting to see if the Houston squad will fade into the gray area of the Western conference. 

Dynamo and Texans in action tomorrow

Two of Houston's better professional sporting franchises are in action tomorrow. The Houston Dynamo take on D.C. United in the first leg of the MLS Eastern Conference Finals and the Texans will battle the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football.

The Dynamo upset Kansas City in the Eastern semifinals to claim a spot in the last leg of the playoffs before the MLS championship. Fueled by a two goal victory in the first semi at BBVA Compass Stadium, the Dynamo are riding a 2-1 aggregate victory into tomorrow's match. The road to the finals could not be any tougher for the Dynamo as they dispatched the top ranked Eastern Conference club in Sporting Kansas City earlier this week, they now must defeat the second ranked D.C. United. 

The match takes place tomorrow, 3 o'clock at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo, it seems, play to their full potential at home behind the raucous crowd filling the beautiful, new, all too unnecessarily orange stadium. While the MLS is severely underrated and receives nowhere near as much coverage as it should, the Dynamo are beloved by their city. If you are lucky enough to be in the great city of Houston tomorrow I highly recommend making your way Downtown and catching some Major League Soccer action. 

The Texans will be playing at Soldier Field tomorrow night in a superb Sunday Night Football game. Tomorrow morning I will have a full breakdown of the game so be sure to visit my site before the noon games kickoff. I am just as disappointed as anyone that we must sit through four quarters of Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels, but it could be much worse... wait no, no it really cannot get much worse than color commentating by Cris Collinsworth. 

Tomorrow is a great day to be a Houstonian, and I will proudly be representing my teams amongst my fellow DFW residents. 

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Five Prime Time Picks (Week 10)

As week 10 quickly approaches a few compelling match-ups jump off the page, that will tell us a great deal about the so called "contenders" for the Lombardi Trophy. Other games are not quite as important, however that does not mean they will be any less entertaining. So without further deliberation: Five Prime Time Picks.

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints 

The undefeated Falcons take on the five loss Saints. While on paper this looks like an easy victory for the NFL's best team, in the Dome, the Saints are never an easy team to play. 

This game features an excellent quarterback match up: Drew Brees against Matty Ice. Matt Ryan is a great quarterback... in the regular season. But which legendary quarterbacks are in the Hall of Fame because they were consistently elite during the regular season and prone to flaming out during the postseason? None, because great players win championships (sorry Charles Barkley) and Matt Ryan is just turrible in the postseason. 

Drew Brees is the type of player who could turn this season around for the Saints, but to do so, the Saints need a win against the undefeated Falcons. The Saints defense is ineffective and Matt Ryan could easily shred the Saint's secondary. Brees is a future Hall of Famer and against a Falcons defense that is no better than average, the numbers on both sides could easily pile up. 

Can the Saints turn their season around by beating up on the last remaining undefeated team in the league? They could, but I do not see it happening. 

Matty Ice stays hot: Falcons 27 Saints 24

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings 

A game of two teams who are both in desperate need of a win. The team that drops this game will not make the playoffs, even though it is still relatively early in the season. These teams are in one of the better divisions and honestly the Packers and Bears are most likely playoff teams. The Lions have been disappointing this season after Megatron's monster 16 touchdown campaign of a year ago. While Johnson's production in regards to touchdowns has decreased he is on pace to match his yardage of last season. I cannot pinpoint the difference between this season's mediocrity and last season's success. Honestly Suh is my least favorite player in the league and has grown into the next thug of the NFL next to Cortland Finnegan and Ray Lewis. 

This game will come down to Adrian Peterson's ability to run against the dirtiest defense in the league. I think he will do so, the Vikings will come out of this match favorably and keep their dwindling playoff hopes alive. 

Vikings 17 Lions 14 

New York Jets at Seattle Seahawks 

What a solid start the Seahawks have had this season. Russell Wilson has played well enough to allow his team to get off to a 5-4 start. I do not credit Wilson with the great position his team is in. That credit belongs to Marshawn Lynch's running prowess and Golden Tate's ability to catch defensive backs during game winning drives. The Jets are awful; Mark Sanchez has no one to throw the ball too and Tim Tebow brings too much press for all the wrong reasons. Seriously, as a sports fan nothing is more frustrating than hearing about how Tebow will turn this horrendous disaster of a football team into a playoff contender. Timmy is a great person, but the man cannot throw a damn football. 

The Jets have no chance of beating the Seahawks this week, and I predict that Rex Ryan will be fired before the end of the season, thank you football gods. It' okay Rex, I hear Subway needs a new spokesperson. 

It is not Tebow Time: Seahawks 24 Jets 14 

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles 

The two biggest disappointments of this season come to battle: the turnover machine versus the master of choke, something has got to give. Michael Vick is playing almost as horribly as his offensive linemen. His coach is no longer behind him and his teammates are getting fed up with him constantly putting the ball on the ground. 

On the other side, I am convinced that Tony Romo enjoys clawing his way back into ballgames only to hand them to his opponent on a silver platter. My condolences to you Jerry Jones, your quarterback is not a Super Bowl winning gunslinger. 

Neither team is going to make the playoffs and both of these team's coaches will be free agents after the season comes to a close. 

Romo hands the Eagles the ball one too many times and the Cowboys fall: Eagles 21 Cowboys 14 

Houston Texans at Chicago Bears

What an incredible matchup we will see unfold tomorrow on Football Night in America. Faith Hill already makes Sunday Night Football incredibly enjoyable, and a game between two of the top teams in the league makes it all the more exceptional. Some are calling this a sneak peak into a possible Super Bowl matchup, but nay. The Bears have been phenomenal at cashing in on their opponent's stupid mistakes. The Texans do not make stupid mistakes, therefore: advantage Texans and any other NFL powerhouse who doesn't turn the ball over. 

Jay Cutler is in that gray area between Alex Smith and Blaine Gabbert. He does just enough to not screw it up too bad for his defense, but if I had to choose a QB to take my team down-field on a game winning drive he would be near the bottom of my list. 

The Texans are coming off of a lousy win against the less than stellar Bills and are in desperate need of a win against a good opponent. If they want to win, Schaub must be smart with the football and he cannot try to force it; the Bears defense is too smart for that too work. Instead, Foster must get into a rhythm early and assure that the the offense gets off to a fast start. 

Foster carries Texans past Bears: Texans 24 Bears 21 

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Power Rankings Through Week 10

THE SUPER BOWL CONTENDERS

(1.) Atlanta Falcons: (8-0) Only reason they are number one is because they are undefeated, have yet to capture that marquee win.

(2.) Houston Texans: (7-1) Best record in the AFC, need a strong showing at Soldier Field to control the number 2 spot.  

(3.) Chicago Bears: (7-1) Simply opportunistic on defense, Peanut Tillman is playing out of his mind at this point, great matchup this week against the Texans. 

(4.) San Francisco 49ers: (6-2) If it were not for questionable quarterback play from the limp noodle that is Alex Smith, the niners would be the best team in the league. 

(5.) Green Bay Packers: (6-3) Bye week this week and unless the Steelers or Giants throttle their opponents, the Pack should remain stationary. 

(6.) Pittsburgh Steelers: (5-3) After a solid win against the reigning Super Bowl champs last week, the Steelers must continue their success and demolish the Kansas City Chiefs, current chumpions of the CFL

(7.) New York Giants: (6-3) Eli is always going to be the third best Manning, behind his older brother Peyton, and Texans safety Danieal Manning (only joking). 

(8.) New England Patriots: (5-3) Tom Brady and this Patriot team is poised to make a run in the slightly weaker AFC.

THE PLAYOFF BOUND BUSTS

(9.) Denver Broncos: (5- 3) What happened to Tebow Time at Mile High? Peyton Manning happened. 

(10.) Baltimore Ravens: (6-2) Average play from the self proclaimed best quarterback to walk this planet, and Ray "I have eaten burritos bigger than you" Rice, has lead to an average ranking for this under performing team. 

(11.) Seattle Seahawks: (5-4) Hey you, guy who says you predicted that Russell Wilson would lead the Seahawks to a 5-4 record. Yea you: shut up. 

(12.) Minnesota Vikings: (5-4) Adrian Peterson is the best RB in the league, must play like it against the Lions this week. 

(13.) Indianapolis Colts: (5-4) Andrew Luck deservedly playing himself into the MVP race. This team could shock some people. 

(14.) Detroit Lions: (4-4) Megatron has 1 touchdown catch, anyone who told you they predicted that would happen is lying, FEAR THE MADDEN CURSE.

WE ARE AVERAGE TEAMS, HOP OFF

(15.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: (4-4) Doug Martin had an incredible game last week, honestly do not expect him to continue to produce as consistently. 

(16.) Miami Dolphins: (4-4) Excellent quarterback play by the Aggie has really made these Dolphins a legitimate team once again. 

(17.) San Diego Chargers: (4-4) Phillip Rivers is an average NFL quarterback, plain and simple. 

(18.) Arizona Cardinals: (4-5) Will the return of Kevin Kolb equate to wins? Only time will tell.

THE, WAIT, CAN WE START THE SEASON OVER, WE SWEAR WE ARE GOOD

(19.) New Orleans Saints: (3-5) Drew Brees is still Drew Brees, but these Saints are not serious contenders. 

(20.) Dallas Cowboys: (3-5) Tony Romo makes stupid decision after stupid decisions, which will cost this talented team a playoff berth. 

(21.) Cincinnati Bengals: (3-5) What happened to the Andy Dalton and Bengal defense of last year? 

(22.) Washington Redskins: (3-6) RGIII has been incredible and in a few years, will be a legitimate contender under Kyle Shanahan. 

(23.) New York Jets: (3-5) The Sanchize is not a franchise QB, plain and simple, Tebow Time?

(24.) Philadelphia Eagles: (3-5) Disaster of a season for Vick and Shady McCoy, and Andy Reid is well.... Andy Reid 

(25.) Buffalo Bills: (3-5) Injuries to dynamic backs Spiller and Jackson and poor play by Fitzpatrick has limited this teams success. 

(26.) Tennessee Titans: (3-6) Extremely forgettable year for CJ2K and co. 

(27.) St. Louis Rams: (3-5) The record doesn't necessarily reflect it, but this team has made progress under new coach Jeff Fisher.

YEAAA, WHEN DOES THE SEASON END? GOLFING WEATHER GETS REALLY GOOD IN JANUARY...

(28.) Oakland Raiders: (3-5) While Palmer is playing well, it is not enough to overcome poor play from teammates and numerous injuries. 

(29.) Carolina Panthers: (2-6) Sophomore slump anybody? Cam and his teammates are having a year to forget.

(30.) Cleveland Browns: (2-7) Taking a 28 year old quarterback in the first round of the draft was a questionable decision, especially when they drafted Colt McCoy a few seasons ago, simply not paying dividends. 

(31.) Jacksonville Jaguars: (1-7) Blaine Gabbert has made semi strides this season, however not enough to pull his team out of the cellar of the AFC; going 1-7 with MJD is impressive. 

(32.) Kansas City Chiefs: (1-7) Preparation for the draft started way early for the Chiefs this year, in desperate need of a QB.

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This article written in partnership with @AndrewSwagner author of the blog TheWeeklyHomer (TheWeeklyHomer.blogspot.com) 

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