With Astros season in balance, assigning blame just got exponentially harder in Houston
STONE COLD 'STROS
30 May
STONE COLD 'STROS
With one third of the season in the books, the Astros are still trailing the Mariners in the AL West and have yet to reach .500 this season.
With such high expectations every year in Houston, many fans are looking for someone to blame. Enter new manager Joe Espada. It's human nature to notice what's different from last year, and point the finger.
And considering the Astros' record, Espada shouldn't get a free pass for the club's struggles. But if we're being fair, we have to wonder how many of the decisions he makes are his own?
Which brings us to Jose Abreu. The Astros' front office is giving Abreu every opportunity to justify his albatross of a contract. Why else would they bring him back to the big leagues after struggling in the minors, and then drop him in the starting lineup to face the dominant Mariners pitching staff? One theory is they wanted to bring Abreu back while they were on the road, to avoid fans booing him at Minute Maid. If that is true, we have to question the logic. If he struggles in his return on the road, why would that keep fans from booing him when the club returns to Houston?
Back to Espada. Playing both Abreu and Jon Singleton in the same lineup is on him. He has better options in Mauricio Dubon and Victor Caratini. We keep hearing that Abreu will have to play regularly if he's going to find his swing again. But that doesn't appear to apply to Dubon, Chas McCormick, and Joey Loperfido. Loperfido proved he could hit at the big league level and was rewarded by being demoted to Sugar Land to make room for Abreu.
We hate to say it, but it appears giving Abreu every opportunity to turn things around is more important than making the playoffs. And if they do miss the postseason, don't be surprised if Espada is the “fall guy” for the poor decisions from the front office. From the outside looking in, we believe Jim Crane and Jeff Bagwell are running the show, with Dana Brown and Espada just following orders.
Don't miss the video above as we address the biggest concerns facing the Astros, who deserves the most blame, how they can turn things around, and much more!
C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson found themselves in the same spot when they met in Week 2 last season.
Both quarterbacks were top-five draft picks, lost their season openers and seemed to be facing a steep learning curve.
Richardson won Round 1 in Houston, although he didn't finish the game.
Stroud took Round 2 in Indianapolis with the injured Richardson watching from the sideline as Texans clinched the AFC South title and Stroud locked up his runaway selection as NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
On Sunday, each QB begins his second pro season — with a lot still to prove.
“I’m excited. First official game back with my guys and my teammates,” said Richardson, who had season-ending shoulder surgery last October. "I want to win. So, whatever I’ve got to do to do that, I’m going to do it.”
Winning a season opener certainly would be a welcome change for a franchise that last started 1-0 in 2013. The 10-game winless streak is easily the NFL's longest active streak.
But that's just a start for Richardson.
He needs to improve his accuracy after completing a pedestrian 59.5% of his throws in 2023 and must demonstrate he can finish games. He missed 13 last season and only finished one of his four starts because of an assortment of injuries, including the concussion that knocked him out of that Week 2 matchup at Houston after he ran for two scores.
Stroud, meanwhile, is coming off one of the most successful rookie seasons in NFL history.
He became just the third player in a half-century to lead the league in yards passing per game (273.9) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.6 to 1), won a playoff game and made hist first Pro Bowl appearance.
How can he improve on a season like that? By showing last season was a building block — not a fluke. He has a stronger supporting cast, too, with Joe Mixon, a four-time 1,000-yard rusher, and Stefon Diggs, who has four straight 100-catch seasons, now in the mix.
The long journey begins Sunday in Indianapolis.
“I want to just start fast,” Stroud said. “It doesn't have to do with a certain game, just in general this season. Last year, we started off really slow and just kind of had to build our way back. It's not an easy thing to do, so I would say this year we want to start fast.”
Houston receiver Nico Collins had two of his biggest games last season against Indy — catching seven passes for 146 yards and one TD in the Week 2 matchup only to outperform those numbers with a 195-yard day that included a 75-yard TD catch in Week 18.
He could play an even bigger role this time with Indy's young secondary trying to match up not only with Collins but also Diggs, Mixon and tight end Dalton Schultz.
“Nico is a playmaker,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Every time I see him, he’s a true playmaker. So, you just have to get Nico the ball in any way, shape or fashion. Just find a way to get him the ball just to see how explosive and how dynamic he is.”
Injuries and a contract dispute prevented Jonathan Taylor from replicating the form he used to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Starting against the Texans could be just what he needs.
In six games against Houston, Taylor has rushed for seven TDs and 135.2 yards per game — his highest average against any team he's faced multiple times. And in that rematch with Houston in Week 18, he finished with 30 carries for 188 yards, the NFL's highest single-game total all season.
Houston defensive end Will Anderson, last season’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, will play Sunday after recovering from an ankle injury that limited his training camp snaps.
The No. 3 overall pick in 2023 had 45 tackles, 10 for loss, and 7 1/2 sacks as a rookie. He expects to be even better this season.
“I’m way more comfortable,” he said. “Just going into Year 2 knowing the scheme better, knowing what to expect a little bit more and knowing what’s going to happen gives you more confidence.”
The Colts lost their 2023 sacks leader, Samson Ebukam, with a torn Achilles tendon during training. But they may have the perfect replacement.
Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player taken in April's draft, at No. 15 overall, and he's shown coaches that the moves he used to record 23 1/2 sacks over his last two college seasons can work in the NFL.
“We know that there’s going to be a learning curve there," defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. "We know there are going to be plays that we’re going to come in and say there were some good plays, and there were plays he wishes he had back — we understand that. But just his overall mentality and skill set, we’re very excited to see.”