The Friday Stoots Six-Pack starts with respect for Ramsey and has so much more

Hopkins-Ramsey highlights Sunday showdown

DeAndre Hopkins and Jalen Ramsey
Houstontexans.com

Have a great weekend, the Texans are trying to win their home opener and improve to 1-1.

Respect for the best

Jalen Ramsey rarely is tested as much as he is when DeAndre Hopkins is his opponent. Ramsey rarely loses as much as when Hopkins is his opponent as well. This is one of the best matchups in football. It is incredible to watch these two go at it.

Last year Hopkins caught 11 passes against Ramsey for 172 yards. That's pretty nasty when you think about Ramsey being the best corner, or one of the best, in the game.

"He's my favorite corner to play against," Hopkins said this week. "He's the only corner in the NFL that actually follows me everywhere I go, so you've got to respect that."

When pressed what he meant Hopkins continued to praise the Jaguars defender.

"No matter where I line up he's right there in front of me. A lot of guys claim they're number one DBs, but not a lot guys can do that."

If the Texans plan to win on Sunday, Hopkins keeping up his track record against Ramsey will be key.

Don't sleep on football Ron Swanson

I got to spend a few minutes with Gardner Minshew at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis earlier this year. He was engaging, funny, and honest. He was simultaneously the almost movie character and the future head coach. He almost used his last year of eligibility in college at Alabama to then earn a graduate assistant job to start coaching.

Instead he went to Washington State and kicked ass and now he's the starting quarterback for Jacksonville.

One of his quotes from the combine stood out when I looked back.

When asked about his ability playing quarterback Minshew touted one of the essential aspects of a good passer.

"I'd say elevating the guys around you," he said. "That's what it's all about playing this position. Taking this team, going 11-2, 11 wins for the first time in school history. That's what it's all about, making the guys around you better, that's how you come to work every day and how you lead."

Now, he has to lead and make the Jaguars better.

He wasn't bad at all coming off the bench when Nick Foles got hurt. He was actully, fearless. John DeFilippo is a forward-thinking offensive mind who isn't afraid to throw the ball. The Jaguars will test the Texans cornerbacks, especially if rookie Lonnie Johnson gets on the field.

Don't sleep on Minshew. He is better than quite a few quarterbacks who went ahead of him. And if he doesn't work out at quarterback, he can always open a restaurant to go with his coaching.

"Man, throw me on the grill, that's my specialty. Steaks, burgers, however you like it, I'll make it for you."

Likely season debuts for two key Texans players

Tytus Howard and Keke Coutee were both full participants at practice Thursday. Coutee should make his debut this season at the slot wideout spot. Howard should slot in a left guard.

Coutee was a dynamic asset to the offense last season in the six games he played. But, of course, injury already has him missing one of the 2019 games. If he plays Sunday the offense might finally be humming at optimal ability.

Howard was the best player at left guard in the preseason. He has his cast off his hand and has a great chance to make his season debut wedged between Laremy Tunsil and Nick Martin. The first round pick had his ups and downs in the preseason but there were far more ups. He is one of the most exciting things to watch on Sunday.

Chargers bad injury luck continues

The Texans will play the Chargers next week on the road. Well, some of the Chargers.

When the Texans take the field the Chargers will be without star safety Derwin James and their starting left tackle Russell Okung. Running back Melvin Gordon is holding out, but their backs looked fine without him so I'm not sure that's a positive.

They will also now be without stud tight end Hunter Henry. Considering how much Romeo Crennel's defense have always struggled against talented tight ends this is a slight advantage for the Texans now.

Obviously, the Chargers are still very good. It will be interesting to see how they fare on the road against the Lions after the Colts played them close, and nearly won.

Who is for real?

​With the Texans and Jaguars squaring off the other half of the AFC South is action as well with the Titans hosting the Colts. Tennessee surprised many when they pushed they upset the Browns in Cleveland and ended up winning in a rout. The Colts pushed the Chargers and without their self-inflicted mistakes they might have won their opener.

This game is early but if the Titans don't show more dominance like they did last week or the Colts don't show their toughness and hang with Tennessee it won't surprise me. I can't trust the Titans one bit and if the Colts fall flat that's just something that is going to happen from time to time. This is a hard one to call because I have no clue who is going to show up as themselves, much less win.

Cam Newton is done or injured but he isn't any good right now

Cam Newton and the Panthers fans have to almost hope Cam Newton is hurt at this point. If his foot injury is that serious he needs to take a seat because he is not anywhere close to his normal level. He consistently has accuracy issues and misses open wideouts. If he isn't mobile his game drops to a much lower level.

The Panthers could be in serious trouble with Cam potentially injured. Kyle Allen is their backup. Rookie Will Grier is also on the roster. Injured Cam is better than those guys but not by much. Management has done a poor job putting a capable backup on the roster. If Newton knew he was getting a little over two weeks worth of rest and the Panthers could trust their backup maybe they could sit him. They can't at 0-2 though. With the Cardinals next up, and the a trip to Houston right after Arizona, the Panthers might be digging themselves a hole they can't climb out of this season.

nfljagstexans

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM

Houston Texans receiver finds new home with Patriots

Can Jeremy Pena rediscover his power stroke this year? Photo by Kevin M. Cox/Getty Images.

As Opening Day draws near, the Astros have a renewed sense of optimism thanks to some savvy offseason moves made to bolster their roster and keep the team's championship window open for the foreseeable future.

This year, the lineup will look a little different without Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker. Still, Houston has multiple players on this team who could have breakout seasons and fill the offensive void left behind by the two departing All-Stars.

Cam Smith

During the offseason, the Astros made the controversial choice to trade Tucker to the Cubs for Isaac Parades, Hayden Wesneski and Chicago’s highly rated prospect Cam Smith.

Parades and Wesneski were acquired to give Houston a third baseman and another potential starting pitcher to add to their rotation. Smith was supposed to be a prospect with high potential who could become a good player in the coming years. However, the Astros likely did not expect the 22-year-old to break out during Spring Training as he did.

The former Florida State Seminole had an impressive .342 batting average with four homers. He also showcased he can play multiple positions, having spent time at third base and in right field during Grapefruit League games.

Smith was getting reps in the outfield as a way to get his bat in the lineup and has looked good out there so far.

Thanks to his stellar play during Spring Training, Smith earned a spot on the Astros' Opening Day roster, becoming the third-fastest position player in MLB history to make the majors having only played 32 minor league games. Houston has found their new everyday right fielder and another lethal bat to add to the lineup for the foreseeable future.

“His approach at the plate, his swing decisions, how hard he’s hitting the ball, we need some of that type of hitter in our lineup, something last year that we somewhat struggled with. If we could add players like him in our lineup, it would stretch our lineup even further.” Astros’ manager Joe Espada said about Smith.

Zach Dezenzo

The Astros' other Spring Training breakout player was Zach Dezenzo, who just earned his first-ever Opening Day roster spot.

The 24-year-old hit .415 (17-for-41) with two homers and made appearances at multiple positions this spring, further solidifying his spot on this roster as a necessary depth piece.

The former Ohio State Buckeye made the big league roster as a utility player, as he can play both corner outfield field positions in addition to first and third base.

“He’s had a great spring.” Espada said about Dezenzo. “His defense in the outfield has been better than what I thought. He actually picked up on it pretty quickly”.

With the recent news that Jon Singleton was cut, and Christian Walker is dealing with an oblique injury, it would seem Dezenzo has a chance to see most of his playing time at first base and fill in at third base or left field this season when needed.

Jeremy Pena

Houston's best hitter during Spring Training wasn’t Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez or Yanier Diaz, but instead was Jeremy Pena.

The 27-year-old is entering his fourth big league season with the Astros and is looking to recapture some of the offensive magic he had during his 2022 rookie campaign.

Pena has seen his OPS drop slightly over the last three years, but could become one of the best hitters in the Astros' lineup this season with the amount of work he put into his swing during the offseason.

The fruits of his labor paid off, for Houston’s shortstop had a .475 batting average with two homers and drove in 10 runs during Spring Training,

Despite the roster turnover, the Astros still have an elite team in place to compete for the top spot in the American League West and become a playoff team again.

houston astrosastros

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome