How Astros look to jumpstart squad with these much-needed returns, roster moves
STONE COLD 'STROS
30 April
Welcome to The Show, Joey! Composite Getty Image.
Coming off a much-needed two-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies, the Astros have some tough teams on their schedule as they try to climb back in the race in the AL West.
Houston's pitching appears to be back on track, with Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander looking good since returning from injury. And Cristian Javier and Jose Urquidy should return soon to give the club another boost. Which does raise some questions about who will remain in the rotation when the staff is fully healthy.
Sweet relief
The Astros bullpen finally lived up to expectations on Sunday, so hopefully that's a sign of things to come for the rest of the season.
End of the line?
Jose Abreu continues to struggle at the plate, so the Astros decided to promote Joey Loperfido to the big league club. We could see his debut as soon as Tuesday night when the Astros host the Guardians.
Be sure to watch the video above as we react to the big wins in Mexico City, look ahead to the Astros next two opponents, and much more!
Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via YouTube: stone cold stros - YouTube with the complete audio available via Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
NFL insiders hint at eye-opening future for Houston Texans offense
Dec 7, 2024, 2:38 pm
One of the nuggets that came out of Nick Caserio's press conference this week, was his thoughts on the job Bobby Slowik has done as an offensive coordinator. When asked if the team has considered sharing the offensive play calling, Caseiro responded with an emphatic, “absolutely not.”
Caserio went on to praise the job Slowik has done this year, and to say the team's struggles in the second half this season is due to execution.
This stance is consistent with what we've heard from Texans insiders that believe Slowik will be back next season. As much as many Texans fans believe a change at OC could help CJ Stroud, who's shown regression this year, it doesn't appear Slowik is going anywhere.
To be fair, most teams aren't looking to replace their coordinators when they're leading their division and marching toward the postseason for the second straight year.
Number crunching
When comparing Stroud's stats to last season, there is a clear dropoff in 2024. But a lot of that has to do with the addition of Joe Mixon, especially when it comes to touchdowns.
Mixon is third in the NFL with 11 rushing TDs, while Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary only combined for 6 over the entire 2023 season. One could argue the passing offense has regressed, but one could also argue the offense overall is more balanced.
Stroud is still Top 5 in passing yards, heading into this week's games. And even if we account for the bye week, Stroud will still be Top 10 after this week's slate of games.
The most concerning number to keep an eye on is sacks. Only one QB has been sacked more than Stroud, who's been sacked 41 times. CJ's protection has gotten better since Juice Scruggs was moved to guard, and Jarrett Patterson was inserted at center.
If Stroud starts getting hit again at a high level, that may be the one factor that could make the front office rethink their plans at coordinator. However, if the Texans do make a change, we expect them to address their o-line coach before any changes at OC.
Be sure to watch the video above for our full breakdown of the Texans offense, the coaching staff, and our thoughts on how the Azeez Al-Shaair suspension will impact the team.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
