TEXANS VS. CARDINALS
Critical matchups to exploit in Texans clash with Cardinals
Nov 17, 2023, 4:54 pm
Composite Getty Image.
What: Texans vs. Cardinals
When: 11/19 12pm CST Kickoff
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
TV/Radio: KRIV-TV, KILT-Radio
Betting Lines: Texans -6 (-110), O/U 48 (-110) *As of this writing
One of this Texas' finest football players is coming home! Well…sort of. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was born in Bedford and went to high school in Allen. The last time I remember Murray playing at NRG was his freshman year at A&M in the Advocare Texas Kickoff. He transferred after that year to Oklahoma. While Murray will see only his second game this season after recovering from an ACL tear, he's every bit as dangerous with his legs making plays as he was prior to the injury. That being said, C.J. Stroud is a very dangerous quarterback himself. Albeit in a much different manner. These two represent the two different styles of quarterback in today's game. Murray is more of the athletic scrambler who pressures defenses with his running ability and playmaking skills outside the pocket. Stroud is more of a traditional pocket passer who possesses deadly accuracy/touch, but has the athleticism to scramble when necessary.
When the Cardinals have the ball: The Texans' defense will have to contain Murray. I know. I know. It's easier said than done. Lane rush discipline will be imperative for the defensive front. That's the only way to keep a quarterback in the pocket and not surrender easy running lanes to escape. Not only is he capable of taking it to the house if he escapes, but he also has some speedy receivers (Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore specifically) to get the ball to down the field. While they don't average more than 300 yards of offense per game, they rank in the top ten in rushing yards (126.5) per game. I fully expect their 170 yards per game passing to increase with Murray back in the fold. Still missing Jimmie Ward hurts, but having Derek Stingley Jr back and healthy should help.
When the Texans have the ball: Devin Singletary is coming off the best rushing performance a Texan has had all year. His 150 yards is the most a Texan has had since Pierce went for 139 last year in week nine vs. the Eagles. The Cardinals are giving up 134.2 yards rushing per game, ranked 28th in the league. Again, this is a week in which the run game needs to be established. Stroud may have a hard time passing against the 11th ranked defense in passing yards per game, but I doubt it. People have said that all season long. All season long, he's proven them wrong (including myself a couple of times). Stroud won't have Noah Brown this week, who's coming off back-to-back 100 yard performances. However, Nico Collins is expected to return to action this Sunday.
Outcome: One team is rebuilding on the fly and looking towards the future, while the other is done with a rebuild and looking to make the playoffs. One team has a former Heisman winner, while the other has an MVP candidate. One team has a coach who may already be on the hot seat given his organization's penchant for firing guys after one season, while the other has a coach who's a Coach of the Year candidate. You see where I'm going with this. The Texans have the clear-cut advantages that should lead to an easy win. However, the Cardinals are also a professional football team, so they won't just roll over. I fully expect the Texans to pressure them by scoring and taking advantage of the mistakes. If the Cardinals give up almost 200 yards rushing, over 100 yards in penalties, lose the turnover battle, and go 3/11 on 3rd down conversions, they won't be able to pull out a win this week like they did last week. Maybe if they caught this team earlier this season, but not now. Texans 26, Cardinals 16
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How latest Astros comments point to mixed signals, communication breakdown
Feb 17, 2025, 4:38 pm
Alex Bregman couldn’t hold back the smile when he was asked who might have had the biggest impact on his decision to sign with the Boston Red Sox.
“My favorite player Dustin Pedroia,” Bregman said of the club's former second baseman and two-time World Series champion.
“He reached out a few times this offseason and talked about how special it was to be a part of the Boston Red Sox,” Bregman said Sunday. “It was really cool to be able to talk to him as well as so many other former players here in Boston and current players on the team as well.”
A day after Bregman's $120 million, three-year contract was announced, he sat at a 25-minute news conference between his agent, Scott Boras, and Boston Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow. Manager Alex Cora, who gave Bregman a hug after he handed the infielder his No. 2 jersey, also was at the table along with team president Sam Kennedy.
Breslow and Cora wouldn't say whether Bregman would move to play second base, Pedroia's position, or remain at third — a position manned by Rafael Devers since July 2017.
A few players, Jarren Duran and Rob Refsnyder among them, and coaches stood behind the seated reporters to listen.
Bregman gets a $5 million signing bonus, a $35 million salary this season and $40 million in each of the following two years, with some of the money deferred, and he can opt out after the 2025 and 2026 seasons to become a free agent again.
Asked why he agreed to the shorter contract with opt outs, he leaned forward to the microphone in front of him and replied: “I just think I believe in my abilities.”
Originally selected by Boston in the 29th round of the 2012 amateur draft, Bregman attended LSU before the Houston Astros picked him second overall in 2015. His family history with the Red Sox goes back further.
“My dad grew up sitting on Ted Williams’ lap,” he said.
MLB.com said Stan Bregman, the player's grandfather, was a lawyer who represented the Washington Senators and negotiated Williams' deal to become manager.
Boston has missed the playoffs in five of the last six seasons and had avoided signing the highest-profile free agents. Boras said a conversation with Red Sox controlling owner John Henry showed ownership’s desire to get back to winning.
“I think it was after Soto signed,’’ Boras said, citing the record contract he negotiated for Juan Soto with the Mets. “We had a discussion. I could tell knowing John back with the Marlins and such, he had a real onus about ‘we need to do things differently than what we’ve done before.’
“This is a point and time where I believe Red Sox ownership was hungry for championship play and exhausted with what had happened the last five, six years.”
Called the “perfect fit” by Breslow, the 30-year-old Bregman joined the Red Sox after winning two World Series titles and reaching the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons with Houston.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the playoffs the first eight years of my career, and I plan on continuing to do that here,” he said in his opening remarks. “I’m a winning player and this is a winning organization.”
Coming off an 81-81 season, the Red Sox acquired left-hander Garrett Crochet from the White Sox and signed fellow pitchers Walker Buehler, Patrick Sandoval, Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson during the offseason.
After the pitching moves, they found a right-handed bat, too.
“As the offseason progressed it just became clearer and clearer that Alex was the perfect fit for what we were trying to accomplish,” Breslow said.
Bregman ranks first among players with at least 75 career plate appearances in Fenway Park with an OPS of 1.240.
“He fits like a glove for our organization,” Kennedy said.