National media eating entire plate of crow after ridiculous Houston Texans criticisms
EAT YOUR WORDS
19 October 2023
One of the biggest surprises of the NFL season has to be CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans, led by head coach DeMeco Ryans.
But not everyone was high on Stroud and the Texans before the season started, and let's face it, most QBs don't adjust to the NFL as fast as CJ has so far.
But Colin Cowherd seemed to take a shot at Stroud every chance he got before the season. Saying the Texans may be looking to draft another QB after just one year because CJ wasn't as “athletic” as several college QBs set to come out in 2024.
And look at the most athletic QB that was drafted this year in Anthony Richardson. He's already out for the year with a shoulder injury. More often than not, athletic QBs miss time from taking too many hits. While a pocket passer like Stroud is currently the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
His other concern was the team hiring a defensive-minded head coach, with offense being so important in today's NFL. Well, it only took a handful of games into the 2023 season for Cowherd to change his tune on Stroud and the Texans. He now believes the Texans hit on their QB and head coach.
And Texans OC Bobby Slowik certainly deserves his fair share of credit for how he's coached up Houston's new offense. Which led us to another interesting discussion. If Stroud continues on this path for the remainder of the season, could Slowik be poached from the Texans, taking a quality play caller away from Stroud?
There are plenty of underperforming teams this year that could be very interested in the next hot coaching prospect right off the Shanahan coaching tree. And we've seen QBs regress in situations like this. Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen both struggled after losing their offensive coordinators/play callers. Allen when Brian Daboll left to coach the Giants, and Hurts with Shane Steichen leaving for the Colts.
Be sure to watch the video above for the full discussion.
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X-factor matchups for Houston Texans to make statement rebound versus Colts
Oct 24, 2024, 6:10 pm
This week, the Houston Texans take on the Colts in a matchup with division supremacy on the line. If the Texans are able to come away with a victory, they will own the tiebreaker over Indy and enjoy a comfortable lead in the division.
However, a loss to the Colts means the Texans will be in a virtual tie with Indy in the AFC South. So what do the Texans need to do to secure a win?
On offense, they'll have to do a much better job of protecting CJ Stroud. In their last game against the Packers, Stroud faced immense pressure on third downs, with 12 of his 14 dropbacks resulting in pressure.
During one series, Stroud was flushed from the pocket and forced to scramble on three straight plays. They have to clean up the protection, or it will be another long day for the offense.
Fortunately for the Texans, this game is at home. So hopefully the communication issues the Texans o-line dealt with on the road last week won't be an issue at NRG.
Rushing attack
Houston can't afford to rely solely on Joe Mixon and the run game to carry the offense. While Mixon has been terrific, contributing significantly in recent weeks, the Texans will need a balanced attack. Which means Stroud must have time to operate in the pocket.
Bulls on parade
The defense last week was another story for the Texans. They played well against Green Bay, limiting them to 24 points. This week, they face a very different type of quarterback. Anthony Richardson is dead last in passer rating and completion percentage, so that's definitely working in their favor.
We know what Richardson can do with his legs, and Indy is expecting running back Jonathan Taylor to return from an ankle injury, so the rushing defense will be tested.
Richardson's accuracy is certainly a weakness, but he does throw a good deep ball that gave the defense problems in Week 1 this season.
What does Vegas think?
The Texans are favored by 5 points and the total is set at 45.5 points.
This is one video you don't want to miss as we share our in-depth breakdown of the game, as well as our predictions for Sunday's contest.
For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube
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Fans of Houston sports and Houston food can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm November 11 at 8th Wonder. Find out more about it here.
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