EVERY-THING SPORTS
We're trying to wrap our minds around these all-too-common Houston Texans takes
May 31, 2022, 6:59 pm
The Houston Texans' offseason ranked 25th. Composite image by Brandon Strange.
The NFL no longer has a true "offseason" anymore. Instead, we transition from the season to offseason activities like we used to move from class to class in our school days. You go from watching games to watching how teams reshape and rebuild their rosters. Any news that comes out is a big deal. Hell, the releasing of the schedule is damn near a holiday the way the league and TV execs treat it. Social media gets flooded with supposed schedule leaks. Teams have even posted prank videos telling players about a jacked up schedule. Guys who are free agents get their every move reported. God forbid a player in a contract dispute removes any mentions of his current team from his social media, that could get about three to four days' worth of stories in itself.
Bill Barnwell wrote an article about how teams fared this offseason. To say he was critical of the Texans' offseason would be an understatement. He made it seem as if there was a plan, but he's not sure of those plans. When he talked about what went right, he mentions picking up draft picks for Deshaun Watson. I agree, it was a good move. Where we disagree is his backhanded compliments. He said Nick Caserio has a "coherent plan toward filling out the roster," but then asks why the short-term deals for veterans? He did like the Kenyon Green pick as a smart investment, but why trash the short-term deals? Those are guys who might stick around if they prove worthy. Bare minimum, those vets can come in and help the younger guys learn how to be pros.
As I keep reading, he talks about trading up for John Metchie III as being a bad move. His reasoning is that "the Texans valued Metchie as if he were worth the 18th pick in a typical draft." Now what now?!? What draft chart shows that Bill? Using the points valued at each pick would yield a 1st rounder, but NOBODY would trade a high 3rd/4th/late 4th for a 1st (except that one dude who used to coach here)! Clearly, this was a reach of Inspector Gadget proportions. He took exception again with adding aging vets along the defensive line. I don't see the problem as they can help younger guys learn the pro game, or they can be shipped off midseason for low round picks or cut and not waste a spot or cap space. I do agree with his assessment about signing veteran running backs. Bringing in a bunch of young running backs means you could stumble upon your next star at the position. They're a dime a dozen, unless you find a special one.
When he spoke on the coaching hire this offseason being another lame duck hire, I laughed. I look at Lovie's hire the same way I look at Davis Mills getting a shot: see what he can do, and we may have something. I truly believe Brian Flores was their target, but his pending lawsuit made him undesirable (check the timeline of David Culley's firing against Flores' firing and lawsuit). Speaking of Mills, he thought not providing a suitable backup for Mills could've been handled better, and Jimmy Garoppolo should still be on their radar. Why? Let Mills enjoy a full offseason/season as the guy to see what he can do without looking over his shoulder at the guy who may replace him. If he works out, great. If not, draft his replacement in the upcoming draft where the talent pool is way better.
Overall, his article smells like a national writer who didn't take the time to truly look into things but had a deadline and recycled some tired old tropes others in his position have done previously. Did they have a lights-out offseason? No. But they damn sure have a focus and direction that isn't that hard to see if you look closely. Caserio came from an organization that played chess, not checkers. He's willing to endure at least one more season of bad to mediocre football in order to build this thing into what he envisions. With ownership firmly behind him, he's got the green light. I wonder if Barnwell will eat this article if he's proven wrong? There's a local football writer who recently retired that can tell him what sauce to put on it.
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Josh Allen has never said a bad word about Stefon Diggs. As the Buffalo Bills prepare to face their former star receiver in a visit to Houston on Sunday, he insists the two went their separate ways on good terms.
And the quarterback wasn’t changing his stance a week ago, not wanting to ruffle any feathers when asked about the early season success the Bills have enjoyed with their spread-the-ball motto on offense.
He later explained that he spoke out after reading comments on social media in which people were attempting to twist the “everybody eats” motto into something being directed at Diggs.
Allen understands why Buffalo facing Diggs for the first time since a blockbuster trade sent him to Houston this offseason is a big deal. He raved about his former teammate.
“I’ve got a lot of love for him. I still do,” Allen said. “The things that he did for me in my career, and the things that he did in a Buffalo Bill uniform won’t be forgotten anytime soon, especially from me … (but) going into Year 7, I understand the business, and the aspect of what this league is, and again, I’m just trying to focus on what we got going on in this building.”
Diggs, a four-time Pro Bowler, is second on the Texans with 25 receptions for 233 yards. He has two receiving touchdowns and had the first rushing score of his career last week against the Jaguars. He spent the last four seasons in Buffalo, where he had more than 1,100 yards receiving each year, highlighted by an NFL-leading and career-high 1,535 yards in 2020.
He didn’t address Allen directly this week when talking about his time in Buffalo. Diggs did say his tenure with the Bills was “amazing” but that he’s solely focused on his future now and not interested in rehashing the past.
“A lot of other people are going to feel a way or have a lot to say about X, Y, Z, and I’m not mad at it,” he said Wednesday. “Football is a very emotional sport. I go in there and wear my heart on my sleeve, and I won’t stop, but for me, I block out the noise.”
“Nobody is going to run the routes but me,” he continued. “Nobody is going to watch the tape but me. I try not to get back into the back and forth about the opinions or how people feel. I’ve got a job to do; I try to get it done.”
Diggs has helped the Texans to a 3-1 start and Allen hasn’t missed a beat without him. The Bills also are 3-1, though they’re looking to bounce back after a 35-10 loss to the Ravens last week.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans certainly knew how talented Diggs was when he arrived in Houston but said he has been pleasantly surprised to see his passion for the game.
“He loves football … you see it in the way he practices, the way he plays the game,” Ryans said. “He loves ball, he plays with effort and that is all you want.”
The blame game
Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady was still kicking himself for calling a trick play that backfired, squelching any chance of a Buffalo rally in the loss to Baltimore.
After opening the second half with a TD to cut the deficit to 21-10, the Bills faced second-and-7 at the Baltimore 44, when receiver Curtis Samuel took a direct snap and pitched the ball to Allen. The Ravens weren’t fooled and forced a fumble, which led to a TD six plays later.
“I probably can’t say it on Zoom,” Brady said when asked to sum up the call in one word. “There’s no excuses. I can give the justification of why it was on the call sheet, but at the end of the day, the timing was not what it should’ve been and it was costly.”
Nico’s start
While much of the focus this week has been on Diggs facing his former team, the star of Houston’s offense so far this season has been another receiver. Nico Collins had a career-high 12 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars for his third 100-yard game this season. He leads the NFL with 489 yards receiving and is the first player in franchise history with more than 450 yards receiving though the first four games.
“He’s a strong, physical, fast, and big receiver,” Ryans said. “That’s an easy target for C.J. (Stroud) and Nico has showed up every time that we needed him.”
Feeding Samuel
In the Bills’ “everybody eats” motto on offense, Samuel has had difficulty finding a regular place at the table. The eighth-year player who enjoyed his best season in Carolina under Brady as the Panthers coordinator in 2020 has been limited to eight catches for 48 yards. More curious is Samuel has been on the field for only 68 of a total of 230 offensive snaps.
“We’d love to get him going and whether or not Khalil is in or out this week,” Allen said, referring to receiver Khalil Shakir, who is nursing a right ankle injury. “So we’re going to be calling on his number, and he is going to have to step up, make some plays, which we’ve got no doubt in his ability.”
Update: Shakir has been ruled out (ankle) for Sunday's game.