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Here's when the Houston Texans uniforms with H-Town Blue will be unveiled
Jan 5, 2024, 4:20 pm
The Texans will unveil their new uniforms before the NFL Draft. Composite Getty Image.
Don't look now, but the landscape has completely shifted for Houston Texans
Football is king in Texas. From small towns being empty on Friday nights because everyone is at the local high school game, to houses being divided depending on where they went to college, to the I-45 battle between Cowboy and Texan fans online. The city of Houston has had a very strong football tradition. From high school to college to pros, the Houston area has produced some great players, plays, and memories.
One of those memories was the “Luv Ya Blue” era Oilers. Bum Phillips and his band of merry men captivated the city in the late 70s/early 80s. The Houston Police Department even had their squad cars painted in the color. When the Oilers left town in 1996, it ended an era. Fans were devastated and ended up HATING Bud Adams and his family for doing so. In comes Bob McNair, and in 2002, he was granted an NFL franchise, later dubbed the Houston Texans.
The Adams family refusal to give up the colors and history, which they have a right to do, led to fans feeling a certain way about them using the Oilers throwback uniforms. The attachment to those colors and uniforms is a very real thing. I get it. However, there comes a time when we have to let go of things of the past in order to move on to a better future. That date: April 25, 2024.
I've been very positive on the Texans ever since they hired DeMeco Ryans. To me, that was the perfect hire. A former franchise great who developed himself into a head coaching candidate right in time for the team that drafted him to hire him to come save the day. Not only is he a great coach, by all accounts, he's an even better person. Drafting well, signing quality free agents, and other deft personnel moves shows general manager Nick Caserio has done a good job of stocking the pantry for DeMeco. This team is on the verge of something special and sustainable.
Yes or yes 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/Y4WxSOhG0n
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 1, 2024
That's why I believe H-Town Blue will replace Luv Ya Blue as this city's beloved color. While it isn't the same blue, it's close. H-Town Blue is a few shades darker. It won't be a featured color, but rather an accent. Personally, I think it should replace Deep Steel Blue. Give the fans and this city what they've wanted for so many years! The older generations remember what that era was like. The younger generations LOVE those colors as well. They associate it more with the way it looks with a dope pair of shoes and clothes.
I love the idea of the name. “H-Town Blue” it gives the city ownership of the color. That's another reason I believe it should be a primary color and will replace Luv Ya Blue. When Bud Adams took everything, his family made sure to honor his bitter wishes by not giving it back and snuffing any potential usage. When UH got a cease-and-desist letter from the Titans, I knew this would be a never-ending thing. Now the city has their own color to embrace.
Sometimes new beginnings means leaving old things behind. Saying goodbye to the old and in with the new can be a good thing. This is like a deer shedding old antlers. They're left bald for a minute, but end up growing a new set. Evolution is a beautiful thing. Houston is evolving as a city. So is this football team. It's time to embrace the new antlers and let the old ones rot in the cesspool the Adams Family has in Nashville.
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The Houston Texans travel to Minneapolis this Sunday to take on the Vikings, with both teams entering the matchup undefeated at 2-0.
CJ Stroud will be tested against a Vikings defense that specializes in disguising coverages pre-snap, and likes to blitz at a high rate.
Stroud tends to target Nico Collins when being blitzed (62% of Stroud's passing yardage), so don't be surprised if Vikings DC Brian Flores shows Collins some extra attention when bringing the pressure.
Which means this could be the week Tank Dell finally breaks out. Another thing working in Dell's favor is the amount of Cover 4 the Vikings are playing this season. Flores has used Cover 4 over 30% of the time this season, up about 10% compared to last year.
Dell has been Stroud's top target versus Cover 4 since the start of the 2023 season. Of course, the addition of Stefon Diggs could impact Dell's usage against that coverage moving forward.
One thing working for the Texans in this matchup is timing. The Vikings dominated the 49ers last Sunday, giving QB Brock Purdy fits. Per PFF, Purdy had three interception-worthy plays in the game, and none of them came when he was pressured.
It stands to reason that Stroud and OC Bobby Slowik will benefit from watching last week's tape to get some insight into how Flores will attack a Shanahan-style offense like the Texans run.
Texans on defense
QB Sam Darnold has played well in these first two games. And like the Texans offense, Houston's defense also has a lot in common with the 49ers'. Remember, Darnold played for the 49ers last season. He and Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell (Shanahan coaching tree) are very familiar with the 49ers' schemes on both offense and defense.
Superstar receiver Justin Jefferson will keep the Texans secondary busy, and don't be surprised if the Vikings are able to rack up yardage using screen passes to running back Aaron Jones. Jones had 5 catches last week against the Niners.
There were two big takeaways from the Vikings upset of the 49ers last week. First, the San Francisco staff was out-coached on both sides of the ball. Vikings receivers were open all afternoon, and even when the 49ers made plays on offense, they had to do it seemingly with defenders draped on them at all times.
Second, Darnold was able to escape pressure several times and pick up first downs with his legs. Something the Texans struggled with against Caleb Williams and the Bears in Week 2.
The other issue the Texnas defense will encounter is the surprisingly good play from the Vikings o-line. Through the first two games, the Vikings have the fourth-best graded o-line, according to PFF. Sacks could be hard to come by.
X-factors
Revenge could play a role in this game. Jonathan Greenard and Blake Cashman will both want to prove the Texans wrong for replacing them with Danielle Hunter and Azeez Al-Shaair, at least on some level. Hunter may want to prove a point against his former team as well.
And let's not forget Brian Flores sued the NFL (and added a claim against the Texans), claiming he didn't get the Texans job a couple of years ago because of his lawsuit.
What does Vegas think?
The Texans are favored by 2 points on the road, and the total for the game is 46.
Be sure to watch the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap gets you ready for Texans-Vikings!
And don't miss our postgame show live on the SportsMapTexans YouTube channel immediately following the game.