BARRY'S VIEW
Off the top of my bald head: Musings on the Texans-Ravens
Nov 28, 2017, 6:00 am
Tom Savage had another rough night. Houstontexans.com
Unlike many fans, I had no choice. Due to my gig, I was forced to waste three hours watching two garbage teams on Monday Night Football.
The Texans surprised the nation on their first possession, a flawless 9-play 90-yard drive in 5:59 seconds.
Is this Tom Savage guy for real?
Other than marveling at the incredible D-Hop, that was it offensively. In spite of being held so much, his jersey ripped. Houston’s answer to Spiderman was targeted ten times, catching 7 for 125 yards.
Once again football fans got to see why Jadeveon Clowney was the first pick in the draft four years ago. The healthy physical freak dominates, regardless of putting his hand on the ground or blitzing from his linebacker spot.
He dominates even being triple teamed!
But he can only do so much. A pass rush is non-existent. For delusional fans, a return to full health for Justin Joseph Watt will not happen according to Dr. Barry Warner.
Going into the game against a bad Texans secondary, I thought Joe Flacco would put up big numbers with targets like Mike Wallace and Jeremy Maclin. There was a combination of bad route running, overthrows and poor calls that show why John Harbaugh’s team will not make it to the playoffs
The Texans could not stop one of the great stories in the NFL this season, former Arkansas running back Alex Collins. Seattle drafted the kid in the fifth-round last year, cut him and the Ravens put him on their practice squad.
A month later he became the starter. His quickness allowed Baltimore to get to the outside and keep drives alive.
The Ravens controlled Houston's running game, which had been ranked No. 6 in the NFL entering the game. Tackles Brandon Williams and Michael Pierce were dominant in the middle. The Ravens got pushed around early in the game, but that didn't last long.
Baltimore linebackers gave up a lot of passing yards in the middle of the field. The Ravens were strong in run support and Terrell Suggs was outstanding at times getting pressure on quarterback Tom Savage, including two sacks
It might be the last season for potential Hall of Fame linebacker Suggs. At age 35 and counting $4 million against the cap, he might be cut. But he visited the Fountain of Youth last night, regardless of where he lined up.
It helped against an offensive line with just a single NFL legitimate starter, center Nick Martin. Baltimore’s defense entered the game ranked 26th against the run. Your Texans totaled 66 yards, 51 by Lamar Miller. The Ravens deflected five passes.
The Ravens two interceptions give them the NFL high of 18.
The Texans were 1-for-4inside the red zone. Blame Savage, the offensive line, no Will Fuller or D’ontae Foreman...it does not matter. Of course, penalties and lack of imagination just might have something to do with it.
There is one thing we can admire in the former Pitt quarterback; his consistency. His eighth fumble of the season, the seventh loss gave him a NFL high. At least the Texans lead the league in something.
Once again, the Texans red zone offense went down the toilet. They had a first down at the Ravens 25. Miller ran for 6 before Savage throws 2 incompletions and Fairbairn kicks a 37 FG to make it 20-16 with 8:36 left.
With the Texans still having somewhat of a shot at pulling out a road win, I got a call from one of my friends in New York for the league meeting starting today. The suit said, “let’s just see how they screw this up.’’ Kendall I have no business being on a NFL roster Lamm was overmatched and embarrassed when Suggs picked up a strip sack. A few plays later another Justin Tucker field goal made it a 23-16 game.
Later, with 2:26 left Savage threw into triple coverage and wass picked off. For the night he was 22 of 37 for 252 yards, two picks and a miserable QB rating of 31.0.
Nobody is going to hang a painting of this game in The Louvre, it was a workmanlike effort that benefited from three Houston turnovers and a mistake-free game by the Ravens offense. Flacco’s stats were not much better: 20 of 32 for 141yards and a QB rating of 33.2.
Of course, we all know what Bill O’Brien has to do. “Coach better.”
Chirp!
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
_____________________________________________
*Looking to get the word out about your business, products, or services? Consider advertising on SportsMap! It's a great way to get in front of Houston sports fans. Click the link below for more information!