JAKE ASMAN
Tony Dungy: I like where the Texans are right now
Jake Asman
Nov 8, 2018, 10:41 am
After an 0-3 start, the Houston Texans have won six games in a row, joining the 1970 New York Giants as the only teams to win six consecutive games after starting 0-3 in NFL history.
Super Bowl winning Head Coach and current NBC Sports Analyst Tony Dungy has been impressed with the Texans resolve after the terrible start to their season. Appearing on The Jake Asman Show on SB Nation Radio, Dungy talked about how he believed in Houston from the start of this season.
“I picked the Texans to win that division this year,” Dungy said. “I thought that if Deshaun Watson was healthy and if there defensive players were healthy, Whitney Mercilus and JJ Watt and (Jadeveon) Clowney, I thought they would have enough to do it.
After beating the Denver Broncos 19-17 last Sunday, Dungy, said he believes those are the type of games the Texans are going to have to play in order to win meaningful games the rest of the season.
“These are the types of games I think they are going to play,” said Dungy. “Where the defense hangs in there, gets some turnovers. Deshaun (Watson) makes just enough plays and they win and it’s going to be a tight fought game. I like their competitiveness and their belief in each other and I think those defenders are just going to get better and better... I like where the Texans are right now.”
Leading the Texans during their current winning streak has been the strong play of second year QB Watson. In Watson’s last six games, he’s thrown for 1,518 yards, 12 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions including a 68% completion rate. Watson has also not turned the ball over during the last three games. When asked what has stood out about Watson’s recent performance, Dungy said Watson’s playmaking ability has caught his eye.
“To me it’s his ability to make that big play and create that big play… When the design of the play breaks down, the defense does a good job, most of the time the QB says ‘OK, that’s it, I’ll live to play another day, I’ll throw the ball away, I’ll take a sack, and we'll get ‘em the next play’”, Dungy said. “Deshaun Watson has the ability that when the defense does everything properly and there is no where to go, he can still create things. To me that is a great quality to have and that is what separates Deshaun. He doesn’t have it all down yet and he’s going to get better and better but that ability to make something out of nothing in a crucial situation, that’s what he brings to the table.”
You can listen to the entire interview with Tony Dungy here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7076725-tony-dungy-interview
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The Houston Astros continue their road trip Wednesday night in Denver, looking to stay red-hot against a struggling Rockies team that can’t seem to buy a win at Coors Field.
Houston enters the second game of the series with a 51–34 record, sitting atop the AL West and riding a stretch of eight wins in their last ten games. Their offense hasn’t exactly been overpowering during this run — the team is hitting just .228 over that span — but timely power and elite pitching have carried the load. They’ll lean on both again Wednesday as right-hander Hunter Brown takes the mound.
Brown has emerged as one of the most dominant starters in baseball this season, posting an 8–3 record and an eye-popping 1.74 ERA with 118 strikeouts. His efficiency and command (0.89 WHIP) have kept opponents off balance all year, and he’ll face a Rockies lineup that’s shown occasional pop but little consistency. Colorado is just 19–66 overall, with only eight wins in 41 games at home.
Austin Gomber gets the ball for the Rockies in what will be just his fouth start of the season. The lefty owns a 6.14 ERA and has managed only five strikeouts in limited action, which could open the door for Houston’s power bats to do damage early. The Astros are 18–5 when they hit multiple home runs in a game.
Colorado will hope to build on the lone bright spot from Tuesday’s loss, a five-hit effort from rookie Jordan Beck, while Hunter Goodman continues to show some spark with five homers in his last ten games.
With the Astros heavily favored (-258) and looking to build further separation in the division, all eyes will be on Brown as he tries to keep the momentum rolling, and give Houston its 52nd win of the season.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -258, Rockies +208; over/under is 11 runs
Roster moves
Luis Guillorme (hamstring) is headed to the 10-day injured list and Zack Short will replace him on the roster.
Thoughts on tonight's lineup
The first thing that jumps out is Christian Walker is hitting fifth after a three-hit game on Tuesday. Cooper Hummel is hitting seventh and playing left field, with Altuve playing second base again. Shay Whitcomb is in the DH spot, and hitting eighth, followed by Mauricio Dubon. Clearly, Houston's depth will be tested with this lineup. But at least they're playing the lowly Rockies.
Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.
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