Every-Thing Sports
What the next few games will say about the Texans moving forward
Oct 13, 2020, 11:42 am
Now things really get interesting for the Texans. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
The Texans got their first win of the season over the Jags. The 30-14 win showed us a few things about this team. Fred Faour wrote his five observations right after the game. With Bill O'Brien being fired, I wrote about Romeo Crennel and his staff's job coaching. Ken Hoffman even graced us with his presence when he wrote about J.J. Watt's influence on O'Brien's firing.
Needless to say, this team looks a lot different in this one game than what they have in the previous four games. Could it be addition by subtraction? Is the monkey of O'Brien's iron fist off the collective backs of the players he once lorded over? Or, could it be that this team is destined for mediocrity no matter what due to poor ownership and management?
These next 6 games mean everything for the Texans
The next six games against the Titans (3-0), Packers (4-0), Jags (1-4), Browns (4-1), Patriots (2-2), and Lions (1-3) are very important. These games will be a window to what will become of this franchise moving forward. Being in search of a new head coach and general manager with the roster in flux, draft picks scarce, and cap space taken up on ridiculous extensions makes things harder on whoever they hire to follow Butt Chin. But what about the immediate future? What's in store for this franchise in the next few weeks?
For starters, they play the AFC South division leading Titans. Whether the Titans' game is played Tuesday, canceled, or postponed because of positive COVID tests, they'll be at a disadvantage come this Sunday. As bad as the Texans defense has been, the Titans defense has been just as bad, if not worse statistically. They average giving up more yards per game (434.7 vs 403) than the Texans despite being a power run, ball control first offense.
The Packers are a different animal and present a different set of issues. It'll be a home game for the Texans, but will it have any effect on Aaron Rodgers? The Packers are putting up 38 points per game and 454.3 yards per game while giving up 25.3 points a game on 374.8 yards. It'll be a challenge on both sides of the ball. This could be a statement game for Deshaun Watson if he's able to outduel one of the best quarterbacks and a surefire Hall Of Famer in Aaron Rodgers.
Another matchup against the Jags should yield similar results as the first as long as the Texans don't take them lightly. If they lose to the Packers, which is highly likely, this would be the perfect get right game. They should be either 3-5 or 4-4 after this game. After eight games played and starting 0-4, to 3-5 or 4-4 would be remarkable. If they're 2-6, it wouldn't be as good, but would symbolize a 2-2 record post-O'Brien, so there's something to build off there.
The post-O'Brien era has to be symbolized by progress. There's only so much they can do with the roster to reshape and evolve. Positive change has to come from what's already on Kirby right now and what'll be there moving forward. It'll take some time to put this franchise in position to succeed for the foreseeable future. Once they're in a position to get out of O'Brien Hell, Watson will be eligible for another big money deal. Remaining relevant is a key to keeping Watson. The fact that he will be a key factor in their next head coach and general manager search is understandable. He's their franchise quarterback. The true franchise guys only come around so often. When you get one, you do whatever you can to surround him with pieces to make him successful. If these next few games go their way, we could be looking at a new Texans squad and the emergence of Watson as a top five quarterback in the league. Be patient Texans fans. I feel the best is yet to come!
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.