Idle thoughts - The Houston Match up. (Texan fans welcome)

[PatriotSeven]

It's more about the smack talk coming from someone not attached to the Patriots being used as some sort of motivation PatriotSeven. Had the smack talk been from someone attached to the Patriots, then that's fair game for Foster.

It's mental midget stuff from Foster disregarding what the Patriots have been saying about the Texans, specifically BB. As for smack talk, good luck to the people who use it. It either works or it doesn't.

As far as that goes, I edited my post. See above...or on the previous page

 

[ausbacker]

As far as that goes, I edited my post. See above...or on the previous page

Fair comments. I guess I'm not that worried because the Patriots are going about their business and as far as I'm concerned have a better team than the Texans. That's enough for me to sit back and enjoy the build up.

 

[PatriotSeven]

Fair comments. I guess I'm not that worried because the Patriots are going about their business and as far as I'm concerned have a better team than the Texans. That's enough for me to sit back and enjoy the build up.

Hey I work hard throughout the season to be rational, fair, logical and do my research. Why? For this. To go bat**** crazy between now and whenever our road ends. I couldn't stand that feeling of petrification around here before playing the Giants last year while they were dancing around like idiots, having fun talking smack, etc and I will not succumb to it again. Hey for all I know we might be done this Sunday so I'm going to enjoy it. But the optimist in me says I'll plan to come down and turn back to normal about 3-7 days after the Superbowl and until then...:rocker:

 

[longhornsk57]

More and more excited about this game. I love how ultimately all of our analyses and carefully studied stats and predictions go out the window Sunday at 3:30 and football happens. As evidenced the week following the one where we got massacred, anything can happen.

Here in Houston Matt Schaub is still getting KILLED on the radio and in general as a below average game manager who can't get it done and will never lead this team to a Superbowl. Everyone here is predicting a Patriots beat down of Houston and wanting us to just drop Schaub and get a new QB. Kubiak is getting called out for his "conservative" play calling, and our lack of pass rush is being noted. It's as if we've already lost. Similarly around the country I have yet to see anyone predict that the Texans even have a chance to stay within 21 points, much less attempt to win.

I guess I might be insane for thinking the Texans have even a remote possibility to win this game. Too many Chicken LIttles around here. People getting too apathetic around here. I really hope this team doesn't take its cues from the fans.

There is a difference between thinking the Pats will probably win (which I do) and being all gloom and doom, how some of these people even enjoy football is beyond me.


Either way, I am psyched about Sunday's match up.



Bulls On Parade!

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

More and more excited about this game. I love how ultimately all of our analyses and carefully studied stats and predictions go out the window Sunday at 3:30 and football happens. As evidenced the week following the one where we got massacred, anything can happen.

Here in Houston Matt Schaub is still getting KILLED on the radio and in general as a below average game manager who can't get it done and will never lead this team to a Superbowl. Everyone here is predicting a Patriots beat down of Houston and wanting us to just drop Schaub and get a new QB. Kubiak is getting called out for his "conservative" play calling, and our lack of pass rush is being noted. It's as if we've already lost. Similarly around the country I have yet to see anyone predict that the Texans even have a chance to stay within 21 points, much less attempt to win.

I guess I might be insane for thinking the Texans have even a remote possibility to win this game. Too many Chicken LIttles around here. People getting too apathetic around here. I really hope this team doesn't take its cues from the fans.

There is a difference between thinking the Pats will probably win (which I do) and being all gloom and doom, how some of these people even enjoy football is beyond me.


Either way, I am psyched about Sunday's match up.



Bulls On Parade!

Curious - do you think there's an outcome possible for the game that could lead to Kubiak to losing his job?

I see him as a pretty solid coach... the type of guy you'd be wondering who exactly they could find to improve upon him. Maybe not a top 5(ish) coach, but probably a top 10ish one.

 

[QB12]

To the poster from Houston - do the Texans players listen to talk radio and so forth?

 

[longhornsk57]

Curious - do you think there's an outcome possible for the game that could lead to Kubiak to losing his job?

I see him as a pretty solid coach... the type of guy you'd be wondering who exactly they could find to improve upon him. Maybe not a top 5(ish) coach, but probably a top 10ish one.

Short of losing 77 to 0 or some crazy college type score I don't see him getting fired.

Let's see which coach has actually won a Superbowl lately? Who is out there better able to coach this team right now?

People love to say "fire this guy, drop that guy" but who are you going to put in there? This is a well built team, only ONE team is going to win the Superbowl, and even the Pats have less than a 50% chance to win it as they stand right now, they have to beat Houston, then Denver on the road, then the NFC team. If we lose we lose, but we are in good position to be a good team for years to come. What other QB are you going to put in there? Alex Smith? Vince Young? Tebow??

I mean come on, there aren't Tom Brady clones just looking for jobs these days. When we were 11 - 1, NO ONE was storming the castle with pitch forks and torches, but we have a bad month and WIN a playoff game and all of this. The fans are so used to having a bad team here that any time we lose the sky is falling. Look at Shaub's career stats. He's just like Tom Brad at like 70%. High completion ratio, High TD to Int ratio, not an idiot (Jay Cutler type), poised except when he's getting sacked, he's a solid QB. He's not Manning, Brady, Brees, or Rodgers. Fine, when we see someone like that, let's try to get them, but let's not just throw away a somewhat hot chick because we see Jessica Alba and we end up with a "nice personality"

All I'm saying is wait till Monday to form your opinion. Shaub is 1-0 in his lifetime in the playoffs...

 

[longhornsk57]

To the poster from Houston - do the Texans players listen to talk radio and so forth?

I seriously doubt it.

 

[Uncle Rico]

More and more excited about this game. I love how ultimately all of our analyses and carefully studied stats and predictions go out the window Sunday at 3:30 and football happens. As evidenced the week following the one where we got massacred, anything can happen.
...

Totally jealous that you guys only have to wait til 3:30 for this thing to start!

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

My God, it's only Tuesday

 

[longhornsk57]

Totally jealous that you guys only have to wait til 3:30 for this thing to start!

Oh yeah, you guys are on Eastern right?

 

[The Gr8est]

When we were 11 - 1, NO ONE was storming the castle with pitch forks and torches, but we have a bad month and WIN a playoff game and all of this. The fans are so used to having a bad team here that any time we lose the sky is falling.

The Pats have been a dominant team for 10+ years and won three superbowls in that time...

but as soon as the Pats lose ONE game it's "the sky is falling" time here too.

 

[The Gr8est]

Oh yeah, you guys are on Eastern right?

Crap! If the Texans get to start 1 hour earlier than the Pats we'll have quite a deficit to overcome.

 

[longhornsk57]

Crap! If the Texans get to start 1 hour earlier than the Pats we'll have quite a deficit to overcome.

lol, we need all the help we can get. With the Pats off the field for the first hour, we might actually get a couple field goals...

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

... if Foster needs external motivation or needs to broadcast publicly his thoughts, then the Texans have already lost this game.

To be fair, when Bill Belichick famously stood up before the team in 2004 and read off the victory parade plans for the city of Philadelphia, I am sure that those plans (or their premature release) really had no involvement whatsoever with the Eagles team. But to a man, the Patriots said that such "disrespect" (from anyone) had an impact. We had the better team though, and that was likely the real key.

 

[The Gr8est]

lol, we need all the help we can get. With the Pats off the field for the first hour, we might actually get a couple field goals...

Well at least that's better than the Rats would do.

I expect that if the Rats got a 1 hour head start on the Pats they'd only be up by 3-2; I'm sure that, somehow, Sanchez would end up getting a safety.

:rocker:

 

[Kontradiction]

I don't see how this is any different than the first match-up, really. Defensively, contain Andre Johnson and Arian Foster. Offensively, contain J.J. Watt and give Brady time to dissect their secondary. Having Gronk back for this game should give the Patriots an extra boost on the OL when it comes to pass protection and run blocking, give the Patriots an extra boost in the passing game (as I don't see anybody on Houston's LB corps that can cover him), and keep the Texans from being able to diagnose, pre-snap, whether the Patriots are running or passing.

 

[longhornsk57]

I don't see how this is any different than the first match-up, really. Defensively, contain Andre Johnson and Arian Foster. Offensively, contain J.J. Watt and give Brady time to dissect their secondary. Having Gronk back for this game should give the Patriots an extra boost on the OL when it comes to pass protection and run blocking, give the Patriots an extra boost in the passing game (as I don't see anybody on Houston's LB corps that can cover him), and keep the Texans from being able to diagnose, pre-snap, whether the Patriots are running or passing.

The difference will hopefully be that the Texans don't shoot themselves in the foot so much so early and get into a big hole early. If they can get a 7 - 0 lead they won't try to launch it every play like being 21 - 0 in the first quarter. Also we've got like 4 players that we didn't have before, including an essential TE and LB. Hopefully they help keep Brady on the bench.

You guys played really well last time, but our mistakes made it all too easy.

 

[Double TE]

Interestingly it looks like the weather will be close to 50 degrees...wow!!! So much for a cold January NE night eh?

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Besides Gronk returning, which is huge, the Texans game was Chandler Jones' first game back and he was eased into the mix, mostly on sub packages. He's a beast and so having him at 100% is a big gain. The upgrade is negated a little if Ninkovich is limited at all, however, though Jermaine Cunningham is also playing now and wasn't then, so I'd definitely call it an overall upgrade regardless of Ninko's status. If Ninko is himself, watch out. You've basically then added two pass rushers and one of them (Jones) also excels vs. the run.

Another upgrade could be Aqib Talib. He missed more than half the game after hurting his hip. Granted, he was there in the 1st half when the result was settled, but he was also just getting up to speed in his 3rd start, I think, as a Pat and he didn't even draw regular duty on Andre Johnson. He will now, if healthy.

The key though is still the other side of the ball. If you cannot pressure Brady with no blitz, Phillips likes to blitz using linebackers, leaving the middle open for crossing routes to a hot read of Gronk, Hernandez, Welker, or Woodhead, likely covered by a safety. I could see all-day run-after-catch potential with that.