The preseason is mercifully over. The Houston Texans thoroughly dominated the Detroit Lions 26-7. So, for the second week in a row we will be doing a great, good, and bad. Before we get there, we will look at the overall numbers for the game. Following the first quarter, the game was never in doubt, but looking at the numbers over a long period of time tells us two things. First, we get to see trends of which numbers predict victory and defeat the most. Secondly, we get to see which numbers the Texans are
good at and which ones they struggle with more often.
On the first count, a team can learn a lot by re-engineering the numbers to determine which ones actually correlate stronger with winning. If you are able to find that out then you are able to build your strategy and roster in such ways to create those results. The second count is somewhat related. We then can see if the Texans are good at doing those things or not.
The Numbers
- Total Yards: Texans 71/399, Lions 36/186
- Rushing Yards: Texans 38/150, Lions 17/72
- Passing Yards: Texans 33/249, Lions 19/114
- Sacks: Texans 3, Lions 1
- Turnovers: Texans 1, Lions 1
- Penalties: Texans 8/59, Lions 5/47
- Time of Possession: Texans 40:15, Lions 19:45
Clint Stoerner on the Texans flagship station (610 AM) has a term he likes to use. He calls it “football horny.” I realize that kind of terminology will leave some folks feeling uncomfortable, but these kinds of numbers have to leave DeMeco Ryans feeling football horny. We have never seen a time of possession and total play differential as steep as this one. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it and at least never in the last decade.
There were no starters in this game, so we should pump the brakes on unbridled optimism, but we can chalk it up as a good sign. It goes to a common Bill O’Brienism (shudder) “complimentary football.” The offense and defense both have to be on top of their games in order for this to work. While we cannot extrapolate specifically about these two football teams in terms of predicting the future, we can say confidently that this is the type of football Ryans wants to see.
The Great
For the second week in a row, it is the defense. On the second drive of the game, the Lions marched the ball 85 yards down the field and scored what was then a go ahead touchdown. They never seriously threatened for the rest of the game. A part of that is that the Lions just didn’t get a lot of plays, but going three and out will do that to a team. On the rest of the game, they ran 26 plays and gained 101 yards. That is a remarkably dominating performance.
Granted, the usual caveats come into play here. Would they have done this against the Lions first team offense? We honestly don’t know. They did frustrate the hell out of Jared Goff last season and you could argue there is even more talent on this defense than last year’s outfit. Those of us in the commentary business rely far too heavily on superlatives. I don’t know if this is the best defense since (fill in the blank here), but I know it is going to be a good one.
The common conception on the season is that this team will go as far as the offense allows it to go. This doesn’t mean they have to be the greatest show on turf, but they do need to be at least solid in most people’s eyes. Competent NFL offenses can move the ball on just about everyone. However, I think it is pretty safe to say the Texans won’t face 17 competent offenses this season and the ones that aren’t will find it almost impossible to move it on this defense.
The Good
It is hard to get overly excited about a group of football players that won’t be on the 53 man roster tomorrow. I feel pretty safe in assuming the Texans will carry only two quarterbacks officially. I suppose I could be wrong there, but the roster has so many needs elsewhere that it seems more prudent for the Texans to carry Graham Mertz and Kedon Slovis on the practice squad. Given the rules, if the need arises they could easily be elevated to the active roster if need be.
The assignment for Mertz on Saturday was for the Texans to feel good about keeping him around. Mertz went 14 for 16 with 145 yards and a touchdown. That immediately brings two things to mind. First, he was a subject of the ugly column in the first preseason game. As an analyst, I would not be worth anything if I could not admit that a player has performed both good and bad. This effort was about as good as you can expect from any quarterback, In addition to the passing yards, he also managed a couple of scrambles that netted 20 yards.
Secondly, I still question the pick because Slovis also had a good day. The interception came on a play that the receiver tipped back up in the air. A receiver on the main roster likely catches that ball. Mertz showed enough to show that he was probably a draftable quarterback. I’m not sure anyone else was going to draft him though. At least he can be stashed on the practice squad and he can live another day to prove me and others wrong.
The Bad
Two years in a row, Jawhar Jordan has had a good camp. Two years in a row that performance was probably not good enough to make the team. Jordan needed to ball out on Saturday and based on his 13 carries and 55 yards, I’d say he did the best he could. Was it good enough to make the final roster? This doubtful. With Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Woody Marks, and Dare Ogunbowale in tow, I’m not sure if that was ever in the cards.
For every romantic story about the guy that pulls down the 53rd slot, there are at least five stories like Jordan’s. Selfishly, I would say I hope he sticks on the practice squad because you never know when you will need another healthy body. For his sake, I’d say he belongs on an active roster somewhere. I could probably rattle off another five or six names this describes just as easily.
As a former coach, this was the time of year I hated. You just knew you were going to destroy some kid’s dreams and there was nothing you could do to make it less painful. I know we normally joke about this stuff during our “Hair of the Dog” segment, but we are talking about these people’s lives. They are all giving it everything they have out there and final cut down day is just a cruel reminder that some of them will never make it.
