Tag: Houston Texans (Page 15 of 31)

      Ben Tate’s season is over — grab Arian Foster

      August 15, 2010 /

      HOUSTON - JANUARY 03: Running back Arian Foster #37 of the Houston Texans slips past a diving line backer Gary Guyton #59 in the third quarter at Reliant Stadium on January 3, 2010 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

      Per the Houston Chronicle…

      Tate suffered a broken ankle in the 19-16 preseason loss at Arizona. He’s expected to undergo surgery on Tuesday.

      Tate, the second-round pick from Auburn, was third team behind Foster and Slaton. Kubiak wanted to see him play for two quarters against the Cardinals. Tate was injured at the end of a 12-yard run when he was tackled by rookie linebacker Daryl Washington.

      Tate will be placed on injured reserve.

      I was already a fan of Arian Foster this summer, but with Tate out, I like his chances even more. Here’s what I wrote in my sleeper RBs piece.

      Of everyone on this list, Foster could very well turn out to be the best value if things break his way. Houston’s offensive line is decent, and Foster had a couple of nice games late last season — 19 carries, 97 yards, TD versus Miami and 23 touches, 145 yards, 2 TD against New England — giving him some momentum heading into 2010. His head coach called the 23-year-old ‘mature beyond his years’ and says he’ll be tough to unseat atop the Texans’ depth chart. Meanwhile, rookie Ben Tate ‘has a long way to go’ while Steve Slaton is spending time in camp working on his kick return skills. This points to Foster as the opening day starter. As long as he doesn’t fumble away the job, Foster’s ADP is bound to move into the middle rounds as the preseason wears on.

      With Tate out, I’m now targeting Foster in the 7th or the 8th round. He should make a solid third RB and could be a RB2 in a pinch in a flex league that only requires two RB starters. Kubiak lost confidence in Slaton last season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Foster crack the top 20 assuming he stays healthy and doesn’t start coughing up the ball.

      Here’s a quick look:

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, News, NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      Good to see an owner have a player’s back – McNair goes to bat for Cushing

      August 9, 2010 /
      HOUSTON - OCTOBER 04: Linebacker Brian Cushing #56 of the Houston Texans delivers a hard hit to tight-end Zach Miller #80 of the Oakland Raiders at Reliant Stadium on October 4, 2009 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

      While I think it’s a fruitless endeavor, you have to admire the way Texans’ owner Bob McNair has decided to go to bat for linebacker Brian Cushing.

      McNair is lobbying the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell to reduce Cushing’s four-game suspension, which the linebacker received for violating the league’s steroid policy. McNair has said that he will present new evidence to Goodell today that he hopes will prove that Cushing has done nothing wrong.

      From USA Today:

      “We’re supportive of the league program and we’re not questioning that he did test positive for HCG,” McNair said. “We’re not questioning that at all.

      “We’re concerned about the athlete and want to make sure that there’s nothing wrong with him and if this was something that was a natural occurrence, we then want to know about it because it could happen again.”

      Now, who knows what McNair’s agenda is. After winning the 2009 Defensive Rookie of the Year Award last season, it’s obvious that Cushing is vital to Houston’s success. Would McNair be going out on a limb for all his players or is he just doing this because Cushing is one of his key defenders?

      Only McNair can answer that question, but the fact that he’s sticking his neck out at all deserves some praise. The owners are about to embark on a nasty battle with the player’s union regarding a new CBA deal, yet here’s McNair going to bat for one of his own. It’s admirable, even if Goodell upholds Cushing’s suspension.

      Again, I think McNair is going to come up empty and it stands to reason that he’s a little naive too (especially when you consider that Cushing has been linked to steroids since he was in high school). Plus, what the hell is Overtrained Athlete Syndrome (the condition Cushing claims led to the positive drug test).

      But what’s the worse that can happen? Goodell doesn’t think the new evidence is worthy enough to reduce Cushing’s suspension? So what – the Texans have already been preparing to be without Cushing for the first four games anyway. It’s not like anything changes if McNair fails.

      But if he succeeds, then not only does Cushing get his suspension reduced but maybe the league will look to address holes in its testing program.

      External Sports, NFL

      Paying Andre Johnson a classy, no-brainer move for Texans

      August 5, 2010 /
      ST. LOUIS - DECEMBER 20: Andre Johnson #80 of the Houston Texans hauls in a pass against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on December 20, 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Texans beat the Rams 16-13. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

      Andre Johnson has seen his fair share of down years while playing in Houston over the last seven seasons. But to his credit, he has never once complained publicly about his team or vented his frustrations through the media like so many other players do across all sports.

      To show their appreciation for what he’s done for their franchise, the Texans are prepared to make Johnson the highest paid receiver in the NFL according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. Johnson’s new deal will exceed the four-year, $40 million contract that Larry Fitzgerald signed in 2008 and likely come with a hefty signing bonus.

      It’s hard to argue that Johnson doesn’t deserve to be the highest paid at his position. In the last two years, he has hauled in 216 passes for 3,144 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also hasn’t missed a game in two years, which is important considering he missed seven contests in 2007 while battling an injury.

      But even if he has been deserving of a new deal, the Texans weren’t obligated to give him one. Let’s be clear: they had the leverage here, not Johnson. After signing an eight-year, $60 million contract in March of ’07, he wasn’t set to become a free agent until 2015. If the Texans wanted him to honor his contract, nobody would blame them.

      That said, owner Bob McNair realizes what a special player the Texans have in Johnson and want to ensure that he finishes his career in Houston. The new contract is a classy gesture by McNair and a team that is moving in the right direction.

      External Sports, NFL

      David Anderson chats with The Scores Report

      July 16, 2010 /
      HOUSTON - NOVEMBER 23: Wide receiver David Anderson #89 of the Houston Texans avoids a tackle by safety Kevin Kaesviharn #26 of the Tennessee Titans in the fourth quarter at Reliant Stadium on November 23, 2009 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

      Do a YouTube search of Texans’ receiver David Anderson and what usually pops up first is his imitation of Conan O’Brien’s “String Dance” following a touchdown against the Bengals in 2009.

      That’s usually not something a player wants to be known for, but after chatting with him while he was on break from football at Manhattan Beach, we get the impression that David doesn’t mind.

      During our 15-minute chat, Anderson was kind enough to fill us in on what to expect this year out of the Texans, including what players he believes are in store for breakout campaigns. We also shared a few laughs after he found out that a fantasy publication ranked him No. 125 out of 125 receivers for the 2010 season and what transpired immediately before he called us, when he and his mother had to go to the pound after their dog ran away. (He was amused, although she wasn’t.)

      For more on David, check out his Twitter page, whiteout89.

      The Scores Report: Hi, this is Anthony.

      David Anderson: Hey, this is David Anderson calling in.

      TSR: Hey David, how are you, man?

      DA: I’m good. I’m sorry, man – my mom lost her dog and we had to go to the pound.

      TSR: Oh, no! Is everything all right? Did you find her dog?

      DA: Yeah, it’s not the most gracious place to be – the dog pound.

      TSR: I bet. How long did it take you to come up with that excuse for being late for our interview?

      DA: No, no! We just found it – it’s my mom’s golden retriever, Houston. Now I’m all set – I promise!

      TSR: (Laughs) I’m just giving you a hard time!

      DA: (Laughs)

      TSR: How has the offseason been?

      DA: It’s going, It’s going. This is my last trip – I’m at Manhattan Beach right now. It’s kind of like my favorite beach, so I’m out here for about a week to workout and train and then it’s back to Houston.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Interviews, NFL

      Parcells the reason Texans passed on Bush?

      June 15, 2010 /

      According to a report by Yahoo! Sports columnist Jason Cole, the reason why the Texans passed on Reggie Bush in the 2006 NFL Draft was partly because of the NCAA’s potential investigation of him at USC and partly because of former Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells.

      Unknown fact: People around the Houston Texans often say the specter of an NCAA investigation of former USC running back Reggie Bush(notes) had much to do with the decision by the team to take defensive end Mario Williams(notes) over Bush. Bush scared the Texans by not returning calls right away after news of possible violations was broken by Yahoo! Sports. That’s partially true, but the clincher in the deal was a bit of advice from then Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, a high-placed NFL source said recently. Parcells weighed in on the matter after being contacted by Texans owner Bob McNair.

      …and?

      I wish Cole went into more detail as to what Parcells said to McNair, although obviously he didn’t have that information. Either way, it’s interesting to hear that Parcells shared his insight on the matter with another team’s owner. I’m not surprised that McNair took his advice, however.

      Parcells is widely known around the league as being one of the best talent evaluators to have ever worked in the NFL. It’s said that he can determine the strengths and weaknesses of a prospect within minutes of seeing the player workout, which is one of the many reasons he’s had so much success over the years.

      Of course, Bush’s athletic talent has never been questioned (outside of his inability to run consistently between the tackles). So if Parcells did weigh in, maybe he convinced McNair that Bush wouldn’t be worth the money and/or eventual trouble that could occur down the road once the NCAA investigated his situation at USC. (That said, it’s not like the investigation has had an impact on his NFL career.)

      Either way, if this report is true, it once again shows what kind of impact Parcells has made on the NFL throughout his career.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

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