Before the Game – Cowboys at Texans

Look at this! The Dallas Cowgirls trot into town on the back of the infamous celebrity drama queen Tony Romo.

Saturday August 28, 2010 – 7:00pm CST – TV broadcast on CBS – Comcast 11 (Houston)

What to Watch –

• The Texans offensive line vs the Cowboys defensive front. The Cowboys know how to stop the run and create pressure. Can they be stopped?
• Receivers vs defenders. On both sides of the ball, there are interesting matchups. Mike Jenkins on Andre Johnson and Glover Quin/Kareem Jackson on Miles Austin/Dez Bryant to name a couple.
• Arian Foster as he looks to progress in his current starting role. Also look for backups Chris Henry and Jeremiah Johnson to make statements to be the third running back on the roster.
• Kris Brown vs Neil Rackers. Time is running out in the kicking competition, and it’s been relatively even so far. Something’s going to have to budge, and it may happen in this game.

Position Comparisons –

Texans

Cowboys

The Game –

So here we go. After a one year drought in the Houston-Dallas football rivalry, the series finally resumes after a lame excuse to suspend it last season. The team owned by the evil ego maniac Jerry Jones will face off against the heroic and passionate Houston Texans. This isn’t even the regular season matchup for these two teams, yet the Houston fans will be loud and proud to see their team for the first time in Reliant Stadium this season.

For starters, Dallas quarterback Tony Romo has posted some decent numbers in his career. But let’s look at the other side. Mr. Glamorous is one of the league’s biggest stars. It’s not because he’s a great quarterback, but probably due to getting too much love for crying on the sidelines, or having other people (suck as Terrell Owens) crying for you at the podium. Even better is all the drama he creates with his relationships. His relationships don’t seem to last much longer than a Cowboys playoff run, both of which are guaranteed to be a huge disappointment.

So how about we look at the more respectable team, the Houston Texans. The Texans will look to bounce back after a disappointing performance in New Orleans last week. The biggest thing they need to improve on is just to protect the ball. Less turnovers mean more points for you and less points for them. A turnover can be a lot more damaging to a team than a lot of people think. It results in the death of your drive, kills momentum, and gives control of the game and the clock to the other team. Remember, when the Texans don’t turn the ball over, they win almost all of their games.

The next dish will include Mario Williams and the Texans pass rush. If there was anything overly disappointing from last week, it was the pass rush. Look for the Texans defense to push the pocket around Romo against what has been a very shaky pass protecting front for Dallas. If there can be pressure, there will be turnovers. Containing Romo and causing him to make poor decisions will be the Cowboy’s downfall.

But here’s something really juicy. Cowboys receivers Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, and Roy Williams will attempt to get by the young Texans secondary which has done a decent job at covering. For the second week in a row, these safeties and cornerbacks will have good competition to test their coverage skills. This will only be the second NFL game for rookie Kareem Jackson, and he has a lot on his plate for this game.

And for desert, we have Chris Henry and Jeremiah Johnson battling it out to be the Texans third running back on the roster. This is a sweat competition, as you have two talented players battling it out in Tate’s absence. So far, it appears that Johnson is winning the competition and is looking very good running the ball. These two won’t see as much action as they will next week, but when they do, keep your eye on them.

So, who wins? It’s just the preseason, right? These games don’t count, and nobody cares about them. I know I’m completely wrong there, and the Houston fans want to show the Cowgirls and their fans that there is another team in Texans, and they’re pretty good. Oh, and don’t forget about that 170 decibel horn that will sound prior to kickoff.

Texans win 20-31