Why Houston Texans Fans Need to Calm Down

After reading the Houston Texans message boards, listening to Sports Radio 610AM, and watching the “talking heads” go on-and-on I have heard enough about the Texans run defense.

Fans and critics alike just need to take a chill pill…seriously!

Everybody is whining and pointing out the fact that the Texans allowed Miami to rush for more than 120 yards. They forget that just last week we held the Indianapolis Colts to less than 65 rushing yards. The fact of the matter is this – the Texans played in a way that was best suited to stop the opposing offense.

Don’t believe me? Let us take a look at last week’s game between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots…

In Chad Henne’s first game of the season he was absolutely on fire. He was completing passes all over the field. He found and connected with Brandon Marshall for 139 yards, Davone Bess for 92 yards, Anthony Fasano for 82 yards, Reggie Bush for 56 yards, and Brian Hartline for another 47 yards. Add those all together and you see that Henne lit up the field with a grand total of 416 yards and two TDs. He also rushed for an additional 59 yards (the most for his team in this game).

Now let us take a look at the game where the Texans’ run defense was “terrible”…

Chad Henne was again able to connect with five different receivers. He hit Marshall for 79 yards, Bess for 42 yards, Hartline for 36 yards, Daniel Thomas for 10 yards, and Bush for three yards. That means that the Texans allowed Chad Henne, the same guy who threw for 416 yards last week, to throw for a total of 170 yards. That means that the Texans held Henne to 40% of what he was able to accomplish against a perennial play-off team.

Add to that the fact that the Texans kept Henne’s rushing total to 26 yards and you begin to see the bigger picture.

Wade Phillips went into this game with one major focus – stop the pass. The Texans not only stopped the pass game of Henne but also managed an interception while doing so. They disrupted his tempo on most downs and were able to sack him twice. They were in his face, blocking passes, and tipping other passes.

Oh wait! Did I mention that the Texans won this game?

Now, I can not totally blame the Texans’ fans for being somewhat skeptical of the teams performance. For years we have been let down, left wanting more at the end of each season. We have been picked to be the “dark-horse” of the league over-and-over again and yet have still failed to put together a playoff worthy team.

This year, though, there is something different about the team. You can see the fire in their eyes when they are on the field. They are hitting harder and not apologizing for anything. They are playing more disciplined and have the wins to back it up.

So…fans and critics alike…sit back, relax, and stop the whining!