Before the Game – Texans at Cardinals

With just a day before each team’s preseason debut, we’ll take a look at what to watch for this upcoming preseason matchup.

Saturday August 14, 2010 – 7:00pm CST – TV broadcast on ABC KTRK – Comcast 13 (Houston)

What to Watch –

• Texans running backs against the stout Cardinals defense.  Last season, the Cardinals defense held the Texans rushing attack to 45 yards.
• Dan Orlovsky at quarterback. Orlovsky needs to prove that he can not only pass, but can execute his role as the commander and quarterback.
• Kris Brown vs Neil Rackers. The kicking competition continues, and Neil Rackers will be kicking against his former team as he tries to win a new job.
• Glover Quin vs Larry Fitzgerald. Quin is looking like a really good cornerback, and he’ll have an opportunity to prove it against the NFL’s 2nd best WR.

Position Comparisons –

Texans

Cardinals

The Game –

There isn’t much to work on when predicting a preseason game in the NFL. You’ll likely see the starters for the first and maybe a second series. After that, second stingers will dominate the rotations until the 4th quarter when you’ll see almost everyone else further down the depth chart. I don’t expect to see Matt Schaub throw any more than 8 passes unless there are a lot of pass plays dialed up, and you’ll probably not see Arian Foster carry the ball any more than 8 times. If you came to watch the starters, then you won’t get too excited for the entirety of the game.

After the starters get off the field, I’ll be watching Steve Slaton very closely to see if he can play quicker, hold the ball better, and still make good cuts. This is vital especially if he wants to see the field on more than just 3rd downs.

Another thing is to see if Dan Orlovsky can be an effective backup to Matt Schaub. He’s shown hints of being a solid backup just as Sage Rosenfels was, but his inconsistency has really driven down his production when he’s seen the field. So far through training camp, he’s looked the same, executing a few good plays well and then making a series of mistakes.

The Cardinals aren’t doing very well at quarterback since Kurt Warner retired. The team is left with just Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson as possible starters. Both quarterbacks have played very poorly and are essentially backups for most teams that happen to be in a position to compete for a role with very little talent and depth at it.

At cornerback for the Texans, Glover Quin will look to improve on the excellent job he did during his rookie season in 2009. Hopefully he can be that shutdown corner the Texans desperately need considering they’ll be playing the Colts in week 1 of the regular season.

There’s also news that rookie cornerback Kareem Jackson may miss the preseason opener due to the recent death of his grandmother. It’s understandable if he ends up missing the game, but there’s word that he may make an attempt to get to Phoenix before the Texans take to the field Saturday evening.

Texans win 27-19