Houston Texans: Matt Schaub Gets Credit Where Credit Is Due

I know all everyone will remember from Sunday’s game against Oakland is QB Matt Schaub’s interception to CB Michael Huff at the end of the game, but what about the other 50 passing attempts?

Matt Schaub threw 24 of 51 passes for 416 yards, and 2 TD’s and 2 INT’s. Those stats are pretty good for WR Andre Johnson not being there, seeing as he is his favorite target. Without AJ, Schaub passed to 9 different receivers. TE Owen Daniels and WR Kevin Walter caught over 80 yards, while RB Arian Foster and TE Joel Dreesen caught over 100 yards each. WR Jacoby Jones in Johnson’s spot was quiet absent.

Today against the Oakland defense, I saw something I haven’t seen in quiet a while. I saw the Texans offensive line, completely fall apart. I don’t know how Schaub managed to get that many yards, when the whole game he was getting harassed.Our line was penetrated nearly every play, which resulted in RB Arian Foster rushing for only 68 yards. The Raiders defensive line tipped 6 passes, and one even resulted in an interception. I saw Schaub move out of the pocket today more than I ever have. They even blocked a punt! It is safe to say that Schaub isn’t a scrambling QB, so he was struggling.  By the end of the game we all saw a beat man, but even on that last drive, which started in our own end zone, he fought till the end.

Look Schaub should not have been put in that situation at the last play of the game. He was left to make a game winning drive, and he almost did it, but then FB Lawrence Vickers dropped a wide open pass, that would of been a TD. He also would of never been in that situation if K Neil Rackers would of made his 43 yard FG in the first half. If Rackers would of done his job then Matt would have only needed to go into FG range.

We live in Texas, and I like to call it the Band Wagon state, when things are going well everyone is united and celebrating, but when things go bad they look for a scapegoat, like Schaub and QB Tony Romo. If you take away those 6 tipped passes, he would of thrown for over 50%, and he would of thrown no INT’s because, the first pick would of never happened which led to a Raiders FG. Matt Schaub played great today, but bad play calling, a bad offensive line, and bad communication led to the Texans loss against a passionate Raiders team, who played in honor of the recently passed Al Davis.

People can whine all they want about losing this game, but most NFL franchises would never do as well as we did today without their 2 franchise players.