Houston Texans: Where do they go from here?
By Randy Gurzi
Sep 20, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Houston Texans strong safety Quintin Demps (27) reacts after sacking Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) in the fourth quarter. The Panthers defeated the Texans 24-17 at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The last area I think needs a change at is in the defensive backfield. Free safety Rahim Moore showed up on Sunday and intercepted Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. He also had a second pick called back due to a penalty.
There there is Quintin Demps, the strong safety. Demps has been caught out of position in coverage on more than one occasion since unexpectedly becoming the starter for the Texans.
After being signed near the end of training camp, Demps was inserted at starter despite logging almost no time with his teammates before the regular season started. He has since showed why he was still available so late into the preseason.
While he has been credited with 13 tackles, his coverage has been undesirable. He bit badly on the play-fake that left Philly Brown one-on-one with Johnathan Joseph. Joseph should have had help over the top, but Demps moved too close to the line of scrimmage, which allowed Brown to haul in a 36-yard touchdown.
Eddie Pleasant and Andre Hal both played well during the preseason, and Hal’s experience at corner seemed to be something that would help him succeed on the back end of the defense. In the end, the team went with Demps and so far he is proving to be the wrong choice.
As O’Brien said, the team needs to play better, coach better and execute better. These are just a few of the areas needing to be addressed before the team takes on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next weekend.