Texans morning huddle: Foster still playing the waiting game
By Randy Gurzi
Good morning Houston Texans fans, I hope this Saturday morning treats each of you well. We are a day away from the Texans hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so let’s see catch up on what is happening with the team from potential gamelans to who will miss the game. Enjoy;
First Glance: Texans vs. Bucs – by Drew Dougherty, HoustonTexans.com
"The Texans (0-2) host Tampa Bay (1-1) on Sunday at NRG Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon CT, and here are five things, amongst others, that I’m keenly watching.1. Teeing off on Winston- The Texans have just four sacks so far in 2015. But in Week 1 against Alex Smith, and last Sunday versus Cam Newton, the defense faced a quarterback who was elusive and able to do some damage on the run. Plus, that duo had a combined 16 years of experience.On Sunday, the Buccaneers have rookie Jameis Winston under center. He’s not as mobile as Smith and Newton, and will have to contend with J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney. At times this year, Watt and Clowney have each been double-teamed. Watt was very complimentary of Winston, and described the goals he and the front seven have for Sunday.“You want to rattle him,” Watt said. “You want to lay some hits on him. You want to get him off the spot. You want to get him feeling your presence early in the game.”Winston’s been sacked seven times thus far in 2015, and Clowney agreed with Watt: the Texans need to make the rookie uncomfortable.“That’s the goal,” Clowney said. “Go in there and make plays. Make him turn the ball over and get the ball back to our offense.”Veteran defensive lineman Vince Wilfork is confident the Texans defense will click, and do great things. He stressed, however, that it sometimes takes a little bit of time to gel.“Once we execute and once we get it going, it’s going to be fun,” Wilfork said. “I’ll tell you that. Sometimes it takes longer to get there.”2. Mallett’s Footwork- In his second start of 2015, quarterback Ryan Mallett is looking to get the Texans offense moving the way it did at the end of the Chiefs game, and during the first drive of the second half at Carolina."
Arian Foster out; Grimes a game-time decision – by Deepi Sidhu, HoustonTexans.com
"Arian Foster will have to wait at least one more week before he returns to the football field. The All-Pro was ruled out for Sunday’s game by head coach Bill O’Brien, but is progressing well in his recovery from an Aug. 3 groin injury.“He won’t play this week, but he’s doing well,” O’Brien said Friday.Running backs may be down one more if Jonathan Grimes can’t play Sunday. Grimes, now in his third season with the Texans, will be a game-time decision. He practiced on Friday after missing Wednesday and Thursday with a knee issue."
Texans prepare for first home game on artificial turf – by Tania Ganguli, ESPN
"The Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt heard that his coach said the team would play in a parking lot if that’s the surface they were provided.“I’d have some objections if we were playing in a parking lot,” Watt said, to laughter. “But the turf, grass, doesn’t matter to me.”Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be historic. It will be the first NFL game played at NRG Stadium on artificial turf. The Texans have replaced their system of natural grass brought in on square trays with AstroTurf.“I’m pretty sure some of them are [fine with it]; I’m pretty sure some of them may struggle,” receiver Nate Washington said. “It just depends on your body. It depends on what year you’re in. It depends on how you prepare yourself. There’s a lot of things that come into play when you’re dealing with turf vs. grass fields.”The change in Houston came after the surface used in the Texans’ season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs was especially uneven. The Chiefs complained about it, as many before them have, and the Texans decided the surface wasn’t consistent. In the interest of player safety, they made the switch starting Monday, and the field was finished for inspection Thursday.AstroTurf is an appropriate surface at NRG, given the company was created to solve a field problem at the adjacent Astrodome. It’s a convertible system that can be switched out with another field in as little as seven hours by rolling it up in 59 15-foot-wide panels."
Duane Brown out again for Texans, but DeAndre Hopkins probable – by Darin Gantt, Pro Football Talk
"There’s good news and bad news for the Texans on their injury report, but those items may negate each other and leave their offense a mess.The Texans have again listed left tackle Duane Brown as out with a thumb injury, forcing them to shuffle their line again this week against the Buccaneers.There was some speculation about how long Brown might be out, after he played in a cast in the opener but was inactive last week against the Panthers. The Browns also lost right tackle Jeff Adams for the season last week, and they’ve been forced to adjust on the fly."