Texans morning huddle: Houston puts one in the win column
By Randy Gurzi
The Houston Texans were able to pick up their first win of the season as they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19-9 on Sunday. The ‘huddle’ is here to help you enjoy this victory Monday with some links about the Texans gritty victory!
Houston Texans get first win of season – by Marc Sessler, NFL.com
"The Houston Texans (1-2) got back into the race in the AFC South with Sunday’s 19-9 win at home over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-2). Here’s what you need to know:1. The win aside, Houston remains a black hole on offense and it starts with Ryan Mallett. The Texans starter made a rash of throws, but he’s inexcusably sloppy. Mallett was lucky that his first-quarter fumble — recovered by the Bucs — was wiped out by a flag. He quickly gave the ball back to Tampa, though, with an ugly second quarter pick, highlighting a first half that saw the Texans come away with zero points on drives that started at the Tampa 38, 34 and 25. Mallett’s 5.8 yards per attempt lands him squarely in the Gabbert Zone — exactly what we’ve come to expect from this up-and-down passer.2. Jameis Winston made some pretty throws for an equally stifled Bucs offense, but his 19 incompletions remind us that he’s still a project. I was impressed with Winston hanging in the pocket under pressure and making aggressive choices downfield, with completions of 20, 21, 32 and 33 yards. He’s responsible for an ugly pick to start the second half, but Winston flashes tools that Houston will never see from their underwhelming passers. Check out Winston escaping J.J. Watt on this first-half completion:3. The Texans need Arian Foster back on the field, but Alfred Blue played admirably in his place on Sunday, running low to the ground for positive yardage and finishing with 139 yards at a respectable 4.5 yards per carry. His 20-yard rumble in the final quarter was the difference in this ugly game."
These Texans didn’t do their jobs in Sunday’s win over the Bucs – by Randy Harvey
"The Texans needed more from the following people during their 19-9 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday.J.J. Watt. There aren’t that many opportunities to criticize him. He certainly wasn’t bad against the Bucs. He had five tackles, one for a loss, and three quarterback hurries. But, by his standards, he was not as super as we’ve come to expect. For the first time in the past eight games, he didn’t have a sack. Neither did any of the other Texans.Randy Bullock. He missed a 43-yard field goal attempt and an extra point attempt, putting the Texans in jeopardy with a 16-9 lead with 9:14 still remaining in the fourth quarter.Punt returners. So it wasn’t just Keshawn Martin who was the problem. Two returners, Chandler Worthy and Cecil Shorts III, returned five punts for a combined 17 yards. Worthy fumbled inside the 10. Fortunately for the Texans, Whitney Mercilus recovered.Nate Washington. The wide receiver had four catches for 42 yards. Not bad. But he quit running on a route when he was behind the Bucs’ secondary for what could have been a 48-yard touchdown pass. Ryan Mallett’s pass sailed over his head. It’s possible there was miscommunication between him and Mallett."
Déjà vu for Quintin Demps – by Deepi Sidhu, HoustonTexans.com
"The last time the Texans played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was a different coaching era with different quarterbacks for both teams.Four years later, history still repeated itself.On Nov. 13, 2011, safety Quintin Demps intercepted a deflected pass from quarterback Josh Freeman. With 8:15 left in the game, it set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Ben Tate.When I mentioned to Demps early in the week that he had an interception in that previous meeting between the two teams, he joked that he’d have to get another one this time around.And he did.This Sunday, Demps nearly did it twice, succeeding on his third try early in the third quarter of the Texans’ 19-9 win over the Buccaneers. Demps intercepted Jameis Winston’s pass, intended for receiver Mike Evans, over the middle of the field at the Houston 45-yard line."