Texans morning huddle: J.J. Watt shows up somewhere else…again

The bye week started out nice for the Houston Texans as they got to sit back and watch their divisional rival fall short on Monday night and on Tuesday they were able to wake up sitting in a tie for first place despite their 3-5 record.

Now on Wednesday we take a look at all the news from around the web about the first place Texans and how there is a sudden optimism surrounding the second half of the season. Enjoy;

J.J. Watt tries to sub himself into the Rockets game – by Matt Young, Houston Chronicle

"In the fourth quarter of a tight game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Rockets mascot Clutch gave Watt a personalized Rockets jersey during a timeout. Watt, sitting courtside near the Rockets bench, put the jersey on over his shirt, stood up, dropped his baseball hat and walked toward the scorer’s table to check in to the game. He took a couple steps onto the court with his serious game face on as both teams were breaking their huddles before the Houston fan favorite laughingly returned to his usual sweet seat."

Loss to Texans spurred Titans’ firing of coach Ken Whisenhunt – by Tania Ganguli, ESPN

"The Tennessee Titans and the city of Houston are inextricably linked. The franchise began in Houston and the Titans’ ownership still has close ties to the city.So an embarrassing 20-6 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, one during which the Texans sacked quarterback Zach Mettenberger seven times, played a critical role in today’s news. The Titans fired head coach Ken Whisenhunt today."

Tied for division lead, Texans get a do-over in second half of season – Tania Ganguli, ESPN

"Markers of potential disaster were plentiful in the past two months for the Texans. There was the shuffling between quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett. Two injuries to star running back Arian Foster. Mallett’s eventual demise with the Texans, released after another bout of tardiness, and the discussions about who’s in charge that followed. An 0-2 start. A defense not performing up to its talent.The drama for the Houston Texans did not stop after ‘Hard Knocks’ left NRG Stadium.Now the Texans have a chance to wash it all away."

Report: Texans adding OL Eric Kush to active roster – Fox Sports

"The Texans are off with a bye this week, but the work on the roster continues for general manager Rick Smith.Per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, Houston is adding former Kansas City Chiefs center Eric Kush to the active roster."

O’Brien: 3 key stats determine Texans success – by Drew Dougherty, HoustonTexans.com

"Aside from scoring more points than the opponent, Bill O’Brien places a premium on three key statistics.Turnover differential, first down efficiency and penalties.“When we don’t turn the ball over, and we take the ball away, we win,” the head coach said on Monday’s ‘Bill O’Brien Show’. “I mean, it’s a hundred percent. Yesterday we had three takeaways and we took care of the ball and we won the game.”"

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