If they can do it, how come we can't?

[A-B]

You know you sit here and go through all the threads and posts on this coming season. All the different ideas and predictions for our beloved Texans. I had a thought. We have a 2nd year H.C. and a new Q.B., but how come we can't make the play-offs this season? The Saint's did it, how come we can't? They had a 1st year H.C. and IMO a questionable Q.B. because of his injury. So from 3-13 to 10-6 and the 2nd round of the play-offs. I don't see why the Texans can't atleast make a run at the play-offs. (This thread is for positives ONLY PLEASE. The Texans get enough criticism in the national media. They don't need it on their home turf. Especially their own fans) [:D]

[Zagen30]

ZOMG TEH TXEANOS R TE BAADSSS! R YUU TEH STOOPEEDS?
Seriously, there's no reason why we can't make the playoffs. I think we're one year away from making the playoffs, but I think we'll make a run for them this year. I see at least a 2 game improvement from this team, and 4 games isn't out of the question, which would probably get us a playoff spot.

[16wins]

I'm not sure I see how 8-8 would land a playoff spot in the AFC. I would love to see the Texans make it into the playoffs, and I agree it can be done, even if it's not statistically likely at this point. So here's my question:

Going through the schedule, where do y'all think the Texans might pull out (with upsets included of course) the 9+ wins they would need to have a legitimate shot at the postseason?

[Zagen30]

I'm not sure I see how 8-8 would land a playoff spot in the AFC. I would love to see the Texans make it into the playoffs, and I agree it can be done, even if it's not statistically likely at this point. So here's my question:

Going through the schedule, where do y'all think the Texans might pull out (with upsets included of course) the 9+ wins they would need to have a legitimate shot at the postseason?

I didn't say that 8-8 would get us to the playoffs, I said that I see us going at least 8-8, and probably higher.
Here's my breakdown of the schedule:
Chiefs: Win. They've lost some key players, and I see us fired up coming into the first game.
@Panthers: Win. I think they're an overrated team, and won't look that good this year. Many people, however, think that the Panthers won't lose their home opener
Colts: Toss-up. We're at home, and we have confidence that we can, in fact, beat the Colts, but they'll want revenge for last year and won't ever take us easy again (at least not for a few years).
@Falcons: Win. They're overrated too, plus Vick might not be playing. And if we lose to either Joey Harrington or Chris Redman throwing to those receivers with hands of stone, then something's very wrong with our defense.
Dolphins: Win. I don't see huge improvements on the Fins' side, especially QB, which is a joke if Cleo Lemon has a chance to be your starting QB.
@Jaguars: Toss-up. We usually beat them, even in their house, but I just don't know on this one. I think the Jags will come out hungry to beat us, and we might lose.
Titans: Win. They've lost a lot of offensive talent, as well as their best defender in PunkMan, remember that we were in OT against them last year, we could have won that game.
@Chargers: Loss. They have a much more talented team. There wouldn't be much shame in losing to them (assuming Norv Turner can keep them playing well).
@Raiders: Win. If we could beat them with -5 passing yards last year, we can beat them this year. The defense is something to be considered, but I still see their offense having problems.
BYE
Saints: Win. I think they'll come crashing back down to earth this year. Last year they were buoyed up in the first half of the season by their return to New Orleans, but they didn't even play as well the second half once the emotions wore off. Plus I think our guys, especially Mario, will be hungry to show up Reggie "Jesus" Bush.
@Browns: Win. Come on, it's the Browns, they're not even in our league.
@Titans: Toss-up. We may lose in their house, I don't know, although by this time VY's leg should have fractured into 1000 pieces due to the Madden Curse.
Bucs: Win. Same as the Browns.
Broncos: Toss-up. Kubiak may be fired up to beat his mentor, and the players might want to win for him, but the Broncos are a good team, and Cutler will have more than a year of starting under his belt.
@Colts: Loss. We can usually hang with them for a while at Reliant, but get slaughtered at the RCA Dome. I don't see a win here at all.
Jaguars: Win. We're not losing to the Jags at home.
In recap, I see 10 games in our favor, 4 toss-ups, and 2 probably losses. Factoring in the fact that we're still building, I could see us losing all the toss-ups and 2 games that we shouldn't. But our ceiling is very high, and we have a much easier schedule than last year.
As you can see, I don't think much of the NFC South. I think they're all either bad or overrated.

[The Pencil Neck]

Going through the schedule, where do y'all think the Texans might pull out (with upsets included of course) the 9+ wins they would need to have a legitimate shot at the postseason?

Every year, there are teams people think are going to be great who for one reason or another don't perform as expected and there are teams people think are going to stink who play hard and well. A couple of injuries on one team and a couple of surprise performances on another team, and the entire league goes topsy turvy.
The Chargers are probably the creme de la creme of the league but frankly Norv Turner doesn't have a particularly good history as a head coach. They could take a big step back. Joseph Addai goes down and Manning gets injured, and the Colts are history (unless Sorgi turns into the second coming of Tom Brady.) Garcia steps up and the Buccs go undefeated.
If we have a good team and I think we do, then we can win 9+ games. They may not be pretty and they may not come against the teams we expect them to come against, but if we're a good team, we'll get them.
Last year, I thought we were going to finish up 3-3 in our division. And we did. I just thought we were going to get swept by the Colts, split with the Jags, and sweep the Titans. Didn't turn out that way.
At this point in the season, every single one of those games are winnable. Could we beat the Chargers? Sure. Especially with Rivers, Merriman, and Tomlinson out. Could we beat the Saints? Sure. Could we beat the Colts? Sure. Anything is possible at this point.
With all that said, I'm expecting an 8-8 season and hoping for more. 8-8 gives us a remote possibility of making the playoffs and at least has us in the hunt at the end of the season for the first time. Which would be wonderful.

[Zagen30]

Going through the schedule, where do y'all think the Texans might pull out (with upsets included of course) the 9+ wins they would need to have a legitimate shot at the postseason?

Every year, there are teams people think are going to be great who for one reason or another don't perform as expected and there are teams people think are going to stink who play hard and well. A couple of injuries on one team and a couple of surprise performances on another team, and the entire league goes topsy turvy.
The Chargers are probably the creme de la creme of the league but frankly Norv Turner doesn't have a particularly good history as a head coach. They could take a big step back. Joseph Addai goes down and Manning gets injured, and the Colts are history (unless Sorgi turns into the second coming of Tom Brady.) Garcia steps up and the Buccs go undefeated.
If we have a good team and I think we do, then we can win 9+ games. They may not be pretty and they may not come against the teams we expect them to come against, but if we're a good team, we'll get them.
Last year, I thought we were going to finish up 3-3 in our division. And we did. I just thought we were going to get swept by the Colts, split with the Jags, and sweep the Titans. Didn't turn out that way.
At this point in the season, every single one of those games are winnable. Could we beat the Chargers? Sure. Especially with Rivers, Merriman, and Tomlinson out. Could we beat the Saints? Sure. Could we beat the Colts? Sure. Anything is possible at this point.
With all that said, I'm expecting an 8-8 season and hoping for more. 8-8 gives us a remote possibility of making the playoffs and at least has us in the hunt at the end of the season for the first time. Which would be wonderful.

I wouldn't (and don't) factor injuries into predictions, just because you never know who's going to get them and how serious they are. Now impending suspensions/arrests (like Vick) are fair game.
And if you're talking about all of the other teams' potential injuries, why not us? What if the entire starting lineup contracts the ebola virus? I don't see us winning 8 games then.

[caddy]

++++ +++ ++++ +++ +++ ++++?

[Shawn E. Supergenius]

Once again it all depends on the offensive line. We are not going to kill anyone with this group, they have to prove they can hold the line for more than enough time it takes for this offense to be serious contenders.

[The Pencil Neck]

I wouldn't (and don't) factor injuries into predictions, just because you never know who's going to get them and how serious they are. Now impending suspensions/arrests (like Vick) are fair game.
And if you're talking about all of the other teams' potential injuries, why not us? What if the entire starting lineup contracts the ebola virus? I don't see us winning 8 games then.

If you're going to predict the team's record at this point, you can't look at the schedule because you don't really know how good or bad any of those teams are really going to be. So you have to look at the team and ask yourself how strong or weak do you think the team is.
I like our coaching staff and I think they're putting together a good team. But I think we need another year to work out the Casserly remnants before we're really dangerous. But I think we're going to field a team that's going to be hard for anyone to beat. I think we've dealt with our biggest offensive weaknesses and I think we've improved overall as a team.

[Koolbrz]

I have been saying the same thing for the last couple of weeks. I honestly feel that our team is better than theirs at this time last yr. I look forward to going into the playoffs and making some noise. At the very least we will definitly be in the hunt for a playoff spot. Texans are my pick for a major turn around this coming season. We are gonna give Indy a headache this yr. MAN!!! I can't wait!!!

[misterpc]

In 2005, the Saints were as bad as the Texans. A year later, the Saints advance to one game away from the Superbowl, but the Texans record another losing season. Why? The Saints started the 2006 season with a total of 27 new players on their roster (replacing over half of the team). They also brought in a bunch of new coaches. When you lose that many games, you need to make some dramatic changes. The Texans didn't do it last year.This year, there have been enough changes made to suggest that this season could yield some different results. I like the additions on offense and defense. My prediction is that the Texans are now only one year away from the playoffs. Next offseason, we can sure up the secondary (FS, #2 cornerback) and the O-line, and then it will be a playoff team. In order to make a run this year, its going to take a lot of team chemistry and a little luck too.

[Zagen30]

I wouldn't (and don't) factor injuries into predictions, just because you never know who's going to get them and how serious they are. Now impending suspensions/arrests (like Vick) are fair game.
And if you're talking about all of the other teams' potential injuries, why not us? What if the entire starting lineup contracts the ebola virus? I don't see us winning 8 games then.

If you're going to predict the team's record at this point, you can't look at the schedule because you don't really know how good or bad any of those teams are really going to be. So you have to look at the team and ask yourself how strong or weak do you think the team is.
I like our coaching staff and I think they're putting together a good team. But I think we need another year to work out the Casserly remnants before we're really dangerous. But I think we're going to field a team that's going to be hard for anyone to beat. I think we've dealt with our biggest offensive weaknesses and I think we've improved overall as a team.

Why can't you look at the schedule? If I'm just supposed to predict how strong our team is, why can't I predict how strong other teams are?
And as much of an ***** as he is, I'm going to have to quote the immortal Woody Paige on this one:
"LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE, GUYS!" You could have a great team and yet still end up doing badly because of a tough schedule. Last year we had a tough schedule, and that's partly why we went 6-10.

[Zagen30]

Well anti...I agree with you completely, and I know I am going to get hammered for this but I see us going 11-5, possibly 12-4. I see us making the playoffs this year. Three other teams to watch for a breakout season include Arizona, Cleveland, and San Francisco. I think this is going to be the most exciting year in the NFL in the last decade and a half. Look for the Texans to be a major upset to the rest of the league. IMHO.
I don't think you're crazy for suggesting 11-5, or even 12-4; it's within the realm of possibilty. Now 16-0, that's crazy.
I do think we'll end up more like 9-7, 10-6, and missing the playoffs, but barely. Of course I'd rather us be as good as possible.
I just don't trust Arizona to ever be good. The more they change their lineup, the more things stay the same for them. Maybe they go 6-10 this year, maybe. Cleveland could surprise me, but I don't see them being great, maybe better than 4-12, but not like winning record good. Still a lot of holes on that team. San Fran sort of had their breakout year last year, as no one expected them to go 7-9, and I think in that weak NFC they could make a run for the playoffs.
But everyone better watch out for the Texans. We're not the same old Moo-Cows.

[The Pencil Neck]

Why can't you look at the schedule? If I'm just supposed to predict how strong our team is, why can't I predict how strong other teams are?And as much of an ***** as he is, I'm going to have to quote the immortal Woody Paige on this one:
"LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE, GUYS!" You could have a great team and yet still end up doing badly because of a tough schedule. Last year we had a tough schedule, and that's partly why we went 6-10.

You can look at the schedule all you want. Or as little as you want. It comes out the same.
At this time last year, you look at our schedule and what do you see? We should sweep the Titans and get swept by the Jags (although I was hoping to split with them). Jets are going to be pushovers. Buffalo is going to be hard but we should win. Eagles had a bad year in 2005 but should bounce back, but we could possibly beat them. Colts sweep us. Oakland, blowout (iow, we win) The Giants were going to be all over us. Looking at the schedule, I had us with 6 wins. I just had a different set of 6.
Check this out: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking?week=0&season=2006
Before the season starts, the weakest 7 teams? Niners, Jets, Texans, Titans, Bills, Saints, and Packers. Wow. None of those teams were even in the bottom 5. Two of those teams were in the playoffs and a three of them were in the hunt. We were the worst and finished 8th worst.
Now, I made my own power ranking sheet to help me make my picks in a pick-em league, and I had the teams in a somewhat different order. My bottom 5 were Packers, Raiders, Browns, Titans, and Bills. At least I had 2 of the bottom 5 right. But I was still off.
So you can look at the schedule all you want but you do not know which teams are good and which teams are bad. Not yet. You think you do, but you don't. And one year you might be even be right, but most years you're going to be flat out wrong. No one knows if a schedule is easy or tough until after the games have been played.

[Footballz]

Going through the schedule, where do y'all think the Texans might pull out (with upsets included of course) the 9+ wins they would need to have a legitimate shot at the postseason?

Every year, there are teams people think are going to be great who for one reason or another don't perform as expected and there are teams people think are going to stink who play hard and well. A couple of injuries on one team and a couple of surprise performances on another team, and the entire league goes topsy turvy.

Any given Sunday.

[Historyhorn]

What most people fail to remember when they talk about the Saint's one year turnaround is the fact that they were playing with the massive impact of Hurricane Katrina.

While the coaches and players soldiered on, they truly were not playing in circumstances that would put any team in a position to excel. They played half of their games in San Antonio. The other half were in Baton Rouge with one "home game" being played on a Monday Night in Giant Stadium.

Once San Antonio figured out that there was little chance of an imminent move, had them practicing in a parking lot. They lifted weights under a tent in the same parking lot and lived out of hotel rooms for the entire season. In addition, many players had the issue of the homes and families and friends in NO to consider and work through.

Granted, they are professional athletes who are paid beyond many of our wildest dreams to play a game. But given the lack of those types of hurdles by other teams. I can see why they struggled and then eventually fell apart.

The deal there was that they had loads of talent. A new coach, an emotional return to New Orleans, a little luck with a FA QB who is the real deal, and some fortune to get a really special player in Reggie Bush. Voila. You've got a recipe for a massive turnaround.

Our boys on the otherhand didn't have those kinds of issues impacting their performance. In addition, our team frankly isn't as talented as the Saints from two years back. We also don't have the emotional boost of coming back to a city needing something to cheer for. We do have a new staff.

I believe that we will improve this year. I hope to see two more wins than last year. That's progress, especially if we draft well in the next couple of years. I just don't see an improvement to playoff status yet. It'll take some time, but hopefully we'll get there.

Go Texans

[TK_Gamer]

What most people fail to remember when they talk about the Saint's one year turnaround is the fact that they were playing with the massive impact of Hurricane Katrina.

While the coaches and players soldiered on, they truly were not playing in circumstances that would put any team in a position to excel. They played half of their games in San Antonio. The other half were in Baton Rouge with one "home game" being played on a Monday Night in Giant Stadium.

Once San Antonio figured out that there was little chance of an imminent move, had them practicing in a parking lot. They lifted weights under a tent in the same parking lot and lived out of hotel rooms for the entire season. In addition, many players had the issue of the homes and families and friends in NO to consider and work through.

Granted, they are professional athletes who are paid beyond many of our wildest dreams to play a game. But given the lack of those types of hurdles by other teams. I can see why they struggled and then eventually fell apart.

The deal there was that they had loads of talent. A new coach, an emotional return to New Orleans, a little luck with a FA QB who is the real deal, and some fortune to get a really special player in Reggie Bush. Voila. You've got a recipe for a massive turnaround.

Our boys on the otherhand didn't have those kinds of issues impacting their performance. In addition, our team frankly isn't as talented as the Saints from two years back. We also don't have the emotional boost of coming back to a city needing something to cheer for. We do have a new staff.

I believe that we will improve this year. I hope to see two more wins than last year. That's progress, especially if we draft well in the next couple of years. I just don't see an improvement to playoff status yet. It'll take some time, but hopefully we'll get there.

Go Texans

I agree with everything but the Bush comment, I challenge anyone to show me the proof that Bush contributed in a major way to the Saints success. Other than the hype of the pick, he showed only that he is a capable slot reciever with athletic ability, and an above average kick returner. I think he is the most overated player of the whole draft last year, and now he get's the cover of Madden? It's just my oppinion but I think Bush will go the route of Westbrook in Philly, an excellent player in space with mediocre running back skills. If it wasnt for a solid starting running back in front of him they wouldnt have even made the playoffs.

[O.G.]

I agree as well. Chicago did the same thing as well. With the Texans hardest teams being The Broncos, Colts and the Chargers, I can't see why we aren't in the rest of the games minus a poorly played game all the around here and there. I can honestly see the Texans going 10-6 for a wildcard birth.
You know you sit here and go through all the threads and posts on this coming season. All the different ideas and predictions for our beloved Texans. I had a thought. We have a 2nd year H.C. and a new Q.B., but how come we can't make the play-offs this season? The Saint's did it, how come we can't? They had a 1st year H.C. and IMO a questionable Q.B. because of his injury. So from 3-13 to 10-6 and the 2nd round of the play-offs. I don't see why the Texans can't atleast make a run at the play-offs. (This thread is for positives ONLY PLEASE. The Texans get enough criticism in the national media. They don't need it on their home turf. Especially their own fans) [:D]

[dalemurphy]

What most people fail to remember when they talk about the Saint's one year turnaround is the fact that they were playing with the massive impact of Hurricane Katrina.

While the coaches and players soldiered on, they truly were not playing in circumstances that would put any team in a position to excel. They played half of their games in San Antonio. The other half were in Baton Rouge with one "home game" being played on a Monday Night in Giant Stadium.

Once San Antonio figured out that there was little chance of an imminent move, had them practicing in a parking lot. They lifted weights under a tent in the same parking lot and lived out of hotel rooms for the entire season. In addition, many players had the issue of the homes and families and friends in NO to consider and work through.

Granted, they are professional athletes who are paid beyond many of our wildest dreams to play a game. But given the lack of those types of hurdles by other teams. I can see why they struggled and then eventually fell apart.

The deal there was that they had loads of talent. A new coach, an emotional return to New Orleans, a little luck with a FA QB who is the real deal, and some fortune to get a really special player in Reggie Bush. Voila. You've got a recipe for a massive turnaround.

Our boys on the otherhand didn't have those kinds of issues impacting their performance. In addition, our team frankly isn't as talented as the Saints from two years back. We also don't have the emotional boost of coming back to a city needing something to cheer for. We do have a new staff.

I believe that we will improve this year. I hope to see two more wins than last year. That's progress, especially if we draft well in the next couple of years. I just don't see an improvement to playoff status yet. It'll take some time, but hopefully we'll get there.

Go Texans

I agree with everything but the Bush comment, I challenge anyone to show me the proof that Bush contributed in a major way to the Saints success. Other than the hype of the pick, he showed only that he is a capable slot reciever with athletic ability, and an above average kick returner. I think he is the most overated player of the whole draft last year, and now he get's the cover of Madden? It's just my oppinion but I think Bush will go the route of Westbrook in Philly, an excellent player in space with mediocre running back skills. If it wasnt for a solid starting running back in front of him they wouldnt have even made the playoffs.



I made this comparison before the draft last year. I think Reggie Bush is Eric Metcalf. I don't mean that as a criticism, but I think that's what he brings to the table. Brian Westbrook is a much better RB between the tackles than Bush is, IMO. Bush is explosive with very good receiving skills and a special ability to make big plays from anywhere on the field but will never be a primary RB in this league.

[outofhnd]

I don't see why we could not step up in a major way this year. But injury and possible busts.
I hate to be the voice of negativity, but remember our last big time free Agent Running back? Stacey Mack? How did he fare? Over the last 2 years we have had the chance to take that next big step. instead we have battled with injuries and poor personnel management. I know it is a new regime but these are the facts. We have traded draft picks for players who had potential at one time and did not pan out.
Now for the positives, the people we brought in know our system and can make valuable contributions. Ahman Green, unlike Stacey Mack has been a successful starter in this league. Maybe this year we can stay healthy at the positions of need long enough to develop our depth so we have adequate backups. perhaps this year Kubiak really opens up the playbook and gives us a dynamic looking offense. Perhaps our Acquistions this offseason really step up for once and make us look like geniuses for signing them, Im directing this mostly at you Jamar Fletcher, Jordan Black, and Danny Clark.

[joedinkle]

I agree with everything but the Bush comment, I challenge anyone to show me the proof that Bush contributed in a major way to the Saints success. Other than the hype of the pick, he showed only that he is a capable slot reciever with athletic ability, and an above average kick returner. I think he is the most overated player of the whole draft last year, and now he get's the cover of Madden? It's just my oppinion but I think Bush will go the route of Westbrook in Philly, an excellent player in space with mediocre running back skills. If it wasnt for a solid starting running back in front of him they wouldnt have even made the playoffs.


Okay...

Andre Johnson
Rushing and Receiving Yards:file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/m080660/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg 1161
Rushing and Receiving Touchdowns: 5

Reggie Bush

Rushing and Receiving Yards: 1307
Rushing and Receiving TD: 8
Punt Return Yards: 216
Punt Return TD: 1

He had almost double the TD's of AJ and more yards. By your logic, AJ didn't help out our team at all. I don't like RB and the Saints either, but just b/c you don't like them means that they're overrated. And VY is on the cover of Madden, not RB.

[lamont]

You know you sit here and go through all the threads and posts on this coming season. All the different ideas and predictions for our beloved Texans. I had a thought. We have a 2nd year H.C. and a new Q.B., but how come we can't make the play-offs this season? The Saint's did it, how come we can't? They had a 1st year H.C. and IMO a questionable Q.B. because of his injury. So from 3-13 to 10-6 and the 2nd round of the play-offs. I don't see why the Texans can't atleast make a run at the play-offs. (This thread is for positives ONLY PLEASE. The Texans get enough criticism in the national media. They don't need it on their home turf. Especially their own fans) [:D]
MAN YOU ARE SPOT ON THE MONEY DUDE. But let me answer your question of why we can't do it and why fans don't expect for us to do it. The city of Houston (and I am native here) has developed an overall Losing mentality or expecting dissapointment. Last year before the season begin I was predicting 11-5 And folks were calling me silly which proved right but year after year I always make high predictions as everyone else are basically in the 6 game range. This city don't want champions here they want good guys they can like, I fully expect every year for the Texans to be a playoff team because i want to win dammit

[TK_Gamer]

I agree with everything but the Bush comment, I challenge anyone to show me the proof that Bush contributed in a major way to the Saints success. Other than the hype of the pick, he showed only that he is a capable slot reciever with athletic ability, and an above average kick returner. I think he is the most overated player of the whole draft last year, and now he get's the cover of Madden? It's just my oppinion but I think Bush will go the route of Westbrook in Philly, an excellent player in space with mediocre running back skills. If it wasnt for a solid starting running back in front of him they wouldnt have even made the playoffs.


Okay...

Andre Johnson
Rushing and Receiving Yards:file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/m080660/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg 1161
Rushing and Receiving Touchdowns: 5

Reggie Bush

Rushing and Receiving Yards: 1307
Rushing and Receiving TD: 8
Punt Return Yards: 216
Punt Return TD: 1

He had almost double the TD's of AJ and more yards. By your logic, AJ didn't help out our team at all. I don't like RB and the Saints either, but just b/c you don't like them means that they're overrated. And VY is on the cover of Madden, not RB.

good call on the madden cover, I know RB did a comercial, I havent seen the cover. anyway....
nice stats but you listed them in a very flattering way for RB, lets also mention 565 of those combined yards are rushing, and 6 of the touchdowns are rushing TD's then add to that his rushing avg of a whopping 3.6 yds per carry and a long of 18 and you see the whole picture, he was NOT a great running back, and like I said he was only an above average reciever with only 742 yds and 2 td's. but think what you want. we are all entitled to our oppinion. bush was the 2nd rated rusher and at best the 3rd rated reciever on the team. just keep it in perspective is all I ask. Go Texans!

[outofhnd]

Also you may want to notate how many tds the teams scored on a whole because Im sure Andre's 5 tds are a larger percentage of the texans tds than bush's 8. Just a thought, because brees threw like 5 tds in one game. When comparing players contributions with stats be sure you also use the stats as a whole.
If the texans only scored 20 tds then Andre counted for 25%
if the saints scored 40Tds hen reggies 8 were only 20%
Thats just an example.

[Zagen30]

Also you may want to notate how many tds the teams scored on a whole because Im sure Andre's 5 tds are a larger percentage of the texans tds than bush's 8. Just a thought, because brees threw like 5 tds in one game. When comparing players contributions with stats be sure you also use the stats as a whole.
If the texans only scored 20 tds then Andre counted for 25%
if the saints scored 40Tds hen reggies 8 were only 20%
Thats just an example.

New Orleans had 46 total offensive TDs (19 rush, 27 pass). 8/46 = 17.4% of NO's TDs for Bush.
Houston had 27 total offensive TDs (13 rush, 14 pass). 5/27 = 18.5% of Houston's TDs for AJ. And WR requires a QB to throw the ball, whereas RBs can make their own touchdowns by themselves.
If you go by TDs for primary position AJ still beats out Bush. AJ's 5 receiving TDs out of 14 is 35.7%, Bush's 6 rushing TDs out of 19 is 31.6%. Not a huge difference, but a difference nonetheless.

[outofhnd]

Once Again Zagen's post goes on to prove that I am a jeanyus.

[A Texan]

I agree that there's no reason why the Texans can't have a remarkable turn around much as the Saints did last year. One think that killed the defense last year was the fact that they were changing from a 3-4 to a 4-3. I don't believe some people have taken into account how hard that is to do. The second year should be a lot better and I really thought they would be worse last year than they were. Kudos to people like DeMeco for the job they did. You can bet that DeMeco will be even better this year. Scary to think of it, isn't it? I'll be very disappointed if the Texans don't at least have a winning season and I fully expect that they will.

[joedinkle]

I listed AJ's total rushing and passing stats as well as RB's. And what does it matter how he got his yards? Rushing yards are the same as passing yards, and RB got more than AJ while not being a number one receiver or number one running back. I understnad you don't like him, I don't either, but us not liking him doesn't take away from the fact that the kid is an offensive weapon. 9 total touchdowns(if you include the 1 punt return.) almost double of AJ's 5. He moves the chains and he scores points. All this percentage stuff is a joke.

[Zagen30]

I listed AJ's total rushing and passing stats as well as RB's. And what does it matter how he got his yards? Rushing yards are the same as passing yards, and RB got more than AJ while not being a number one receiver or number one running back. I understnad you don't like him, I don't either, but us not liking him doesn't take away from the fact that the kid is an offensive weapon. 9 total touchdowns(if you include the 1 punt return.) almost double of AJ's 5. He moves the chains and he scores points. All this percentage stuff is a joke.

I think it matters how he got his yards since RBs shouldn't be passed the ball that much. Combined with his 3.6 YPC, it suggests that the team realized that if they wanted him to get good yardage, they'd have to pass him the ball, i.e. get him the ball without a lot of people around him. The only other time I've seen something like this is LDT's 100-catch year a couple of years ago, and that was because he was the only offensive weapon that they had at the time (Brees hadn't come into his own yet).
Rush yards are not the same as pass yards, pass yards require a QB and O-Line, rush yards just an O-line. And the Saints didn't have an O-line ravaged by injury last year, as well as having a much better QB.
Bush was on a team with a better QB and OL, as well as another RB to handle more of the load.

[joedinkle]

I listed AJ's total rushing and passing stats as well as RB's. And what does it matter how he got his yards? Rushing yards are the same as passing yards, and RB got more than AJ while not being a number one receiver or number one running back. I understnad you don't like him, I don't either, but us not liking him doesn't take away from the fact that the kid is an offensive weapon. 9 total touchdowns(if you include the 1 punt return.) almost double of AJ's 5. He moves the chains and he scores points. All this percentage stuff is a joke.

I think it matters how he got his yards since RBs shouldn't be passed the ball that much. Combined with his 3.6 YPC, it suggests that the team realized that if they wanted him to get good yardage, they'd have to pass him the ball, i.e. get him the ball without a lot of people around him. The only other time I've seen something like this is LDT's 100-catch year a couple of years ago, and that was because he was the only offensive weapon that they had at the time (Brees hadn't come into his own yet).
Rush yards are not the same as pass yards, pass yards require a QB and O-Line, rush yards just an O-line. And the Saints didn't have an O-line ravaged by injury last year, as well as having a much better QB.
Bush was on a team with a better QB and OL, as well as another RB to handle more of the load.


10 rushing yards net a 1st down. coincidentally, so do 10 passing yards. also, the last time i checked both rush and passing TD's count for 6 points. if AJ rushed for 1500 yards and scored 10 rushing TD's while not making many yards receiving you're telling me you would discount him as an offensive weapon?

[outofhnd]

I listed AJ's total rushing and passing stats as well as RB's. And what does it matter how he got his yards? Rushing yards are the same as passing yards, and RB got more than AJ while not being a number one receiver or number one running back. I understnad you don't like him, I don't either, but us not liking him doesn't take away from the fact that the kid is an offensive weapon. 9 total touchdowns(if you include the 1 punt return.) almost double of AJ's 5. He moves the chains and he scores points. All this percentage stuff is a joke.

He is such an offensive weapon he was close to bein out done by Marques Colston the second to last pick in the draft.
Percentages do matter because even though he statistically out performed AJ. Aj was a more crucial part of the offense than reggie bush was to the saints. Granted Reggie is lightening in a bottle and potentially could take anything to the house. Andre Johnson is just as lethal. The point I made is that when you look at the big picture of both teams offenses AJ was more important to the Texans than Reggie was to New Orleans. He is the change of pace to Deuce McAllister, the receiver in the slot with now Devery Henderson and Marques Colston. Reggie Bush is quite an athlete but he was not what made that offense go.

[South Texan]

I think we can make it IF
The secondary and LB's can cover a litter better and not let so many receivers come free quite so fast.
Mario stays healthy and Amobi is ready for play at the NFL level. (Imagine a QB watching Amobi break through the right side of the line, turns to his left to buy time and has Mario in his face.)
Spencer is back early on at close to 100% or Black / Salaam can keep Schaub alive.
Schaub is able to run a Ball Control, Balanced Offense. He doesn't need to toss a lot of bombs, just spread it around on steady long marches.

[The Pencil Neck]

I listed AJ's total rushing and passing stats as well as RB's. And what does it matter how he got his yards? Rushing yards are the same as passing yards, and RB got more than AJ while not being a number one receiver or number one running back. I understnad you don't like him, I don't either, but us not liking him doesn't take away from the fact that the kid is an offensive weapon. 9 total touchdowns(if you include the 1 punt return.) almost double of AJ's 5. He moves the chains and he scores points. All this percentage stuff is a joke.

I'm not going to argue that Bush was important and had a great year with the Saints. I think he did. A running back getting 88 catches is spectacular.
But rushing and receiving yards are apples and oranges. In general, receivers have a higher yards per touch than a rusher has. The player with the highest rushing yardage generally has more yards than the player with the highest receiving yardage. Tomlinson had 1815 yards rushing and Chad Johnson only had 1369 yards receiving. LJ had 412 rushes and AJ had 103 catches.
On average yards per touch, AJ has 11.0 and RB has 5.4. Obviously, AJ is primarily a receiver. Bush is performing a different function. He got a lot more touches of the ball. Since they're performing different functions comparing their numbers is misleading.

[TK_Gamer]

I remember back to when the Texans were searching for a new head coach...they mentioned how Dallas rose to the Super Bowl champions under Jimmy Johnson. My big problem with this is:
Why is everyone in the NFL, NBA, MLB trying to COPY someone else's recipe for success? These guys are getting paid mega money to make their respective teams better, not to COPY from someone else. My point is...BE Original!!! Come up with your own recipe. Rockets want to copy the Spurs, Texans want to copy the Cowboys....blah, blah, blah.

who said we wanted to copy the cowboys? you have a link? If anything you could say we tried to copy Denver or Green bay, but not the cowboys. Now what teams would like to do is get the results of the cowboys, going from last in the league to a Superbowl win in 5 years is really good.

[TK_Gamer]

Now back to the bush/ AJ thing, Ive compared Bush to Dante Hall, and Brian Westbrook, thats not a bad thing, I'm not saying that he's bad, just overated, If he can get his rushing average up, or his recieving YPC up, he will solidify himself as a specialty back like Westbrook. But I don't think he will ever be an allaround every down back in the NFL. IMHO

[Zagen30]

I listed AJ's total rushing and passing stats as well as RB's. And what does it matter how he got his yards? Rushing yards are the same as passing yards, and RB got more than AJ while not being a number one receiver or number one running back. I understnad you don't like him, I don't either, but us not liking him doesn't take away from the fact that the kid is an offensive weapon. 9 total touchdowns(if you include the 1 punt return.) almost double of AJ's 5. He moves the chains and he scores points. All this percentage stuff is a joke.

I think it matters how he got his yards since RBs shouldn't be passed the ball that much. Combined with his 3.6 YPC, it suggests that the team realized that if they wanted him to get good yardage, they'd have to pass him the ball, i.e. get him the ball without a lot of people around him. The only other time I've seen something like this is LDT's 100-catch year a couple of years ago, and that was because he was the only offensive weapon that they had at the time (Brees hadn't come into his own yet).
Rush yards are not the same as pass yards, pass yards require a QB and O-Line, rush yards just an O-line. And the Saints didn't have an O-line ravaged by injury last year, as well as having a much better QB.
Bush was on a team with a better QB and OL, as well as another RB to handle more of the load.


10 rushing yards net a 1st down. coincidentally, so do 10 passing yards. also, the last time i checked both rush and passing TD's count for 6 points. if AJ rushed for 1500 yards and scored 10 rushing TD's while not making many yards receiving you're telling me you would discount him as an offensive weapon?

If AJ was rushing that much, I'd be wondering why he couldn't catch the ball as much. The last thing that this team needs is another running back.
I'm saying that Bush is overrated as a RB, as evidenced by his mediocre performance running the ball, which is the primary function of a running back. AJ is a wide receiver, hence he should be receiving the ball with a pass from the QB. I think the sheer number of catches Bush had were just to get him into open space, as he couldn't get into open space that well if he was handed the ball by the QB.

[Whiskeyrbl]

I seriously believe we can make a run at the playoffs if we can avoid the injury bug.

[Samer]

I don't know about making the playoffs, but I do see improvement...the Texans are a better team with an easier schedule than last year...I see 7-8 wins...but no one really knows...the season is still a few months away

[sqrlfghter11]

the texans won't make the playoffs. the reason the saints made the playoffs is because they addressed needs; qb, wrs. they added a proven qb (schaub is not proven...just hyped). they added bush who fit into their system quite nicely. they found gems in the rough like colston, who was originally a TE if i remember correctly. texans have not address needs in my opinion; o-line, secondary. a majority of you probably disagree w/ my analysis, but it is what it is. saints also the year before had to deal w/ katrina and lack of a "true" home stadium, plus they had the entire country behind them.

[HOU-TEX]

the texans won't make the playoffs. the reason the saints made the playoffs is because they addressed needs; qb, wrs. they added a proven qb (schaub is not proven...just hyped). they added bush who fit into their system quite nicely. they found gems in the rough like colston, who was originally a TE if i remember correctly. texans have not address needs in my opinion; o-line, secondary. a majority of you probably disagree w/ my analysis, but it is what it is. saints also the year before had to deal w/ katrina and lack of a "true" home stadium, plus they had the entire country behind them.
I disagree. Wasn't Brees coming off of a major shoulder surgery? He was considered to be a big risk at the time. I would consider that as an unproven Schaub. Bush was unproven (still is) in the NFL. As far as Coltston goes, who's to say we didn't get one of those "gems"? Our rookies haven't even put the pads on yet. Every "need" you mentioned the Texans made an attempt to fill. Why don't we let the rooks play before we knee jerk, Ahight.