**Houston Texans Offseason Debate Thread**

[Guest eagle eye]

Some news and notes from Texans rookie mini camp;

 

Houston has now signed their fourth round pick LB Trevardo Williams. That's brings the number of signees to 5 because 6th rd picks T David Quessenberry, WR Alan Bonner, DT Chris Jones and TE Ryan Griffin. This leaves only four of the nine Houston draft picks left unsigned including first round pick DeAndre Hopkins. With the rookie salary cap signing all nine players should be signed and ready to go by training camp.

 

Houston has signed RB Deji Karim and C Tyler Horn to their roster. Both players were in the rookie mini camp on a tryout basis. Karim was with Jacksonville in 2010 and 2011 and he played for the Colts in 2012. He is the fourth RB vying for the 3rd spot behind Arian Foster and Ben Tate. Along with Karim, rookies Ray Graham, Dennis Johnson and Cierre Wood will battle for a roster spot. Tyler Horn spent most of 2012 on the Tennessee Titans practice squad in 2012 after going undrafted last year.

 

 

[Guest eagle eye]

The Texans begin their first full team OTA's this week beginning today at the practice facility across from Reliant Stadium. Here's an article from Texans.com by Nick Scurfield who suggests five things to watch during these OTA's.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Five-things-to-watch-Texans-OTAs/57852011-a8cb-459d-8691-605856f220ca

[Guest eagle eye]

Houston has been conducting their first full team OTA's this week. They are taking today off but they will finish up this first round of OTA's tomorrow. Here is an article from Texans.com's Drew Dougherty about Houston WR DeAndre Hopkins and the positive impression he's making so far.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/DeAndre-Hopkins-making-early-impact-for-Texans-in-OTAs/228fccea-cb1a-4e4c-a4de-7bc3b40aebf7

 

The Texans expect free agent signee Ed Reed to be ready for the regular season. Here's an article from Texans beat writer Nick Scurfield about Reed.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Texans-expect-Ed-Reed-to-be-ready-for-start-of-season/31e825b6-dac8-4373-b40b-bd5f358b3381

[Guest eagle eye]

It's not that I am neglecting the Texans but if your a fan you have to like the fact that there isn't the drama, real or concocted, surrounding the Texans unlike that team up north on I-45. They concluded their mini camp Thursday and they will be on hiatus until their training camp begins July 28th.

 

News from Texans mini camp:

> Gary Kubiak is very impressed with 1st round pick WR DeAndre Hopkins. Admitting he struggled early he emerged as a very good receiver catching "everything in sight". Finally, a worth compliment to Andre Johnson!

 

> Gary Kubiak is concerned about his right tackle situation. The two top candidates to play RT have not been on the field due to injuries. Derek Newton, a 7th round pick in 2011, started 14 games last season before a knee injury ended his season. He is recovering from off season surgery to repair his patellar tendon. His is on schedule to be ready for training camp but he has missed all of the Texans off season work. Brennen Williams, a 2013 3rd round pick from North Carolina, injured his knee in rookie mini camp. He too is expected back for training camp but being a rookie the off season work he missed really puts him behind everyone else. During OTA's RT has been manned by Ryan Harris and David Quessenberry.

 

> Brian Cushing wants to be a Texan. That is the good news. The bad news is Cushing is coming off a devastating knee injury suffered in 2012 and he is going into his final year of the rookie contract he signed in 2009. It's an important year for Cush and you can't bet he's itching to get back on the field. If Houston is smart they will sign Cushing to a deal now while his value as a player is in question and as a result the price to sign him will be cheaper.

 

> Speaking of getting Cushing back on the field it was reported on Texans.com that he will be cleared to play by NFL uber-doctor Dr. James Andrews on July 17th Andrews is the man who performed the surgery to repair Cushings ACL that he injured last October 8th vs the Jets ending his season before it really got started. Cushing made the announcement at Reliant Stadium today and he says he will be in pads when training camp begins 9 days later. He can't speak about his work load during camp but he wants to play in at least one preseason game so he can knock the rust off before the season begins.

[Guest eagle eye]

The Texans are continuing their ho-hum off season. I say this because there is a decided lack of controversy surrounding the Texans. This is the norm not the exception and it's pretty nice. The only news of note is the following;

 

> All nine of the Texans rookie draft picks are attending the NFL rookie symposium in Canton, Ohio. The event began on Sunday and conclude tomorrow. It is a three day event for all NFL rookies that was championed by former Dallas Cowboy Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin who proposed the event to give rookies an appreciation for the history of their business by visiting the Hall of Fame and attending meetings with former players and coaches who try to convey the pitfalls and the traps that can befall players making the transition from college to the pros. This is the 12 annual edition of this event.

 

> Duane Brown, who had bone spurs removed from his ankle recently said today that the surgery would not impair his participation in Texans training camp. This is great news for the Texans who depend on Brown to anchor their O-line.

 

> The Houston Texans will host the 3rd Annual Running of the Bulls 5K, presented by H-E-B, on Sunday, Sept. 22, the team announced today. The competitive 5K run will start at 8:15 a.m. CT, followed by the non-competitive 5K run/walk and preceded by the TORO

[Guest eagle eye]

Good news, although they knew it was coming, the news was made official today as LB Brian Cushing was cleared to play today by his doctors and the team. It was reported that he would be cleared today a few weeks ago but nothing is certain until it happens and today it happened.

 

On ESPN's "The Blitz" yesterday they were talking about Matt Schaub and they reported that GM Rick Smith said that Schaub needed to show up more in big games. That's the rub with Schaub. He's a pretty good fantasy QB but when it comes to taking the biggest stages and showing up big for his team Schaub has yet to really do anything when the pressure is on. "The Blitz" guys were happy Smith put it out there that Schaub needs to step up his game this year if the Texans are going to do anything significant when it comes to the playoffs. I don't agree with Hoffman and Faour very much but I think I agree this time. For the Texans to get to the next level Schaub has to not disappear in the big games. If Schaub is who he has been this year it may be time to trade him and get some value for him and see what T J Yates can do. Or maybe even Case Keenum or somebody else. Schaub needs a Joe Flacco type of breakout season. I hope he has it because I would really like the Texans to go to the big dance while they have the team to do it.

[Guest eagle eye]

JJ Watt is all over the place these days. To prove my point here is a link to Texans.com about Watt's latest commercial for Yahoo Fantasy Sports. Click the link in the article for a kind of funny commercial.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/JJ-Watt-stars-in-Yahoos-latest-commercial/492a76d7-d33a-41b2-b374-dd1e7c94245b

 

Or check this video of JJ Watt's athletism from NFL.com.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000218861/article/houston-texans-de-jj-watts-incredible-vertical-leap

[Guest eagle eye]

After a pretty decent rookie season the expectations for LB Whitney Mercilus are escalating. Not just for Houston coaches and certainly not just for Texan fans but with Mercilus himself. Mercilus is taking this season very seriously and his own expectations are to be a force for Houston in 2013. Great news for all that have a vested interest in the Houston Texans to hear this. Instead of taking the past few weeks off at the close of the mini camp in June Mercilus took 3 days off and then he went to Phoenix Arizona and trained his ass off at API, Athletes Performance. Coming out of that intense 3 week training session Mercilus says he's stronger, faster and more fluid and he feels ready for training camp beginning this coming Friday. Named the starting weak side linebacker this off season Mercilus will become the featured pass rusher a-la DeMarcus Ware. Texans fans can only hope he's that good.

[Big T]

I really like Mercilus and think he will not only become a force for the Texans but a star in the NFL. This guy has endless potential as a pass rusher but needs to work on the run stopping aspect of his game. If he is able to get that down then he has it made. Plus he has the best name ever for a pass rusher.

[Guest eagle eye]

The Texans began training camp yesterday and it was good to see the team back on the field. Well, I didn't exactly see them but you know what I mean. It's good to get football kicked off for real now and I know all of us Texans fans are hoping for big things from the team this year.

> Arian Foster and Ed Reid began the season on the PUP list. It was expected that Reid, who is recovering from hip surgery this off season would be out until Week 1. No biggie there. Foster was a bit of a surprise to me.

> Here is a list of players and their status to begin training camp.

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Arian-Foster-to-start-camp-on-PUP-other-moves-made/14070677-3441-48ec-a005-07983def96dc

 

> Brian Cushing says he is "full go" as training camp begins. Nice to have Cush back on the field.

 

> DeAndre Hopkins said he was happy to begin training camp and he feels comfortable in the offense but obviously he has a ways to go before he is really up to speed, NFL speed, before he can be considered a success story.

[Guest eagle eye]

The Texans put on pads for the first time since last season and to a man they were happy to be hitting. Here's an article from Texans.com about the first practice with pads.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Texans-enthused-after-first-practice-in-pads/edbabbc7-0078-4c5f-bcd4-e986b80afa93

 

When asked who impressed him this first week of training Danielle Manning never hesitated, "Keshaw Martin". Here's an article from Texans.com about an forgotten man in the Texans WR corps. Most of the news about 2nd year WRs is about DeVier Posey who went down last year with a torn Achilles. Martin is right in the wheel house of NFL WR development where the light goes on. Usually, in year 3 or 4 WR's seem to "get it" and Martin is coming into his own in this year's training camp.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Keshawn-Martin-impresses-veteran-safety/8ecb6be4-896c-4c4b-b117-01f84c4a71a7

 

Here's some random thoughts from Texans beat writer Marc Vandermeer.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Vandermeers-View/2613bbc1-43b0-4fda-bc51-a59fea17c573

 

 

 

[Guest eagle eye]

The full impact Ed Reed will have on the Houston Texans won't be fully realized until he is able to get on the field which will hopefully be in Week 1 but it doesn't mean he isn't able to contribute during training camp. The fact is Houston has maybe the best safety in NFL history on the sidelines helping his teammates get better. With Reed you know what you're getting but it doesn't mean that he doesn't need the reps in a new system with a new team. But, so far, he's keeping engaged with his rehab and as an asset on the sidelines. Here's an interview with Reed from Texans.com;

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Ed-Reed-meets-with-media-talks-hip-and-more/39f69680-d85c-4ad4-82c4-8c0af2065ee3

 

Staying on the defensive side of the ball Houston signed former Denver Broncos LB Joe Mays. Mays is entering his sixth season in the NFL so Houston gets a guy who's started games in the NFL and has been a good special teams player. To me, it's a nice addition to the squad to add depth to a linebacking corp that could use some depth.

 

Brian Cushing was interviewed on Texans.com giving his views on the linebacking corp as a whole and the signing of Joe Mays yesterday.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Brian-Cushing-sounds-off-on-ILBs/fa0f3dc1-e1dd-4893-9287-4019d4cfbccd

[Guest eagle eye]

The Texans have been predictably low key so far in training camp. The biggest news in Arian Foster has been out with an injury so far in camp and Ben Tate had missed time with a slightly pulled groin. He returned to practice today and Gary Kubiak said he will start this week's first preseason game vs Minnesota. This is all depending on how he comes out of today's practice. Don't expect Tate to get a lot of carries though. Undrafted free agent Dennis Johnson, who has impressed so far in camp, will get a lot of work. Deji Karim, Cierre Wood and Ray Graham will vie for the rest of the touches.

 

JJ Watt injured his elbow but it wasn't much to speak of. The team said Watt will wear a brace in practice for the rest of training camp.

 

Andre Johnson will not play vs Minnesota as well as several other, as yet, unnamed players. Johnson isn't injured but Gary Kubiak knows what he has in Johnson and he needs to see the other WRs get the reps.

 

Whitney Mercilus will miss the game vs the Vikes as he's nursing a hamstring and Brooks Reed has returned to practice but will not play either. The starting LBs will be Justin Tuggle and Bryan Brown. I almost look for Gary Kubiak to do what Dallas' Jason Garrett did vs Miami last Sunday and that's sit a lot of starters. At this point coaches need to see their backups and draftees and FA's in game situations with a lot of reps as first cuts won't be far off.

[Guest eagle eye]

I heard a debate on ESPN radio yesterday about the backup QB spot. I seems like there isn't too much faith in T J Yates in Houston radio-land. There are some who would rather see Case Keenum be the No 2 man behind Matt Schaub. Most people, me included, would like to see a veteran guy with some NFL starts under his belt. Preferrably a guy who's had some success in the NFL. Those guys are out there but you never know. Until he was signed this past week by Green Bay I would have liked to see Houston pick up Vince Young. VY was a productive QB when he played for Tennessee and he has matured over the last couple of year which includes being completely out of football in 2012. Young sort of pulled himself together and got in shape and even had a pro day at UT this spring and he did a nice job in the workout. I'm interested in what you BRI folks think. Is T J Yates the right guy? Do you like Keenum better? Or is there someone out there you'd like to see Houston pick up?

[Big T]

I think that TJ Yates and Keenum are both third string QBs and if Schaub goes down then the Texans are sunk. I really want to see them go get someone like Alex Smith. Of course them going and getting Smith as a second QB is just a very nice fantasy.

[Guest eagle eye]

I think that TJ Yates and Keenum are both third string QBs and if Schaub goes down then the Texans are sunk. I really want to see them go get someone like Alex Smith. Of course them going and getting Smith as a second QB is just a very nice fantasy.

 

Yes it is expecially considering that Alex Smith is the starting QB in Kansas City and by all reports doing very well under Andy Reid.

[Guest eagle eye]

Tonight the Texans face off against the Minnesota Vikings. I'll be looking forward to seeing this game. It will be my first look at RB Dennis Johnson who has been very impressive in training camp so far. I want to see how Brooks Reed looks after coming back from an injury as well Justin Tuggle playing opposite from Reed. I want to see DeAndre Hopkins and I'd like to see something from Keshawn Martin as well. Here's a link to the Texans Drew Dougherty's 5 things to watch in tonight's game.

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/5-Things-To-Watch/99f20c5d-9a76-4976-a1ad-dc840b4e0fee

[Guest eagle eye]

A lot of starters sat and the rest didn't play very long. The defense gave up more than I thought they should. I was not all that impressed by T J Yates even though he threw the TD to DeAndre Hopkins. On that play Yates put the ball the only place it could be without being picked off of batted away but it was Hopkins acrobatic catch that made it special. Hopkins looks like he's the real deal and all the chatter from training camp appears to be accurate.

Dennis Johnson wasn't as impressive. He is quick but he's no Arian Foster, yet. The RB with the real impressive night was Cierre Wood. Wood is an undrafted free agent from Notre Dame where he enjoyed some success but his career there was uneven and clouded with a suspension of two games for violating team rules in 2011. He was solid in his effort vs the Vikings and could earn a spot on the final roster.

I thought that Case Keenum has a nice outing. I thought he was more impressive than Yates and he showed pocket awareness, the ability to evade the rush and he can throw pretty accurately on the run.

 

Here's a link to Texans.com's Marc Vandermeer's notes from the Texans first outing of 2013.

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Vandermeers-View/24b42b7a-4360-4eb6-9208-2d68596aef17

 

[Guest eagle eye]

The post 1st preseason game for the Texans has been eventful. There has been some movement, some surgery and a return so let's take a look.

 

Case Keenum out performed T J Yates in last Friday's win at Minnesota. Yates wasn't terrible leading Houston on a TD drive of 85 yards capped by a 34 yard TD pass to DeAndre Hopkins. His stat line was 13-for-21 for 151 yards, one touchdown and a quarterback passer rating of 99.5. Keenum had more success leading the team to 2 TDs and one field goal. His stat line was 13-for-18 with 125 yards, one touchdown, and a passer rating of 109.7. The Texans web site is wondering if Keenum passed Yates on the depth chart, at least for this week. What do you think?

 

The Texans-Vikings game marked the 2013 debut of K Randy Bullock. Remember him? 2012 5th round pick from Texas A&M. Leg like a trip hammer. First kicker ever drafted by the Texans. Missed the entire 2012 season due to a torn groin muscle just shy of one year ago as he competed with Shayne Graham for a spot on the roster. Yeah, you remember. Against the Vikings, Bullock went 2-3 missing a 54 yarder with :05 seconds left in the 1st half. The biggest knock on Bullock by the announcing team was that his kickoffs weren't deep enough. He also was 3-3 in extra point attempts. This year Shayne Graham is not in camp and the job is Bullock's to lose. I'd say his first game back was a success.

 

Gary Kubiak announced that all the starters will play in their two preseason games at Reliant Stadium. It's a grass surface and it will enable all the players to get much needed game reps prior to the beginning of the season. When asked if that meant JJ Watt would play Kubiak reiterated that ALL starters will play Saturday vs Miami.

 

Brian Cushing could make his first game appearance this Saturday. Cushing was cleared to participate in training camp back in July but he has practiced fully so far but he was held out of the Vikings game along with 8 other starters. Cushing is recovering from a torn ACL last season and he has been a beast in camp so far. As a Texans fan it will be good to see him back in the lineup. The final decision on Cush's status for Saturday's game will be made Thursday.

 

Reliant Stadium has undergone a pretty big list of improvements this off season including the upgraded video boards in the stadium itself. Here's a link to an article about what those improvement are from Texans.com.

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/Updates-at-Reliant-Stadium/8959ea1c-7e08-4d5a-ac3c-3a6f67d18cd5

[Guest eagle eye]

The Texans unveiled their new video boards in Reliant Stadium today. Here's a link to Texan.com video of the unveiling. Click on the link "Texans unveil new video boards" and check it out

 

http://www.houstontexans.com/

[Guest eagle eye]

Texans fans probably know this already but the game tonight between the Texans and the Miami Dolphins will start at 7:00 PM on KBMT the local NBC network. I'm not giving a channel because the channel number is different depending on your TV provider.

 

I'll be looking at the battle for No 2 QB. Last week it appeared as though Case Keenum inched past T J Yates but things often are different from week to week. It's possible that Keenum will get some time with the 1's this week especially with Matt Schaub just coming back from missing a couple of days earlier this week due to the death of his grandfather. Schaub probably doesn't need a whole lot of work and the backup QB job is an important one to get right.

 

Arian Foster won't play because Houston is taking a very cautious approach to his calf injury. I wouldn't be surprised if the Texans just don't want to expose Foster to a preseason injury. Not playing the preseason didn't hurt Adrian Peterson last year and I don't believe it will hurt Foster this year. This will allow more reps to Ben Tate and especially to Dennis Johnson, Cierre Wood, Deji Karim and Ray Graham. Johnson was the one who has been most impressive during camp up until last week's game vs Minnesota but he was disappointing in the game. Cierre Wood showed up to play last week so it will be very interesting to see if roles reverse this week. Deji Karim is a veteran and he really needed to be better than he has been to secure a roster spot.

 

Here's a link to Texans.com's Drew Dougherty column on the 5 things to watch in tonight's game.

http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/5-Things-to-Watch-Texans-vs-Dolphins/b2653899-8956-4044-8fe1-8748b523134b

[Guest eagle eye]

The Texans were hoping Arian Foster would be back to practice today but that was last Saturday before the Miami game. Team doctors feel he needs more rehab time and so he is still day to day. He got an injection in his back before training camp to relieve soreness in his back and since he has had discomfort in his legs. I've had some experience with pain relieving shots like that and it's very easy to aggrivate a nerve it you hit the wrong spot. And believe me, a pissed off nerve is something you can't ignore.

 

The Texans had some good news. After sending S Ed Reed to the Atlanta, Ga specialist he's dealt with as he rehabs his hip the news from the doctor was that Reed is ahead of schedule in his recovery. Gary Kubiak said that Houston is doing everything possible to aid in the recovery of Reed's hip surgery. As time goes on getting nearer and nearer to opening day it seems like the injured players are making it back on the field, or soon will be.

 

DJ Swearinger has been asked his feelings about the devastating knee injury Miami TE Dustin Keller received as a result of a low, but legal hit after a Keller reception. Swearinger has replied that he feels bad for Keller because he wasn't trying to injure him but despite that he has to move forward because "that's just football". It's really the only attitude Swearinger can have because it wasn't a cheap shot and his intent was only to tackle Keller, not injure him.

 

I can't find any more mention about the head injury and possible concussion to DeAndre Hopkins in Saturday's game. He was pulled a few plays after Hopkins was tackled after a reception and hit his head on the turf pretty hard. After a miscommunication on a route Hopkins ran that resulted in an interception Matt Schaub was quoted a saying he knew there was something wrong with Hopkins because the mistake was not like him. He was then pulled from the game citing a concussion sympoms as the reason. Hopefully, Hopkins won't miss much time.

[Guest eagle eye]

Antonio Smith found out today he will be suspended the last two preseason games as well as the Week 1 game plus a game check which, for Smith, amounts to a hair over $350K. No chump change here plus a fine which will be determined. In case you weren't aware, in the game vs Miami, Smith had an altercation with Miami OL Richie Incognito in which Smith ripped off Incognito's helmet and then swung at him. Ever since the game the question wasn't whether the NFL league office would discipline Smith it was how bad the punishment would be. All things considered, Smith got off light.

 

Gary Kubiak said today that he expects Arian Foster in the lineup on opening day in three weeks. He is basing his opinion of seeing Foster work on the side with trainers and just seeing him work every day. Kubiak is staying positive and hopeful Foster will be well and healthy enough to be in the opening day lineup.

 

WR DeAndre Hopkins missed practice today still feeling bad after suffering a concussion in the Texans game last Saturday. The Texans won't rule out Hopkins from playing in the game this Saturday vs the Saints but it doesn't appear likely at this point.

 

 

 

[Guest eagle eye]

Good news is all over the place as the 3rd and most important preseason game is approaching. Why is the third game so important? Because, it is the so-called dress rehearsal game when the starters play the most minutes of the preseason and it is also the game that should be played before your fantasy drafts. Why? Because it is the last time the starters play significant minutes in a game and it is the last time in preseason a starter is subject to a season ending injury. Say you draft after preseason game two and during game 3 one or more of the stud players on your roster is lost because of a torn ACL or Achilles tendon. What may have been a nice looking roster suddenly makes you an also-ran. See what I'm saying? So, if your draft is this week you may need to drink heavily to calm your nerves enough to get through the games this week.

 

On to happier news.

 

According to Texans.com Ed Reed's return is imminent! Reed is in the last stages of his rehab for hip surgery. Reed visited his rehab specialist in Atlanta last week and got an all clear and this week he will travel to Vail Colorado to visit his surgeon Dr Marc Phillipon for a final visit with him. After that, according to Gary Kubiak, Reed will start working to get back on the field. He will need to start running and preparing for contact in practice. If that isn't great news I don't know what is! This gives Reed over two weeks to prep for Week 1. Reed may not be ready for Week 1 but that's been the target date all along but it will be great to see Reed back on the field.

 

This may not be great news but DeAndre Hopkins will be out for this week's game due to the concussion he received in last week's game. It is being reported that Hopkins is still in Phase 1 of the NFL's concussion protocol which will rule him out of this week's game. Evidently, Hopkins is still feeling the effects of the concussion he received in the first of half of the game vs the Dolphins. Hopkins was at practice on Thursday but he didn't participate in any drills. Get Well Soon D-Hop, we need you!

 

This is great news, Arian Foster returned to practice on Wednesday on a limited basis and in Thursday's practice he did more than he did Wednesday going from about 10 reps on Wednesday to around 20 on Thursday. Foster said he is feeling fine after the past two days of work and the Texans are saying that he is coming along nicely. Houston is ruling Foster out of Sunday's game which would be too soon to put him on the field anyway. The Texans and Foster agree that he likely won't see any game action in the preseason. They are targeting a Week 1 return and that's fine with me as long as he comes back the way Adrian Peterson did last year.

 

What is really great to see is the battle between T J Yates and Case Keenum for the backup QB role. Keenum has made great strides since last season and it's a heckuva battle between them as both have been impressive in the preseason. One thing for sure, the way both are playing they are making Gary Kubiak consider keeping three QBs on the roster. The guys on ESPN's The Drive don't like Keenum because he isn't the prototypical 6'5" guy NFL teams prefer. They are tired of Keenum being compared to Drew Brees as another short QB who is succeeding in the NFL. I think the guys on The Drive need chill out a bit. The comparison to Brees coming out of college is pretty fair. Brees was a pretty good college QB coming out of Purdue who was drafted by the Chargers and he was supplanted by Phillip Rivers after a shoulder injury to Brees made him expendable. We all know what Brees has done in New Orleans but the point here is Brees was criticized for being too short as well. Now, you have Keenum, who is the all time leading passer in college football history, who is bucking the same knock about his height. Keenum went undrafted in 2012 but he was good enough to keep on the practice squad and the strides he's made this past off season have been dramatic. Yates has game experience which gives him a leg up on Keenum but Keenum's pocket presence and his ability to move and throw on the run are pluses Yates has a little of but not like Keenum. Both Yates and Keenum both seem to be, in the words of Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, the right kind of guys. Quality players with a great work ethic and quality people as well. I'm glad Houston has them both. I honestly think at some point Keenum has more upside and he could very well pass Yates up. It just may not be this year. I'm hoping the Texans keep them both and may the best man end up the primary backup to Matt Schaub. We will get to see a lot of both of them the next two weeks. It's exciting to think we may be seeing the successor to Matt Schaub develop right before our eyes.

[Guest eagle eye]

DL Antonio Smith lost his appeal of his Week 1 suspension by the NFL league office today. He will actually miss the last two preseason games as well. Gary Kubiak said today that the team was disappointed because they felt like they had a good case but he also said the NFL is fair and they look at all aspects. The actual rule that is the basis of the suspension reads like this; Smith's helmet swing violated Rule 12, Section 2, Article 16 (page 71) of the NFL Rule Book, which states: