For the most part, Houston is cleaned up. Galveston, Bolivar, Gilchrist (the places right on the water)…not even close. They were hit ridiculously hard.

1. He looked very good against Oakland a couple of days ago. That was really the first time he was consistently visible. The first three games of the year, he wasn’t exactly a difference-maker.

2. Although I’m admittedly biased, give me ‘Dre. I think he’s the best WR in the league. Can’t really take issue with anyone who’d rather have Fitzgerald, though.

3. That ranking is VERY misleading. The Houston secondary is abysmal; it simply hasn’t been statistically ravaged yet because NYJ, TEN, and JAX were all able to run at will against us. If you guys don’t come out throwing early and often on Sunday, you’re missing a golden opportunity.

4. I believe so. Give him time to throw, and he’s as good as anyone in the league. He’ll never be Roethlisberger-esque in shaking off pressure, so if you get in his kitchen, he’s very vulnerable.

5. I called 10-6 and no playoffs before the season starts. No reason to adjust my prediction on the lack of a playoff appearance at the moment, as the defense has not looked playoff-caliber.

6. Secondary, Defensive Line, and Running Back.

I was as anti-Cushing as it gets leading up to and after the draft, so understand that I do not say this lightly: Cushing has exceeded all reasonable expectations. While he doesn’t look great in coverage, he’s been a revelation against the run. He may already be the best tackler on the squad; if he’s not, he’s definitely in the discussion.

Barwin has been used almost exclusively as a third down pass rusher and hasn’t really made any sort of impact yet. He’s young and inexperienced, however, so it’s going to take some time.

In terms of other rookies you could see, Glover Quin (CB/S) could very well start again on Sunday, depending on whether Jacques Reeves is healthy and/or ready. After having a strong preseason, he looked lost until the OAK game; there, he looked very solid. Brice McCain (CB) could also see the field in dime packages; he’s small, but lightning fast.

1. Mos of us would take Johnson over Fitz but like Tim said, you can’t argue with the other point of view. The thing is as Texans fans, we’ve seen AJ do everything. Fitz and Boldin are both amazing WR’s, both of whom are in the top 5 in my opinion, but both have their particular specialities. It’s not as if Boldin can’t go deep, but it seems as if Larry is better at pure vertical routes. Again, Fitz can run routes over the middle and bubble screens, but it seems that those are more of Anquan’s specialities.

We’ve seen Andre do all of th above, and with shaky QB play at times (David Carr). To repeat though, I’m not saying that Fitz or Boldin can’t do everything because they’ve both proved they can, I just think that Andre can do everything exceptionally well. Then again, you have to consider the source and discount for bias.

2. The first couple of years of Kubiak’s tenure met or exceeded our expectations considering what he inherited. Last year and this year is when we expect the most out of Gary and the Texans. Bob McNair is one of the best owners in the NFL. I believe that you can’t judge drafts (unless they’re obviously terrible) until about three years later, but it seems that our drafts have been at least average if not above. If they don’t succeed this year (a winning record) it’s most likely should be attributed to players not executing or coaching.

Depending on whether we head into an uncapped year in 2010, the following guys have contract issues:

1. DeMeco Ryans—cannot fathom him in another uniform.
2. Owen Daniels—Pro Bowler, but allegedly wants Kellen Winslow money, which could make retaining him awfully tough.
3. Dunta Robinson—supposedly turned down $23 mil guaranteed before getting franchised. Poor decision on his part, and I seriously doubt he’ll be back.
4. Matt Schaub—I believe that the Texans have a $10 mil bonus to decide upon concerning Schaub in the offseason.
5. Kevin Walter—proven he’s a legit No. 2 WR and could very well have priced himself out of Houston.

I’d say Duane Brown and Eric Winston (LT and RT) are here to stay. Studdard replaced Pitts (who got injured and is a free agent at the end of the season) at LG and basically has the rest of the season to prove he’s up for the job. Brisiel isn’t setting the world on fire at RG, but he’s not a gigantic liability either. The weakest part of the line is likely at C; Chris Myers is a fine football player but gets blown up by big NTs.

Last week Jacoby Jones broke off a 92 or 96 yard kickoff return for a td.

Watch the video in this link to see the scoring summary of our last game. Will give you an idea of how the Texans offense plays somewhat.

VIDEO

Kris Brown is as close as it gets to automatic (last week’s miss notwithstanding), Matt Turk generally booms ‘em high and long, and Jacoby Jones is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball (he is just as likely to put the ball on the turf, however, so you’ve got that going for you).

Coverage teams are generally rather strong. The Texans don’t typically allow big returns.

Live it. Love it.