Slow news day. A look at how the Texans (tell me if you haven’t heard this before…) need to stay focused on rushing lanes but instead of a running back this time it’s for an opposing QB (Cam Newton) in this weekend’s matchup vs. the Patriots. Also, the Texans have signed a WR to the practice squad who caught passes from Watson at Clemson.

Texans have to stay disciplined in rush lanes to defend Patriots QB Cam Newton
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

Excerpt: “Here again, and I know I talk about discipline a lot, but you have to be disciplined in your rush lanes and how you rush the guy because if you are undisciplined and you’ve got three guys on one side and one guy on the other, that creates a big running lane for the quarterback,” said Crennel. “We have to be disciplined and have two inside rushers, two outside rushers and collapse the pocket on him so that he can’t run.”

Newton has rushed 80 times for 335 yards and nine touchdowns in eight games. The former 2011 Carolina Panthers No. 1 overall pick has not rushed for that many touchdowns since 2015 when he rushed for 10 en route to an All-Pro selection as Carolina qualified for Super Bowl 50.

On Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, Newtown rushed 11 times for 21 yards and a touchdown. The Texans will have to stay true to their game plan to keep Newton from being equally as effective.

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Texans Are Reportedly Signing Former Clemson Wide Receiver
By Andrew Holleran, TheSpun

Excerpt: Houston, looking to add some depth at the wide receivers position, is reportedly signing a former Clemson Tigers wide receiver to the practice squad.

Artavis Scott, 26, is reportedly signing with Houston. He’ll reportedly be added to the Texans’ practice squad, but could eventually be activated to the game day roster.

The former Clemson Tigers wide receiver played for the ACC school from 2014-16. He made an immediate impact as a freshman, with 76 receptions for 965 yards and eight touchdowns in his first season. Scott added 93 receptions for 901 receiving yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore. He totaled 614 receiving yards and five touchdowns as a junior.

Romeo Crennel explains why the Texans do not use more up-tempo/hurry-up on offense. Cody Stoots writes the DeAndre Carter roster obituary, also putting forth the theory that Carter’s departure might indicate an improvement for Coutee’s chances at a slot WR position and possibly special teams returner role, as well.

Why don’t the Texans go up-tempo all the time since it seems to work?
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

Excerpt: Given that the hurry-up offense on that drive helped Houston pick up chunk plays, why not run the offense at that pace more often?

“Sometimes it does [spark the offense], but if you go up-tempo all the time, the defense kind of gets used to it, gets into a rhythm and gets into an up-tempo rhythm,” interim coach Romeo Crennel explained. “Sometimes, I think we want to know what the defense is going to line up in and kind of have an idea about what they are going to do. Sometimes when you go up-tempo, you don’t have that idea of what they are going to do because they are mulling around and doing stuff that maybe you don’t expect them to do.”

The problem for Houston was they had no run game to balance out their passing attack, or provide another effective gear to their hurry-up offense. The lack of a credible rushing threat has been a problem for the entire season and has been an ingredient to their 2-7 record.

“We slow it down so that everybody can be on the same page about how we want to operate a particular play call,” Crennel said.

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Will Returns Improve with the Texans Recent Roster Move?
By Cody Stoots, SI.com

Excerpt: Against the Browns running back C.J. Prosise returned kickoffs and wide receiver Will Fuller returned one of the Cleveland punts. Fuller could assume the role full time or options such as Keke Coutee and Randall Cobb could be available to the Texans on punts. 

Despite often being pointed out by former head coach Bill O’Brien as tough, smart, and dependable Carter usually disappointed in his returns. He made curious decisions on kickoffs costing the Texans yards. He misjudged when to catch and not catch punts pinning the Texans deep in their own territory. 

His fumble played a hand in the playoff blunder in Kansas City.

Carter was far from average and often a net negative. O’Brien never challenged him with other players since his arrival in the middle of the 2018 season, even extending the returner this past offseason.

The improvement from Prosise on kickoffs and Fuller on punts was immediate, as both possessed more “juice” at the position and each represents an actual threat to acquire yards. 

This also paves the way for Keke Coutee to be active as the potential punt returner and backup slot wide receiver.

 

Jason La Canfora says we don’t have to worry about Romeo Crennel becoming the 2021 Texans HC. Is this one of the most epic jinxes of all time, or will No Confirma be right on this one?

NFL insider notes: Eagles’ crushing loss will haunt them, big Texans changes on the way and more from Week 10
By Jason La Canfora, CBS Sports

Excerpt: Romeo Crennel is not going to be the next head coach of the Texans. Jack Easterby is not going to be their general manager. That’s not why they shelled out big bucks to a search firm and that’s not even what either of those individuals would really be focused on at this stage of their career.

Not happening, Not being considered. 

Crennel has been there, done that with taking over tear-downs and he is doing the organization a great service, again, by leading them through the remainder of this lost season, long ago doomed by outgoing coach/GM Bill O’Brien. But this is going to be a rebuild, there is an ongoing GM search, and that GM, along with ownership, will pick a coach. Anything else is pablum.

This isn’t an inside job and this won’t be an inside job. Easterby’s role remains to be seen. 

Crennel is one of the most beloved people in this game. Universally liked and respected. But that is a massive chore ahead for this floundering franchise and new ideas and fresh perspectives are badly in need. The defensive line needs a total overhaul, they are short of linebackers and the secondary is pretty bad, too. And they need a few starting offensive linemen and a running back and, by 2021, new receivers. Otherwise, yeah, just roll out the same team and keep the staff around and try to go 0-16 next year.

The Browns outmuscled them as most opponents do, churning them up on the ground. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt both went over 100 yards and on a day when the wind negated anything sustained downfield, the Texans were overmatched. Don’t let the final score fool you. This is a 2-7 team that was down 3-0 late in the first half and had a fourth-and-3 from the Cleveland 30 and opted to punt (long field goals were a non-starter in these conditions). Let that sink in. According to @SurrenderIndex, that was in the 99.9th percentile of all “cowardly punts” in the league this season and in the 99.8th percentile of all cowardly NFL punts since 2006.

Don’t kid yourself. Big, big changes remain ahead. Promise.

I’ll be watching the UFC fights (on ESPN+) beginning at 3 pm with the main card at 6 pm. Then of course the Texans game on Sunday. I just have nothing but pure laziness planned. How about you? What plans do you have for the weekend?

Good luck has returned! Barry’s Heh Report is ready for all onlookers and passersby.

Week-09-Heh-Report-ver2

Texans look to win a 2nd consecutive game vs. a well-rested Browns team returning from a bye week. JJ Watt talks about staying disciplined against the Browns run game and play-action passing attack. Nick Chubb unsure if he will be cleared to play vs. the Texans.

Texans looking for the momentum a 2nd consecutive win would bring
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

Excerpt: In order to get to the playoffs, the Texans are going to have to win consecutive games, and it has to start in Week 10 against the 5-3 Cleveland Browns.

“That’s what we need to stack on,” quarterback Deshaun Watson said. “You got to continue to ride the wave and ride the momentum. This is a great opportunity to go on the road against a great AFC opponent who’s playing really, really good football and is coming off a bye week and who’s probably well-rested.”

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DE J.J. Watt says Texans must trust their keys when stopping the Browns’ play-action
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

Excerpt: Stopping the run is part of the Texans’ problem on defense in 2020. Houston surrenders 159.5 rushing yards per game, the most in the NFL, and is second-worst in the league with a 5.1 yards per carry surrendered. If the Browns are able to get their running game going with backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, it will open up the play-action game for Mayfield.

“You also have to trust your keys and do your job and make sure you’re doing your job in the confines of the defense before — obviously if you fly up the field and try to stop the play action, it makes a pretty big gap in the run game for you,” Watt said. “You’ve got to be smart in what you’re doing and calculated when you take those risks.”

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Browns’ Chubb ‘not sure’ he’ll be cleared to play vs. Texans
By Matthew Washington, TheScore

Excerpt: Despite returning to practice this week, Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb is uncertain about his availability for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.

“I’m not sure,” Chubb said Wednesday when asked about the possibility of being active against Houston, according to Grant Gordon of NFL.com. “There is still a lot more to it than me just feeling good. I have to go through doctors, team athletic trainers, and coaches. It is more than just me saying I feel great.”

Granato and Zierlein discuss Watson’s influence and concerns about rebuilding the Texans. A couple of big plays to two Texans WRs in the win vs. the Jags helps Watson set a new highest single game mark for his career thus far.

John Granato and Lance Zierlein, hosts of ESPN Houston’s “The Bench” discuss Deshaun Watson’s comments about Will Fuller’s name being mentioned in trade rumors, and what it means for Watson’s influence and concerns about rebuilding the Texans.

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Texans QB Deshaun Watson benefited from YAC in 27-25 win over the Jaguars
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

Excerpt: In the Texans’ 27-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday afternoon at TIAA Bank Field, Watson completed 19-of-32 for 281 yards and two touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, over 70% of his passing yards were thanks to the Texans’ receiving corps’ tremendous yards after the catch.

It’s been somewhat lost in the poor start to the season for Houston, but Watson has played like one of the best quarterbacks in the league. His 86.3 PFF grade coming into the week ranked fifth among 32 qualifying quarterbacks. 

This performance against Jacksonville isn’t going to be one of Watson’s best of the season from a grading standpoint, but the results were strong thanks in part to contributions from his playmakers and the futile efforts of the Jaguars defensively. Two long touchdown passes to Brandin Cooks and Will Fuller with a combined 111 yards after the catch will go a long way to padding the stat sheet. Over 70% of Watson’s passing yards in the game came after the catch — the highest single-game mark in his career.

Pro Football Focus
https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-2020-week-9-pff-refocused-houston-texans-27-jacksonville-jaguars-25

I’m not even sure I understood JJ Watt’s comments. And of course nobody in the media dared to ask him to clarify what he meant. What qualifies as a “rebuild” in his eyes? The coaching staff will be rebuilt. Some players with bloated contracts might be ushered out under a new regime, and it’s not an impossibility that Watt is one of those players. John Crumpler has a rather in-depth look at this topic.

Can the Texans convince J.J. Watt and coaching candidates Houston isn’t a rebuild?
By John Crumpler, TexansWire

Excerpt: It’s worth noting that Watt is under contract until 2022. Houston’s star defensive end could not simply up and walk away should he decide the Texans are a poor fit for him to finish his playing career. However, it’s hard to see the team saying no should Watt respectfully request a trade after doing so much for both the organization and the city during his 10-year tenure.

By the time the team may consider moving Watt to a “non-rebuild” team in March, the team will most likely have made a hiring at both coach and general manager. The quality of these two candidates Houston will acquire may be strongly dictated by how they are able to perform through the softer second-half of their schedule.

Watt is a competitor and there’s no reason to doubt his genuine desire to win a Super Bowl before he hangs up the cleats. The onus is now on Houston to prove they can still give him that opportunity. A new, top head-coaching candidate combined with a strong finish to 2020 may be the only avenue towards making that argument.

News coverage will focus on potential trades to acquire draft capital and possible free agency moves within the confines of the (certainly adjusted) 2021 salary cap. That is the way for teams that have (virtually) eliminated themselves from playoff contention by the season’s midway point. However, don’t forget that this season’s conclusion will certainly have massive repercussions on what kind of ‘rebuild’ the Texans will be in 2021. The difference between 4-12 and 7-9 may serve as drastically different signals to Watt and other players on what the team’s ceiling could be with a new head coach.

Fans, relish Watson’s undeniable progression this season. Enjoy the resurgence of Cooks and the elevation of Fuller toward an alpha-level receiver. Don’t close your eyes when Phillip Gaines and Vernon Hargreaves allow yet another reception to an average receiver. Maybe these games don’t matter, but their outcome certainly might.

Do you think the Houston Texans are a rebuild entering 2021? #WeAreTexans

— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) November 9, 2020

JJ Watt strip-sacks his way to sack #100 and joins 3 other players in Most Sacks Through First 120 Games. He is also the first player in NFL history with 100.0 sacks and multiple 20.0 sack seasons. Texans injuries abound in 27-25 win over the Jaguars: Omenihu (hamstring), Scarlett (arm), David Johnson (concussion), and Kelemete (concussion).

On Sunday, November 8, 2020, JJ Watt joined an elite group of NFL pass rushers. In the stat category of Most Sacks Through First 120 Games (Since 1982) he currently sits in 4th place:

• Reggie White (1985-1992): 123 sacks
• DeMarcus Ware (2005-2012): 108.5 sacks
• Bruce Smith (1985-1993): 102.5 sacks
• JJ Watt (2011-2020): 100 sacks

9️⃣9️⃣ ➡ 💯 Career Sacks for @JJWatt!

📺: CBS
📱: https://t.co/Nm64mQkAPf pic.twitter.com/4a6dugxDaB

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 8, 2020

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Texans DE Charles Omenihu injured his hamstring in 27-25 win over the Jaguars
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

Excerpt: In the second quarter with 8:20 until halftime, Omenihu was injured on a first-and-10 run from running back James Robinson that gained eight yards. The blow was significant as the Texans were already lacking in their edge defense due to outside linebackers Jacob Martin and Whitney Mercilus being on the COVID-19 reserve.

The Texans also lost outside linebacker Brennan Scarlett with an arm injury. On offense, the Texans had running back David Johnson and guard Senio Kelemete both sustain concussions.

Ever wonder what the heck people on here are saying when they say things like “AllenOU’d”…or “BESFs”…or “HOL”? AgentWD40 has kept the books for a long time on these popular but quirky sayings, and he’s updated it and it’s here for your viewing enjoyment: The Glossary.

Thanks, Mr. WD40, we appreciate your time and energy!