No news articles today. Enjoy the conversation and hope y’all have a great day today.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. See ya’ on Sunday for the Colts-Texans game.

It’s that time again. Time to “get your Heh on” with Barry’s Heh Report!

Week-12-Heh-Report

Wednesday’s injury report and a link to the Colts injury report. Also, Steph is salty about a throwaway line that says the Texans would like to retain Fuller on a new deal, and on the exact same day Watson says “It’s very important to re-sign Will Fuller.” 2020, y’all.

Texans vs. Colts Wednesday injury report: DT Ross Blacklock misses with illness
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

Whole-Ass Article: The Texans had three players who did not participate in practice. Fullback Cullen Gillaspia was out with a back injury, while running back C.J. Prosise and rookie defensive tackle Ross Blacklock were each out with an illness.

Punter Bryan Anger had limited participation with a right quad injury. Safety Lonnie Johnson was also limited with a knee injury.

The Colts had eight players who did not participate in Wednesday’s practice, including quarterback Philip Rivers.

For the latest on Indianapolis’ injury situation, check out the Colts Wire.

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Maybe Deshaun Watson is the GM.

“The Texans,” who presumably will have a nu unknown coach and GM next year in charge of decisions for the franchise’s future but who are already deciding such things. https://t.co/XtTSUdy4LJ pic.twitter.com/kRJIbKibg9

— Stephanie Stradley (@StephStradley) December 2, 2020

Deshaun Watson: ‘Very Important’ for Texans to Sign Will Fuller to New Contract
By Jenna Ciccotelli, BleacherReport

Excerpt: Houston Texans wide receiver Will Fuller V is serving a six-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy, but teammate Deshaun Watson wants the front office to look past it when the time comes to sign the 26-year-old to a new contract this offseason. 

“That’s very important,” Watson said, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. 

Fuller is on a fifth-year option with the Texans and will hit free agency after this year.

In a nightmare world where all Texans QBs are ruled out of a game, which Texans player(s) would be the QB on game day? Also: Andre Johnson talks about what he envisions for the Texans offense now that they’ll be without Will Fuller for the rest of the season.

What would the Texans do if all their quarterbacks were out with COVID-19?
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

Excerpt: If the Texans were to have their quarterbacks unavailable for a regular season game, receiver Randall Cobb could be an emergency option, as he was a quarterback for the Kentucky Wildcats his freshman year and also threw a pass this year for the Texans.

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Andre Johnson On Texans Offense Without Fuller
By Anthony R. Wood, SI.com

Excerpt: Houston’s offense had found their rhythm as the season wore on and losing Fuller is a disappointing loss. However, team legend and former All-Pro wide receiver Andre Johnson is confident that the Texans can cope without the soon-to-be free agent.

“I think they’ll be fine,” said Johnson on Tuesday, who was speaking to SI as a part his work with Crown Royal to promote water breaks.

“When you have a loss like that, you know Will’s a big play guy, he always seems to find the end zone,” said Johnson. “But the other guys just have to step up and just play.”

One such guy is wideout Keke Coutee. A fourth-round pick by the Texans in 2018, the Texas Tech Red Raider exploded on the scene his rookie year with 109 receiving yards on his debut at the Indianapolis Colts, before recording a further 110-yards during their loss to the Colts in the playoffs that season.

You know, there’s just no use in posting into this “article” any of the dozens of articles that cover the Fuller-Roby situation. Everyone knows what’s happened. This team continues to be a laughing stock in new, creative ways that rival the best a fiction writer could ever produce.

The mismanagement since Bob McNair passed away has been the only constant. There will now be plentiful articles dissecting it all, I am sure of it. It’s unavoidable and it’s been earned. I’m sure I’m missing things on the list, but off the top of my head:

• Hiring Brian Gaine to be GM after the previous GM made a departure to care for his dying wife
• Firing Brian Gaine and naming the numbers guy Chris Olsen as interim GM
• Then firing Olsen so as to give the HC the GM position
• Hiring a “culture” guy, which that’s panned out WONDERFULLY hasn’t it? Look at all the good culture they have now!
• Pursuing Nick Caserio which led to threats of tampering charges by the Patriots organization
• Promoting Easterby to VP of Football Operations
• Allowing the HC/GM to trade a superstar caliber WR for dubious reasons, which also backfired because…why again?
• Standing by and watching the HC/GM sign bad players to bad contracts, and signing decent players to bad contracts, that impacts the salary cap in ways Chris Olsen never would have permitted to happen but of course he was dealt with to eliminate that opposition of sound reason.
• Creating roundtable sit-downs with Cal and Janice McNair alongside Romeo Crennel and Travis Johnson (coaches and players who are black) to show a listening ear to the challenges of black people, only to later fire the P.R. person who likely led that effort because she was no longer a culture fit of course, and we haven’t seen any of those sit-downs since, of course.
• Attempting to bring in Earl Thomas for a workout then backpedaling, only for us to later learn that several Texans players protested O’Brien’s attempts to consider Thomas for the roster.
• Firing the HC after it was now overtly obvious that it had to be done, rather than earlier as it should have been done before multiple damages to the roster and cap could result.
• The disastrous “candid” words, after the firing of the P.R. person, by Texans President Jamey Rootes that involved such gems as “You don’t know what I know” while in a stroke of genius also simultaneously promoting his new self-authored book on LEADERSHIP.
• And now this. Two premiere players, vital to the success of the team, scrubbed from the remainder of the year and perhaps a bit of next year to start off with, as well, due to performance-enhancing substances that they of course had no clue they were taking substances that were on the no-go list.
• Let it also not be lost on anyone that Brian Cushing is (for now) the Houston Texans assistant strength and condition coach who himself also had his own run-ins with a similar situation when he played LB for the Texans. No f***ing wonder Andre Johnson decided he wanted to bolt from his duties with the Texans. He probably was wise enough to get while the getting was good. AJ80 is a smart man, and good for him.

They could release Cushing, I suppose, whether he’s played any real role or a suspected role or no role at all. They’re just running out of people to fire, to be honest. I haven’t seen this many deaths, to cover up indiscretions and deflect from a “larger picture,” since Season 3 of The Sopranos.

Would Cal consider an extinction-level event by removing Rootes and Easterby and anyone else? Because it doesn’t appear that with or without Bill O’Brien here Easterby (and Rootes) has been able to truly produce and build a good culture that keeps the Texans name out of the mouths of an ever-hungry media. All of the coverage, past/present/future, has been fairly earned. And all of it should fall at the feet of the man who inherited and runs this clown show of an NFL franchise. Can’t fire HIM, though.

If it was tenuous to get GOOD GM and HC candidates before now, it surely has now raised yet another red flag up many candidates’ flag poles. This has been an utter mess that has been constant, tumultuous water being tread by Deshaun Watson who at this point deserves whatever medals and commendations can be given him for his efforts to provide some semblance of dignity and respect for this organization and its fans. I would also add JJ Watt to that list, and Romeo Crennel as well.

Winning out seemed like somewhat of a possibility, but now? I don’t know, and frankly what would it even matter with this newest dark cloud cast over the organization as a whole. Players have their responsibilities, yes, but so does the staff who manages players and other staff.

It’s turning out that unlike what Rootes said, we indeed do know what he knows or maybe more aptly we know what he doesn’t know or what he fails to admit and take responsibility for. We know that whatever leadership has been there high above the football field, behind fabulous glass walls and rich wood-grained desks, has been an utter, abject failure.

The Texans face the Colts next Sunday in Houston and try to keep playoff hopes alive after having started the 2020 season 0-4. All the team can do is take one game at a time. Also: The Texans evaluated five free agents over the weekend: A DT, a DE, 2 WRs, and a DB.

Romeo Crennel says Texans should be commended for their fighting spirit
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

Excerpt: If the Texans tack on another five games to their current winning streak, they will finish 9-7 and at least be in the hunt for postseason qualification.

“It’s a tremendous positive,” interim coach Romeo Crennel said of the team’s 4-7 record and possible playoff hopes. “If we can win in that last month, and then come back from the start of the season, because it’s hard to come back in this league — just in a game, it’s hard to come back in a game. But then it’s difficult to come back in the season as well.”

The Texans began the year 0-4 and took it on the chin to key AFC contenders in the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Before the Texans could get their first win, they were already 0-3 with their conference record.

If there is any element that should keep the Texans buoyed, it is that they have sustained just one loss inside the AFC South schedule. If Houston can finish with a 5-1 division record, and the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans similarly falter and finish 9-7, then it could be enough for the Texans to steal the South.

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Texans work out defensive line, receivers, defensive back over Thanksgiving weekend
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

(Click the article headline to read up on each player)

Excerpt: The Houston Texans spent a portion of the Thanksgiving holiday looking at four free agents. On Friday, the club brought in defensive tackle Lee Autry, defensive end T.J. Carter, receiver Kalija Lipscomb, and receiver J’Mon Moore for workouts. The club also brought in defensive back Manny Patterson for a visit.

Enjoy the weekend everyone.

The Houston Texans improved their record to 4-7 with a 41-25 thumping of the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy the highlights video from yesterday’s feast. The Good Guys have a mini-bye (3 extra days off) before facing the Colts.

A little pre-game recon on Thursday’s showdown with the Lions up in Detroit City. Dead Coach made a great post in yesterday’s daily thread so take a look at it if you haven’t already (good stuff!). And Mark Lane sits down with Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire to get some intel on Houston’s Turkey Bowl opponent.

Dead Coach Talks Turkey About The Lions
By Dead Coach, duh.

Excerpt: Who are the Detroit Lions?

Since the Texans hardly ever face the Lions, and they generally aren’t a playoff team, many Houston fans might be thinking about Megatron and Barry Sanders still when they think of the Lions. It’s been a while since those days. Let’s see what we can see about the Thanksgiving opponent.

First, a little Thanksgiving trivia. There have been Thanksgiving NFL games pretty much every year since the league started. There were 5 Thanksgiving Day games in 1920, the first year of the league. Most notable was the match between the Chicago Tigers and Decatur Staleys, which legend says was a “loser gets out of town” match, as both were competing for the same fan base. There isn’t much evidence to support that, but the Tigers folded in 1921, and the Staleys went on to become the Chicago bears.

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Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing the Texans’ Week 12 game with Lions Wire
By Mark Lane, TexansWire

Excerpt:
TexansWire: Who are some underrated Lions that Texans fans need to pay attention to?

Jeff Risdon: Amani Oruwariye has solidified himself as the team’s best cornerback. He had an end zone INT in Week 11 and he’s consistently the top cover man. He’s an emerging standout in his second season.

Punter Jack Fox won the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September, his first month on the job in the NFL. He’s been fantastic, albeit a little busier than anyone hoped for.

Center Frank Ragnow had a rotten Week 11, but in general he’s one of the NFL’s best at his position.

TW: What’s your prediction for the first Turkey Day game?

JR: The Lions have no answers for Deshaun Watson. None. The injuries on the offense for Detroit handicap their ability to try and outscore the damage Watson & Co. will do to the league’s slowest defense. Texans 33, Lions 24