Thread: Houston

Originally Posted by soulman

Bless you my son and a big amen to that second sentence. LOL

Webb, our LT, was a starter at Texas his freshman year but couldn't hack in academically and ended up going to a JC for a year and then played the rest of his college ball at West Texas A&M which I think is out and Amarillo or thereabouts isn't it?

Anyway he's been a project for our OC Mike Tice ever since he arrived. The kid is athletic and big as a house (6'8" 340lbs) but he's not too awfully bright which I'm sure is what got him bounced in Austin and it's also what I believe is slowing his development as a pro. This is his last year to prove he can handle LT. If he's doesn't "get it" by the end of this year we'll be looking for someone else.

The RT is one of JJ Watts teammates from my alma mater the U of Wisconsin. Gabe spent last year on the IR with a dislocated knee cap so he's not only bouncing back from that but he's essentially a rookie this year as well. He run blocks very well as he did in college too but so far his pass blocking technique is pretty sloppy.

He's still learning to play the game at this level but he was a stud LT in college who replaced Joe Thomas and started every game from his freshman year on and won the Outland Trophy as a senior. The kid can play but he's just a little behind the curve right now having missed an entire year with a serious injury.

Ideally we'll find a good LT in free agency (Jake Long would be perfect), Carimi's game will get much better in his second year and Webb will end up as a swing tackle where he'd probably be one of the best around. He's not as bad as he used to be but he's a notch or two below what you want in a LT when you have a QB like Cutler.

Right on the button! It's about 30 mins south of Amarillo in Canyon, TX.

Sounds like y'all just need to find you a good vet to take these youngsters under his wing and help them develop. Kubiak has been using a rotation with our RT and RG positions. We have a rookie Jones and a second year guy Newton that are actually rotating with a few vets. They still make mistakes but have come along nicely and are taking the majority of snaps now during the game. A lot of people were worried about the Oline developing chemistry with the rotation going on but it seems to be working.

Originally Posted by Texan Pride

I think a lot of it has to do with the mutual respect towards each others teams.

I dont think it's about mutual respect ... we are SCARED of each other !

Both teams are that damn good !

This could be your next SUPERBOWL.

If you gave Kubiak enough time ... you knew he was going to make the Texan's into somthing.

It's also interesting to see how the coaches and players came from Denver.

What does that mean ? None of us have any idea ... but we like them on our teams !

Originally Posted by jackiejokeman

If you gave Kubiak enough time ... you knew he was going to make the Texan's into somthing.

Who knew this? There have been multiple fire Kubiak campaigns from Texans fans. There are relatively few Texans fans that haven't thrown the towel in on him at least once.

Originally Posted by Texan Pride

Thanks for the information and great response. If I did this right I answered your questions above. I'm posting on my phone so some of the responses aren't as detailed as I would've liked but I'm a girly man and my fingers are cramping up! :D

No prob TP. Interesting discussion about the biggest game in the NFL so far this year IMO. NBC must be licking their chops at the ratings this broadcast will generate with two 7-1 teams from two huge media markets clashing in prime time. Dream scenario for them. Now on to what you said...

I'm encouraged by what you said about Houston's run D giving up yards. I'm absolutely convinced that the Bears will have to be able to move the ball (and the chains) with Forte and Bush to win. The O in general and the OL in particular play much better using the run to set up the pass rather than the other way around. Chi is not a good pass-heavy team and 3rd-and-long pass situations are not protections their OL can handle regularly. A number of us here have been saying for some time that the combo of Forte and Bush is the best 1-2 RB duo in the NFC and only Foster-Tate may be better in the AFC. It will be key to see which O can run better and which D can stop the run more. The Bears are stout against the run but Foster is definitely a major threat. And the wildcard is our (sometimes maddening) OC, Mike Tice. I want him to stick with the run as much as possible, even if it isn't working too well early. No way can the Bears win if Cutler is trying to do it all alone without Forte and Bush getting lots of balls.

I don't know much about Houston's DBs but it sounds like they could have some troubles if the Bears OL can give Cutler decent pass pro. Marshall is pretty tough to defend in man coverage and Cutler can throw rockets into tight windows when he has a few seconds back there. If Watt & Co. get a lot of heat on him though, he tends to force picks rather than throw the ball away like he should more often. The only team that has shut down Marshall so far this year is GB and they did it with a combo of good zone cover-2 doubles, a ton of blitz pressure, and our OC stupidly not running the ball more.

I am worried about Foster. We are leading the NFL in rush D but that dude still scares me. If he gets going it will be tough for the Bears to win. Our D is predicated on stuffing the run, getting decent pressure with just the front 4, and ballhawking the shit outta the enemy QB. We drop 7 into zone coverage most of the time and close hard on the ball once it is released.

As far as the QBs go, I see Cutler having the higher potential ceiling of the 2 but probably the lower floor too. When he is "on" (yeah that means he has decent time) he can be a surgeon out there. When he gets frustrated, he can be induced to make unwise throws. If Schaub is pretty good at protecting the ball, that's a big plus for Hou. He will need to be pretty error free IMO and not force the ball.

Looking forward to good game that could easily go either way by a FG.