Texans 'D' relishes shot at Bledsoe
Web Posted: 10/10/2006 10:58 PM CDT
Jerome Solomon
Houston Chronicle
They sacked the quarterback five times. They held the running game to 70 yards.
They played extremely well on third down, limiting conversions to three of the 12 attempted.
In the end, they came up with a clutch stop of a two-point play to preserve the victory.
Yes, the Texans defenders had much to be proud of after a 17-15 victory over Miami. But is one fine outing an indicator of good things to come, or simply an aberration for what remains the league's worst defense in several categories, including total yards and passing yards?
"This game is all about momentum," defensive lineman Anthony Weaver said. "For us as a defense, we have to continue to get better.
"The thing that we did best (against the Dolphins) was get after the quarterback, and that's something that we need to have as a staple around here."
Which brings us to this week's opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, and their stationary-in-the-pocket quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
Dallas is in the middle of the pack in sacks allowed per pass play (19th), but seven of the 10 sacks the Cowboys have surrendered this season came Sunday in a loss at Philadelphia. The Texans were watching.
"You can tell that Bledsoe doesn't like to move too much," said rush end Antwan Peek, who expects to return to action against the Cowboys after sitting out two games with a groin injury. "(The Eagles) were relentless. If you're relentless on defense, anything is possible. That's the way good defense is played."
Dallas coach Bill Parcells announced Monday the Cowboys would again start Bledsoe, who committed four turnovers against the Eagles. The Texans don't seem to mind.
"The reason you get excited when you play a guy like Drew Bledsoe — a great quarterback and you know if he gets time he's going to find somebody open — is he's not very mobile," Weaver said. "For a defensive lineman, you lick your chops, pin your ears back and go after him, because you know he's not going to run away from you. Yeah, you get excited."
The Texans had similar thoughts before the Miami game, noting the Dolphins were struggling to keep their quarterback upright.
The results, which yielded 289 total yards, were encouraging. The Texans held only one team, Baltimore, under 300 yards last season.
But the Texans know that effort was but one step toward establishing a solid defense. San Francisco, which is allowing one more point per game, is the only team that has given up more points than Houston (28.2), and the Texans' defense ranks in the bottom third in every statistic.
"We definitely have the tools," Peek said. "We just have to find out what's broken and fix it. I think that'll be the difference in us winning more ballgames."
Jerome Solomon
Houston Chronicle
They sacked the quarterback five times. They held the running game to 70 yards.
They played extremely well on third down, limiting conversions to three of the 12 attempted.
In the end, they came up with a clutch stop of a two-point play to preserve the victory.
Yes, the Texans defenders had much to be proud of after a 17-15 victory over Miami. But is one fine outing an indicator of good things to come, or simply an aberration for what remains the league's worst defense in several categories, including total yards and passing yards?
"This game is all about momentum," defensive lineman Anthony Weaver said. "For us as a defense, we have to continue to get better.
"The thing that we did best (against the Dolphins) was get after the quarterback, and that's something that we need to have as a staple around here."
Which brings us to this week's opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, and their stationary-in-the-pocket quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
Dallas is in the middle of the pack in sacks allowed per pass play (19th), but seven of the 10 sacks the Cowboys have surrendered this season came Sunday in a loss at Philadelphia. The Texans were watching.
"You can tell that Bledsoe doesn't like to move too much," said rush end Antwan Peek, who expects to return to action against the Cowboys after sitting out two games with a groin injury. "(The Eagles) were relentless. If you're relentless on defense, anything is possible. That's the way good defense is played."
Dallas coach Bill Parcells announced Monday the Cowboys would again start Bledsoe, who committed four turnovers against the Eagles. The Texans don't seem to mind.
"The reason you get excited when you play a guy like Drew Bledsoe — a great quarterback and you know if he gets time he's going to find somebody open — is he's not very mobile," Weaver said. "For a defensive lineman, you lick your chops, pin your ears back and go after him, because you know he's not going to run away from you. Yeah, you get excited."
The Texans had similar thoughts before the Miami game, noting the Dolphins were struggling to keep their quarterback upright.
The results, which yielded 289 total yards, were encouraging. The Texans held only one team, Baltimore, under 300 yards last season.
But the Texans know that effort was but one step toward establishing a solid defense. San Francisco, which is allowing one more point per game, is the only team that has given up more points than Houston (28.2), and the Texans' defense ranks in the bottom third in every statistic.
"We definitely have the tools," Peek said. "We just have to find out what's broken and fix it. I think that'll be the difference in us winning more ballgames."
posted by The Gryphon at 7:00 PM
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