Houston Texans NFL Draft 2010

With the 20^th Pick of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans select…


Dan Williams (DT out of Tennessee)


Who? Even those subscribers to the “Kubiak-ian Church of Divine Football Schematics” would question ANOTHER defensive lineman being taken in the first round. But there is a certain method to my madness.


Problem Areas
DT, CB, RB, FS, OG, TE (healthy)


DT- With the departure of Dunta Robinson, the ineptitude of Eugene Wilson as a solid starter and two second-year corners slated as starters right now, one would assume the secondary would be the biggest problem area for 2010. One would assume wrong. It doesn’t matter how proficient the secondary is, if a team cannot stop the run and pressure the QB. With the undersized Okoye plugged into one DT spot, the Texans need a BIG DT who can clog the middle and occasionally apply pressure. (Although, if a Top 15 caliber secondary player falls to #20 (like Earl Thomas), don’t be surprised to see the Texans jump all over him.) 


CB- Remember the Texans draft solely on “highest rated player” on the board, rather than “areas of need”. Outside of Joe Haden (CB, Florida), the field of talented CB’s is scarce to say the least. Look at Devin McCourty (Rutgers), Kyle Wilson (Boise State) and Patrick Robinson (Florida State) as potential candidates. 


RB- With Steve Slaton suffering from a MASSIVE sophomore slump, look for the Texans to fill the backfield void with a bigger back. If they do address this need in the first round, they’ll have their eye on Ryan Mathews (Fresno State), CJ Spiller (Clemson) and Jonathon Dwyer (Georgia Tech). 


FS- Highly unlikely they draft a FS in the first round unless Earl Thomas (Texas) or Taylor Mays (USC) fall to them. 


History
Look at the history- Jason Babin (’04), Travis Johnson (’05), Mario Williams (’06) and Amobi Okoye (’07). Babin and Johnson aren’t even on the team anymore. Amobi has been mentioned in the same breath as the oh-so-looming phrase of “NFL Busts”. Mario is now a justifiable pick, but a PR nightmare at the time. This is THE make or break year for Gary Kubiak, Rick Smith and Texans' playoff push.

Houston Texans Week 15 Quick Hits

Ben Nance's Texans' Quick Hits



Lets break down some quick Texans' team stats -

Offense

1. The Texans are ranked 2nd in Overall Offense (Total Yards = 4,079)
2. Their offense is averaging 291.4 Yards Per Game

3. They are 11th in Points Per Game (23.4)
4. They are 11th in Total Points Scored (327)
5. They are 19th in the Turn Over Plus/Minus (-2)
6. They are 5th in Plays From Scrimmage (912)
7. They are 9th in Yards Per Play (5.8)
8. They are 6th in Offensive Penalties (87)
9. They are 21st in Total Offensive Penalty Yards (783)
10. They are 8th in Offensive Time of Possession Per Game (31:52)

Defense

1. The Texans are ranked 16th in Overall Defense (YPG)

2. Their defense is giving up almost 327 Yards Per Game
3. They are 14th in Points Given Up Per Game (21)
4. They are 17th in Total Points Given Up (286)
5. They are 25th in Total Plays Given Up From Scrimmage (841)
6. They are 14th in Yards Given Up Per Play (5.4)
7. They are 16st in Defensive Penalties (84)
8. They are 22nd in Total Defensive Penalty Yards (643)
9. They are 8th in Defensive Time of Possession Per Game (28:08)
10. They are tied for 5th in Fumbles Lost (12)

Lets break down some quick Texans' player stats -


QB-Matt Schuab-

1. Ranked 7th in Overall Passer Rating (98.9)
2. Ranked 2nd in Overall Pass Completions (352)
3. Tied for 2nd in Overall Pass Attempts (513)
4. Tied for 2nd in Pass Completion Percentage (68.6)
5. Tied for 3rd in Attempts Per Game (36.6)
6. Ranked 2nd in Overall Passing Yards (4,181)
7. Ranked 4th in Yards Per Completion (8.2)
8. Ranked 2nd in Passing Yards Per Game (298.6)
9. Tied for 5th in Passing Touchdowns (25)
10. Ranked 8th in Total Interceptions (13)

WR-Andre Johnson-

1. Ranked 4th in Overall Receptions (90)
2. Ranked 1st in Overall Reception Yards (1,433)
3. Ranked 1st in Reception Yards Per Game (102.4) (Only 100+ Receiver)
4. Ranked 11th in Overall Touchdown Receptions (8)
5. Tied for 1st in 20+ Yard Catches (20)
6. Ranked 2nd in 40+ Yard Catches (9)
7. Ranked 4th in Total First Down Catches (61)

Houston Texans Week 9 Quick Hits

Ben Nance's Texans' Quick Hits

Lets break down some quick Texans' player stats -

QB-Matt Schuab-
1. Ranked #7 in Overall Passer Rating (100.5)
2. Ranked #1 in Overall Pass Completions (188)
3. Ranked #1 in Overall Pass Attempts (283)
4. Ranked #5 in Completion Percentage (66.4)
5. Ranked #6 in Attempts Per Game (35.4)
6. Ranked #1 in Overall Passing Yards (2,342)
7. Ranked #6 in Yards Per Completion (8.3)
8. Ranked #3 in Passing Yards Per Game (292.8)
9. Ranked #1 in Passing Touchdowns (16)
10. Ranked #21 in Total Interceptions (7)



Lets break down some quick Texans' team stats -

Offense
1. The Texans are ranked 8th in Overall Offense (YPG)
2. Their offense is averaging 374 Yards Per Game
3. They are 12th in Points Per Game (24.8)
4. They are 6th in Total Points Scored (198)
5. They are 12th in the Turn Over Plus/Minus (+2)
6. They are 3rd in Plays From Scrimmage (521)
7. They are 10th in Yards Per Play (5.7)
8. They are 16th in Offensive Penalties (43)
9. They are 21st in Total Offensive Penalty Yards (377)
10. They are 6th in Offensive Time of Possession Per Game (32:14)

Defense

1. The Texans are ranked 16th in Overall Defense (YPG)
2. Their defense is giving up almost 327 Yards Per Game
3. They are 14th in Points Given Up Per Game (21)
4. They are 20th in Total Points Given Up (168)
5. They are 22nd in Total Plays Given Up From Scrimmage (459)
6. They are 24th in Yards Given Up Per Play (5.7)
7. They are 31st in Defensive Penalties (58)
8. They are 26th in Total Defensive Penalty Yards (430)
9. They are 5th in Defensive Time of Possession Per Game (27:46)
10. They are tied for 31th in Fumbles Lost (9)

Blown Call: How Tim Donaghy Could Kill the NBA

For Love of the Game
It's 5:00 AM. You hear the familar constant drum of a leather ball reacting with a dusty wood floor. Bounce. Swish. Bounce. Swish.

A skinny, pale-faced kid's hair flops back and forth with every vibration. His placid face reeks of a mixture of bliss and contentment. It's a chilly morning, a morning of understanding.

The game is simple- a man, a ball, a hoop. In a life that's so chaotic, basketball always remains as a symbol of purity and consistency.

On this autumn morning, a young Larry Bird is up early, shooting his daily 1,000 shots. The only concern for Bird is one thing- being the best. "I don't know if I practiced more than anybody, but I sure practiced enough. I still wonder if somebody - somewhere - was practicing more than me."

Larry was one of the few remaining selfless players who seemed to understand the "team more important than self" concept. Professional basketball's attendance was rising, along with the all important TV ratings. The Finals' matchups were riveting; the players were role models for kids across the globe.  

But wait... take a step back and look at the stats. Since the 1975 NBA Season, (34 NBA seasons) there have been a total of FIVE 4-0 sweeps in the NBA Finals. Sixteen series' went to at least six games. Coincidence? Or a product of the mettling hand of the Association? Ex-NBA Referee Tim Donaghy broke the unspoken Golden Rule by leaking the NBA's dirty little secrets.

July 20, 2007- NBA D-Day
I grew up watching Isiah, Magic and Jordan change the face (and culture) of professional basketball in America. Long gone were the days of "four passes before you shoot". The fantastic teams of the '60s, the Bob Cousy's and the Oscar Robertson's- all apparitions of the past. The NBA slowly transitioned into a product of American culture- an ever growing need for constant entertainment.

The intial news broke that there was an ongoing FBI investigation into a "dirty referee" gambling on professional basketball games. Blindly taken by surprise, the NBA responded quickly by repetitively stating it was an "isolated incident". The story sizzled for a few weeks but lost some of its flash when Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison for two felony charges of conspiracy.

October 28, 2009- The Whistle is Blown
Tim Donaghy's book entitled "Blowing the Whistle" was oddly suspended from being released (some are posing that an NBA pay-off happened to silence the book's publisher Triumph Books). Legally, Triumph Books stated "concerns over potential liability" as the reason for cancelling publication. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective) snippets of the book were leaked to the website DeadSpin.com, causing a mixed "shock/I-told-you-so" reaction.

The allegations were absolutely devastating.


"After the opening tip, it was hilarious as the three of us immediately focused our full attention on the intended victim, waiting for something, anything, to justify a technical foul."


"I became so good at this game that if an obvious foul was committed right in front of me, I would call a travel or a three-second violation instead. "


"If (NBA Referee Steve) Javie was on the court when Iverson was playing, I would always bet on the other team to win or at least cover the spread."


Donaghy- "I was thinking, How is Denver going to win on the road in San Antonio? At the time, the Spurs were arguably the best team in the league."


NBA Referee Dick Bavetta -"Duncan will be on the bench with three fouls within the first five minutes of the game"


And worst of all-
"...he expressed amazement at the way an NBA game could be manipulated. Sobering, yes; amazing, no. That's how the game is played in the National Basketball Association."


Image Issues
Regardless of the accusations, the real problem is an image issue. Someone please give the NBA's Public Relations department a raise; the 2009-2010 NBA faces an image issue of epic porpotions, one not seen since the Steroid Debacle in Major League Baseball. This could be worse.


In professional sports, the players can cheat, the coaches can cheat and even the officials can biasedly cheat, on their own terms. Leagues CANNOT cheat. If fans even smell a whiff of the rank, odorous pungency of a Stern-istic communist regime, all bets are off.


A true fan watches for one reason and one reason alone- to see THEIR team win a championship. IF the NBA sets up games, creates a biased officiating system and pushes certain teams into positions of success, then why would anyone watch the NBA? IF Donaghy's allegations proved to be true, then the NBA is no more than a glorified WWE. The games are wrestling matches, the superstars are pre-selected heroes/heels and the officials figuratively take steel chairs to the head (or purposely miss calls in the Association).

So how impactful could a "rogue referee's" whistleblowing actually be? (Especially if he stands to monetarily gain from his inside knowledge. Utterly devastating.

We all have had a sense of some biased officiating going on, but not from a league-posed perspective. Yes, the NBA allowed star players to get away with travelling, fouls and arguing w/ officials. For them to basically set up games for specific teams to be in position to win, is a different animal in itself.

Strange Coincidences
As a Houston Rockets fan, this especially hit home in 2005, in the Rockets/Mavericks playoff series. Houston went up 2-0 in the series and Dallas' owner Mark Cuban complained to the League about Yao Ming setting illegal screens. The following is a letter from Tim Donaghy's lawyer on the series-

"Team 3 lost the first two games in the series and Team 3's Owner complained to NBA officials. Team 3's Owner alleged that referees were letting a Team 4 player get away with illegal screens. NBA Executive Y told Referee Supervisor Z that the referees for that game were to enforce the screening rules strictly against that Team 4 player. Referee Supervisor Z informed the referees about his instructions. As an alternate referee for that game, Tim also received these instructions."


The letter continued with- "Tim described one referee's use of a team's practice facility to exercise and another's frequent tennis matches with a team's coach"


Via ESPN, "During the 2005 postseason, Mavs owner Mark Cuban did in fact complain after his team lost to the Houston Rockets in the first two games of their series, and Dallas went on to beat Houston in seven games. Jeff Van Gundy, then the coach of the Rockets, said that an NBA official had told him about the league's plan to closely monitor moving screens by Yao Ming, and Van Gundy was ultimately fined $100,000 for his comments regarding the situation. Van Gundy later backed off his comments."


The Rockets went on to lose the series in Game 7.


Fan Fallout
There are two types of fans- 1. Proactive, intelligent fans and 2. Ignorant, accepting fans. Type Two fans accept David Stern's explanation and mark Donaghy's comments off to a money-making scheme. Type One fans delve deeper into the allegations behind the surface. From a business perspective, the NBA propers exponentially from setting up big games and series.


Logically, it makes sense for the NBA to create bigger ratings, revenue and attendance numbers by have a "behind-the-scenes" approach to "referee coaching" (which is teaching ref's on how to make the game run smoothly, appear unbiased and yet give an undeniable advantage to the Association's money-making team)


All I can speak for is myself. Will I continue to watch the NBA? Yes, basketball is my passion. Will I have a different perspective? You bet. Every call that seems shaky or strange will be questioned by the NBA's fanbase as a whole.


With the integrity and purity of the game now in jeopardy, only one statement rings true to me- maybe we were better off WITH amateur officials making the calls.

***All statements Tim Donaghy has made in his book are ALL allegations***

Texas A&M's Defensive Opponent

Texas A&M has the "third ranked offense" in the NCAA. Now, one might question how good are the Aggies' opponents defense? Let's break it down (ranked by Overall Defensive Statistics)

1. Oklahoma State (56th)
2. Texas Tech (73rd)
3. Kansas State (74th)
4. Utah State (99th)
5. Arkansas (105th)
6. UAB (108th)
7. New Mexico (116th)

The average defense the Texas A&M Aggies have faced rank 90th in country (out of 120)

Remember... They've also lost 3 of their 7 games.

Who is the best team in the NFL?

Ben Nance's  Statistical Best Team in the NFL (Week 7)

I was interested in where the teams ranked 1-32 statistically. There are power rankings, win/loss percentage's and the pubic opinion of which teams should win week in and week out but who is undeniably the best? I decided to take the official stats on NFL.com, add the ranks of the Overall Best Offenses' and Defenses' and come up with a ranking of teams from best to worst (the lower the number, the better the team is). The results were interesting to say the least...

The Elite (11 Points and Under)
#1. New York Giants (7 points, #1 Defense, #6 Defense)
#2 Pittsburgh Steelers (8 points, #3 Defense, #5 Offense)
#3 New Orleans Saints (10 Points, #9 Defense, #1 Offense) (TIED)
#3 Indianapolis Colts (10 Points, #7 Defense, #3 Offense) (TIED)
#3 New England Patriots (10 Points, #6 Defense, #4 Offense) (TIED)
#6 Denver Broncos (11 Points, #2 Defense, #9 Offense)

The Contenders (31 Points and Under)
#7 Philadelphia Eagles (16 Points, #4 Defense, #12 Offense)
#8 Green Bay Packers (18 Points, #8 Defense, #18 Offense)
#9 Baltimore Ravens (24 Points, #17 Defense, # 7 Offense) (TIED)
#9 Dallas Cowboys (24 Points, #22 Defense, #2 Offense) (TIED)
#11 Miami Dolphins (25 Points, #10 Defense, #15 Offense)
#12 Washington Redskins (28 Points, #5 Defense, #23 Offense)
#12 Houston Texans (28 Points, #20 Defense, #8 Offense)
#14 New York Jets (31 Points, #11 Defense, #20 Offense) (TIED)
#14 Minnesota Vikings (31 Points, #18 Defense, #13 Offense) (TIED)

The Underdog's (42 Points and Under)
#16 Chicago Bears (32 Points, #13 Defense, #19 Offense) (TIED)
#16 Arizona Cardinals (32 Points, #16 Defense, #16 Offense) (TIED)
#18 Cinncinnati Bengals (36 Points, #19 Defense, #17 Offense) (TIED)
#18 Jacksonville Jaguars (36 Points, #25 Defense, #11 Offense) (TIED)


#18 Seattle Seahawks (36 points, #14 Defense, #22 Offense)(TIED)
#21 San Diego Chargers (37 points, #23 Defense, #14 Offense)
#22 Carolina Panthers (38 points, #12 Defense, #26 Offense)
#23 Atlanta Falcons (42 Points, #24 Defense, #18 Offense)

NFL Week 7 Power Ranking's

Ben Nance's Week 7 Power Ranking's-


Biggest Rise- New England (12 to 8)
Biggest Fall- Philadelphia Eagles (13 to 19)
Sleeper Pick- Jets 
Most Overrated- Broncos
Most Underrated- Texans


1. New Orleans Saints (5-0)- This team has honestly shocked me at how well they've played up to this point. Offensively they are the juggernaut we all assumed they would be, but defensively, I'm shocked. Sean Payton might have spend the best $250,000 of his salary by digging into his own pockets to get Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams to Nola. Quite a bold gamble on SP's part... but now looks well worth the initial investment. (Maybe Payton will take up a career on Wall Street after coaching). 


Most Impressive Stat- #5 in Defensive Run Yards Per Game (83.4)


2. Indianapolis Colts (5-0)- To be honest, I underestimated Peyton Manning. At 33, I thought he had reached his apex during his 31 TD, 9 INT 2006 season. I was badly mistaken. As the #2 Ranked QB (Passer Rating-wise) and completing an astonishing 73.5 % of his passes, I feel pretty safe to say Peyton is playing at the top of his game. If he stays upright and protected, they could very well make a run at allowing a Manning to win for the third time in four years.


Most Impressive Stat- #2 in Points Allowed Per Game (14.2)


3.Minnesota Vikings (6-0)- Adrian Peterson. The best lines in football. Three years of stopping the run better than anyone. Missing element? A 40 year old grey-bearded gun slinger? (No, not John Wayne in his later years). Brett Lorenzo Favre has made the Vikings into the most lethal team in the league. Name a way to win football games: Run the football, pass the football, stop the run, create turnovers, win the special teams battle and get plain lucky. Lets see... check, check, check, check, check and checkkk. This team looks to be the most complete, on one hand, and on the other, the most likely to have a "schism" destroy their whole season. Ok, I'm joking about that but I implore someone to name a more deadly/combustible mix than the 2009-2010 Minnesota Vikings. Heinz Field should be the epic setting for the game of the week. 


Most Impressive Stat- After throwing 55 INT's in the last three years combined, Favre has only thrown TWO this year (compared to 12 TD's). The least he's ever thrown in a season is 13. 



4. Denver Broncos (6-0)- Lets be honest here- with a starting QB named Orton, a first year coach who fans called to be fired before even coaching one game, a starting rookie RB and a WR who has been named "Scandal" Marshall due to his diva-esque behavior - this team looked to be sliding fast. Now, less than two months later, they are 1 of 4 undefeated NFL teams. With key victories over NE, Dallas and San Diego, Denver APPEARS to be a ligitimate team. The true test will come in the following two weeks when they play the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium and then welcome the Steelers (who have won their last 3 games) to "Invesco Field" at Mile High. IF, and I emphasize IF, the Stallions come out of this two game stretch with an 8-0 record, I'll buy the hype.

Most Impressive Stat- Kyle Orton has 9 TD's, 1 INT and a three figure QB rating (100.1) Last year he finished with 18 TDs, 12 INT's and a 79.6 QB rating. Oh, did I mention that the 5'11 Elvis Dumervil is on pace to record 30 sacks this year? Lol wow

5. New York Giants (5-1)- The NFL's #1 Overall Defense looks to be serious NFL Super Bowl Contenders. Yeah, yeah New Orleans "Brees'd" through the G-Men, but dont't let one regular season game fool you. That epic matchup very well could very well be repeated in the NFC Championship game in January. I wouldn't be surprised to see them end up with the best record in the NFC. You can pretty much sum up the NYG's in 3 stats- #1 Overall Defense, #1 Pass Defense and #3 in Offensive Scoring. Unless David has taken some serious steriods, then I doubt anyone will be slaying this metaphorical Goliath.

Most Impressive Stat- Steve Smith has 41 catches for 525 yards and averages 12.8 yards per catch. Yeah we're not talking a Carolina's Steve Smith. Talk about Breakout Player of the Year (This should be a real awards IMO). Oh, did I mention he's tied for 2nd in the NFL with 4 TD catches.

6. Atlanta Falcons (4-1)- I honestly think this team is a year or two away from being an elite power in the league. Their defense, contrary to popular thought, plays the most interesting ball for this squad. They give up 359 YPG (24th in the league), including 241 Passing YPG and 118 Rushing YPG (good for 21st and 23rd respectively). What's compelling though, is the fact that they are ranked FOURTH in the league in Points Per Game given up. Weird eh? Apparently they have A. One of the best Red Zone Defenses' in the League or B. They're quite lucky. I'll take C, a mixture of both. Matt Ryan is a straight up star at QB and looks to be the best 1st QB taken since Eli Manning (better than Staffake, "San"chise, "Uni-Brow" Flacco, JaMuscle Russell (yeah right), Shady Quinn, "Prince" Young, Matt No'Heart, Gay Cutler, Alex Smith (his name is as boring as his playing), etc. Watch for Matty Ice to be the best QB in the league in 2 years.

Most Impressive Stat- Atlanta's Offensive Line hasn't allowed a sack since Week 1

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)- After losing two in a row, the Steel City has bounced back to win three straight. The catch? The beat San Diego, Detroit and Cleveland. This team falls into the "too early to judge" catagory. With impressive numbers on both sides of the ball (5th in Offensive Yards Per Game, 3rd in Defensive Yards Per Game), its hard to gauge exactly how good the defending champs actually are. Big Ben is doing what he does best- winning but in a precarious fashion by leading the league in Yards and ranking 2nd in Completion %, but he also has thrown 6 picks to only 10 endzone grabs. Hmm. They are 2nd in passing but have fallen all the way to FIFTEENTH in rushing yards per game. They've completely passed the reins over to Mendenhall and pushed quick Willie Parker down to #2 on the Depth Chart. Tiss Tiss Tomlin, Tiss Tiss. It amazes me how quickly people give up on RB's. I think that move could come back to haunt them. The game at Heinz Field will give us all a real good feel about not only the Metal Men, but the NFC's powerhouses' in general.

Most Impressive Stat- The Steelers are ranked 3rd in Overall Defense along with being ranked 5th in Overall Offense