For a chance at Indy, Texans need better start

Discussion in 'Tennessee Titans and NFL Talk' started by NewsGrabber, Nov 13, 2008.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. NewsGrabber

    NewsGrabber Guest

    Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky In losing 12 of 13 games to Indianapolis, the Houston Texans have had starting trouble.

    The Colts of Peyton Manning are built to grab an early lead and dictate the shape of a game. They've been able to consistently follow the formula against the Texans.

    Indianapolis has outscored Houston 96-28 in the first quarter. Nine times the Colts have lead after 15 minutes, by an average of 7.9-0; two times the teams have been tied; two times the Texans have led.

    Thanks to Keith Hawkins of ESPN Research for the info.

    The Texans have a little bit more of a reason not to get down if they trail early. They were down 10-0 after the first quarter on Oct. 5 at Reliant Stadium and came back to build a 27-10 lead. Never mind, for the point we're making here, that they blew that lead in the final 2:10 and lost.

    "We've been able to get off to fast starts against them and get ourselves ahead," Tony Dungy said. "That's certainly helps you. We got out 10 to nothing in this past game and they caught us and outperformed us for three quarters. But, I think a lot of it has been getting off to those fast starts, getting them out of their running game, and getting them into a throwing game.

    "We'd like to do that again, but their much more explosive than they've ever been when we've played them. They're averaging up in the 370's and putting a ton of points on the board. So, I think they feel good about their ability to score, and that's probably what makes this team a little different than previous Houston teams we've played."

    The Texans have the highest-rated offense in the division, by far, are the second-highest scoring team among the four teams of the AFC South. But they've been outscored in the first quarter this season, 55-40.

    "You know, we've had some first quarters where we haven't had the ball very much, some interesting games," Gary Kubiak said. "I want to say last week, I think we touched the ball twice in the first quarter. We were three-and-out and then we had the big drive and had the turnover. So, you just want to move the ball. You want to look at the game and see that you move the ball and gave yourself a chance to score points. And we have moved the football but we have been sloppy with the football. So, those things offset each other."

    "...Yeah, I mean, you'd love to start fast. You put together the first 15 (plays) and sometimes they're good and they're right on and sometimes they're off and you have to put them in your back pocket and go to something else. So, that's just part of it and you just want to find a way to move the football before the day is over. Like I said, we've been able to do that but we've just been hurting ourselves."



    More...
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  • Welcome to goTitans.com

    Established in 2000, goTitans.com is the place for Tennessee Titans fans to talk Titans. Our roots go back to the Tennessee Oilers Fan Page in 1997 and we currently have 4,000 diehard members with 1.5 million messages. To find out about advertising opportunities, contact TitanJeff.
  • The Tip Jar

    For those of you interested in helping the cause, we offer The Tip Jar. For $2 a month, you can become a subscriber and enjoy goTitans.com without ads.

    Hit the Tip Jar