Here's the post game stock report on the 23-22 Texans' loss to the Cowboys.
--- Stock Rising
- Steve Slaton looked good again (10 carries - 44 yards), showing a burst that no one else in this backfield has and he did it against the first unit for the Cowboys. He'll get snaps against Pittsburgh in the opener for sure and with the injuries to both Green and Brown, they will need him.
- Chris Taylor also had his best game (11-47) and still to me seems completely miscast as a fullback even if it's just in a pinch.
- Kevin Walter and David Anderson continue to be very impressive, they catch everything thrown their way. Andre Johnson played but had no catches - he was targeted just twice.
- The O-Line was a big reason why the running game finally looked their best. While there was pressure on the QB's, there were no sacks and Schaub only took one hard hit.
- Turnovers. The Texans have now created 5 turnovers this preseason, 3 came tonight all on fumbles. The offense has yet turn the ball over at all in three games.
--- Stock Falling
- Defensive line continues to get dominated - absolutely no pass rush all night long. There were massive holes for Marion Barber throughout. At this point, I'd make it a 50-50 split on the blame. The talent is suspect, but the scheme shows virtually no creativity. I can't believe they are holding back their "good stuff" for the season.
- Texans' cornerbacks are not doing anything this preseason. Reeves has been the biggest culprit, essentially allowing the catch every single time his man is targeted. Like last week, Reeves actually had good coverage on one deep throw, but made zero play on the ball and allowed the pass to be completed. He plays with little confidence, but that should be no surprise. Too bad no other corner has looked good this preseason either.
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- During his brief halftime interview, Coach Kubiak said Harry Williams was doing fine and moving everything. Williams was injured on the Cowboys first kickoff return of the game when he collided with teammate Nick Ferguson. His head crashed into the chest of Ferguson as he was headed to the turf and he showed no movement before the medical staff raced onto the field and immediately called for the stretcher. He was completely immobilized as they transported him to the ambulance, thus they was no opportunity for Williams to show any signs of movement.
- The first half would have looked a whole lot worse had Zac Diles not picked off Tony Romo in the endzone. The defense was terrible. The Cowboys went up and down the field on them churning up 266 yards in the half, with Marion Barber gaining 75 on just 13 carries and the team averaged 7.6 yards per snap.
The offense stalled early mainly because Matt Schaub was off target for the first two series. When Steve Slaton joined the first unit, things started to click. Slaton busted off a 20-yard run and the Texans went 80 yards for their lone 1st half TD. They killed better than 6 minutes on the drive which is encouraging. About the only way to make the Texans defense look good is to keep them on the sidelines.
Slaton is obviously going to see the field a lot more than the coaches anticipated when they drafted him. With injuries to both Ahman Green (groin) and Chris Brown (John McClain is reporting than Brown has a knee issue that required it to be drained), Slaton has looked a lot better than any other running back and it's not out of the question that he could be the starter for the opener in Pittsburgh.
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