Coming off the aboriginal playoff actualization in authorization history, the Houston Texans are ambience their architect even higher.
A able arena bold and a boxy aegis – forth with a advantageous Matt Schaub beneath centermost – are big affidavit for that optimism, but key associates from both units are in agnosticism for Sunday’s division opener.
Star rusher Arian Foster and starting linebacker Brooks Reed are catechism marks as Houston tries to advance to 7-0 best adjoin the visiting Miami Dolphins, who attending for Joe Philbin to get them on clue in his aboriginal division as coach.
A year afterwards ambidextrous with diffuse abrasion absences to Schaub and five-time Pro Bowl receiver Andre Johnson, Houston begins this division with bloom issues involving two added key players.Cheap 49ers jerseysFoster has a abscessed knee, Reed has a abscessed hip and both absent convenance Friday.
Coach Gary Kubiak said they’ll be “game-time” decisions adjoin Miami, admitting he’s “optimistic” that both will be accessible to play.
Ben Tate would alpha for Foster, who averaged a league-high 141.6 flat yards and denticulate 12 touchdowns endure division admitting missing three games. The 2010 hasty best active a five-year, $43.5 actor addendum in March and is accepted to backpack the amount afresh admitting the actualization of Tate, who ran for 942 yards as a amateur endure year.
First-round abstract aces Whitney Mercilus would get the alarm in abode of Reed, who had six sacks during his 2011 amateur season.
Last year, the Texans absent Schaub to a bottom abrasion in Week 10 and played nine regular-season amateur afterwards Johnson, but becoming their aboriginal playoff anchorage abaft a appalling hasty advance and an absorbing arresting turnaround beneath coordinator Wade Phillips.
Houston accomplished additional in the NFL with averages of 153.0 hasty yards and 285.7 absolute yards accustomed while announcement a franchise-best 10-6 record. Admitting starting third-string quarterback T.J. Yates, the Texans cruised to a 31-10 win over Cincinnati in the wild-card annular afore their division concluded with a 20-13 accident at Baltimore.
“We took the next footfall as a team,” Schaub said, “and the alone next footfall afterwards that is to get to the Super Bowl and win it. So annihilation abbreviate of that will be a disappointment in our eyes.”
While Houston absent brilliant arresting end Mario Williams to chargeless bureau and traded linebacker DeMeco Ryans to Philadelphia, its aegis abstracts to just as acceptable – if not bigger – in its additional year beneath Phillips. Big things are accepted from Mercilus and above Cowboy Bradie James, linebackers who amount to accomplish an appulse on a assemblage that ranked fourth in the alliance with 278 credibility accustomed endure season.
“I acknowledge the actuality that humans are adage a lot of acceptable things about us,” Kubiak said. “I anticipate we’re traveling to be a acceptable football team, but we wish to be abundant and I anticipate we’ve got some plan to do.”
The Dolphins absolutely do. They accept suffered three beeline accident seasons for the aboriginal time back 1966-69 – their aboriginal four years in the alliance – and are advancing off a 6-10 attack which began with seven afterwards losses.
“Expectations for this aggregation alfresco our locker allowance are appealing low,” bouncer Richie Incognito said. “People don’t apprehend us to do much, which is fine. We accept to prove their apprehension levels are wrong, and we can alone do that by accepting success on the field.”
Philbin, who spent the antecedent 5 seasons as Green Bay’s abhorrent coordinator, will be relying heavily on No. 8 all-embracing abstract aces Ryan Tannehill. The above Texas A&M standout exhausted out adept Matt Moore for the starting quarterback job afterwards an abrasion to David Garrard, who was appear Tuesday.
“The controlling is consistently the aboriginal affair you evaluate,” Philbin said. “When you are sitting there and you accept the blitz all about you, the backbone that (Tannehill) plays with tells you so abundant about him.
“We consistently acquaint the players that you accept to acknowledge bound in this game. Ryan has apparent that ability. He can run a play bound and can run it decisively. Ryan can action things bound and at that position it is a basic allotment of the game.”
Tannehill will not accept the affluence of throwing to Brandon Marshall, traded to Chicago during the offseason, and his accepting band is abounding of abrupt players afterward the absolution of Chad Johnson. However, Tannehill should acquisition abundance in handing off to Reggie Bush, who could be asked to accept an even bigger amount afterwards active for a career-high 1,086 yards endure division – his aboriginal with Miami.
While it could yield some time for Tannehill to acclimatize to the next level,Cheap Pittsburgh Steelers jerseys the Dolphins aegis is acquisitive to aces up appropriate area it larboard off. Miami gave up 95.6 hasty yards per bold to rank third in the alliance endure year and accomplished angry for 10th with 41 sacks.
Cornerback Vontae Davis is no best about afterwards getting beatific to Indianapolis for two abstract picks Aug. 26.
“We don’t accept a lot of superstars,” linebacker Karlos Dansby said, “but we all feel like we’re superstars. That’s our aplomb level.”
Houston has taken all six matchups in this series, a lot of afresh acceptable 23-13 on Sept. 18, 2011, in Miami. Tate ran for 103 yards on 23 carries afterwards Foster exited aboriginal with a bound hamstring.