Its like riding a bike....

[Zod]

Anyone else notice the offense looked much more comfortable on the second possession than the first?

The way I see it, playing at the NFL is like riding a bike. You don't forget how to ride a bike, but you do get more comfortable with it as you ride it. You settle in.

These guys go pretty lightly in camp. They haven't been hitting and blocking at full speed since January. It took a fews plays to literally knock the training camp mentality out of them.

If I am correct, which I am always correct, we will see a big difference in the first series Friday night.

[Highlandfire]

Lord Zod, NFLN pointed out all offenses are behind the Defenses at this point, but I agree we looked much smoother than some teams I saw this weekend.

[rayzor]

it won't be just the offense that will be the case for either...not that the defense and STs got the hang of the bike last year, just that they'll be more comfortable in the next game and will look better.

[Marguide]

Agree.

And for whatever reason, we did not match their intensity. Add to that Wade Phillips rushing 6 guys in a pre-season game, and our O was just not ready.

Miami may be in trouble come Friday night.

[KissMyConverse]

I have already laughed at the Sophomore slump posts on other sites I have seen. Its like people don't even remember how Cam looked last preseason.

When the regular season starts he turns his cap on backwards and its like a truck engine starting.

[iamhubby1]

The Texans are not a young team. They used this game to hone their plays. They did not use this game as an evaluation tool.

We on the other hand are a young team. We used the game to evaluate and teach. We did not go into this game trying to win. We went into this game with the idea of evaluating the kids.

There was a diffence of phylosophy in this game. If you are butt-hurt because we lost, you are loosing sight of the big picture.

[TheRed]

Is it Friday yet?

[Panther53521]

I am never butt-hurt over a preseason game unless we look like total poo and last night was not total poo until Clausen hit the field.

[Delhommey]

When Cam starts looking through his progressions, I'll feel a little better.

[PantherPhann89]

The Texans are not a young team. They used this game to hone their plays. They did not use this game as an evaluation tool.

We on the other hand are a young team. We used the game to evaluate and teach. We did not go into this game trying to win. We went into this game with the idea of evaluating the kids.

There was a diffence of phylosophy in this game. If you are butt-hurt because we lost, you are loosing sight of the big picture.

I like your post. I wasn't hurt that we lost, I just expected more, especially from our defense against the run.

[YoungPanthers89]

Brandon hogan should be an all pro then

[Doughboy88]

Zod, totally agree with you. The offensive line really had to settle in and get used to their new man in front. I spent most of my afternoon going over game tape and analyzing each player individually. Here is a small breakdown I came up with:

Cam: Looking very comfortable, just needs to shake off the rust. He will perform under the lights. One play that jumped out to me, 3rd and long inside our own 10. Holding onto the ball too long with a lineman coming at him fast. He seemed overconfident that he could shake him. Easy stuff to fix, maybe Cam was testing his strength.

Deangelo: Looking very fresh this year- still just as shifty as ever. He probably has the best vision of our backs.

Tolbert: Did not see much of him blocking. Needs to catch those easy passes in the flats. It is probably a matter of getting used to Cam's lasers. I still think he is going to be huge for us. We are not unveiling our sneaky good packages with him until the season starts.

Stewart: Nice catch for a decent pickup- looking very fluid.

Smith: Looked like ole Smitty- not much to pull away from this game. He will dominate this year!

Lafell: Can block pretty well, didn't see much separation from DB's. He can use his size as an advantage though- he will get his touches if #3 receiver becomes a threat do defenses.

Murphy: Refreshing to see him reel in some nice balls. Very quick, scary first move, can get plenty of separation. He is here to compete, and that is exactly what he did last night.

Tutu: One of the biggest disappointments of the night. Not entirely on the same page with Cam time-wise. He also may not have the best sense for where the ball is in the air. Average hands, average speed, did not impress me last night. Still has a lot to prove. He reminds me of Legatron being scared to get hit. On a crossing route, after the catch he goes down before anybody was close to him

Pilares: Looked good from what I saw. When the ball was thrown his way- he secures it. Plenty of speed, definitely want to see him more involved.

Edwards: Nice to see him in the mix. He snagged a nice ball. His routes are more crisp, he looks competent for once, and he always has had decent speed. Not sure if there is place on the team for him, but he may surprise.

Olsen: I don't think he caught a pass all night. Blocked better than he did last year. I can't wait for a breakout season from him.

Barnidge: Thought I saw him limp off the field- hope he is ok. He looked very good last night. Great hands, needs some more work at blocking, but WR speed at TE.

Kalil + Gross: Pros. Killed it. Rarely let a get past them, did their jobs.

Silatolu: Monster- Don't know why people say he didn't look great. 2 words: ROAD GRADER! I watched plays specifically on him more than anyone else. He is still very raw, he found himself in open areas on numerous occasions. Once he gets a grip on where he suppose to be on every play- he will be one of our many bright spots. Pass protected pretty well, run blocking machine! If there is someone near him, he will plow them!

Bell: Very discouraging night. I hate to say it but he looked sub-par last night. He was beat out on every pass protection roughly and did not show much in run blocking. He needs to work on his technique. I also think he needs to hit the weights a little more- pretty soft.

Campbell: I didn't catch much on him but from what I saw, I was very impressed. The guy is Huge! Opened up some nice holes and looks the part.

Here are some quick notes from the other side of the ball-

Johnson: Very solid last night. Beat his guy plenty- amazing technique. Beast.

Hardy: Mixed bag from him. Saw him on the ground a few times, but he did draw a couple blockers at times. He doesn't have the nose like CJ. He always seems to be behind the play. I still have high hopes for him this year. He looks much larger too.

Fua: Actually impressed with some things he did- looks stronger, helped close the pocket quite a few times.

Edwards: Huge. He didn't do anything that necessarily stood out but he did eat some serious space. Glad he is back to help this line perform.

Neblett: Looked pretty good last night. Sucks he will miss the 4 games. He has a serious motor and is way stronger this year. He pushed a few guys to the ground on multiple occasions.

McClain: Didn't see much of him for some reason..

Jason Phillips: Serviceable. He has a lot to learn. Lucky pick- right spot, right time. I would be scared if we ever put him on a TE. Not the fastest or strongest man.

Anderson: Same Anderson. Doesn't ever get the cred he deserves- incredible knack for the ball, did a good job last night.

KEEK: What a fuging beast. I am so happy he is our team. This guy put on a show last night. Highest motor, knows where the ball is and where it is going, pure athlete. He disengages off of blocks so easy and finds the ball. His stripping technique is very effective and he can chase down someone in a heartbeat. If he plays like this all year, it will be hard not to get DROY.

Gamble: Played good last night, draped all over Walter except one play. He played off too much and made a bad break on the ball. I think he will have another outstanding season.

Munny: Please god no to the #2 spot. Looked flat out awful. Plays off too much and gets beat on easy routes. I hope he moves to nickel. However, he is great when blitzing- where I think we should use him more often. He is sneaky fast and is a good tackler.

Josh Thomas: The only other CB worth noting. He looked pretty good- clinging to his man. They didn't target him but once I think- he had a nice pace defended.

Martin: What do you think about Sherod Martin? I think he plays safety. He actually looked pretty impressive last night. Now that he has a fire under his butt competing with Naka, he is playing like he should. He looked much stronger and faster too. I didn't see a lot of tape on him for on coverages, because the safeties are mostly out of the picture until the ball makes it to them.

Godfrey: I saw plenty on him. Plenty of terrible plays. What a step back this guy took! I had high hopes for him. Maybe it was the schemes we were running, but he seemed out of position more times than not.

Reggie Smith: He also looked terrible in coverage. He can't cover worth a darn, and he made a couple tackles that everyone should make.

Nakamura: I also didn't see much on him. From what I did see, nothing jumped out at me in particular. I need to see more on him.

If I didn't list anyone, it is because I probably didn't pay much attention to them or they didn't do anything spectacular. Oh btw- Adams looks like dat deal on PR!

[iamhubby1]

I like your post. I wasn't hurt that we lost, I just expected more, especially from our defense against the run.

I thought our first stringers did rather well. Considering the Texans are a veteran team. They were not great, but they were effective.

The O on the other hand. Never really tried to do anything. Run some vanilla plays, throw the ball a little bit. And than see where we are at. Run some plays and not get hurt. That was the aim this game.

[chknwing]

I have already laughed at the Sophomore slump posts on other sites I have seen. Its like people don't even remember how Cam looked last preseason.

When the regular season starts he turns his cap on backwards and its like a truck engine starting.