At tthe quarter pole the Texans are the team to beat

**macho GRANDE** · 10-05-2012, 08:58 AM

Full disclosure ..... I'm a Texan fan in Houston and have been lurking this forum since last year's playoff game. I'll add my Texan avatar once I'm granted permission

. You guys have a lot of rational fans on here and I agree with your post. The Texans do play a throwback brand of football. I'm look forward to seeing how we stack up vs the ravens. Win or lose I believe our teams are the class of the afc this season and will meet again in the playoffs. Hopefully in Houston.

Oh yeah, f**k Jacoby!

**The Excellector** · 10-05-2012, 05:23 PM

Originally Posted by macho GRANDE

Full disclosure ..... I'm a Texan fan in Houston and have been lurking this forum since last year's playoff game. I'll add my Texan avatar once I'm granted permission

. You guys have a lot of rational fans on here and I agree with your post. The Texans do play a throwback brand of football. I'm look forward to seeing how we stack up vs the ravens. Win or lose I believe our teams are the class of the afc this season and will meet again in the playoffs. Hopefully in Houston.

Oh yeah, f**k Jacoby!

Brother, I've been saying fuck Jacoby since he got here. He just hasn't fucked up yet.

I have to give the Texans credit. Once they decided to stop trying to outscore everybody, it seemed like a light came on for the organization. Wade Phillips was a great addition as a defensive coordinator and Jonathan Joseph was a key acquisition. I think that if Pollard had a guy like Joseph in the secondary, you guys might have seen what we are enjoying from him now.

At the end of the day, for whatever reason, the Ravens just seem to have the Texans' number right now. Whether it is Joe going bombs away as a rookie or Houston storming back to send the game to OT, only for Schaub to throw the game ending pick six. It just seems like, no matter the personnel, they just can't get the W.

Which is why I think that Houston is more motivated than ever to tear out a piece of Baltimore's ass. It all culminated with that playoff loss. I think that, much like Baltimore was waiting for New England, Houston has been waiting for Baltimore. Can you confirm that?

This time, I actually think that Houston will get it done. However, I will say this, if Baltimore pulls it out, nothing is stopping them from getting the #1 seed and nobody is coming into M&T and beating them. The Ravens are currently operating without the reigning Defensive MVP. Even if he comes back at 80%, with the state of the Ravens' current pass rush, it would be a significant boost to the defense.

At the end of the day, I think that Houston's front seven is going to give the Ravens too many problems, and that Jonathan Joseph will be able to take Torrey one-on-one. Right now, the Ravens defense is okay, but nothing compared to normal Ravens' standards. Foster was able to get up the seams with a healthy Suggs. Now, I can only imagine what that zone blocking would do to Baltimore's front seven.

I still expect a close and competitive game. However, with this being in Houston, I think the motivation will kick them to another level, good enough for the W.

**HoustonRaven** · 10-05-2012, 05:38 PM

Macho Grande (great Airplane reference, btw) will most likely back up something I've been saying.

Just wait when it comes to Jacoby. He's going to drop something important.

**macho GRANDE** · 10-05-2012, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

Macho Grande (great Airplane reference, btw) will most likely back up something I've been saying.

Just wait when it comes to Jacoby. He's going to drop something important.

Yeah Jacoby hits you where it hurts. We loved his potential and he can be electrifying but in Houston he had maturity issues. So far so good in the limited times I've seen him this year. I wouldn't get too comfortable with him yet though. It wasn't just the drops and fumbles that were so frustrating. It was the refusal to go north and south on punt returns. He obviously has the talent to take it to the house but would rather run sideline to sideline for a two yard return. Argh!!!

Me and the guys that I tailgate with consider the Ravens our measuring stick now that the Colts are no longer the "Colts". Reason being is that they are gonna give you the same quality of play whenever we meet. Tough. Physical.
We've been able to come close, damn close, on a few occasions but have yet to kick that door in and honestly I don't think that we can't beat y'all without playing clean for four quarters. Fortunately I think this year's team is capable of just that.
The thing that has impressed me most outside of the defense is the multiple ways in which our offense can move the ball. It's very methodical. We go over the top of teams that squeeze the box. We work the middle of those that back up. Teams have loaded up to stop the run yet Foster is still on pace for 1600 yards without a breakout game. None of it looks forced or hurried which is for the best since Schaub has some limitations in handling broken plays. Hopefully this trend continues through the Jets and Pack so we can see you guys at 6-0.

Btw, I was a Pollard fan. Excellent quote guy. Not great in coverage but boy did he bring the wood. He's a good fit for the Ravens (as is Vonta).