NFC South

Former Lions WR Titus Young Arrested 3 Times in One Week

A couple years ago during the NFL lockout, much was made of the arrest list compiled by NFL people during the league's self-imposed downtime. (I use the word "people" because it wasn't just players. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a coach and a front office person make the list.) When the season was s ... More >>

Joe Flacco Has A New Contract: Next Big Thing Or Next Cautionary Tale?

On December 16, the Baltimore Ravens lost their third game in a row, 34-17 to the Denver Broncos in Baltimore to drop to 9-5 on the season and virtually clinch a relatively ho-hum four seed in the AFC. On that day, their starting quarterback, Joe Flacco, completed 20 passes on 40 attempts for 254 l ... More >>

Football! This Weekend's Best Bets, NFL Divisional Round Nut Cuttin' Time!

This past Monday night, I had the privilege of attending the BCS Title Game in person in Miami. I say "privilege" because, despite my Notre Dame background, the trip itself and the magnitude of the event were amazing. Yes, my team lost, but it the vibe in the building before kickoff was surreal. As ... More >>

NFL Playoff Scenarios: A Guide To This Sunday

Week 17 of the NFL season is upon us this weekend, and while there are still plenty of moving (or potentially moving) parts left to be slotted, the one thing we are sure of is that in the NFC the Atlanta Falcons will have a first round bye and home field throughout the playoffs. The Texans have to ... More >>

Football! This Weekend's Best Bets

Before we get to this week's picks, a quick stock check on the "Houston Texans win the Super Bowl" prop bet. What exactly did the Patriots' 42-14 beatdown of our hometown team do to their wagering street cred? Well, prior to the game, the Texans and the Patriots were tied as the odds-on favorites t ... More >>

Monday Night Football Cavalcade Of Errors, Starring Rick Reilly!

Something amazing happened last night during ESPN's coverage of the Pittsburgh Steelers' 16-13 overtime atrocity win over the lowly Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night. It wasn't the Chiefs' miraculously hanging well within the 12 point spread on this game (obliterating degenerate teaser bets every ... More >>

AFC Playoff Projections, Week 7: First One Onto The Colts Bandwagon!

When Peyton Manning and the Broncos stormed back with 35 unanswered points in the second half of their 35-24 Monday night win against the Chargers this week, they accomplished a few things: 1. They tied an NFL record for the largest comeback win by a road team in NFL history. 2. They evened their ... More >>

Arian Foster's Projected 2012 Workload: An Historical Perspective

"He can handle it, I know that. You never know how the season's gonna go, and what it's gonna take to win each week. We're giving Arian some breaks at practice during the course of the week, but he looks fine to me. He's holding up fine. He hasn't missed any time, other than the time we've given him ... More >>

Week 3 Highlights of FFL (Fan Fighting League): Redskin-On-Redskin Fan Brawl Zapruder Analysis

A couple weeks ago, I launched the maiden week of my new fighting league, the Fan Fighting League, dedicated to bringing you the best in pro sport fan fights from around the globe. Week 1 gave us a quartet of Buffalo Bill fans taking on an entire section of New York Jet fans with very mixed results ... More >>

Football! This Weekend's Best Bets, Another Crappy Notre Dame Video Edition

Popcorn lung. Apparently, that's a thing. On Wednesday, a federal jury awarded a Denver man named Wayne Watson $7.2 million from various food companies after they determined that the respiratory problems he developed in 2007 were due to his frequent inhalation of the buttery aroma from microwave po ... More >>

Texans-Saints: 4 Winners, 4 Losers (The Trindon Holliday Conundrum Edition)

If you are a sports couch potato (and if you are reading this, chances are that is the case), Saturday night was one of those nights that we probably take for granted all of the technological advances that allow us to consume all of the fare on the sports buffet simultaneously. Picture if you will, ... More >>

Football Is Back! Texans Preseason Week One: 4 Winners, 4 Losers

At this point in the season, it's more about effort than execution. We're all rusty, even the media. Hell, Saturday night alone one local sports anchor mistook Keshawn Martin being the rookie wide receiver who was suspended last year instead of DeVier Posey (tweets deleted), the Houston Chronicle ... More >>

Yes, Gary Kubiak Is In Mid-Season "Battling" Form

With Texans' training camp in full swing, there's one thing fans want to know -- is head coach Gary Kubiak in mid-season quote-machine form? The answer is decidedly yes. Odd circumlocutions? You bet: Former New Orleans Saint, current Texan Mitch King? "He's a try-hard player." Of Houston Cougars' ... More >>

Longhorn Panic: Sealy WR Ricky Seals-Jones Decommits

It wouldn't be June if we didn't have some sort of off the field drama to worry about with our college football. And since the realignment talk this summer is at a dull roar at best, and since the resolution of a college football playoff is still several weeks away, how about a little recruiting ang ... More >>

The Betting Lines on the First 15 Texans Games Are Here!

Think you have a pretty good idea on how your favorite NFL team will do this upcoming season? More importantly, does your "pretty good idea" differ drastically from the super-early predictions the experts have forecasted for your squad? If so, the gambling gods have given themselves you another way ... More >>

Arkansas Fires Head Football Coach Bobby Petrino (w/ VIDEO)

Four and a half years after Bobby Petrino essentially "fired" the Atlanta Falcons as his employer by leaving a note for the players and sneaking off to the University of Arkansas in the middle of the night, Razorbacks athletics director Jeff Long notified a hastily assembled media throng last night ... More >>

Texans, Tebow and BCS Titles! This Weekend's 4 Winners and 4 Losers

All right, this is starting to get ridiculous, football gods. First, you knock out Arian Foster for the first three games of the season with a hamstring injury. Then you rob us of Andre Johnson not once but twice with injuries to each hamstring, forcing him to miss most of the season. Then you rip ... More >>

Kris Kardashian Humphries Re-signs with the Nets

So happy together.​It's Wednesday, December 21, and from a daylight standpoint, it's the shortest day of the calendar year and equally short on newsworthy events around the sports world (unless you count former Philadelphia newspaper columnist and part-time Jabba the Hutt stand-in Bill Conlin ... More >>

Pau Gasol Thoughts, My Texans Prediction and Other Weekend Best Bets

Pau Gasol: The closest he'll get to Rocket red.​On November 23, the Texans signed quarterback Kellen Clemens to take over third-string duties. On December 4, the Texans signed Jake Delhomme and two days later they cut Clemens. I never thought there would be a less satisfying era for a Houston ... More >>

Bulls on Parade: Ten Songs for Ten Texans Players and One for the Team

​This past weekend, not only did the Texans roll to yet another improbable win over the Atlanta Falcons, they seemed to find a battle cry in the song "Bulls on Parade" by Rage Against the Machine. The song was played over and over inside Reliant Stadium and seemed to fire up linebacker Connor ... More >>

Texans/Falcons & The NFL Weekend -- 4 Winners, 4 Losers

Photos by Marco TorresHopes are rising at Reliant​This time last season, in the aftermath of a Week 13 Michael Vick-administered beatdown on a Thursday night in Philadelphia, the Texans began preparation for a Week 14 Monday night game with the Baltimore Ravens in Houston. We all know how tha ... More >>

Albert Haynesworth Is Proud of Hurting Matt Schaub

"You know me. I love to hit Schaub." -- Tampa Bay defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth We've talked so much about the effect that Matt Schaub's injury could have on the remainder of the Texans' 2011 season (and rightfully so), we haven't even really talked about how it happened. And until Albert H ... More >>

Football! A&M-UT, LSU: This Weekend's Best Bets

So yeah, about that "Bully Theory" from last week. Um, well, um....sorry? In case you missed it, I shared a theory of mine last week, and without rehashing the details it all led up to me telling all of you to take Wisconsin, Oregon, Oklahoma State, and Stanford laying the points. The theory had a ... More >>

Texans/Bucs -- 4 Winners, 4 Losers (The "Goddammit, NOT Schaub!" Edition)

Born under a bad sign.​So, I was thisclose to hitting "SEND" on a post that would have openly discussed the Texans going 13-3 and getting home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. And then this: Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub has a significant foot injury that will force him to mi ... More >>

Health Department Roundup

"Let me get a cookie with a milk back."​There are three keys to a smooth Health Department inspection: maintaining a clean facility, keeping your paperwork in order, and...let's see. We can't think of the third one. We can't. Sorry. Oops. There were more familiar faces on the city's inspectio ... More >>

Texans/Browns -- 4 Winners, 4 Losers

Photo by Marco TorresTough day for Colt McCoy​The Texans beat the Browns soundly yesterday by a score of 30-12, and for the first time in the history of the franchise, your hometown team is three games over .500. The Texans have never tasted this rarefied air before, so I don't really know w ... More >>

Could the Texans Be Favored in Every Game the Rest of the Season?

Photo by Marco TorresReasons to smile?​"Its not that big of a stretch to think the Texans will be favored in every remaining game." -- @clintshane on Twitter last night It's funny, I mentioned in yesterday's post how drastically people's outlooks can swing based on a relatively small body of ... More >>

Texans-Ravens: Five Things to Watch

Photo by Marco TorresThe Texans face a tougher test this week.​"If the Texans are 3-3 after the first six games, then we'll be happy." -- Pretty much every same Texans fan The statement is a classic example of how the ebb and flow of a season can recalibrate expectations. The Texans are set u ... More >>

Football! This Weekend's Best Bets

When Steve Jobs passed away yesterday, I was in Target. I learned of his death on my iPhone while standing in the technology section behind the iPad showcase and in front of a rack of DVD's that included several Pixar features. It's about as poignant a moment as you can have learning about the dea ... More >>

Texans 17, Steelers 10: No Longer Bullied, These Texans Are The Bullies

See more pics from the Texans' third win in our slideshow. Led by a dynamic running game and relentless pass rush, the Texans beat and bullied defending AFC champion Pittsburgh to the point that Ben Roethlisberger compared the Texans to the Ravens. Wait, what? "That defense is physical," Roethlis ... More >>

Texans Release Slaton, Promote Ogbonnaya

​In what seemed like an inevitability in the preseason, the Texans finally cut running back Steve Slaton from the roster. Slaton was occupying the fourth running back position for much of the preseason behind starter Arian Foster, Derrick Ward and second year player Ben Tate. He was even sound ... More >>

Texans-Saints, Etc. -- 4 Winners, 4 Losers

Big winner: James Casey​The easy fall back after Sunday's 40-33 to the New Orleans Saints is to say "Same ol' Texans," and in a way, I understand. Red zone issues, fourth quarter brain farts (23 points allowed), the untimely turnover, same ol' Texans. But I choose to look at the glass half f ... More >>

Umbrella Man, Texans On At BestFest

Photos by Jason WolterNick Gaitan & the Umbrella Man​Day 2 of the Houston Press Best of Houston® BestFest is underway. Nick Gaitain & the Umbrella Man opened with a set of countrified conjunto, steamy barrio ballads and one of our favorite Los Lobos songs, "I Got Loaded." The most prophetic l ... More >>

Six More Reasons to Go to the Houston Press Best of Houston® BestFest

Yesterday we gave you the five best reasons to go to the Houston Press Best of Houston® BestFest this Saturday and Sunday in Midtown. We are by no means backing off from them, but we never said the list was exhaustive. Here are six more reasons you need to be there: 6. The Notre Dame game is at ... More >>

Texans-Colts: Five Things to Watch

No Peyton, no chance.​With Peyton Manning out for Sunday's opener and potentially the entire year after undergoing a second surgery on his neck, the narrative for Houston changes from a statement game to one of trends. That is, there should be no way to actually lose, or for the final score t ... More >>

My 2011 Texans Schedule Analysis -- Praying For A Long Work Stoppage

Skip this if you can. (The movie AND the Texans' opening schedule)​Destination programming. It's the lifeblood of any organization whose goal is to entertain the masses. It doesn't matter if you're a television network, an independent radio station, or a professional sports league. If you ... More >>

Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh -- What ISN'T Wrong With This Picture?

Andrew Luck pursues his architecture degree​As quarterback/head coach combinations go at the collegiate level, few have ever been as logical a fit and maximized that synergy like Houston's own Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh at Stanford in 2011. The head coach who on pure guts nearly willed th ... More >>

College Football Bowls -- This Week's Best Bets

The color, the pageantry of college football​Since it's Week 17 of the NFL season, we're changing it up a little bit this week. I don't know about people who actually know what they're doing when it comes to wagering, but my experience with the NFL in Week 17 is that it's a good time to stay ... More >>

One Guy's Remaining Thoughts On 2010

Thanks to Tron: Legacy for Olivia Wilde in 3D​As we head into the New Year, I thought I would look back at some of the things in 2010 for which I'm thankful, sports, and non-sports. 1. ESPN's 30 For 30.  ESPN does a lot of things wrong, i.e. the Brett Favre lovefest, The Decision, Col ... More >>

NFL -- Bob McNair's Delusion, Twitter Madness And The Weekend's Best Bets

Orange slices for the Texans!​"I wanted the team to know not only how close we think they are but how close our competitors think they are to being an outstanding team." -- Texans owner Bob McNair, presumably not being held at gunpoint nor under the influence of any drugs or alcohol What Bob ... More >>

NFL & College Football Best Bets -- How Ebenezer Scrooge Saved Me

Ebenezer in the house​I went to the Alley Theater last night and saw A Christmas Carol. Fantastic production and actually my first time ever seeing it in any venue, let alone the Alley. For the completely un-Christmased of you out there, Carol is a tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, a grumpy curmudge ... More >>

Houston Texans -- Cortland Finnegan Is A Punk Ass Bitch

Down goes Finnegan!! Down goes Finnegan!!​''I want to apologize to the organization, our owner and my teammates. What happened out there today wasn't me. I just lost my cool. I wish I could take back what happened. I can't. It's over and done with now. I'm pretty sure I'll be disciplined. I'll ... More >>

Game Time: Houston Texans -- 5 Winners, 5 Losers

Dan Orlovsky faces the press​The Reliant Stadium sprawl of empty seats, the equally sparsely populated press box, the rare ease with which one could navigate pregame traffic -- all those things would seemingly indicate that the Texans final preseason game in 2010 against the Tampa Buccaneers was m ... More >>

Brian Tuohy's The Fix Is In: Nothing In Sports Is As It Seems

OTOH, maybe the fix isn't in​As hard as it might be to believe, every Super Bowl since 1996 has been fixed. No, not fixed by gamblers or players trying to throw the game. But instead fixed by the NFL. Sure it sounds a bit far-fetched, but that's the allegation made by Brian Tuohy in his book, The ... More >>

Game Time: Houston Texans -- Business Is Good (plus my stab at a 53-man roster)

Playoffs? Are you kidding me? Playoffs!?​At their core, the Houston Texans are a business, just like any other business, and they have customers -- you, the season ticket holders. The Texans have been above .500 for a total of eleven weeks in their history. I mean, let's face it, for the better p ... More >>

GAME TIME: Texans-Cowboys -- 5 Winners, 5 Losers

Photo by Marco TorresYour face-painting will be in vain!​It's the preseason and we must remember that the Dallas Cowboys are making a return trip to Reliant Stadium in about a month, so let's not get crazy over what the Texans' 23-7 manhandling of the Cowboys on Saturday night means in the big pic ... More >>

Game Time: Mike Leach, Texans and Grounded Clubs -- Weekend Thoughts

The Whalers can take it out of you​I'm two hours removed from a 5:00 a.m. flight this morning from Boston to Houston, so if this post is even remotely coherent we all have Rich Connelly and his ninja proofreading skills to thank. Because when you go up to Hartford for Whaler Fest 2010, there's no ... More >>

Game Time: The Horrible Turn Of The Texans' Owen Daniels

​(I want you all to watch in amazement while I introduce you to the literary technique known as the "shplegue". This stands for "shameless plug that turns into a segue." Watch and learn...)I'm not sure how many of you have seen the web-based tragicomedy Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, but this co ... More >>

He's Ours, Dammit!