Steve Slaton

The College Football Preview, Week Nine: What Do Pushing Daisies, The Office and Chuck Have to Do with Football? Good Question.

Texans-Steelers: At Least Mario Williams Looked Good

NFL Review, Week One: Ahman Green, Cedric Benson, Tom Brady and Rosario Dawson

Texans-Titans: Houston Looking a Little Better, But Not Good Enough

Texans-Jaguars: The Moral of the Tale

Texans-Colts: Houston Needs to Go to Finishing School

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Mike Singletary Gives the Weekend's Best Performance

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Were You Ready for Some Boring Football?

I can't believe I wasted over three hours of my life watching the Houston Texans last night. Sure, they won the game 30-17, but damn, that was an awful game to watch. I found the document review I was working on to be more interesting than most of that game - and you attorneys out there know that ... More >>

Texans-Packers: Run, Slaton, Run

If you're like me, you're sick of hearing "frozen tundra" every time there is a game played in Green Bay. But with the temps for Green Bay this weekend set to be below freezing, you just know someone's going to let loose with the term, probably multiple times - hell, John McClain has already writte ... More >>

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Jeff Fisher Outcoached by Gary Kubiak?

I'm a big guy - no literally, I'm 6'4", so I'm a big guy - so I can admit when I'm wrong. And I was wrong about Sunday's Texans/Titans game. And I was wrong big time. Andre Johnson had a day for the ages with 207 receiving yards and a TD. Steve Slaton rushed for over a hundred yards. The Texan ... More >>

Texans-Raiders: Don't Bet on Black

Lots of you don't like what I write about the Texans. You think I'm too negative. That I don't give the team proper credit. Hell, some of you have actually written that you want me to die. To which I respond, if you want homers who are always positive, go over to the Chron. I try to take a more ... More >>

Top Ten Houston Sports Moments of 2008

10. I never really followed the Houston Comets, who folded several weeks ago. By the time they came on the scene I was getting pretty sick of professional basketball. So I never became invested in the team, and I can't feel any real loss behind their demise. Still, unlike the Rockets and Astros ... More >>

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Texans Settle Into Mediocrity

Okay, so the Texans beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday to finish their second straight season at 8-8. That's two seasons in a row of mediocrity. Can I have a YAY TEAM! Over at the Chron, Richard Justice thinks the team is heading in the right direction and has turned the corner. He likes how G ... More >>

Some Praise For the Houston Texans (No, Really!)

Photo by William Holtkamp Many of you out there probably think that I hate the Texans. But I don't. I just hold them to a high standard. A standard that I think everybody should apply to them. That said, I'm not here to criticize the Houston Texans today. No, I'm actually about to say some nice ... More >>

Some Praise For the Houston Texans (No, Really!)

Photo by William Holtkamp Many of you out there probably think that I hate the Texans. But I don't. I just hold them to a high standard. A standard that I think everybody should apply to them. That said, I'm not here to criticize the Houston Texans today. No, I'm actually about to say some nice ... More >>

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Texans Settle Into Mediocrity

Okay, so the Texans beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday to finish their second straight season at 8-8. That's two seasons in a row of mediocrity. Can I have a YAY TEAM! Over at the Chron, Richard Justice thinks the team is heading in the right direction and has turned the corner. He likes how G ... More >>

Top Ten Houston Sports Moments of 2008

10. I never really followed the Houston Comets, who folded several weeks ago. By the time they came on the scene I was getting pretty sick of professional basketball. So I never became invested in the team, and I can't feel any real loss behind their demise. Still, unlike the Rockets and Astros ... More >>

Texans-Raiders: Don't Bet on Black

Lots of you don't like what I write about the Texans. You think I'm too negative. That I don't give the team proper credit. Hell, some of you have actually written that you want me to die. To which I respond, if you want homers who are always positive, go over to the Chron. I try to take a more ... More >>

Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking: Jeff Fisher Outcoached by Gary Kubiak?

I'm a big guy - no literally, I'm 6'4", so I'm a big guy - so I can admit when I'm wrong. And I was wrong about Sunday's Texans/Titans game. And I was wrong big time. Andre Johnson had a day for the ages with 207 receiving yards and a TD. Steve Slaton rushed for over a hundred yards. The Texan ... More >>

Houston Texans Pancakes & Pigskins Rookie Breakfast

Football fans enjoy a little elbow-rubbing with the team’s newest players

Never Depend On A QB Named "The Sex Cannon"

I stumbled over to the Texans website the other day, and after looking through things for a bit, I guess that I should buy my Super Bowl tickets because, if you listen to Texans employee Marc Vandermeer, this is an outstanding team at every position on the field. I especially like how he calls the s ... More >>

25 Key Things To Watch For In The Texans' Pre-Season Opener

​With the Houston Texans kicking off pre-season play tomorrow night, I thought I would throw out a list of 25 things to watch or listen for during the game.1. Does Matt Schaub make it through two series of plays without any type of injury?2. What kind of stupid catchphrase is radio voice Marc Vand ... More >>

Texans-Saints: New, "Improved " D Falls Flat In First Home Test

​Run the ball, and stop the run.It's one of the oldest clichés on what determines NFL success. But if there's much truth to it, the Texans' potential breakthrough season might already be in some trouble.With Reggie Bush out with a calf injury, the Saints (2-0) gashed the Texans (1-1) on Satur ... More >>

Some (Few) Good Things Emerge From Texans' Monday-Night Loss

​It's never truly Texans season until there's the first Matt Schaub injury scare. This year, it came before the season even started -- when the Texans' QB ran out of bounds and turned his left ankle in Monday night's 17-10 preseason loss to the Vikings.But Schaub recovered, and so did the Texans, ... More >>

Playoffs? Playoffs? We Just Hope The Texans Can Win A Game

​In all of three hours, the hot topic of the 2009 Texans season might have transitioned from whether they can make the playoffs to whether they can lure Bill Cowher, Mike Shanahan or Jon Gruden as head coach come January.Remember the Texans' dynamic offense? The league's third-best unit a year ago ... More >>

At Long Last, Texans Play According to Plan

​For a franchise that has spent its entire existence searching for signs of turning a corner, the Texans on Sunday showed as many as they ever have. On the field, the Texans did what they never seem to do - win big in a game they're supposed to, routing the hapless Raiders 29-6 at Reliant St ... More >>

Game Time: Inside The Mind Of The Houston Texans Fan

​Pretty much every social instinct I employ comes from George Costanza of Seinfeld fame.  (... and yes, the fact that it's been 11-plus years since the Seinfeld finale means I officially have to remind people who George Costanza was.)*"Whatever your instincts tell you to do, do the opposite." ... More >>

Why The Texans Losing Owen Daniels Isn't As Bad As You Think

Photo courtesy of Brit_2​For most teams, a season-ending injury to arguably the NFL's best receiving tight end would be considered a devastating loss. But to the Texans, the absence of Owen Daniels may not be all that significant. Sure, Sunday's come-from-behind, 31-10 romp over Buffalo was ... More >>

Game Time: Weekend Review

​I hope everyone had a great weekend, and that you were all able to enjoy the nice weather by moving your television and recliner into your driveway to watch football on TV.  I'd like to start off by welcoming the Texans to this new thing for them called "November".  Boys, I know in ... More >>

25 Things About The Texans-Titans Monday Night Match-Up

​For the second week in a row, it's homecoming week on Monday Night Football. This past Monday, it was the Baltimore Ravens returning to the place from which they came, Cleveland, to play the Browns. This coming Monday, the Tennessee Titans are returning to Houston to take on the Texans.With tha ... More >>

Titans 20, Texans 17: It's The Trenches, Stupid

​It would be easy to blame Kris Brown.It would be easy to chalk it up to an inspired homecoming performance by Vince Young. It would be easy to criticize several iffy playcalls by offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and coach Gary Kubiak, including a decision to effectively kneel down before the f ... More >>

Game Time: Stop Me If You've Heard This Before -- So The Texans Are Going To Tie The Game....

​There are certain teams around the NFL where having the national stage all to themselves -- say, on a Thursday night, Sunday night, or especially on Monday night -- is seen as just another day at the office. To teams like the Colts, Patriots, Giants, and a handful of others, the prime-time stage ... More >>

Colts 35, Texans 27: At Least You Saw This One Coming

​The most alarming aspect in the latest installment of Texans collapses wasn't the game itself. Rather, what's most frightening is just how customary this has become under the leadership of head coach Gary Kubiak.In this week's edition, the lion's share of blame goes to quarterback Matt Schaub and ... More >>

Game Time: Houston Texans: Seven Things To Watch In OTA's

Photo by Mark C. AustinYou can't spell OTAs without Houston!! (And an 'A' from somewhere​My first Cushing-free football blog post in a couple weeks -- now I know how Pedro Gomez felt after Barry Bonds retired. "What the hell am I going to talk about???"Thankfully, the Texans start voluntary organ ... More >>

Texans' First Pre-Season Game: Some Things Never Change

Still baffled by the red zone​Preseason football games, I think we can all agree, are essentially worthless games for the fans. The final score means nothing. And a winning record in preseason doesn't translate to a winning record in the regular season. The games are important to the coaches an ... 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: Texans Wednesday AM Practice Report (LIVE from New Orleans!)

Land of Super Bowl champions​Safe, sound, and functioning on three hours of sleep, I am LIVE in New Orleans at the Saints practice facility in Metarie, LA covering the Texans and the Saints inter-squad practice sessions. For those unaware of the agenda, the Texans spent this morning and will spen ... More >>

GAME TIME: Houston Texans - Final Practice Report (LIVE from New Orleans)

Sean interviewed former Oiler Spencer Tillman Friday.​As we head into the back end of our trip to New Orleans for Texans-Saints Practicepalooza 2010 (also known as the "realizing there actually can be too much of a good thing" phase of the trip), I'd like to take a minute to wish a very happy thir ... 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 >>

Houston Texans: Five Possible 2010 Theme Songs

​If you haven't been able to tell by the depleted charcoal supplies and life-size bikini-model cutouts by the Miller Lite at your neighborhood grocery store (provided it's not Whole Foods), it's almost football season. Houstonians greet this time of year with the same unbridled jubilation they ... 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 >>

Texans 34, Colts 24: Foster Dashes To Stardom, But Give Kubiak His Due

Photo by Aaron M. SprecherMario Williams was a stud against the Colts​See photos from the season-opening game in our slideshow. For a brief time, the script looked all too familiar on Sunday at Reliant Stadium. The Texans raced out to a big first-half lead over the Colts, only to watch Peyton Man ... More >>

Texans-Cowboys: Five Things To Watch (Actual Football Analysis)

And the prediction is.....​The Texans are 60 minutes from reaching their highest point in franchise history.For a team with as short a history as the Texans, it's easy to be overly dramatic and lose perspective. Yet on this particular Sunday, the game truly is that important.A win over the ... More >>

Texans 31, Raiders 24: With A Running Game Like This, Johnson Has Time To Rest

Photo by Aaron M. SprecherMario Williams kept up the pressure​It only took one offseason and one Arian Foster to transform the Texans' running game from shaky to the club's foundation.As a result, the Texans on Sunday allowed star wideout Andre Johnson to rest his ailing ankle and saw their offens ... More >>

The Year In Battlefight: 25 Thoughts On This Year's Houston Texans

At least the Texans cheerleaders are worth watching​For some reason, there were many people out there who thought the Houston Texans were going to be a good team this year. Playoff good.I didn't read anything about Gary Kubiak getting a brain implant during the off-season, so I could never u ... More >>

NFL Rules Change Could Benefit the Texans

Also a rule: never let Lucy hold the ball.​Assuming we actually have an NFL season in 2011, the league made a few rule changes, one of which could directly affect the Houston Texans. We don't mean the ban on changing the color of the turf without league approval. The Texans have grass in their ... More >>

Houston Texans Game A -- 4 Winners, 4 Losers

Yes, we are indeed ready for some football.​Photos by Marco Torres There are certain things in life that even when they're bad by their standards, they're still pretty decent by society's standards. Pizza, sex with an attractive partner, the last couple seasons of The Office, to name a few e ... More >>

Houston Texans -- Five Things to Watch Tonight Against the Vikings

At least this shouldn't happen tonight.​It's the final game of the 2011 preseason tonight with the Texans' backups taking on the Minnesota Vikings' backups in the newly inflatable-roofed Metrodome. If you're the Texans, I suppose the good news is that you're traveling to Minnesota in September ... 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 >>