Scout.com > Houston Texans Quarterly Breakdown Story URL: http://hou.scout.com/2/782350.html Charlie Bernstein BattleRedNation.com Aug 23, 2008 A breakdown of the Texans 23-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in the third preseason contest. FIRST QUARTER Score: Cowboys 10, Texans 3 -First and foremost, let’s all hope that Harry Williams is okay. His injury looked pretty bad, and it’s a very slight consolation that he was able to blink his eyes and move his mouth. -Andre Davis is one of the premiere return men in the NFL. Due to the play of the Houston defense, he’s getting plenty of return opportunities. -Schaub seems to be off. He’s rushing his throws and doesn’t look all that confident. The Cowboys are one of the best teams in the league, but Schaub has to be better than this if the Texans are going to compete for a playoff berth. -The Texans defense is terrible right now. They’re completely getting dominated by the Cowboys offensive line. No pass rush whatsoever and the ‘Boys are doing whatever they want. -Jacques Reeves has been targeted and beaten with consistency. If there’s a bright spot in the Texans secondary right now, it’s Fred Bennett. -I like Kevin Walter, I really do, but he’s not the guy you want to try a reverse with. -Duane Brown appears to be struggling a bit at left tackle. His feet seem to be slow. -Tony Romo is throwing the ball well right now. Aside from the missed deep ball, he’s been fantastic. -Marion Barber runs hard. It helps that he’s not being contacted until roughly five yards past the line of scrimmage, but he’s the real deal. Final thoughts: The Texans are flat out getting dominated. Dallas is playing up to their enormous hype, and Houston doesn't seem to be in the same class as them. SECOND QUARTER Score: Cowboys 20, Texans 10 -Great play by Zac Diles on the interception. He didn’t bite on the play action and stayed with the tight end. The Houston defense needed a positive play and Diles gave it to them. What a seventh-round pick! -Schaub continues to struggle, he missed a touchdown to Andre Johnson by throwing the ball late. -Nice job by Schaub to avoid the rush and deliver a great throw to Anderson. This may get him going. -How fast is Steve Slaton? All he needs is a crease and he’s at full speed almost immediately. -Nice job of rebounding after a tough start for Matt Schaub. Nice hands by Kevin Walter on the TD. -Texans defense is still getting no pass rush. At least they’re stopping the run now. -They aren’t stopping the run anymore. Marion Barber has 75 yards rushing in the first half. Fantasy stud! -Good opportunity for two-minute drill practice for Houston. -Final drive stalls due to a big drop by Andre Davis, and poor pass protection by Duane Brown. Brown has his hands full with DeMarcus Ware. -Texans prevent defense is preventing them from stopping the Cowboys. Dallas has moved the ball 50+ yards in 30 seconds. No pass rush, slow secondary. First half thoughts: This game isn’t nearly as close as the score indicates as the Cowboys offensive line is dominating and the Houston offense doesn’t seem to be able to come up with big plays when they need them. Take away the interception by Zac Diles in the end zone and it’s blowout city. THIRD QUARTER Final score: Cowboys 20, Texans 13 -Nice fumble recovery on the opening kickoff. Special teams should be a positive for the Texans this year. -It tends to be easier to run the football when the offensive line actually blocks. The Dallas defensive line is a lot bigger and stronger than Houston’s interior. -Schaub is playing better now after the rough start. -Backup QB and skill position players in for Dallas, starting O-line. -Poor tackling by the Texans defense. Jacques Reeves and DeMeco Ryans both missed on a 30-yard catch and run on third down. -Jacques Reeves is getting abused by his former team. -More red zone mistakes by the Cowboys. Mario Williams forced a Felix Jones fumble and the Texans survive an otherwise poor defensive sequence. Rookie Frank Okam with the recovery. -Chris Taylor is a tough runner, but I don’t think he has the speed to be a regular halfback. -The Houston offensive line is beginning to open some holes in the running game, and the Texans are moving the ball after the Dallas turnovers. Final thoughts: The Texans offensive line is looking better against mostly Dallas starters. There is still a lot of bad from the Houston D, as Dallas is their own biggest enemy right now. FOURTH QUARTER Final score: Cowboys 23, Texans 22 -Drive stalled due to a big third down drop by fullback Vonta Leach. -It’s the fourth period and time for backups vs. backups. -Three and out for the Cowboys offense, but the Texans still have no pass rush. First punt of the night for Dallas was returned by Jacoby Jones. Jones didn’t fumble, but there was an illegal block on the play. -Dallas defensive backups were able to get a good push up the middle against the Texans backup O-line. Sage Rosenfels was a little erratic in his first series. -Bad mental error by the Texans defense as they had 12 men on the field after stopping Dallas on a third down. Still some bugs to work out. -Peaty Faggins is getting picked on by Dallas backups. That’s not a good sign. -Dallas makes the most of their opportunity from the Texans penalty as they struck for a few big gains through the air. Brad Johnson is a more than capable backup QB for Dallas. The third down penalty costs Houston three points as Dallas K Nick Folk connects on a 35-yard FG. -Great kickoff return by Jacoby Jones. The Texans return units have been very good tonight for the most part. -Five minutes left, Texans down 7, 44 yards to go. Great opportunity for the backup offense in a semi-pressure situation. -Nice running by Darius Walker, even if it is against backups. -Great throw from Rosenfels to Jacoby Jones in the end zone, but he bobbled the ball so the ruling was incomplete. Should’ve been a pass interference called on the play. A catch there may have secured Jones’ roster spot. -Sage Rosenfels on a QB draw for a touchdown. Quite possibly the slowest scoring play from the eight-yard line in the history of the game, but very gutsy. -Two-point conversion incomplete. Jacoby Jones dropped a well thrown pass. Final thoughts: The Texans backups resembled their starters in which they were pushed around by a more physical, more talented Dallas Cowboys team. Antwuan Molden stood out a bit, as did Frank Okam, but as a whole they weren’t overly impressive. Jacoby Jones had opportunities to shine in the Texans final drive, but didn’t make plays. Charlie Bernstein is the Editor-in-Chief of Sports Media Interactive, covering multiple teams in the National Football League, NCAA, and National Basketball Association. Charlie is a regular syndicated contributor to FoxSports and Sirius NFL Radio, and has been featured on the NFL Network. Charlie is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Feel free to contact him -HERE- with questions or comments. For more, go to: BattleRedNation.com Copyright © Scout.com and BattleRedNation.com