The draft is over, bring on the OTAs.

This draft will be evaluated on how Kareem Jackson stacks up with Devin McCourty and Kyle Wilson. Also, how the secondary looks without Dunta Robinson will be an ongoing question this season.

The Texans made a smooth move dropping down and getting Ben Tate in the second round. It must have seemed like adventure on the high seas as they traded out of the second and back in to grab the Auburn RB. The Tate-Toby Gerhart debate may go on for a while. Gerhart was prevalent in fans minds because of his Heisman showing but Tate is probably the better choice for the system. And the opportunity to get another pick was too good to pass up.

So they addressed their biggest needs in the first two rounds and picked up Earl Mitchell to play DT in the third.

This draft was not like some of the others in Texans history when they needed starters everywhere and were nearly desperate to get one in every round. This is a good team trying to get better.

Their biggest concerns after last season were replacing Dunta, getting the running game going again and field goal performance.

they brought in Neil Rackers to compete with Kris Brown and took care of the other needs in the draft. They also picked up a tight end in Garrett Graham to help shore up the position with so many banged up bodies trying to make a comeback.

The work is done for now. We'll see how it plays out.

Mock drafts get boring. All you really care about is who your team is drafting.

That's why I've decided to do the WHOLE Texans draft from rounds 1-7. Here's how the three days might unfold...

1) Kyle Wilson CB, Boise St.

Earl Thomas is long gone and Ryan Mathews would get the biggest cheer in the Verizon Wireless West Club but the Texans are going for the bigger cheers in January. They look glowingly at a CB who can step right in and play. Between Wilson, Quinn and McCain they have three super young guys who can all perform. Reeves is of course still solid and anything you get from Molden at this point is gravy.

2) Toby Gerhart, RB Stanford.

Ben Tate looked appetizing but he's gone by now. Maybe Gerhart could have been taken lower but they'll grab him right here as they don't want to get shut out of drafting a ball carrier like they were last year.

3) Al Woods, DT LSU.

They were checking out Mitch Petrus, the guard from Arkansas but he was nabbed a few picks earlier so they went with a player who has been jumping up the draft board. He's 309 lbs and will get a shot to get into the rotation and who knows?

4) Marshall Newhouse, OG TCU

They still want to get better on the interior of the offensive line and this relatively athletic player just might find a way to make a veteran's life miserable.

5) Myron Lewis, FS Vanderbilt

Lewis could go anywhere from the 3rd through the 5th rounds. If he lasts this long it's like the Texans getting lucky the way they did with James Casey last year. He played CB in college and will be very interesting to watch as he tries to mail down a job.

6) Jevan Snead, QB Ole Miss

I know, I know. But Orlovsky lost the job last year and John David Booty is a big question mark. Besides, Snead can "make all the throws" he just has to stop mixing in the bad ones. Houston is a great place for him to watch and learn.

6) David Pender, CB Purdue

4.37 guys don't grow on trees. plus, he's a Boilermaker which, along with Colorado State, will at least get you a job interview with the Texans

7) Brandon Sharpe, DE Texas Tech

Playing in the pass-crazed Big 12 he had 15 sacks last season. The Texans know they need to keep getting better rushing the passer. At this point in the draft everyone is tired and cranky and someone might even suggest drafting Oklahoma running back Chris Brown to lighten the mood. No one will laugh.

Of course none of this will probably happen but if I hit on three of them you should follow me to Vegas this summer.

The Astros need to keep fighting but at the same time need to seriously think about getting player permission and getting their best deals for Roy Oswalt, Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman before the break. With a winless homestand to start the season it's hardly a done deal that the season is over but prospects look grim at best for a winning campaign.

There's no need to hang on to big contract players if you can get good prospects in return. The crowds are already thin and a voluminous harvest from the minor leagues is still a couple of years away.

The fact that not every seat was jammed for a beautiful Sunday afternoon for Roy Oswalt and Roy Halladay shows you that whatever fans are there will be perfectly satisfied with a young, aggressive developing team.


Lee Westwood didn't lose the Masters, Phil won it with tremendous shot making in the final round. Some of the par saves were the best you'll see and the shot on 13 was the highlight of his career. Tiger was hardly himself but remained in the fight despite not playing an event since December.

Most followers assume it's a forgone conclusion that Tiger will break Jack's record. He needs five majors to do it. I would not be fool enough to bet against him but no one will hand it to him.

At this point I will only be mildly surprised if it doesn't happen because there are so many great young golfers that have the game to get hot on a major weekend and keep him away from the winners circle. He's more likely to get it done than not but it won't be easy.

Butler playing for a National Championship is good news/bad news for all Division One coaches. The good news is that anyone can play for a title. The bad news is that all the excuses for not succeeding just left the building.

Sure, Hinkle Field House might seem like Madison Square Garden compared to the gym in Hickory (or Milan to be exact). But it's not the Dean Dome and the Horizon league is not the ACC.

A.D.s across America can be heard saying "if Butler, BUTLER!... can play for the title, surely you can find a way to get into the tournament!"

Especially a 96 team tournament.

I'm now heavily in favor of expansion. Those who say "if it's not broken don't fix it" are missing the point. The dance will be even more terrific. We'll still have the chase to be top seeds and instead of arguing about 65 vs. 66, yes we'll be arguing about 96 vs. 97.

But there will also be a whole new bubble of teams who get the bye or not. teams 25 through 40 will be scrutinized in a whole different way and that will make late regular season and conference tournament games more meaningful.

Demeco Ryans has signed and there is peace in the land.

Fans are so happy for Demeco right now that you would think they are related to him. It just goes to show you how adored he is by Texans nation. From the first time he stepped on the field you knew he had "it." And he has done nothing but lead and produce in a Texans uniform.

With Brian Cushing having been drafted last year and the capable Zac Diles helping out, the Texans certainly have one of the top linebacking groups in the NFL.

Owen Daniels and the team have made a temporary arrangement that lets him work out with the boys while trying to work out a contract. O.D. gets a chance to prove he's healthy while hoping the team will show him some Demeco love.

But Owen's injury could mean that his deal is still in the distant future. The Texans would not have given him the highest tender if they didn't want him yet they can't be 100% confident just yet that he's good to go for another Pro Bowl run.

--------------

Is the Astros 2010 season stillborn?

There is so little excitement around this team but could they surprise people?

Even last year's dreadful campaign began with the glow of an NL best run in the second half of 2008. Then a horrible spring threw a bucket of water over that.

If everyone was healthy you could say that the positive attitudes of Brad Mills and his staff might energize the team on a 'little engine that could' run to flirt with contention in the shaky NL Central. But Roy O's body and Lance Berkman's knee are not exactly topics of joy in the ticket office.

We had Mike Schmidt on the show Tuesday and he raved about Ed Wade's construction of the nucleus of a very productive two year Phillies run. We may be on the right track but it could take a while to get to our destination.

March Mad Moments

My favorite moments at the Microphone during March Madness

Miami Beating Ohio State (and Michael Redd) in 2000 in Nashville to advance to the Sweet 16
The Hurricanes were the best defensive team in the Big East and made the big stops down the stretch in what still is their biggest win in team history.

UMass defeating Georgetown (and A.I.) in the 1996 Regional Finals in Atlanta
Calipari and Camby put the breaks on Iverson and a tough Georgetown team to get the Minutemen to the Final Four.

Northwestern State beats #3 seed Iowa as one of the big upsets in NCAA history
The Demons roared back from a 17 point deficit with 8 minutes left to stun Steve Alford's Hawkeyes as Jermaine Wallace hit a late three.

Wisconsin takes out Tulsa to get to the Sweet 16 in 2003
Devin Harris was bottled up so he found Freddie Owens in the corner for the game winning three. I worked the tournament with Tom Penders for Westwood One. Pender's alma mater UConn was also at the site making for some nice off mic moments with Jim Calhoun and Emeka Okafor.

UAB knocks out top overall seed Kentucky in the second round in 2004
Chuck Hayes could not get the Wildcats to the Sweet 16 as Mike Anderson's team pulled off the upset with Squeeky Johnson running the show.

Findlay defeats Cal Poly Pamona to win the 2009 Division II Final on a buzzer beating three in O.T.
This was special because Findlay went undefeated and Tyler Evans, who hit the three, was only in the game because D-2 player of the year Josh Bostic fouled out. The call was everywhere and I was a very lucky announcer.

First day of free agency is a literal free for all with players hoping on planes shortly after getting late night phone calls from interested teams. Riiggghhhtt.

Remember in 2003 when Jeff Posey signed with the Bills at about 12:01 EST. That was probably the fastest negotiation in NFL history.

What about Lions coach Jim Schwartz going to Kyle Vandenbosch's house and wooing him to Detroit. I can imagine him waiting outside in his car for the clock to strike midnight. What if another coach had pulled Eddie Murphy's 'banana in the tailpipe' gag from Beverly Hills Cop?

Some Texans fans were already on the air Friday morning complaining that a deal had not gotten done.

This is the very beginning of this process. The team has got to have earned your trust by now that they draft well and, for the most part, get good players through free agency. I remember when they first signed Kevin Walter and many people complained. Now they 'can't live without him.'

Robert and Rich were asking if listeners were OK with letting go of Dunta Robinson. Ask me when we're on the road trying to stop Mark Sanchez on a final drive in October. It's a bit too early to get bent out of shape about these things.

Remember, the Texans brass is hardly perfect but they do have mountains of information of this stuff compared to you. That's not to say you're not entitled to your opinion and it can't be right sometimes.

Last year they needed RB help for Slaton. The draft picks they wanted were off the board when they wanted to make their move. And Chris Brown was not exactly a smashing success as a consistent threat.

Give this offseason a little time to marinate and we'll see how it goes.

I loved the Gold Medal hockey game. I was on the edge of my seat. I jumped off the couch when Parise scored the tying goal. But when Crosby knocked in the game winner I felt no pain.

My test for how much of a fan you are of a team or situation involves measuring the amount of pain you feel in a loss. Anyone can jump on a bandwagon but how do you feel when it spins out? When the Texans lose I'm pretty beat up. After the USA lost I simply fired up the barbecue and cooked dinner.

We're starting to get some complaint calls about the Rockets not playing hard enough or just well enough. This year for the organization is like playing at the YMCA when there is no one waiting. The pressure is off because no one really expected anything. It's like the whole administration gets a pass because of Yao and TMac. The players certainly don't have the same feeling because you never know when you can be shipped out or left out of the future plans.

Certain things have become too important. Wine had become too important. Athletics for sub 6-year-olds have become too important. And information on NFL teams prior to the draft has become over analyzed and over interpreted. How else can you explain the reaction to Rick Smith's "you can't keep everyone" comment in describing the Texans free agency situation.

Because Smith made the comment in the same conversation that involved Kevin Walter the national media thought it meant Walter was gone. And you wonder why there is such a thing as 'coach-speak.' Media take little phrases and blow them up into huge headlines, especially on slow news days.

That TMac played well in his first game as a Knick (in a loss, by the way) should not have been a surprise to anyone. After he was shut down by the Rockets I figured he wasn't getting worse in his recovery effort.

This was about the team and he functioning well together. They couldn't. The relationship was broken and either they could not fix it or had no desire to. I always felt they should have played him but I also understand that a lot of things go on behind closed doors in all sorts of business and personal relationships and unless you know those things it's difficult to properly evaluate them.

At the Rocket game Saturday night the thought that jumped out off the court to me more than anything else was: where's the defense? Say what you want about Yao but remember when he's out there the Rockets are one of the best if not THE best defensive teams in the NBA.

About Tiger. I was fine with the apology. Would I have liked a give and take press conference and a non-read statement? Yes, but he had a lot to say and wanted to say it right. He did and now it's time to look forward to him coming back.

Some people acted as if they won't be happy until they see him bathe in the flames of hell. Come on! He's serving whatever sentence the public has any 'right' to see him serve. He's good to go. Making up the wife and family and sponsors is now business between those concerned parties, not us.

The TMac trade with Washington didn't go through but the Knicks deal still has life according to some and Washington might still get involved. As with all trade talk, the thing that usually happens is something we never really considered. That is, unless the Rockets just end up doing nothing which would be fine with me.

I would not mind cutting him and playing things out to see how Daryl Morey handles extra cap room this summer.

Are you watching the Olympics? I enjoy watching these sports once every four years but cringe at sports where judges decide outcomes. Yes, I know Boxing falls in that category. And some of you will argue that refs decide all team sports but I'm talking about judging style. It does add to the drama with athletes from mogul skiers to figure skaters trying to avoid mistakes. But sometimes I feel that these sports become more about avoiding the big mistake than making the big play.

Texas to the Big 10? Say it ain't so!

It would earn the 'Horns about 8 million more per year to be in with the likes of Michigan and Ohio State but it doesn't feel right for either party. I thought Penn State was kind of a stretch and there are some purists in the Big Ten that still don't look at the Nitany Lions as an equal member. Imagine Texas trying to fit in.

If Texas can go to the Big Ten why not blow up the SEC while we're at it and go for two or three uber conferences. Why not USC to the Big Ten or Virginia Tech to the SEC? If the Longhorns go it's official that nothing is sacred and you can see these leagues going after just about any dream-school addition you can conjure up that makes financial sense.

Never mind the Super Bowl, we had Steven A. Smith and Miss Florida read lines from "The Notebook" on Masterpiece Playhouse Friday morning. We had David Anderson accussing us of being little school boys around Miss Florida (Megan Clementi).


What a week it was. Perhaps the most eye-opening thing was the critical comments made about the Texans by Peter King, Brian Baldinger and Sammy Knight.


King, while acknowledging that the Texans did good things down the stretch with four straight wins, said Houston should have never been 5-7 in the first place. He said they sit around at NBC Sunday afternoon and wonder how the Texans "will screw it up today." Harsh words from a major football writer


So it's not just some of the callers who have questioned what the franchise has or has not been able to achieve.


My take is that while there is major disappointment about not making the playoffs there is at least progress. And there is no way you can convince me that a regime change was in order with the team just missing out on the postseason by a whisker.


Until the Texans make the playoffs and advance they will have to deal with the criticism.

Mark Sanchez made the rounds at Radio Row this week knowing that if his team played better against the Colts in the AFC Championship Game he would be in the Super Bowl. Instead he was promoting a worthy cause (see NFL.com) with DeMarcus Ware. Sanchez roomed with Brian Cushing at USC and said Cushing was texting him jokingly urging the QB to lay down against the Bengals in the regular season finale to let the Texans into the playoffs.

Deacon Jones was hilarious demonstrating a head slap with Josh Innes (Sportsradio610.com). Jones loves the way Mario Williams is playing pointing out that high sack totals aren't the only measure of a valuable DE. Mike Haynes was with him on our show promoting prostate cancer awareness.

Haynes and Lester Hayes formed a devastating CB tandem that stopped the Washington Redskins in 1984 as Joe Theisman couldn't rally his team. It would have been fun to have Theisman on the air with Haynes but Joe came on earlier Wednesday morning with plenty to say about Matt Schaub.

Theisman thinks Schaub is 98% on his way to being an elite QB. And he means Brady-Brees elite. He feels Schaub is already one of the best in the business. He wants to see Matt cut down on the big mistake like his picks against Indy and Arizona.

Chad Ocho Cinco made a lot of stops promoting a Madden showdown but also expressed his love for Andre Johnson on the show. Chad also said he feels the CBs he faces understand his trash talk is all in the spirit of competition and fun. He asked us to ask Dunta Robinson about it and we will, next chance we get.

I don't care what anybody says. If they tell you they don't like Super Bowl Media Day they are lying. You can access every single player on the team and the media world is your oyster for socializing with sports biz giants while gawking at attractive 'info-babes.'



You see just about every football writer-broadcaster-webcaster-radiohead you can think of plus former coaches, players and you realize that this is the current epicenter of the football universe.



Some of the folks we've seen on Radio Row include Kurt Warner, Steve Mariucci, Mercury Morris, Jim Mora, Joey Porter, Channing Crowder, Nate Newton plus all the radio hosts and other guests we've had on. There are simply too many to mention.



Jim Rome fans would be interested to know that he just sits down with a laptop and a couple of guys around him and lets it rip for three hours. It's fun to watch the master work. It's strange to hear Josh Innes sign off and hear Rome come on at 11 from the table right next to ours.



Drew Brees and Reggie Bush got the most attention during Saints media day to no one's surprise. But I really enjoyed talking with Billy Miller who is sidelined and plans on coming back next year. It's been tough to watch his teammates get to the Super Bowl but he keeps things in perspective. He knows he's always been a long shot coming into the league as a 7th rounder, getting cut, eventually joining the Texans as a street free agent and scoring the first TD in club history.



Chase Daniel knows he won't play in this game but hey, you never know. I talked with Chase about his whirlwind year as he was unimpressive in last year's East-West Shrine game (live on Sports Radio 610), signed and cut by Washington and picked up by the Saints. He would much rather be starting but he'll take being here in Miami with the NFC Champs as a nice consolation prize.

There's such a convergence of media covering the Super Bowl that you feel like a super nova could occur and swallow up half the Western Hemisphere.

Radio Row is cooking with former players, coaches, broadcasters, writers, Hooters girls and just about anybody else you can imagine. It's very special to be involved in the biggest media event in the country and it all culminates with an actual game on Sunday...but no one is talking about that much yet.

Andre Johnson and many of his Hurricane alums have an event at a Miami Beach hotel with Jimmy Johnson. Andre has pretty much wrapped up the "best wide receiver in the NFL" title based on our unscientific poll of the media. He looked good Sunday night catching a TD pass from Matt Schaub who picked up the game's MVP award.

Rocky Bleir who won four Super Bowls with the Steelers joined us and talked about how Schaub has emerged into one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.

Bleir took handoffs from Terry Bradshaw who, if you can believe it, was only plus two in the TD-INT ratio for his career. And if you're thinking that's just because of the lean early years you're only half right. He was plus one (26TD, 25INT) in his Super Bowl winning season in 1979.

Today such numbers would be unacceptable but clearly the eras have changed. If a QB can't complete 60% of his passes, alarm bells go off.

Bill Brenner of the Indy Super Bowl committee admitted to us that attendance at the tiny (by NFL standards) RCA dome was lacking before Peyton Manning got there. Will Lucas Oil Stadium be tough to fill if the Colts suffer a drop off in the post-Manning era? The Hoosier thinking is that Indy is a football town now and the folks have pro pigskin spliced into the DNA so they'll show up regardless. We'll see.

Remember how that Super Bowl commercial with Chester Pitts and Ephraim Salaam ended with them saying "and now we're in the Super Bowl....sort of"? Well, that's how it 'sort of' is for the Texans Pro Bowlers now that the game is at the SB site and the week before instead of after.

We're here broadcasting from "Radio Row" all week long with a guest list that could fill a hall of fame. I'm so excited I feel like I'm IN the Super Bowl...sort of. There would be nothing like being here if the Texans were actually in the game but this will certainly do for now.

Nice win by the Rockets Friday night. The Blazers had no answer for Carl Landry and Aaron Brooks played with a chip on his shoulder. The NBA season is such a long haul and the Rockets are in the roughest division.

Daryl Morey said that OK City looks like a playoff team and after beating Denver the way they did Friday who is to argue. Memphis is pretty interesting but he thinks the depth isn't there and when the injury bug bites they might not survive.

Heading into the Wednesday night's game with Denver the Rockets are on a bit of negative run. Since beating the Clippers before Christmas they went 7-9 in their next 16 game. In their last ten games they are in the bottom quarter of the league in offensive and defensive FG% and are fifth worst in the NBA in 3 point FG%.

In other words, things are not going well. Is it part of the ebb and flow of a long season or have they been figured out by the league?

The answer is yes. They have have been scouted, analyzed and, in many cases, played multiple times as teams have solved whatever mystery the Rockets had going early.

This is a year of built in forgiveness. With $40 Million on the sideline you can hardly blame the Rockets for struggling. The big question is what kind of deal Daryl Morey can strike (if any) before the trade deadline. The next question is can they get themselves into the playoffs and upset somebody.

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UK lost Tuesday night. John Calipari talked about the big bulls eye on the Wildcats' backs and South Carolina hit it dead center in UK's first bid to protect the ranking. It's a long season and now all the undefeated talk will go away enabling the 'Cats to concentrate on going deep in the NCAA Tournament.

Former Calipari assistant Tony Barbee is doing a nice job at UTEP which lost to Houston a couple of weeks ago at UH but upset Memphis last week and demolished Central Florida over the weekend. It's going to be the best C-USA Tournament in a while because Memphis is not as good as recent years and doesn't host this time. We'll see if the Coogs can improve on a shaky 3-3 conference start to do some damage in the post season.

Hearing the emotion of the Saints fans gives you just a bit of an idea of what it might be like when the Texans eventually make it. A regular caller, Casey, phoned in from Louisiana and painted a picture of the whole family pretty much staying up all night. No one could sleep because of the joy. A city that has suffered as much as New Orleans deserves a moment like this.

Another caller defined Brett Favre as "part John Wayne, part John Daly." An apt description for a man who was putting together one of the great quarterbacking performances ever only to throw it away at the end. This was like writing the great American novel on your laptop then hitting the delete button.

Favre had a chance to get into a lot of people's 'top 5 all-time' with a Super Bowl win. Now, he's on hold again until next year's 'comeback.' I've never been a card-carrying Favre fan. And the off season comeback-or-not drama turns me off. But I totally understood Minnesota wanting him and it was a pleasure watching him play in the NFC Championship game. The bone head throw at the end of regulation was part of the package. He succeeds or fails spectacularly and that makes for great entertainment.

On a lighter note: Venus claims she was wearing flesh colored underwear at the Aussie open.
You decide...

http://deadspin.com/5455477/venus-williams-is-angry-people-still-think-shes-playing-without-underwear

Sage Rosenfels would rather be playing but he's not going to complain about being in the NFC Championship Game this weekend. On the show Thursday he said he still keeps in touch with Owen Daniels, David Anderson and a few of the other Texans including Matt Schaub who is on his way to the Pro Bowl. It finally took Sage leaving for Schaub to stay healthy for an entire season. You can hear the interview on the podcast.

If Peyton Manning and the Colts win Sunday Schaub will start the Pro Bowl backed up by Vince Young. All of a sudden the Pro Bowl has become must-see TV. VY is there for the second time in his career.

There are four other quarterbacks with better numbers but he did something extraordinary by leading his team to an 8-2 finish. Plus, he did well in the MNF win over the Texans to rack up some votes. Of course Schaub played well in that game also but the Texans failed on a 49 yard last second FG attempt to tie the game.

Bryant Gumbel closed a recent Real Sports episode by calling on all the steroid users in baseball to fess up....

...."In closing, guys, please feel free to share this letter with Bagwell, Nomar, Pudge and all those others who went from hitting homers to power outages overnight. Tell 'em fans are ready to accept what happened. Tell 'em we're ready to move on...."

I have no idea whether Bagwell is on the list of players who tested positive in 2003 but for Gumbel to finger Bagwell out of the blue is irresponsible reporting. Bagwell's power went down over 2 seasons due to a shoulder injury. You can think what you want but a man in Gumbel's position has to be more careful.

The subject of whether Jim Nantz's objectivity is compromised for having done a commercial with Peyton Manning came up Wednesday.

As the play by play announcer Nantz is not on the air to give his opinion. If Manning makes a crucial error it's up to Phil Simms to call him out. And it's up to Nantz to make sure he has a platform to do so.

As the voice of an NFL team I'm often asked how I handle tough situations. It's actually easy during the game because I just stick to the facts. That's the beauty of sports. The numbers usually tell most of the story. If a sack is the result of Schaub holding the ball or a pass protection break down it's up to Andre Ware to figure that out. If a play call doesn't work it's pretty easy to stick to the description.

If a flat out bad decision is made I make sure I present the audience with all the options that were available. Usually the coaches will admit later if they made a bad call so you're not exactly throwing them under the bus for questioning a shaky decision.
_________________________

My favorite Rocket on the roster is Yao Ming. I root for him maybe more than I've pulled for any individual basketball player. The whole 'stranger in strange land' story capitivated me from the get-go.

But picking a favorite Rocket on the active roster is another story. Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry get most of the votes. But I'm going for Chuck Hayes. As a long shot to play in the league Hayes has constantly stiff-armed his critics and stayed on the floor. He's a coaches dream and one of those guys you want to watch away from the ball because he works hard and makes things happen.

I can understand why some people are upset about Favre throwing a TD pass on 4th down late in a game the Vikings had already won but in pro sports you're free to run it up. There is a caveat though: Run it up at your own risk! There's always the possibility of payback down the line as Dallas and Minnesota will play next year.

In college football running up the score is almost required for style points. In high school it is considered forbidden.

Did Keith Brooking contribute to the Vikings' decision to go for it?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd1WYX_NajA
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Big debate on the show: Did the Chargers goof by onside kicking late in the game? They were down 3 with one time out and the two minute warning to stop the clock. A first down ends the game. If you kick off deep you must stop them on 3 downs and force a punt. If you onside kick and don't recover, you probably have to stop them on 4 downs. My thought is that the slight chance of keeping the ball in an onside kick scenario is worth the risk of having to stop them on 4 downs.

______

Jose Offerman needs help in the anger management dept.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6kt2I0wspM

________________

Reggie Bush looked great against the Cardinals which somehow brought callers who lamented not drafting him in 2006. In a semi-related story, I still wish I bought Microsoft at $1.50.

Bush is a fine playmaker with the following disclaimer: WHEN HE MAKES PLAYS. He's often an afterthought and he is no more than a role player for the Saints. Consider that the Texans own Jacoby Jones has a better return average than Bush and only one less total TD in the 2009 season than Bush. There were only 70 carries by Bush this year. He's not an every down back but he is a complimentary weapon in a fine offense. If the Texans had decided to take Bush #1 in 2006 it would not have been regarded as a good decision.

If you hate the ongoing Brett Favre saga AND dislike the Cowboys who do you pull for Sunday? Look, the Cowboys got a giant monkey off their backs by finally winning a playoff game for the first time since the Clinton administration last weekend. Yes, they are the most dangerous road team but Minnesota can get a pass rush going and make life very difficult for Tony Romo.

Isn't Favre the better story than the Cowboys? Wouldn't you rather see Favre vs. the Saints for the chance to go to the Super Bowl than a happy Jerry Jones? Just asking.

USC says O.J. Mayo did not cooperate with its internal investigation into possible NCAA wrongdoing. No kidding. The NBA 20-year-old rule is fun in the sense that you get one year seeing stars like Mayo, Derrick Rose and John Wall.

But who are we fooling here? Education is a far off thought as these guys sell tickets and draw eye balls to TV screens during their one season in a weigh station on their way to the NBA. Kids should be able to enter the NBA at anytime.

No, it's not the best thing for the pro game but this is America and the best in the business should be able to get paid for their craft.

With Lane Kiffin leaving Tennessee after one year is it any wonder why sports fans have become so jaded. He came in last year with a press conference that seemd a tad too brazen for the SEC but got his squad a winning record at 7-6. Other than finishing a game over .500 is there anything he has done that leads you to believe he will be a great head coach. If USC is as great as they think they are why aren't they going for a more established coach?

Bringing in Chow, Orgeron and his Dad will certainly help but it's not like the Trojans are getting someone with a great track record. And I hope everyone got a good tip on what the NCAA sanctions are going to be before they agreed to go with Kiffin.

Anyway, folks in Knoxville are not too pleased...

http://www.thewizofodds.com/the_wiz_of_odds/2010/01/the-natives-are-restless-in-knoxville.html

Tony La Russa's claim that his "programs" at Oakland and St Louis were "100% legit" is crazy. Canseco and McGuire both admit using so it's time to put La Russa in the same tainted light as some of the athletes that earned him the distinction of being one of baseball's best managers.

The players who have fessed up all owe an apology to Barry Bonds who took all the live bullets from the media during his run to pass Hank Aaron. Bonds should have walked away before he broke the record to help save his reputation but that's just a fantasy of mine.

Since the Feds clearly don't have the evidence to put Bonds away or to indict Roger Clemens they should drop both cases and stop wasting taxpayer money.

McGuire says he only took PEDs to get healthy, that they didn't help him hit home runs. Say what? If they helped you stay healthy then you were available to hit home runs. Case closed. The rest is just conversation.

An incredible comeback by Texas Thursday night fell short. The sack-fumble by Eryk Anders probably would have been spotted by Colt McCoy. The running game might have actually existed with McCoy in the game. But Garrett Gilbert deserves a lot of credit for coming into a difficult situation and pulling his team wtihin three in the fourth quarter of a game that most through would be well out of hand by then.

The upperclassmen should have helped him out more. Yes Shipley was outstanding but you couldn't afford to drop anything last night and he, Williams and Buckner had their moments. Plus, I realize you have a change of cadence with a new QB but false starts were unacceptable.

We're wondering whether McCoy would have at least tried to come back if his father had not gone down to the locker room. We'll never know.

Saban not taking a knee with first and goal inside the ten was classless. It's a football commandment: Thou Shalt take a knee when the clock can be drained in full.


How are your pipes? Is there really a serious threat or a Chupa Cabra (http://www.alienvideo.net/0702/img/06-12/chupacabra.gif) ?

Let's remember one thing about this run for the playoffs. With the postseason heat on at least eight AFC teams with four weeks to go it was the Texans who put together the most impressive run.

Yes, it came up short but it should serve as a reminder that great things can happen in sports when you keep fighting. The Texans clawed their way back into a playoff chase they were hopelessly out of and nearly tackled a playoff berth.

The amount of help they needed with four weeks ago was ridiculous yet they had all but one game come through for them.

In the end, it wasn't enough. And despite their late season heroics, the Texans didn't miss the playoffs because Cincinnati was chilly or because JaMarcus Russell can't hold onto the football.

They missed out because they lost to the Jets on opening day. Because they blew two fourth quarter leads against the Colts. Because they couldn't finish the job at home against the Titans. Because they couldn't get the ball back against Jacksonville.

You get the idea. Going to the playoffs was up to them and they didn't do the job.

That's not to say this wasn't their best season. It was.

We've never seen the defense play better. We were elated by Andre Johnson's history-making campaign. We were impressed with Matt Schaub's outstanding year. It was their best team with the best record but it wasn't enough.

The epitaph on the season should include a couple of key items. The first is that a playoff team can't go 4-4 at home.

The opening day loss to the Jets was a real head scratcher considering what would become the best Texans offense and defense in history would be helpless by scoring zero offensive TDs and getting third-down-converted to death by a rookie quarterback.

The next key item would be the four game losing streak against divisional opponents. Yes, the Colts were responsible for two of the losses but falling to Tennessee on Monday Night Football, blowing a 17-0 lead on Indy and misfiring against a Jacksonville team that was apparently not in the same class spelled doom.

The epitaph should also read that the team never quit and once again found a way to play at its best in December.

Next year, 9-7 might not do it either. There are a lot of good developing teams in the AFC. The Texans need to find a way to get off to a good start. They'll need to get running back help and continue to strengthen the defense. And they'll need to improve against their division foes.

It's been a roller coaster thrill ride and it's over. It was a taste of winning and playoff contention. Let's see what happens as they go after the full meal in 2010.