In case you weren't familiar, there's a large university in Austin, with orange and white for their colors, and a big, drugged cow for a mascot. You may have also heard that their football team is usually pretty good, and that a couple years ago, they actually won a national championship in football. Their quarterback that year kinda flew under the radar, so you may not have heard about him, either: regardless, he was compared to some pretty important people while he was there. After graduating from this university (which has many exes in Houston), the Texans had the opportunity to draft him, but they passed on him for a guy who likes driving his Lamborghini 150 miles an hour. Since then, plenty of people in Houston and elsewhere really, really wish that this quarterback were playing here rather than in Tennessee, where he ended up.
In case any of the above was news to you, two comments: 1) we here at Houstonist would love to interview you for our feature about bomb shelters in the Houston area, and 2) you'll be hearing a lot more about this player, Vince Young, during the Texans game on Sunday. A lot.
The Tennessee Titans are in town this weekend to play the Texans, and this promises to be one of the few games where people wearing jerseys for the visiting team will make up a significant portion of the crowd. The aforementioned Young is one big reason; the fact that the Titans are Darth Vader version of the Oilers ("more machine than man now, twisted and eee-vil.") covers the balance of the fans. The Young fans who purchased their tickets at the beginning of the season will have a conundrum on their hands, as Young suffered a quad injury in last week's Titans game against the Buccaneers. Young has said that he intends to play, but the decision will be in coach Jeff Fisher's hands.
On the Texans side of the game, human quicksilver Jacoby Jones looks to rebound from the injury that's kept him on the sideline for the past three weeks. Matt Schaub's offensive weapons are slowly returning; Ahman Green should be closer to 100% this week after a fairly rusty performance last week. This Texans team's playoff hopes seem to rest on the health of Andre Johnson, so any wins that they can pick up in his absence are gravy. Johnson should return to the lineup next week.
On defense, the key for the Texans (obviously) is stopping Vince Young if he plays. Vince has shown that he took the draft day snub seriously, and has played with a grudge in the time that the teams have faced each other in the past. If Young doesn't play, Kerry Collins will be behind center for the Titans, and things should be much easier. The Titans running game is about as anemic as the Texans, so the passing attack (whether led by Collins or Young) should be the focus. If Mario Williams were any sort of man, he'd rise to the occasion to show that he's not the "flop with brief flashes of brilliance" that he's been characterized as. If he doesn't, it'll be up to Amobi Okoye and the rest of the line to get pressure on the QB, while the linebackers, led by DeMeco Ryans will have to keep Young corralled.
The Titans and Texans square off at Reliant Stadium at noon.
h/t to Horn Fans for the pic.
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