Results tagged “nfl”

The Texans had a distinct game plan going into this weekend's NFL Draft: improve the defense. Despite the best efforts of Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, and Dunta Robinson, the team had one of the worst defenses in the AFC last year, and GM Rick Smith set out to rectify that deficiency.

On this lazy, semi-holiday, it feels like the perfect opportunity to browse around the 'net and find out what's been going on with our local teams. Only the Rockets are actually playing games right now, though the Astros are gearing up for theirs in Florida right now. The Texans continue to be a topic of discussion even though the NFL draft is yet two months away. With that in mind, let's take a look at what's been happening:

Former Houston Oilers linebacker John Grimsley was found dead in his Missouri City home this morning. After receiving a 911 emergency call from the Grimsley household, police rushed to the scene at 9:00am only to find a lifeless body.

National Signing Day proved to be a disappointment for Texas Longhorn fans, as star high school running back Darrell Scott chose to enroll at Colorado by signing a letter of intent this afternoon. Scott, the second ranked ball carrier amongst 2008 high school recruits, spent the past several weeks debating between the merits of the two Big XII universities. Ultimately, the California-bred halfback went with the Buffaloes, leaving an entire burnt orange nation in mourning.

The Houston Rockets are seemingly transitioning into the New York Giants of the National Basketball Association. No, they haven't just won a championship. No, they haven't defeated arguably the best team in league history. No, they haven't snapped an opponent's 18-game winning streak. OK, so maybe they're nothing like the NFL's Super Bowl winner.

It's a struggle not to talk about how awesome the Super Bowl was last night, but since we're here to talk about Houston teams first and foremost, we'll have to stick to our mission. But how 'bout those commercials, huh? We went and looked at the GoDaddy.com Danica Patrick one online; who knew that she could put both legs behind her head while playing "Smoke On The Water" on kazoo?

Darrell Green, a product of Houston's Jones High School, was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past weekend. Green, who was selected No. 1 overall in 1983 by the Washington Redskins, played 20-years with the same team, an NFL co-record with the Rams' Jackie Slater.

This weekend, there's a movie coming out called Charlie Wilson's War; the eponymous Wilson was a congressman from Lufkin (actual motto: You'll Love Lufkin!) who funneled arms and money to the Afghan rebels fighting against the USSR in the waning years of the Cold War. Wilson took up the fight because the Afghans were underdogs and when they were pissed, they'd hurt the Commies in ways that red-blooded Americans of the time only wished they could. The Texans are underdogs this week against the mighty Colts, and they've got a very large pissed off man who just got snubbed for the Pro Bowl on their side. Evil Empire, meet your mujahideen.

For everyone from the suckers who went to the sports bars because they thought the game was only on the NFL Network, to the lucky souls who knew that the game was on Channel 20, the confused folks who mistook the Texans red-on-red uniforms for a horrible laundry error, and to Channel 20 itself (which no doubt got their highest ratings since they ceased to be a UPN affiliate), the Texans thumping of the Broncos was a triumph in whatever context you found it.

Football on a Thursday? Does this mean we have to skip 30 Rock? Damn, this is a hard decision. Gary Kubiak vs. Jack Donaghy. Sage Rosenfels vs. Judah Freidlander. Texans Cheerleaders vs. our completely defensible crush on Tina Fey. Tracy Jordan vs. Travis Henry's illegitmate children. Mike Shannahan's hair vs. the Sheinhart Wig Company. Who are we kidding? You can watch 30 Rock any time on NBC's website. It's like Tivo for poor people! The...

The question that has burned in men's minds since 2000, invading their slumber and disturbing their very ability to enjoy music, has finally been answered emphatically. It was Jerome Mathis, wideout and kick returner for the Texans, who let the dogs out. Mathis was given a citation by Brazoria County authorities on Saturday when four of his pit bulls were menacing neighbors near his home in Manvel. Animal control officers were able to intervene without...

"We gon' rock it till the wheels fall off," the poet Nate Dogg once said. If he was referring to the Houston Texans' 2007 season (and we have no reason to believe that he wasn't), then the rocking will soon cease, as the wheels are at very least wobbling their way out of place as a prelude to actually falling off. The annual optimism has given way to the annual draft speculation, as the never-ending...

Somewhere, in the sea of hype surrounding Reggie Bush and Vince Young, Mario Williams has emerged as the strongest impact-player in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Sure, Vince had a Pro Bowl appearance his first year, Reggie has the endorsements, and Joseph Addai and Laurence Moroney are key components of already-strong teams, but Super Mario has delivered on the promise that made Charley Casserly risk his job to pick him first overall....

Before you get all "wait, I was told there wouldn't be any math", there is some significance to the number above. It's Vince Young's QB Rating, largely the result of a 5/13 touchdown/interception ratio. By way of comparison, Matt Schaub has a decent 87.3 rating, and former Steelers phenom Kordell Stewart finished his career with a 70.7 rating. Perhaps the Madden cover jinx doesn't mean that you blow out your knee or get arrested for...

Ok, it's officially time: skip a Sunday in front of the NFL, ignore Terry Bradshaw's fake hillbilly schtick and dozens of former players pretending that they're still relevant, and watch your Houston Dynamo take on the New England Revolution for the MLS Cup. Here's five reasons why the Dynamo game should take precedence over the NFL on Sunday: 1. In case you haven't noticed: Boston sports fans, once the loveable Charlie Brown-esque losers of the...

With half of its Opening Day offense totting clipboards on the sidelines, and its defensive leader headed to the hospital with a busted hamstring, the Texans might have been justified in being pessimistic. Fortunately, for a team that's already been through more injuries than a Very Special Episode of ER, Sage Rosenfels and Ron Dayne wouldn't let them lose hope, allowing the Texans to escape Oakland with a 24-17 win. After starting hot in the...

The big question heading into the Texans matchup against the San Diego Chargers has nothing to do with Matt Schaub's hip, Andre Johnson's knee, or Gary Kubiak's recent coaching decisions, but when and where the game will be played. As you're no doubt aware, George Bush started a series of fires in Southern California to distract attention away from the Iraq war, and a lot of people around the San Diego area were forced...

In spite of what may have simultaneously been the best and worst game in Texans franchise history, we do have a lot of good stuff to share with you this week from the sports blogosphere. Pay particular attention to the gem at the bottom of the list. - Stevie Franchise may not really earn that nickname anymore, but he is back in Houston and he is wearing number 3 again. Just like 2002. Maybe we...

The Texans travel to Jacksonville this weekend to face the resurgent Jaguars in a battle to see who will stand out as the more improved AFC team. The Texans got the season off to a hot start, but injuries and tough opponents bring them to this weekend with a 3-2 record. However, with the immenent return of Ahman Green and Jacoby Jones, the sporadically brilliant offense will get a much-needed upgradein the offensive options department....

With baseball season firmly packed into the history books, at least as far as the Astros and the rest of the NL Central are concerned (hi Cubs fans!), and basketball season around the corner, there's plenty of blog fodder out there this week. Here's what bloggers are saying about our sports teams: - The Rockets are hemorrhaging point guards. Even though the word on the street is that Rafer Alston is on the trading block,...

Let's take a step back and look at the facts here. The Texans are undefeated to start the season, 2-0 for the first time in franchise history. They scored 34 points against the Panthers, a team record. Matt Schaub was not sacked, not one single solitary time. We'll emphasize that last part again: at no point in the game did Matt Schaub stare up at the Carolina sky, holding the football, while a very large...

This past Sunday, Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett was very nearly paralyzed in a brutal on-field collision during the Bills' game against the Denver Broncos. Doctors originally thought that chances of a full recovery were 80-90% against, with a strong possibility that he would be a quadrapeligic; today, the Port Arthur-raised Everett is moving his limbs and breathing on his own, and his family and doctors are optimistic for a full recovery. Everett played...

It's time again to look into the wilds of the internets and see what people are saying about Houston's sports teams. Without further ado, here we go. -Jacoby Jones is hands-down the most exciting player on the Texans right now, and probably their most anticipated rookie since David Carr. The national press is starting to take notice as well, as noted in this NFL.com article that compares Jones to last NFL season's IT GUY Devin...

Houstonist proudly names 2007 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Bruce Matthews, the first of a series of great Houston athletes to be honored. Matthews, who was drafted ninth overall in the 1983 NFL draft, could possibly be the last of the Houston Oilers to be inducted. Matthews was a rare specimen. He played 19 seasons with one franchise which included 296 games, a NFL record for lineman and sixth best in NFL history....

Houston's hometown hero (and shoulda,woulda, coulda been Texan) Vince Young popped up on the NFL wire for being caught in an altercation during yesterday's training camp practice. The build up to the showdown occurred at Baptist Sports Park in Nashville, TN when S Donnie Nickey knocked down WR Joel Filani after the wideout ran the wrong route. Trainers were forced to assist Filani, and on the subsequent play Nickey threw WR Courtney Roby to...

If you're anything like us, you're probably waist deep into fantasy football magazines, watching ESPN's "Sportscenter" five times a day to catch the latest NFL training camp updates, and surfing the Internet until the wee hours of the morning to find out how that starting running back's knee is holding up to the rigors of two-a-days. No, it's just us? Either way, the dawn of a new NFL season brings with it another year of...

Football is back! Those may be the three sweetest words to every sports fan's ears. NFL teams around the nation are huddling up for training camp this month in preparation for the 2007 season. In our very own backyard the Houston Texans kicked things off by having rookies report to the Methodist Training Center on July 22, quickly followed by veterans on July 29. The Houstonist will be keeping you informed as to the goings-on...

Houston native Keenan McCardell agreed to a one-year contract with his hometown Houston Texans. McCardell, a two-time Pro Bowler, had other offers from other teams and left a good chunk of change on the table to sign with Houston.

The road to 3,000 hits the Bayou City starting today with a four-game set against the Colorado Rockies. And Craig Biggio is salivating at the opportunity to make history at home. Against the Rockies, Biggio owns a .347 average, the best of any opponent. On Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers, Biggio recorded career hit 2,997 against Claudio Vargas in the third inning; a single to left field. Biggio Fact of the Day: In 1987,...

So, Houston cable subscribers, the much-talked-about day is here: Today, Time Warner cable service in the city officially becomes Comcast cable service. Feel any different yet? You probably won't unless you go looking for the TV Guide Channel or west coast feeds of the Disney Channel and Encore, which have been dropped from the cable lineup. In their place are 20 new channels, some of which KHOU has listed: high-definition versions of Starz, The Golf...