Fins-Texans: Defense

Well, we certainly know where our strengths and weaknesses are on defense, and the bad news is that other teams do too. The Texans had a great game plan, going to their big receiver Andre Johnson often, and exploiting Goodman and Crowder in coverage. When they ran, they followed the Jets' blueprint by going after Kendall Langford, and they also tried to attack Joey Porter on the ground, part to neutralize his pass rush, part to stay away from big #98 on the other side. We had a chance to step up and make some plays, but when it came down to it the Texans beat the heck out of our defense all day en route to victory.

-Early in the game, it was (who else) Joey Porter rushing the quarterback and Akin Ayodele getting a much deserved pick.

-Great goal line stand by Joey Porter (again), forcing two straight incompletions with pressure.

-Despite Mr. Porter's finest efforts rushing the passer, our coverage was horrible all day long.

-The problems on D were summed up by a note I wrote early in the second half. 1) We needed to take Andre Johnson out of the game the way we did against Randy Moss. 2) We needed a real, sustained lead to make them one-dimensional. 3) We needed to manufacture more pressure on the quarterback to force more mistakes.

None of it happened.

-Crowder, despite his current limitations in coverage (he is improving), is such a valuable asset to this defense because of how hard he hits. I have been going back and forth on what I've thought of him all year, and he still has a lot of work to do if he wants to come back with a long term deal, but the value of the pain that he inflicts is undeniable. He had 13 spine-crunching tackles against the Texans, and is indisputably the spiritual leader of this hard-hitting defense. A very impressive game for the Gator.

-Langford did not do a good job against the run today. Holliday and especially Starks do a much better job. Despite what everybody in the organization says about Langford being big and a stout run defender, I believe we need to make a change on the defensive line. At this point in his career, Langford is more of an energy shot than an every down grinder, and instead of being a liability on first down, I think he can excel in the game in passing situations. Couple that with the type of year that Randy Starks is having - I think you could make a legitimate pro bowl case for him if he were starting - and I don't understand why Starks isn't our starting end, with Langford taking his role in passing situations. As we have it right now, they are backwards.

-Renaldo Hill, though he hits extremely well and has really made a difference in the secondary, has no hands. That makes 50% of our secondary who absolutely cannot catch the ball, so I ask once more for a ball-hawking cover corner in the offseason.

-While it was disappointing, Hochuli made the right call who Porter hit Shaub as he was throwing. Maybe I'm growing soft, but I have to defend Hochuli here and really feel for him after that tough mistake he made earlier in the year. It's tough to say because I am a biased fan, but he is a great referee who made the right call, and the Texans did deserve to win this game.

-Sparano said it best: we got our hands on the ball on 5 of Houston's last 11 plays, but they were the ones who were able to make the plays to win. We have to capitalize on opportunities, and with a loss in Houston, we have to win at home next week to avoid a whole at 2-4.