Very well-behaved well-to-do Indianapolis fans had flown down to Houston with their team for the Houston Texans home opener in Reliant Stadium. As they watched from the sideline during Pre-Game warm up, they informed me of just what to expect from Peyton Manning and the rest of the Colts: Domination!
"They simply just don't lose in September. Although we respect (code for they try, but can't win) the Texans, they just can't handle the firepower of Indy."
Then, it happened. The Houston Texans organization, coaching staff, and players delivered on their promise of an entire off-season's worth of preparation. The players displayed a team mindset as a unit, not individual players that may or may not add up to a successful play, series, quarter, or game. They flawlessly executed schemes and plays that yielded sustained drives with TDs on offense, curtailed drives on defense, and yielded all important field position on special teams.
A Texans 34 - 24, never-trailed victory was the result of a franchise record-setting day on rushing attempts and rushing yards by a single back, defense that perfectly blended pressure and punishment to yield timely turnovers, and a crowd whose energy infused the team, and vice-versa.
But most impressive was that after such a statement of a season opening win against the perennial division big brother, to a man the team spoke with humble perspective about what the victory meant: a chance to prepare for next week with a victory under their belt.
This team has flown under the radar this off season, and upcoming opponents are as clueless about these new Texans as were the Colts! Their next two opponents - Washington and Dallas - played each other last night and combined for less than two offensive touchdowns.
Here comes the best!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment