Houston Stomps KC, KEYE to Air Titans Again, but Texans Return to KEYE in Week Three

The first thing I noticed at Reliant Stadium on Sunday was that the fans were actually in their seats. Not out in the parking lot tailgating, not at home doing whatever it is they do on Sunday afternoon. The fans – decked out in all-white apparel, as were the players – were eager to see their new-look Texans with fresh faces in key positions. Matt Schaub, Ahman Green, Amobi Okoye, Jacoby Jones, and Michael Boulware all made their H-Town debut in the Texans 20-3 drubbing of the Kansas City Chiefs. But the biggest story of the day was Mario Williams coming-out party. Williams had a career-high two sacks, returned a fumble 38 yards for a touchdown, had five tackles, and was actually seen smiling on the sideline. Something he didn't do much of last year as he was hampered by plantar fasciitis and failed to prove himself as the second coming of Julius Peppers. The Texans d-line in general performed well with N.D. Kalu picking up a sack and Travis Johnson coming down with a huge late-game interception. Good news for Johnson who has underperformed as a first-round pick for the Texans in 2005.

Last season's Defensive Rookie of the Year DeMeco Ryans led the Texans in tackles as expected with DB Jamar Fletcher coming in second in that category and making some good plays on special teams as well. He'll be needed as Jason Simmons was lost for the season due to an injury on Sunday following the loss of fellow DB Glenn Earl in the preseason. Houston signed safety Will Demps this week to try and add some depth to their injury-depleted defensive backfield. Von Hutchins also showed glimpses of potential against KC forcing a fumble and playing consistently throughout. Newly acquired d-back Michael Boulware will also be rushed into service sooner than expected. D-lineman Amobi Okoye became the youngest player ever to suit up for an NFL game after being the youngest ever drafted. He looks to be a big part of Houston's defensive unit for many years to come.

The offensive squad also showed some promise. Schaub picked up his first-ever NFL win completing 16 of 22 for 225 yards including a 77-yard touchdown pass to All-Pro receiver Andre Johnson. That was the longest play in both players' careers. Johnson ended the day with seven receptions for 142 yards and a TD. Nice. Schaub was able to hold onto the ball after being blindsided by the blitzing Donnie Edwards. Not to kick a dead horse, but it's doubtful David Carr would have been able to retain possession of the ball on that play. Schaub did throw an interception in the Chiefs' end zone early on but recovered quickly. Also not a trait of Mr. Carr. Running back Ahman Green had a nice debut for the Texans rushing for 73 yards on 16 carries with 23 yards receiving. Green has legs that never stop spinning and was able on several occasions to bowl forward for additional yardage. Also not an attribute shared by previous Texans RBs (except for current No. 2 back Ron Dayne).

Matt Turk – who came onboard to replace the Texans previous franchise punter, Chad Stanley – had a great day. I won't go into detail on how much I hated Stanley but Turk helped the Texans immensely in his debut and made a huge difference in the field-position battle.

KEYE has chosen to air the Colts/Titans game this week, but, guess what Texans fans? In week three of the NFL season KEYE will air the Texans match-up with those same Indy Colts.

In weeks three and 11 the Titans are playing the Monday Night Football game on ESPN so we'll catch a couple Texans' games there. No MNF for Houston. Week four is a bye week for the Titans so the Texans/Falcons game should be televised locally. Houston and Tennessee play each other in weeks seven and 13 so there's two more Texans games we can catch here in the ATX. Week eight and week nine the Texans games start at 3pm with the Titans starting at noon so who knows what'll happen there. I'll find out. So that means we should be able to watch Texans games in weeks three, four, seven, 11, and 13. And who knows, maybe a few other games ta boot.

So, Texans fans, tune in and support your home-state team and let the rest of Austin know it's time to move on. Vince Young no longer plays for the Longhorns. He plays for a crappy team from Tennessee who chose to pack their bags and hightail it outta Texas back in 1997.

Here are a few samples of the comments posted to my KEYE/Texans/Titans blog:

"Sorry, I love UT football but I just [prefer to] keep my pro football separate from my college football instead of obsessing on UT 24/7."

"… the Texans are living with their decision to not draft 'hometown horn' and future Hall of Famer Vince Young. KEYE is just airing what sells … that's free enterprise and it's the way it is supposed to work."

"There are thousands of Texans fans that would watch the games and the commercials if they were on. This is a new season with almost a complete overhaul of the team bringing new excitement for Texans fans. The memory of VY will fade away."

"As there are something like 4x the Tenn. fans than Houston fans in CenTex, it only makes sense for KEYE (advertising $) to show the better team, that is the Tennessee Titans!"

"That Titans vs Jags game had to be the most boring game I have seen in a long time. I also can't believe there are still some people out there that think the Texans should have drafted Bust … eeer Bush. The guy the Texans did draft has more TDs than Bush and he is a defensive end."