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On Friday last week, the Houston Texans took on the Pittsburgh Steelers in their second preseason game of the 2024 NFL Season. This was my first Houston Texans game ever, and I wanted to make sure I captured every big moment so that I could remember it forever. So, I brought my camera that I’ve been using for local high school football photography (you can find some of my work at the Tribune Democrat). I may not have taken the greatest pictures, or even good pictures of the subjects at hand, but I hope I captured what it was like to be there on Friday, for Houston’s second game of the 2024 season.
In my single year of sports photography experience, I’ve found myself growing an affinity to more chaotic, intense photographs. Football is a sport that forces you to grow numb to its intense, destructive action. Once the ball is snapped, nearly half of a 22-man field immediately crash into one another at full force, throwing caution to the wind as they ripped and tore through each other. I found myself searching for that mosh pit while in Pittsburgh, and was fortunate to get a handful of pictures of them:
Steven Sims (#82) sprints through defenders during a punt return.
This was the first punt of the game, Pittsburgh Steelers punter Cameron Johnston, yes, that Cameron Johnston, launches the ball towards Houston Texans returner Steven Sims, who jolted up the field and through this hole made by tight end Cade Stover, cornerback Kris Boyd, and linebacker Neville Hewitt. Sims is entering his second year in Houston, which is his third team in a six-year career. Despite the movement, he remains an attractive special teams option because of his speed and decisive running style; in fact, his abilities are evidenced in the photo above.
Although…that’s not the only thing that draws your attention in this photo. In this shot, the sheer mass of bodies and multi-colored jerseys makes for an abrasive sight, one that I can barely even focus on. From this admittedly poor perspective, can barely spot a streaking Sims making his way past a writhing pile of Texans blockers, along with a Steelers defender attempting to pry open the gates of hell, but the rest of the image evades description.
It’s just a mess! A brutal, murky, quagmire of a play captured in motion, in all of its ugly glory. You can call it a bad photograph if you like, but to me, there is some undefinable charm to these messy images for me. The sheer barbarism of the sport is laid bare here, to be observed in clinical detail.
I’ll never be able to recapture this sort of vibe, but these disorderly, shots of football games without a focal subject point remind me of one of my very favorite old school YouTube videos:
Ahhh, it’s always great sight to see the Dallas Cowboys suffering. It’s these kind of homemade, sloppy videos that allow you to get the most personal view of these larger-than-life players. After seeing Stroud all over the place on social media and on television, I finally got to just see him. And, now that I’ve finally gotten to see the Houston Texans in real life, I have a few questions about them; five to be exact.
This one that I got of Stroud carries a similar sort of chaotic energy to it:
There he is, Strouding it up in the pocket, debuting his jersey in the new Texans away uniforms, which are so clean. Reeling his right arm back in preparation of launching the football to tight end Dalton Schultz twenty yards downfield, C.J. Stroud must expose the left side of his body to a big hit from the incoming Steelers defensive end Larry Ogunjobi. This picture has all of the splendor and fanfare of the stereotypical NFL picture: the star quarterback posing in the pocket with the pretty new uniforms on. But, add an opposing player to the shot, crashing into the frame with obvious ill-intent, and all of the sudden this picture is equipped with some edge. A tinge of the raw thrill of football as echoed in Ogunjobi’s rather demanding presence in the frame. It’s exciting, thrilling…kind of violent?
Um…okay, why is C.J. Stroud playing in this preseason game? Why is the most important player to this franchise playing in an exhibition game right before the regular season starts? In fact, that’s my first question!
QUESTION 1: WHY ARE THE STARTERS PLAYING? IS THIS THE NEW NORMAL?
C.J. Stroud (#7) throws a past before absorbing a hit from Larry Ogunjobi (#99)
Here another good shot I got of Stroud, right before he gets hit by Ogunjobi. It almost makes you wanna cringe a little bit. Like, the car crash hasn’t happened yet, but you can see it coming. Why would want your most valuable player in a situation like this right now? I mean, I know there’s always been discussion of gradually onboarding live-game snaps onto players to warm them up for the regular season, but this seams like it could be risky?
But, how can I complain? This is one of the best pictures I got all night! A perfect shot of C.J. Stroud firing the ball away from approaching pressure, the ball still in frame as it flees a shattering pocket. Larry Ogunjobi’s mere presence inches away from Stroud gives this image a feeling of constant suspense. That hit is going to hurt, and it stings just a little more when it’s coming against the franchise savior.
Don’t worry, I got less intense picture of Stroud, as well:
C.J. Stroud (#7) stands in the pocket during Houston’s first drive
Alright that’s enough, back to the perilous C.J. Stroud shots! Check this one out of him desperately trying to evade Nick Herbig, eventually giving up and just chucking the ball out of bounds. Honestly, it’s impressive enough Stroud was able to turn this situation into an incomplete pass.
C.J. Stroud (#7) evading pressure from Nick Herbig (#51)
C.J. Stroud (#7) throwing a pass out of a sack from Nick Herbig (#51)
Fortunately, C.J. Stroud exited this game with this being his biggest hit. It still bothers me to see a player as valuable as him taking hits in a meaningless game, but I understand the argument for increasing demands on starters leading up to the regular season. Although, this decision, based off of the argument supporting increased workloads on starters in order to further prepare them for regular season action, opens up a discussion about this apparent trend taking over NFL coaching staffs. The decision to play first-string players this early and this much in the preseason isn’t one just DeMeco Ryans is making, but one that several young coaches are making. On the recently christened Heed the Call podcast with Dan Hanzus and Marc Sessler, Sports Illustrated writer Conor Orr describes this shift in philosophy at the 47:39 minute mark:
For years, it was common for NFL teams to completely avoid playing first-string players in the preseason at all. Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has became famous for never playing his starters in the preseason, and I don’t have to tell you about how he and his coaching tree have had influence across the league. That makes this change by several teams to have starters out there for a possession or two early on in the preseason sort of…unexpected. Surprising is a good word for it. Regardless of the decision, it got Stroud in trouble a few times.
It didn’t take very long for Stroud to get back on track, though. A few plays later, and he was firing this beautiful pass to an open Tank Dell, who made a move and streaked into the endzone for his first touchdown of the 2024 season. And then, they were gone. As quick as a flash, the Houston Texans first-team offense arrived and were off again.
C.J. Stroud (#7) throwing a touchdown pass to Tank Dell (#3)
That’s alright, it’s just as well after all my complaining about resting starters, anyways. Out goes Stroud, and in comes that neck I’ll never forget: Davis Mills. He’s looking to keep it cooking with the Texans’ backups, which leads me to my next question:
QUESTION #2: WHO’S THE BETTER BACKUP QUARTERBACK: DAVIS MILLS OR CASE KEENUM?
Davis Mills (#10) in the pocket
Case Keenum (#18) making an audible
I think this is more of an open ended question directed towards you, the reader, more than it is a questions posed towards the Houston Texans football team. For the past several weeks, it appears that DeMeco Ryans has kept Davis Mills firmly in the QB2 spot, and both his and Keenum’s play in the preseason hasn’t warranted a change to the depth chart. But, when Stroud suffered a concussion against the New York Jets in week fourteen of the 2023 season, DeMeco Ryans promoted Keenum, not Mills, to the starting position for those two weeks Stroud was injured. Ryans attributed this decision to strong competition between Keenum and Mills, and the desire for a more experienced signal-caller taking the reins in the middle of a heated playoff race.
If Houston were presented with this dilemma again, would Ryans make the same decision with Keenum? If, heaven forbid, Stroud gets hurt during the season, does that mean we’ll be watching a 36-year old, clearly over-the-hill Keenum play as the interim starter yet again? As neutral as I am about Keenum remaining on the team, and supportive of his underrated year in Denver, I think seeing him take the field for the 2024 Houston Texans would be prettying upsetting to me. DeMeco Ryans and Nick Caserio can’t convince me that the best option for a backup for the most important position in football was the same undrafted free agent Houston was trotting out there in 2013.
There has been an oil geyser’s worth of talented quarterbacks injected into the league in the past eleven years, and many are far better than Keenum. I mean, Ryan Tannehill is still available for crying out loud, why are we defending Keenum’s position this much? I can understand keeping Davis Mills around because of his recent experience as a starter in Houston and his occasional impressive game. Mills is young and has shown us that he has a ceiling worth chasing, but with Keenum…I can’t remember the last time Case Keenum had a ceiling. He’s a floor, and if you’re just looking for a floor, I’d rather have Ryan Tannehill. Heck, both of them are just going to firing the ball to their tight ends over and over anyways, so we might as well get the taller quarterback with a bigger arm and make it a little easier for the whole offense. Speaking of tight ends…
QUESTION #3: IS CADE STOVER ACTUALLY FOR REAL?
Cade Stover (#87) pursued by Payton Wilson (#41)
You know, he looked pretty darn good in real life! Stover looked like one of the better players on the field nearly every snap he was out there, and he one of Stroud’s very first targets! He blocked well enough on special teams and on offense, caught a few passes, and finished with a PFF grade of 67.5, a higher score than seven of Dalton Schultz’s fifteen appearances from last season. These are his first games as an NFL player ever, and he’s already looking comparable to Houston’s starter.
It’s far too early to be making any sort of gaudy claims, but Cade Stover might just be a solid tight end coming right out of college, which could be a serious game-changer for the passing offense, rushing offense, and special teams. This means another blocking tight end, another receiving tight end, another big-body to target in the middle of the field and on one-on-ones, and another touchdown target.
QUESTION #4: HOW WILL HOUSTON’S DEFENSE ATTACK NEW YORK’S GROUND GAME?
In last week’s matchup against the Detroit Lions, the New York Giants had a plethora of success running the ball. Several of their starting lineman had exceptional games in blocking, especially Joshua Ezeudu and Austin Scholttmann. The Giants had three different running backs in the game last week, and they finished with a PFF grade 64.2, 66.4, and 90.2. By comparison, Houston played five different running backs against Pittsburgh, and only one had a score higher than any of these three Giants’ backs: Cam Akers, with a score of 79.4. Giants’ back Eric Gray, Tyrone Tracy, and Dante Miller tore up the Lions’ defense with their linemen paving the way over and over again. It might have been fortunate for the Texans to face a team run-heavy team like Steelers in preseason week one so that they are more prepared for the challenge the Giants will give them in week two.
Cam Akers (#22) puts a move on Mark Robinson (#93)
Tyrone Tracy suffered a sprained knee during practice several days ago, so he won’t be in tomorrow’s game, but Eric Gray and Dante Miller can cause enough damage on their own. Their performance will be a great indicator for Texans’ fans to determine how in sync the defensive line and linebackers really are. Backup linebacker and Del-Shawn Phillips and slot cornerback D’Angelo Ross looked decent against the run when playing Pittsburgh, effectively covering holes and making form tackles when it mattered. Here’s one of Ross right here:
D’Angelo Ross (#37) tackling Jaylen Warren (#30)
But, stopping the run in New York is going to require a lot more than just linebackers and cornerbacks. Houston is going to need a big game from its defensive line if they want to contain these backs, which is where defensive end Marion Edwards comes in.
Mario Edwards has been a “revelation” for the Houston Texans in training camp. Here’s what DeMeco Ryan’s had to say to the Houston Chronicle’s Jon Poorman when asked about Mario Edwards:
“He shows up intense every day,” Ryans said. “Locked in and asking, ‘‘Coach, how can I get better?’ You show up with that mindset it’s easy for us to coach you. Mario has done a great job for what we’ve asked him to do. Little scheme change for him, and he’s taken to it well. He’s taken the coaching well. Coach Rod (Wright) has been doing a great job with him. He just adds to the versatility amongst our defensive line, and that’s what we’re looking for across our entire team, just versatility. As many versatile players as we can have allows us schematically to mix things up a lot.
– Jon Poorman
It seems like the Texans’ coaching staff has taken a liking to Edwards, a journeyman pass-rusher that has performed above his billing several times throughout his career. He made an impact in his 16 snaps in Pittsburgh, combining with Jerry Hughes to sack Justin Fields early in the game. His performance is doubly important as well, due to fellow lineman Denice Autry’s PED suspension that will keep out of the first four regular season games.
The bad news, however, is that Edwards’ backup, Khalil Davis, did not have a very good day. Davis didn’t look very good in either preseason game to be frank, a big difference from his solid preseason in 2023. If he gets more snaps against New York and doesn’t dramatically improve, it could get ugly for Houston’s defense. Which leads me to my final question:
QUESTION #5: WHAT WILL MARCUS HARRIS LOOK LIKE AGAINST THE GIANTS?
Marcus Harris (#59) lunges for Kyle Allen (#4)
Marcus Harris has quickly become one of the most intriguing players on this 2024 Texans roster for me. Although a bit undersized, Harris, despite being a seventh round pick, has the strength and range to be an impact player in the NFL, just like he was at Auburn for the last three years. Consistently a menace against the run throughout his five-year collegiate career, Harris added improved pass-rushing capabilities to his repertoire in 2023, having big games against Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas.
In last week’s game against the Steelers, Harris was largely unimpressive in his 26 snaps, making just one tackle and one stop. Tomorrow’s game against the Giants could be a big chance for him to catch the attention of Houston’s coaching staff. If he can knock a few of their good linemen back, even if it’s just for a single sack, that can be world changing for a lineman trying to secure a roster spot. I’ve got my fingers crossed for him!
Marcus Harris (#59)
Those my five big questions heading into tomorrow’s game against the New York Giants. I’m really, really hoping for a big game from the defensive line, and it would be nice to see wide receivers Xavier Hutchinson and John Metchie III make some plays, as well. And, stemming back to my previous comments, I wouldn’t mind the Texans being a little more careful with their starters. Maybe I’m still little burnt from last year’s injury nightmare, but I just get nervous any time they’re on the field.
For the rest of this article, enjoy the best of the random shots I got at Friday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers;
What do you think will happen in tomorrow’s preseason game? Will it become a shootout headlined by Davis Mills throwing four touchdown passes or a resurgent Tommy DeVito? Will these hyped up Giants’ running backs fall back down to Earth against Houston? Will Marcus Harris fall apart or surge up the depth chart? Let us know what you think in the comments below! GO TEXANS!!!!
Robert Woods (#2) getting tackled by Kalon Barnes (#31)
Dare Ogunbowale (#33) scoring a touchdown
Case Keenum (#18) performing Houston’s first victory position of the 2024 NFL Season
Stefon Diggs (#1)
Kurt Hinish (#93)
Danielle Hunter (#55)
Davis Mills (#10) and Case Keenum (#18)
Cade Stover (#87) and Jadon Janke (#83)
Kilian Zierer (#66)
C.J. Stroud (#7) and Dameon Pierce (#31)
Joe Critz
Derek Stingley Jr.
Joe Critz
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