Oakland primer

As my faithful readers may have noticed, I've been a little busy in the last week, and have fallen a little behind on the blog. Yes, I know that the game against Oakland has already transpired, but the thoughts I have later about "what I'm looking for" are unabridged, and exactly as I would have written them a week ago. I'm still going to recap Pitt and give a preview of Oakland, both on the field and in the kitchen, just know that I know that the game has already been played.

When I look back at the Pittsburgh game, a smile comes to my face because of the thoroughness of the butt kicking that game was. Ya, I know the 3rd quarter was a little iffy and the nay-sayers may have started jumping off the bandwagon, but the way that they closed that game was as impressive a finish as I've seen this team have in recent memory (the comeback win against New England to finish 9-7 two years ago was also pretty good, but Welker, Moss, and Brady were all out of the game by the 4th quarter, so meh).

Those who know me, and watch football with me, know that I have a passionate, somewhat rational hatred of getting the ball to start the game. It's not that I don't want the ball, it's more that I think that there are huge momentum swing advantages to getting the ball to start the second half. If you score late in the first half, you get the ball right back and can try and add on. If you're down big in the first half, you can start the second half with the ball and try and cut into the lead. There are many other scenarios, but games are usually won or lost in the second half and I want my team to start that half with the ball, pretty much regardless of the situation. Naturally, when the Texans won the toss and elected to receive, I was bummed. However, the 19 play, "115" yard, 10 minute and 55 second drive that followed, not only turned my frown upside down, but also made me feel a little warm and fuzzy inside (and not just because it ended with a touchdown to OD, who I have on two of my fantasy teams...although that was nice). The Texans ran it whenever and wherever they wanted. They threw it whenever and wherever they wanted. They even got into a couple of 3rd and longs just to let Pittsburgh "do what they do best", and they still converted those plays to keep the drive alive. It was a thing of beauty and one of the few cases I've ever seen where getting the ball to start truly seemed to set a tone and make a difference in the game.

While the offense did stall a little bit once Andre was out (man that looked scary when he first went down), they did the important things right. They didn't allow Schaub to get sacked and they continued to run the ball, (how good did Foster look??) even when Polamalu was doing that thing where he stalks the line of scrimmage and seems to know the snap count (look up the play he made on the goal line against Kerry Collins and the Titans last year). The offensive cherry on top though, was Foster's 42 yard touchdown run that ultimately provided the difference in the score. The way he cut back across the entire field, made Polamalu and LaMarr Woodley miss, and then beat a couple of DBs to the goal line was B..E..A..utiful. 

On the other side, with the exception of the 3rd quarter drive where the Steelers ran the ball right down the field, the defense looked incredible. They got pressure on Big Ben all day, they limited Mike Wallace's big plays, and they had huge hits on the Steelers all day (you can't dance with a broken back Hines Ward). I do feel bad for Johnathan Joseph though. As a defender, his legitimate chances to score are so few and far between and while he did "score" twice, having both plays called back had to be a little upsetting. I know the team won, so he's not gonna cry, but those two scores would have made the scoreboard beating match the beating that took place on the field. All in all, it was a great game to watch, both as a fan of close football games, and as a Texans' fan. They pretty much pushed Pittsburgh around all day and showed how good they can be in all facets of the game. 

Alright, looking "ahead" to Oakland, here are a couple of things I'll be watching:

• Daren McFadden vs Arian Foster: No, these two won't actually be playing against each other, but I'm more concerned with who has the bigger day. The Texans can win if McFadden has a big day, but only if it's an inefficient big day. Meaning, if he gets 150 yards, he better get it on 40 carries. If he has 20 carries for 150 yards, that's trouble for the Texans. For Foster, just keep falling forward, keep moving the chains, and pick up some slack in the pass game that's missing Andre. 
• Jason Campbell vs getting sacked: Because they're running a lot and doing it well, the Raiders have been able to keep Campbell upright for the majority of the season (he's only been sacked twice). If he has time to sit in the pocket, one of those speedy receivers is going to get past someone in the Texans secondary, especially if Kareem Jackson is covering him. Get some pressure, put him on the ground, and the pass game should be kept in relative check.
• Texan's passing offense vs "ghost" of Andre Johnson: Andre's not playing, so his 100+ yards and a touchdown need to be distributed elsewhere. Where exactly? I'm not the offensive coordinator, so I don't know, but it just needs to go somewhere (OD would be nice). 

This game should be pretty physical. Hopefully everyone comes out clean and the Texans come out with a victory. I'll have my score prediction at the bottom of the post.

To the food.

I'm actually cheating a little bit this week. There was nothing that really screamed Oakland that I wanted to make, so I'm making something from San Francisco. Before you get upset though, SF and Oakland are closer than Dallas and Ft. Worth, so it's not really that much of a stretch. Deal with it. 

Created in San Francisco's Mission District, the Mission style burrito features rice, beans, meat, cheese, and other toppings in a large tortilla that's wrapped up tight and is highly portable. Named for the 18th and 19th century Spanish missions that populated the area, the Mission District was an area of high commercial importance in San Fran after the 1906 earthquake and during the rush of European immigrants that followed. During the 1940s, after an influx of Mexican immigrants to the area, the Mission District developed a much more Latin culture that was seen until hipsters moved in around the turn of the century and drove up the cost of living. In 1969, at the tiny Taqueria La Cumbre, the Mission style burrito was born. Looking to create a portable, nutritious meal, the owners of La Cumbre packed whatever ingredients the customer wanted into a large flour tortilla, rolled it up, and wrapped it in foil. So, to honor this fantastic creation, this week's food is:

• Mission style burrito with carne asada

This is one of those weeks where as long as I don't screw up the cooking, the food should taste great. Let's hope the Texans play as good as the food will be. 

Raiders 17

Texans 27

Happy Football Viewing

-MB

Pittsburgh primer

I have a confession to make.

I think this game against New Orleans was ok to lose...

Man that hurts to say, but if you look at a few other factors, games on the road against one of your four NFC opponents are ok to lose. Sure you want to win on the road against a Super Bowl contender to show yourselves and the world that you can do it, but in the grand scheme of things (always wondered why it was the grand scheme of things...what things??), if you can't go 16-0, I'd rather lose last week and beat Pittsburgh at home, then the other way around. I know that's a crappy way to think, but trying to make some lemonade here.

Let's backtrack here a second. Before the season started, I put on my prognosticating hat and went week by week through the Texan's schedule, tried to think about each game objectively (if my heart made the picks, they'd never lose), and made game by game predictions for the season. When I came to weeks 3 and 4, I predicted 1-1. I never really made a firm commitment to which one they would win or lose, but I went back and forth many times. As I mentioned before, if you have to go 1-1, you'd much rather it be by winning against Pitt at home. It should be a team's goal to never lose at home. Yes winning on the road is important, but if you go 8-0 at home, going 0.500 on the road makes you a 12 win team. It's sort of like sweeping your division; you also want to do well outside the division, but go 6-0 and 0.500 elsewhere and you're 11-5. Outside of the 2008 Patriots, 11-5 gets you in the playoffs every time. That being said, I thought they could go into the Superdome and win that game. The Saints have a defense that you can move the ball on. We saw Green Bay do it. We saw the Texans do it. Hell, we even saw the Bears do it for a little bit before Mike Martz forgot how to say the word "run". And of course, you can't talk about the Saints without talking about Drew Brees-us and their offense. I had a feeling that this game would be a shootout (shameless plug: click here!) and unfortunately, the Texans were not able to come out on top. And just as the players should, I too am not going to dwell too much on last week's loss. But first, a few quick thoughts:

• James Casey: As a Rice alumn it was BAD ASS to see him making so many plays. Seeing him do all of that and more in college, and with the words coming out of Kubiak's mouth about wanting to get JC86 more involved in the offense, I knew it was only a matter of time before we saw plays like last week. I'm not saying I expected 126 yards and a touchdown, I'm just saying the crazy, laying out to beat the defender, fully horizontal touchdown catch is something I've seen before. Here's to hoping that they try and get him that involved in many more games to come. 
• 4th quarter defense: Yes I will admit that some of the goodwill the defense built up during the first couple of weeks was lost after the 4th quarter defense allowed New Orleans to put up the 23 points that ultimately gave them the lead that was the difference in the game. Now New Orleans was playing at home, with one of the best offenses in the league (they almost pulled a similar comeback in Green Bay), but it would have been really nice to see the Texans put on their big boy pants and come up with a big play that would have shifted the game in their favor, but its not like they let a team with a putrid, inconsistent offense drive down the field in under a minute (New York Jets last year...). Going forward, I think they need to continue to gain confidence with their new system, maintain the aggressiveness shown in the first couple of weeks, and by season's end, I wouldn't be surprised to see this defense be able to step up and make plays when it counts.
• Red zone offense: It stunk last week. This week Arian Foster is back (woo hoo!). Look for that to make a huge difference. That is all.

Alright, that's enough about New Orleans. The Texans know what they need to work on and I'm sure (hopefully) that they worked towards fixing those issues this week. Looking forward to Pittsburgh, I expect this to be a tough, physical game. I know that's somewhat of a cliche when Pittsburgh is involved, but it's a cliche for a reason: because it's true. And in a bit of a twist, I expect the Texans to be able to match that physicality MUCH better than they have in years past. Watching the defense last week, there were many plays where Texan's players were making big hits on the the Saint's receivers and running backs. Since this is something I'm not used to as a Texan's fan, it was pretty nice to see that on a much more consistent basis than in the past. If they start flying around and making big hits against Pitt (and really against anyone going forward), then that extra little fear could possibly start creeping into the minds of the receivers before the ball gets there. I think this is going to be a game where unit match ups, rather than one-on-one match ups, will play a big roll in determining the winner. A couple of key unit match ups to watch are:

• Texan's run game v. Steeler's run defense: this will be a huge measuring stick of how the run game will be with Arian Foster back in charge. While down so far this year statistically, Pittsburgh is typically an elite team in stopping the run, especially in limiting zone running schemes. The Texan's offense goes as the run game goes, so they will need to continue to try and establish the run, even if not successful in the early goings. The extra time Matt Schaub gets if those pass rushing outside linebackers for Pittsburgh have to hesitate because they're thinking about the run could be the difference in a deep completion and a sack.
• Texan's front 7 v. Pittsburgh's O-line: I know that piling on the Steeler's offensive line is what the cool kids are doing, but offensive line effectiveness is equal parts talent and cohesiveness. I don't have the football pedigree to dissect their talent, but injuries and ineffectiveness have destroyed their chance to play together as a unit and this has made the offensive line a weakness for Pittsburgh. Granted Big Ben is one of the best scramblers in the game, but if the Texan's can show the consistent pressure they did weeks 1 and 2, I think the defense can severely limit the Pittsburgh offensive output. 
• Steeler's D v. time: Again, this is another thing the cool kids point out, but the main components of Pittsburgh's D are getting up there in age. Not saying they can't be effective, but injury nicks and dings take a little longer to heal and those lingering nags can slow them down just enough for the Texan's offense to frolic in their typical way.

I'm running a little late and want to get my football thoughts posted before the game today. I'll still have the history behind Pittsburgh and the food this week, but that will have to wait for a later post. However, this week I am making pierogis. For those that don't know what they are, they are most similar to a Chinese dumpling, but from Poland. I'm making them from scratch so we'll see how this goes.

I'm going to try something this week and if it's successful, I may continue to do it going forward. I'm going to make a scoring prediction for this game. I'm hoping that I'm close and don't look a silly fool, but I'll leave you with this:

Pittsburgh 17

Houston 24

Happy Football Viewing

-MB

New Orleans primer

EDIT: I know this is being posted after the game against New Orleans, but I was moving this weekend and don't have internet at my new place yet. Just pretend I posted it on Friday and we don't already know the outcome of the game.

First off, this game against New Orleans is one I have been looking forward to for a while. I believe that this is the first measuring stick that will tell us just how far the Texans have come since last year. On the surface, the first couple of weeks are very similar to last year; beat Indy at home (I know, slight difference between the QBs), beat a middle of the pack team on the road, go 2-0. But if they can go into the hornet's nest that is the Superdome and knock off the Saints and look competent on both sides of the ball, then even the biggest haters will have to admit that this team just might be different. I know it's one week, but that's why I said a measuring stick, not a potential Super Bowl parade. 

But first, let's look back at the win against Miami. That wasn't exactly the rousing victory I had initially predicted, but if never trailing an average to above average team on the road and ultimately winning by 10 is the Texans playing "alright", then I think everything's going to be fine. One concern I had watching the game was definitely the interior run defense. The Texans have NEVER had a big fat guy in the middle of their defensive line and when Wade "Son of Bum" Phillips (SoB) took over the defense, he swore up and down that Shaun Cody and Earl Mitchell could get the job done in his defense. However, after watching Daniel "First Game of My NFL Career" Thomas gash the interior anchored by SC and EM, even I, the eternal optimist, am starting to have a little concern. Granted, SoB did say postgame that they were only playing with 6 in the box in an effort to take away Miami's passing attack. With this, and the fact that DeMeco still looks just a little off, I think that the run defense can be improved. It is still something to monitor, especially against large in the middle offensive lines like New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore. (For a really good, in depth look at the difference between SC and EM click here. **WARNING** This is only for those with some knowledge of football jargon and strategy. Everyone else just move along and take note that typically, EM>SC)

Other than the rush D, the only part of the game that concerned me was some of the redzone play calling in the first half (Kubiak later admitted to being a little passive down there) and the shaky 3rd quarter. You can expect a team full of grown men being paid millions of dollars to play football to make a push to get back in the game at home and that's exactly what the 3rd quarter was for Miami. Good teams weather those storms, and that's what the Texans did. They got everything back in sync in the 4th, got the ball back w/ about 8 minutes left and shoved the ball down the Dolphin's throats, essentially ending the game when they pinned them on their own 10 with ~3 minutes left. Good road win. 1-0 for another week. Time to focus on New Orleans.

Alright. Enough about Miami. Time for the game that I personally have been looking forward to since the preseason. Week 1 against Indy HAD to be a win. Week 2 against Miami SHOULD have been a win. Week 3 against NOLA? First real test for the new defense (which is ranked #1 in points allowed and pass defense right now BTW. Seriously. Look it up). Hostile environment, on the road, against a legitimate Super Bowl contender. High powered offense v. high powered offense. This is what the NFL is about today. This should be a shootout and I can not wait.

I've watched both of the Saints games this year and have come away with a few observations, some good, some bad, for the Texans:

• Marques Colston being out is a good thing. No I'm not rooting for injuries, but when the top guy goes down, that bumps everyone else down one level on the "who our secondary has to cover" depth chart. Instead of Jonathon Joseph on Colston and Kareem Jackson on Devery Henderson, the Texans can play Joseph on Henderson and KJ on Robert Meachem or Lance Moore. Both of these guys have speed which is an issue for KJ, but I think there are ways SoB can protect him.
• Gotta protect Schaub when the Saints blitz. They like to do this, a lot, so perhaps we'll see more plays that leave an RB or James Casey in the backfield to help. Blitzes leave the secondary on an island so Schaub will be looking for Andre in 1-on-1s's and everyone in the league know's that that's bad for the Saints. Of course, the best way to keep the Saints from blitzing is to stay out of 3rd and long and the best way to do that is to not screw around on 1st and 2nd down. This means running the ball and taking smart chances on passing plays.
• Look for more bootlegs than we saw against Miami. 4-3 defenses are much more susceptible to play action bootleg plays because the outside linebacker in a 4-3 is not out as wide as an OLB in a 3-4. This means if Schaub fakes the handoff and rolls out, when the defensive line crashes down to try and stop the RB, the further inside OLB in a 4-3 has more ground to cover to get to the QB. Miami runs a 3-4. New Orleans runs a 4-3 (so does Indy and we saw how many times they ran bootlegs against them). Since the Saints will prolly look to take away the big plays in these situations, look for Schaub to look for my boy OD on some underneath stuff. If Jermichael Finley's first half against New Orleans (before they started double teaming him) is any indication, then this should be pretty favorable for the Texans. 

OK, now for the food for this week. When I came up for this idea to cook something each week, there were a few cities/opponents that I knew what I was going to make without even having to think. New Orleans was one of those cities. As history has shown us, cities along major trade routes tend to become major cultural melting pots where religions, music, dialects and food come together and create a unique blend that somehow still manages to display elements of the unique styles that came together in the first place. New Orleans is no exception. During the European land grab of the 17th century (history calls it "exploration"), the French got to Louisiana/New Orleans first, something plain to see in the majority of New Orleans' culture. Those of French descent that were born in America became known as Creoles, the term used to describe elements of Louisiana culture today. Meanwhile, during the French and Indian War, the southern and western parts of Louisiana were being settled by French-speaking exiles of what is today Eastern Canada. Throw this group into the pot with all of the other groups of European immigrants in the area, mix in a little bit of rural swampland, and we get the group we know today as the Cajuns.

Interestingly enough, the main dish I'm making this week, jambalaya, actually has two distinct variations to it. The first, more popular in New Orleans and its surrounding areas, is "creole jambalaya". This was an attempt by Spanish immigrants to make paella, substituting tomatoes for the scarcely available saffron. As you head outside of NOLA, the more popular type of jambalaya becomes known as "cajun jambalaya". The major difference between the two types is cajun jambalaya does not include tomatoes, as the tomato is not typically used in cajun cooking. This leads me to this weeks menu:

• Cajun jambalaya
• Jambalaya with andouille sausage and chicken
• Fried boudin balls
• First had these in college, been in love ever since

This weekend should be a lot of fun. I'm moving this weekend, which for me is always somehow simultaneously fun and annoying (this could cause a slight delay in getting the post out this weekend, but hopefully not). Huge game for the Texans in terms of getting a better idea of just how far this team can go. And my Rice Owls take on Baylor in Waco on Saturday. Wouldn't that be a fun little upset?

Happy Football Viewing

-MB

Miami primer

Alright, let the experiment begin. I'm sure you're thinking that I'm a fool because this is technically week two of the season, yet the first post I've made chronicling a recipe. And to that I would say you are correct. Somewhat.

I had plans for a meal to be made featuring the culinary tastes of the great city of Indianapolis, but was given an opportunity to watch that Colt beatdown in person. Alas, no cooking food while watching the game at home. It's alright; we play Indy twice so I'll push the menu back until then.

As far as this week is concerned, the Texans take on the Miami Dolphins. Losing last Monday night to the Patriots, the Dolphins put on much more of an offensive display than I personally thought they were capable of. Granted, the porosity of New England's D is generally overlooked because of #12, but I still came away feeling a little less confident about the outcome for the Texans. I said a little bit. I still think the Texans walk away from this one victorious, just not by the two touchdowns I initially thought.

When looking into the culinary tastes of a diverse city like Miami, I had several directions that I could go with this dish. Miami being located on the Atlantic coast, I could have gone with a seafood dish; but, as I mentioned in the first post, I'm trying to keep the seafood items to a minimum. No offense to seafood, I just think nothing kills the football mood worse that that "fish" smell.

I digress. Miami also has a well renowned Caribbean element to its culture and cuisine. In fact, the islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and other countries in the Caribbean have had such an influence on Miami and Florida's food, that the term "Floribbean" was created to describe these types of dishes. Floribbean dishes tend to consist of seafood, poultry, or pork and feature fresh citrus juices and several different types of peppers. So without further ado, I present this weeks, Miami inspired menu:

• Floribbean mojo roasted pork
• Pork loin marinated in a 'mojo' marinade, served with mojo sauce
• White rice w/ black beans
• Self explanatory
• (I hope you weren't expecting five courses)

Anyways...that wraps up this post. Depending on feedback, look for an entry like this towards the end of each week with a little bit of football, little bit of culinary history, and whatever else I feel like rambling about before Sunday. Grocery shopping in a little bit, cooking/watching victory on Sunday, and I hope to post the entry that will be the primary focus of this blog up by Sunday night.

Happy Football Viewing

-MB