The fallout from preseason game three (game two for the Giants).
When the raw emotions and the furious hot takes following a game have the chance to simmer down, that’s the best time to take a look at some key points from the previous game.
Receivers, Receivers Everywhere…Who Stays: Roster cuts suck, but for the Houston Texans, this year will prove especially challenging, especially for the WR room. Likely the team carries between 6-8 receivers on the active roster and on the practice squad. Diggs, Collins and Dell occupy spots 1-3, so no cutdown day worries. For the rest, it could run the gamut. Some, like Noah Brown, figure to be safe, even if they are recovering from injuries. Guys like Xavier Hutchinson and Robert Woods played much of the preseason, either to hold on to roster spots in Houston or audition for jobs. Perhaps no receiver had been more under pressure than John Metchie III. While an inspirational story, he lacked on-field production. The previous two preseason games didn’t yield positive results, but in perhaps his most important preseason game, he produced at a level we haven’t seen since he was back at Alabama with six receptions/68 yards/1 TD. Good luck figuring out the final WR lineup, team.
Is Dameon Pierce the new Steve Slaton?: Older Texans fans might recall the name Steve Slaton. The West Virginia RB started his NFL career in Houston as a third round pick. In the Kubiak system, Slaton made quite the first impression, rushing for 1,282 yards and adding 377 more yards receiving in his rookie year of 2008. Then came the rest of his career. The following season, Slaton’s rushing yards dropped by over 700 yards, and he found himself phased out of the Texans backfield. He held on for another two years, but injuries, major fumbling problems and an inability to beat out competition led to his eventual release in September 2011.
History may not repeat, but for Dameon Pierce, it rhymes all too well. Like Slaton, he had a strong rookie year, and while he didn’t quite break 1,000 yards, he was a bright spot on a rather moribund offense. Yet, he never seemed to mesh with the new system, suffering a 500+ yard drop in second-year production. In two preseason games, he has eight rushes for nine yards with the first team. While logging time at kick returner, the production drop off from his promising rookie season is particularly dramatic. Maybe he hangs around after cutdown day, but Pierce and Slaton are on way too similar career trajectories.
Will the Texans Regret Let Devin Singletary Go?: While he didn’t produce world-beating numbers for a poor Giants team on Saturday, Singletary did remind Houston fans of what he could do behind a less-than-idea offensive line. Between the struggles of Pierce, and the team likely to lean on either long-in-the-tooth veterans like Mixon and Akers, there could be some regret about not keeping the shifty veteran.
While the uptick in Stroud’s play from the middle of last season got the headlines, Singletary revitalized a dormant running game when he took over as starter. His production of nearly 800 yards did much to offer some offensive balance. Maybe the price was too high for Houston, but another year or two of Singletary wouldn’t have been a bad thing for Houston. Those feelings might amplify if Mixon doesn’t produce like his new contract says he should.
The Return of Jalen Pitre, the Playmaker?: One preseason game does not a season make, but for one game, Pitre reverted to his playmaking rookie year. While the Daniel Jones pick-six was a dumb play from a quarterback who does that too much, it is still something that has been missing from Pitre. Throw in a big 5-yard TFL against Singletary, and this is the type of game we’ve expected from Pitre since his rookie season. Maybe this move to nickel corner/near-the-box safety is the thing to put the sophomore jinx behind him.
For the Giants…um…maybe don’t read the sports pages this season?: Again, one preseason game, but the Giants can’t take a lot of positives from this one. Daniel Jones was returning to game action after nearly nine months, and it showed. Along with the dumb pick-six, he threw another bad INT to Stingley and could’ve seen a couple more. He did make a couple of nice throws, using Malik Nabers well enough. However, the Giants kept their first team offense on the field the entire first half, whereas Houston rotated to their second string in the second quarter. Against the Houston backups, Jones could only lead the Giants to 10 points, whereas the Houston backups put up seven. It is not a great look when your first string is drawing with another team’s second string. At least Nabers looks like he will be the real deal…if only they had a QB to consistently get him the ball.
Bonus Points for Elijah Chatman: While Metchie and Pitre can vie for Houston player of the game, I think that the play of the game goes to Giants backup DT Elijah Chatman. His box score shows only two tackles (one solo). However, that one solo tackle was a play where the DT ran 40+ yards down the field to chase RB J.J. Taylor on a long run. Taylor got outside, running away from Chatman, but the big DT lumbered down the field and caught the back from behind. Not sure where he currently stands on the roster, but a play like that might make all the difference for being on an opening day roster. Sure, it wasn’t like Jadeveon Clowney sprinting 70+ down the field to catch running a speeding Bengals back, but you can’t ding the effort.
With that win, the Texans make it three straight preseasons winning at least two games. Their final preseason game kicks off next Saturday afternoon against the Los Angeles Rams. How many starters actually play in that one is anyone’s guess. Still, it figures to be a game packed with emotion as many of those who will log meaningful snaps play for their jobs/careers. See you then.