Watching Smithiak work this offseason has left me hungry for the next 23 weeks of football.  Specifically, Texans football.  This Saturday, we're finally getting the hors d' orderrves of this football feast. 

Sitting here, writing this, getting ready to watch the guy lost in Mario Williams 6'7" shadow hang out with his former QB and his own shadow problems, got me thinking about what I want to see during the Texans pre-season.

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We've been getting some great Fan Posts and Fan Shots here, and we want to recognize them.  We'll be moving some of them to the main page so everyone can see and discuss them.  Obviously, it'll be pretty subjective.  If you think your Fan Post(s) merit the front page and they haven't made it there, e-mail us at battleredblog@gmail.com.

This community keeps growing, and we're working to bring you the best Texans coverage possible.  The great part is that you're a part of that.  The bigger and more engaged this community gets, the better coverage we can provide.  When you break a story or have a fabulous insight, we want everyone to know.

It's because of you that agents listen when we call for interview requests.  They know who you are.

December 2, 2007.  3rd & 7.  Rosenfels is back in the shotgun.  The ball is snapped and Rosenfels passes over the middle to Ron Dayne for a short gain.  Fred Weary goes down with a knee injury.  Back in Houston, Mike Brisiel saw it all on TV.  His stomach turned.  One of his teammates and good friends was hurt.  As he kept watching, he saw Chris White come in and also go down with an injury.  

It was a bittersweet day for Mike.  He had just seen 3 teammates injured, but in the back of his mind, he knew that the team would be calling him up.  He'd been working on the practice squad for 2 years, competing week in and week out for his chance.  And when it came, he took it.

Game day came, and Brisiel took the field with the starters.  He spent most of the game working against Kevin Carter.  Mike said he'd always remember that first game and having to move Carter off the ball because he was so big and had such long arms.  Yet as we all saw, the Texans and Mike Brisiel got it done.

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There's a place in the NFL away from the gridiron that players rarely talk about in public and that fans hardly notice. It's a place without stats or the crushing sounds of the gridiron. No refs' whistles or cheering fans. Yet players find themselves in this kind of limbo. That's where I found former Texan defensive end Eric Powell. Because Eric was so open about his experience, we can get an inside look at the Texans as a team.

Who is Eric Powell? He was signed by the Texans to a reserve/future contract on January 2, 2008. He was released July 22, 2008. The Texans' coaching staff liked him because he was a big man who could move. Earl Cochran helped recruit him to the Texans.

He'd been training for months to compete for a spot on the Texans' active roster. During OTAs, he tore some connective tissue in his hip. This didn't outright end his season; rather, it thrust him into a strange limbo. From the moment he was released, numerous conflicting options blossomed. Several NFL teams and even Arena League teams called to inquire about his availability the day he was cut. He could go play for any of those teams, but he would have to sign an injury waiver so if he couldn't play because of pain or further aggravation of his injury, the team he signed with might not owe him any compensation. Because his injury occurred while he was under contract with the Texans, he could take an injury settlement and get paid for this season. He could also be moved to IR if the Texans decide that he is part of their plans for next year.

Despite these options, what Eric Powell wants most it to get back on the field. He's been in Houston since March training non-stop. When other players left on vacation, he stayed at the facility and trained and then trained some more. Football is a passion for Eric Powell.

Now that you know more about who he is, read after the jump to get a closer look at the Texans.

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Check out this article.  It's got some good ideas on where to get fantasy info.

I'll be posting fantasy stuff to the Fan Posts mostly since it's not true Texans news.

Twitter is pretty cool because it lets you get info from numerous people like this:

(via datamining.typepad.com)

There's a lot of interesting FF info out there on Twitter.  Lots of reporters, etc. use Twitter and will drop interesting tidbits about players, coaches, etc.

As of this post, there are 11 of 20 teams.  Thanks for all your great replies.  Sorry it took awhile to get back to some of you, but I'm publishing the sign up details for whoever else wants to join.  From here on out, first come, first serve on the sign-up.

The URL is: http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/battleredblog

League Name: Battle Red Blog

League ID: 1758

Password: houstontexans

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I'm psyched about training camp starting.  I had to hit 2 Wachovia Branches before I got my training camp tickets.

I wanted to be sure to give everyone a heads-up who has gotten training camp tickets; some of the dates have changed and some have been canceled.  Check here for all the updates.

There are six (6) opportunities for fans to attend Houston Texans Training Camp, presented by Wachovia.  Due to concerns related to the heat at afternoon practices, the Texans have altered the schedule of public practice sessions to feature more morning practice sessions.

Tickets distributed for afternoon practice sessions may be redeemed at any other practice. Texans fans are invited to tailgate prior to the Saturday, July 26th practice session. Parking lots will open at 6 a.m.

 

Afternoon practices on Saturday, July 26; Sunday, July 27; and Friday, Aug. 1 were canceled. 

The updated schedule is listed below and remains subject to change.

Once you've checked to make sure you have valid tickets (unlike the one posted here), be sure to post your pictures in the Fan Posts.  You can still use the invalid tickets to get into any other practice.

September 11, 2007 was a happy day for Texans fans.  The Texans signed safety Will Demps.  He helped solidify a tattered secondary.  52 tackles & 2 fumble recoveries later, Will Demps was a Pro Bowl alternate and a piece of a young, aggressive Texans defense.

On March 5, 2008, the Texans resigned Will Demps to a 2 year $4.75 million dollar contract.  Most Texans fans don't know much about No. 47 because he came to the team in the middle of the season.  There are some slices of Will Demps out there that shed light on the kind of man and the kind of player the Texans have in Will Demps.

Will Demps must be a really fun guy to interview. He's blazed a trail off the field that makes him unique among football personalities. Brooke Bentley at HoustonTexans.com talked with him about his work as a male model.He's one of the more interactive players out there.  He connects directly to his fans on his personal web site.  He has a vision of what he can be as a person and as a player.

(needs Flash)

(Will Demps is a model and something of a public figure so there are numerous images of him out there.  Special thanks to the following for images.  Images via:

baltimorestyle.com | blackextra.blogspot.com | bossip.com | concreteloop.com
coolspotters.com | eagsportsmanagement.net | essence.com | koreamjournal.com
modelmayhem.com | mouthtoears.blogspot.com | rodonline.typepad.com
theybf.com | tvboyfriends.com | uabiz.com | willdemps.com )

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The news of the day for the AFC South, of course, is Peyton Manning's knee surgery.  I think this has deeper implications for the Texans than just another team's star player going down.  I think this could be a sign that the ceiling in the AFC south may finally be cracking. This regression to the mean wouldn't be nearly as interesting if it wasn't paired with another fact that that is just dawning on the rest of the NFL.  The Texans are on the rise.

The Titans are sill in disarray and winning against them is a 50/50 proposition.  The Jags' vaunted defense is starting to weaken.  The Stroud/Henderson tag team is no more, and the Jags are asking a lot of their young defensive ends.  Since the Texans always play the Jags hard, I'd put the odds at about 60/40 against us.

The Colts are still the team to beat, but they're looking more and more human.  Their biggest playmakers--Freeney, Harrison, Clark and now Manning--all have some wear and tear.  Manning is particularly interesting.  He's been the engine that makes the Colts go.  And he's got a nasty problem.  Knee problems are what did in Dominic Davis, Ahman Green (pending?) and Marvin Harrison. 

Peyton Manning's knee problem is a big issue for several reasons.  Even though Manning is a warrior on the field, he's going to be shielding his knee from contact.  This is going to make that ball come out a split second faster, which means more mistakes.  Manning's injury is on his plant foot.  Carson Palmer and Donovan McNabb both showed that it takes a little while to get used to stepping up in the pocket and leaving your plant foot exposed.  Lastly, Manning has shown in past games against the Chargers and the Steelers that he gets rattled when he gets hit repeatedly.

The Texans are fielding one of the youngest starting defenses in the NFL.  The offense has shown how explosive it can be in flashes last season.  The natural upswing the Texans are on as they continue to add talent could be augmented by a fracturing at the top.  In a division where one win means the difference between going home and the playoffs, today may have just been the day the Texans got that win.

(images via eorthopod.com and espn.com)

Tim Bulman is the kind of player the Texans want, the Texans need, on their team.  All go, no quit.  This guy has one gear - flat out balls-to-the-wall.  In person, the intensity just radiates off him.  He has a guileless smile that betrays his love for the game.  If you knew him at any other point in his career, you might not recognize him now.  He's a lean 276 lbs and in the best shape of his life.

He's fascinating to talk to.  The road that brought him to Reliant is an interesting one, filled with the best kind of football, but to only read the details of his life misses what makes him a great player.  The three facets that best define his game are aggression, control and playmaking ability.  His coaches and the media compliment him on his high motor, but it's more than that.  He has the aggressiveness of an angry wolverine.  He believes that the best defensive linemen pursue a play.  He makes tackles in the backfield and takes passes away from receivers.  No matter the down or distance, Tim Bulman is striving to make a play on the ball.

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