Houston Texans News
Take a number, rookie.
The Texans announced the jersey numbers for their 2013 rookie class. Hopefully Reliant Stadium will be filled with 10s and 36s to go with the 8s, 80s, 23s and 99s.
10 - WR DeAndre Hopkins
36 - D.J. Swearinger
73 - T Brennan Williams
57 - OLB Sam Montgomery
54 - OLB Trevardo Williams
77 - T David Quessenberry
16 - WR Alan Bonner
95 - NT Chris Jones
84 - Ryan Griffin
One take away...recent signee Chris Jones was given Shaun Cody's old number. It may have been a foregone conclusion that Cody was gone but Jones taking his number may be the final nail in the coffin.
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Don't forget your sleeping bag.
The Texans begin rookie mini camp today; there will be a total of five practices spread out over the weekend. This will be the first time the Texans will get a chance to see their draft class in action, Coach Kubiak stated -
"We've got our draft choices and obviously want to see where they're at. All the free agents that we signed, catching them up a little bit to speed. And then we've got a lot of guys from a tryout basis that'll have a chance to be signed, depending on how we do this weekend. I'm looking forward to it."
The most interesting take away is that Case Keenum is allowed to participate in this camp and start the third string competition between Collin Klein and himself.
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Gamblers on your marks, get set...
The Chronicle's Jerome Solomon breaks down the early betting lines for the 2013 Texans. Included in those lines currently are the Texans as a home-dog in Week 4 against Seattle. In Solomon's eyes, that game is playing with house money at its current line. I would delve more into it but I have too much of an emotional investment in sports to start putting money on the line.
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Revolving door at linebacker.
Paul Kuharsky talks about the changing face of the linebacker position for the Texans on ESPN's AFC South Blog.
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Around the League
The Barbershop is closed.
16-year veteran Ronde Barber is retiring from the game of football. Barber was the last remaining member of the 2002 Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team overhauled their defensive this offseason, bringing in safety Dashon Goldson from San Francisco. Outside of riding off into the sunset with a championship, this is the most graceful exit a football player can ask for. Just ask Tiki if he could trade places right now.
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REDSKINS FOREVER.
Washington owner Daniel Snyder sat down with USA Today to talk about the recent uproar about his club's name. Snyder put it pretty plainly -
"We'll never change the name," he said. "It's that simple. NEVER -- you can use caps."
Well, I guess that answers that. Should be interesting to see where this goes next. As for possible names to use if they change, I asked my father, a life-long Redskins fan, what he would want. "Senators" was our consensus. Feels like a circle of life kind of solution. The Nationals became the Senators, and when baseball returned to D.C. - they were the Nationals. Nationals, Senators, and Capitals...that just sounds right. My father still doesn't get the Wizards name.
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Senator McCain, I love you.
It's par for the course to avoid politics, but honestly Senator John McCain may have just become my hero. The Senator from Arizona is attempting to remove the blackout rule. With respect to football, that will help teams not have to scramble to "sell" tickets to generate a sellout and prevent local fans from missing the game on television. As for me specifically and Houston sports fans on the whole, McCain is attempted to lift the blackout rule to allow customers to buy television channels on an individual basis. Case in point: A Houston fan (living in Houston) that wants to watch the Rockets and Astros would be able to buy NBA League Pass or MLB Extra Innings instead of being forced to buy Comcast to see CSN Houston. Basically, Senator McCain wants to drag cable/satellite companies kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
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Welcome to Levi's Stadium.
The San Fransico 49ers' new stadium in Santa Clara has a name, or at least naming rights. Super Bowl L in 2016 maybe played in Levi's Stadium. The deal reportedly will pay out $220 million over 20 years - $ 11 million per year. Compare that to the deal between the Texans and Reliant for 32 years and $300 million, or $ 9.375 million per year. I wonder who came in second for the rights in San Francisco. Birkenstocks USA?
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Jim Schwartz, go home. You're drunk.
The Lions lost 12 games in 2012, by a margin of 7.75 points each week. But in Jim Schawartz's eyes -
"We were literally one play away from doubling our wins. We can easily flip that if we can make that one more play."
Outside of maybe this play, I think Jim has been hanging around Titus Young too long. Speaking of Mr. Young....
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Oh, Titus.
The former Lion has taken the cake when it comes to NFL player arrests. Plaxico shooting himself and Eugene Robinson attempting to pick up an undercover cop have a challenger for dumbest crime in NFL history. Titus Young was arrested twice in one day.
First, Titus made an illegal left turn in front of a police officer; the officer picked him up on suspicion of DUI. Later in the same day, Young was arrested for jumping the gate at the impound where his car was. Young has reached levels of dumb that is making my brain hurt. With perfect timing, Deadspin has another story about how far gone Young really is.
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This little piggy is fused together.
The doctor for the University of Alabama, E. Lyle Cain Jr., attempted to quell any notations that Eddie Lacy's recent toe surgery would hinder his career. The Packers' draft pick had surgery to fuse joints in his big toe. Dr. Cain stated that the fusion would not limit Lacy's toe mobility; if so, Green Bay may have the biggest steal in the draft. I'm sure Aaron Rogers is already talking to Lacy, "If you play well this year - I'll get you a "Discount Double Check" commercial.