Texans Week 1 vs. Patriots
 

Texans play the Patriots in Week 1, with an non-featured noon start up in Foxboro. The Texans should be 100% healthy in this one and undoubtedly, Deshaun Watson will be starting at QB. Las Vegas has the Patriots as a 6½ to 7 point favorite. Coach Bill O'Brien hasn't had much luck up in Foxboro. Could this be the time he breaks through? How cool would it be to start the season 1-0 with a win against the Pats?

Nobody has had much luck in Foxboro. They are 108-19 at home with Brady starting. I'm not sure how many teams have won more than 1 road game in NE since 2001. We're among the 20+ teams that haven't won a single game there. You could basically say every coach in the NFL has no luck in Foxboro the last 2 decades.

That's all true. However, I was (nicely) calling it luck when it was more about O'Brien not doing his best.... It's one thing to lose when their team is better than your team. It's a another when the coach doesn't make the best decisions or get the best out of his players... I don't think O'Brien's personal game grade has ever been very good up there.... And I'm hoping he can improve that.

I don’t have the stats handy to back this up, but it seems to me September is the best time of year to draw the Patriots.

That or after they've sewn up home field advantage through the playoffs.

One of these years the September calls for the end of their dynasty will be right.

Last year he showed up with a rookie QB making his 2nd start. Said rookie QB had played a terrible half at home against Jacksonville and had muddled his way to a 13-9 win against Cincy before losing a 36-33 game at New England. That's a pretty good showing for any coach in the circumstances.

Yep, good job by Watson but still an "L". I seem to recall one game where OB spent 3 quarters trying to run it down their throats with no success. May have been the Brockweiler at QB.....

3 quarters running the ball with Brock at QB sounds like smart coaching.

Either way I find it funny that to you, when a good QB plays well it's good job QB and when a bad QB plays poorly it's bad job coach.

Brock played poorly most of the time but OB was super conservative in that game. Way too conservative. I put the game plan on OB and the Brock-suck on Brock... Final score was 27-0. Brock threw for 196. You can't get more conservative than scoring zero.

So poor QB play is partially on the coach but good QB play is entirely the player. Got it.

If that's the way you want to fill in the blank, be my guest.

Sure, in last year's game, maybe OB didn't really screw things up with Watson at the helm. But in the past, he has. My point all along has been that OB has puckered up in Foxboro (minus the Watson game. Happy?) He's gonna get another chance to get it right. I hope he unleashes the hounds....

I'm not filling in blanks, I'm reading exactly what you write. Even here you say "he didn't screw things up." That's the best you can say about putting up 33 in NE. You are ascribing bad QB play to the coach without ascribing good QB play to the coach.

Either the Head Coach is responsible or he isn't. You can't get all of the blame and none of the credit.

Game plan and play calling goes with the coach. You ever get the feeling Brock and OB never really jived together? I'd rather have my QB throw 4 INT's and get one FG rather than show no faith in him and score zero. OB would let Brock sling it around a bit but in that particular Patriot game, he seemed to be avoiding the turnover more than usual. JMO, of course.

OTOH, Watson and OB seem to get along famously. OB seems more inclined to let loose with Watson (yes, even in Foxboro). He trusts Watson.

Capice?

The Chiefs opened the 2017 season in Foxburo last year and roughed-up the Pats in that game 42-17, so maybe September is the best time to play up there if there is one.

The Astros will be in Boston same day on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.....

Texans vs. Pats will feature A-team announcers Jim Nantz and Tony Romo. Don't think those two do many noon games.....