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Now don’t get me wrong, I am one of the biggest Texans fans, but I am also a realist. Unlike past games, I don’t think that the reason for the potential Texans loss will be due to their quarterback, Matt Schaub. In order to ensure a Texans victory, the offense and defense need to accomplish at least one specific task.

In order to move the ball against the Patriot’s defense, the Texans need to establish a running game. In their last match-up, the Texans couldn’t move the ball on the ground. Running the ball is especially important for the Texan’s offense due to the fact that it relies heavily on the play action pass. The play action pass is when the offense gives the illusion that it’s going to be a running play by faking the hand-off to the running back, then the quarterback makes a pass to a receiver.  Play action only works once a successful running game has been established. If the defense does not respect the run, then they won’t bite and will drop back guarding the pass. 

The last meeting between these two teams resulted in a Tom Brady clinic tape. He seemed to be unstoppable, hitting every receiver and scoring touchdowns at will. It was as if the defense wasn’t even on the field and the Patriot’s offense was practicing route running. I personally think the reason they were able to successfully score as they did is because of the one on one match-ups. The Patriot’s slot receiver, Wes Welker, is one of the best in the league. He seemed to defeat his defender with every route he ran. I think it would be more effective to put a smaller cornerback on Welker so he would be able to make the quick cuts like Welker does. He is the quickest guy on the field so he demands attention.

Another crucial match-up that the Texans lost was the attempt to guard Patriot tight end, Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez is not your average TE, his 40 time is a low 4.6, making it extremely hard for line backers to keep up with him. Any time you match a linebacker up with him, you can assume it’s going to be a completion, so I suggest placing a safety down to match his speed. 

If the Texans are able to run the ball and stop the passing game of the Patriots, then and ONLY then, will they have a chance. The Texans play the Patriots today at 3:30 p.m. CST at Gillette Stadium, which can be seen on CBS.

This is a question I cannot come up with a final decision. I have calculated many prediction and realized that the game will revolve around how good or bad Everett Golson the quarterback from Notre Dame plays. The only reason I think Notre Dame even has a chance is because of the current Heisman Trophy winner, the freshman sensation Johnny Manziel A.K.A “Johnny Football”. Alabama defense was believed to be flawless, nobody could run on them. Also, they proved to be able to stop an efficient pocket passer like Tyler Bray at the University of Tennessee and the scrambling type of quarterback Denard Robinson exemplifies at the University of Michigan. The trick to move the ball against the great Alabama defense is having an efficient passer that has the ability to scramble; these were the qualities Johnny Manziel showed in Texas A&M 29-24 win over Alabama.

I believe Everett Golson has the potential to have that same effect on the Bama defense. The reason as to why I am not siding with Notre Dame is because Golson can be inconsistent at times. Even though in the recent games he has been playing football at a high level, in the past when he faced top notch defenses he has struggled. For an example, when Michigan traveled to South Bend, Golson had one of his worst games. He seemed rattled and wasn’t able to adjust to the different looks the Michigan defense were showing. They eventually ended up benching him, and Tommy Rees had to come in to win the game for the Fighting Irish.

I just gave two reasons, one being a reason why Notre Dame will win, and another being a reason why Alabama will win. There are other factors that affect the winner of the game as well but I feel the game will be heavily swayed by the play of Notre Dames quarterback Everett Golson.

When the team is doing good the quarterback gets most of the recognition, so its only fair when the team is doing bad the quarterback she be the most criticized. When Schaub is playing against a team who gives him time in the pocket, he looks like a all-star quarterback throwing accurate passes to his receivers. If you go back and look at every loss the Texans sustained there is a common trend, all the defenses applied pressure. When Schaub feels pressure he immediately curls up, taking away any vision to potentially open receivers down field. I call that move the “Turtle”. He ducks his head into his shoulder pads and puts his arm up protecting himself, just like turtles duck their heads into their shell when frightened. It all started after the Broncos game when he almost got head taken off, so I understand why he does it. Schaub’s fear of contact is so ridiculous that a D-Lineman can simply tap him on the shoulder with just a finger, and Schaub will go “Turtle” out of fear of being sacked. 

Now don’t get me wrong, football is a team sport. Which means other players should also be held responsible, for an example the receivers. Someone other than Andre Johnson has to step up and make some plays. As for the defensive backs, they need to be able to stop the pass on the crucial third downs. I’m simply pointing out the biggest problem of them all, which is we have a Turtle for a quarterback. Not saying he cant throw, just saying he is a Turtle in pads.