After a weekend of tough decisions for the Texans, it's all hands on deck for Philly.
But what a weekend! Robaire Smith getting walking papers was by far the biggest shock. His Texans employment was terminated because he makes too much money for a guy who wasn't going to start. Travis Johnson has to be the happiest man in America. He might have been a bubble player in the offseason. Now he's a starter...and his 'Noles beat Miami Monday night.
So Ron Dayne is a Texan. His yardage totals were beefed up by a breakthrough game at Dallas last year which included a 55-yard run. Let's hope he can do that again this year.
Edell Shepherd got signed off waivers after being dismissed by Tampa Bay. Kyle Shanahan recommended him. Remember Kyle, who worked on John Gruden's staff last year, vouched for Derrick Lewis, who was cut by the Bucs prior to last season. Lewis tried out toward the end of OTAs and looked great. Now he's the number four receiver unless Shepherd takes the job from him.
On Canes-'Noles: As many of you know, I was the voice of the Miami Hurricanes (1999-2001) before coming to Houston. Miami-Florida State is a terrific game with explosive hitting. Now that the Canes have lost two straight, there will be a ton of heat on Larry Coker. It's not just the losses to FSU. It's two straight seasons out of the BCS and possibly a third if they can't get their act together this year. He fired some popular assistant coaches in an effort to shake things up, but his team got off to a bad start Monday night. I know what you're thinking, "Losing a game or two is no big deal." Yes it is. In Miami, they expect championships and they need every dollar they can get because they earn less money (because of a poor deal and draw at the Orange Bowl) than any school that regularly contends for national titles.
I've been waiting so long for the NFL season to start I'm almost in disbelief that it's finally here. Let's get our Liberty White on and get ready to rock Sunday. I'll check back in after taking in some practice and getting a feel for the fever at Reliant Park this week. **
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