6. The Texans’ first interception ended up being a pick six and was the easiest Jalen Pitre will likely ever have. But the catch and short run for the touchdown weren’t the real story for Pitre on this play. It was his sprint to TE Theo Johnson that caused Jones to re-cock his arm. It seemed to come out of nowhere, but it showed up in the flat as Jones reached back to throw, and that forced Jones to pull the ball down and foolishly not throw it into the turf. The Giants’ bad luck and Pitre’s coverage led to a 7-0 Texans lead.
7. As I said, I was hoping the Giants version of a Big 3 – NT Dexter Lawrence, OLB Brian Burns, and OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux – would play. Facing that front was essential for this OL to show how advanced it is…or isn’t. The OL didn’t offer any gaping running holes and that aspect of the game needs to be improved. It did, however, protect QB CJ Stroud in his only quarter of play. Backed up and out, no sacks. On the field on the first drive, no sacks. The Giants had a TFL with no lost yards (think about that).
8. Still, I was pleased with the OL, especially rookie Blake Fisher, who went up against OLB Brian Burns, whom the Giants signed as a free agent for millions of dollars, in the first half. Fisher faced Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. throughout training camp, but Burns is a nimble, plastic man whose contortions and bends make him difficult to block at the rim. Fisher wasn’t perfect, but he was solid and kept Burns from staying in the backfield.
9. Stroud was focused and looked so calm and composed in the pocket. He hit the Big Three (aka Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell and Nico Collins) with beautiful passes, although Tank Dell’s 30-yard pass was called back for holding. Sure, this unit didn’t score even after getting into the lower red zone, but in a game that would have been at least a three-point drive. Regardless, #7 was focused and gave Giants fans a tour de force to see how the QB position should be played compared to what they saw from their own guys.
10. Early in the second quarter, wide receiver John Metchie III caught a ball over his shoulder on the Texans sideline. Unfortunately, it was inches out of bounds. I said on the broadcast that even though the catch didn’t count, I was glad he made such a difficult catch because it could really boost his confidence. I was right, apparently, because he delivered his best performance in a practice or a game this training camp. He really built on that catch that didn’t count. Every time he made a catch, I would pump my fist in the announcer’s booth and be so happy for him. He finished the game with six catches for 68 yards and a tuddy, leading the Texans in all pass receiving categories. Now comes the most important week for this crop of pass receivers, including Metchie III, who is aiming to make this roster alongside Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell and Nico Collins.
11. About two weeks into training camp, I realized that roster cuts at receiver were going to be just as difficult as at running backs. But the trip to Ohio dampened those talks and their momentum a bit, so I was curious to see how the running backs would respond against the Giants. Let’s just say the running backs talk just ramped up a lot, and now I don’t even know what to think about which three or four RBs the Texans will keep on the 53-man roster. JJ Taylor, Cam Akers and British Brooks all had runs of 14+ yards, including one of Brooks’ TD runs. Jawhar Jordan was the second-best receiver in the game with four catches for 42 yards, but it was his ability to break through tackles and make you miss that showed why he was a star in Louisville. The backs definitely all made a statement in the second half.
12. Brooks may have been a revelation to fans who don’t read Harris Hits regularly, but those of you who have read them know that British was really good as a freshman in training camp. But it was really impressive to see him flash like that in this game. He showed power on his first TD run and then the speed to reach the corner on his second TD run. After not having many runs or runs in the first two preseason games, Brooks made the most of his time with the Rock on Saturday afternoon.
So this is a great place to finish these hits before we set up a BIG week for this Texans team. A joint practice with the Rams. A preseason game with the same LA team. 48 hours later, the 53-man roster will take shape. Then in three weeks, it’ll be time to really face the Colts. Wow, it’s gone by fast and it’s going to come even faster. See you next week, folks!
