HOUSTON TEXANS WEEKLY RELEASE - NFL.com

TEXANS OFFENSIVE OVERVIEW
the seventh round in 2006, Anderson has caught 73 passes for
808 yards and three touchdowns. He has seven receptions for
72 yards this season.
Houston’s seventh-round draft pick, WR Dorin Dickerson out
of Pittsburgh, is the new face in the group. Dickerson played
the latter half of his college career at tight end, setting school
records for touchdown receptions at that position. He has
since shown the speed to play wide receiver in the NFL, while
also maintaining some of the size and blocking ability that
made him an elite collegiate tight end.
TIGHT ENDS
The tight end position was dealt a tough blow in 2009 with
the loss of Pro Bowler Owen Daniels to a season-ending knee
injury in Houston’s Week 8 win at Buffalo. Daniels was on pace
for a career year, with 40 catches for 519 yards and five touchdowns
through eight games.
Daniels, who steadily improved each week until a hamstring
injury left him inactive the last three weeks, showed Pro Bowl
form in Week 6 against Kansas City with a season-high 79
yards on five receptions. He currently has 16 receptions for
200 yards. In five seasons, he has caught 223 passes for 2,701
yards and 15 touchdowns. He was elevated to the active roster
from the Active PUP List the last week of the 2010 preseason.
The loss of Daniels in 2009 and in 2010 has certainly affected
the offense but has been lessened as Joel Dreessen has
emerged as a viable receiving threat in his own right. Dreessen
has set season career highs with four touchdown receptions
and 336 yards receiving in 2010. He leads the team with
16.3 yards per catch (22-336) and posted a career-best 106
yards receiving on four receptions for a touchdown against the
New York Jets in Week 11. He also led the Texans with five receptions
for 73 yards in Week 4 at Oakland, and again with five
receptions for 66 yards in Week 9 against San Diego. Dreessen
made a clutch catch in overtime in Week 2 against Washington,
pulling down his first reception of the season, a 28-yarder
that set up the game-winning field goal. Dreessen played in all
16 games for the second straight season and caught 26 passes
for 320 yards and a touchdown. Since joining the Texans in
2007, Dreessen has caught 61 passes for 763 yards and seven
touchdowns.
Second-year TE James Casey is a sure-handed option with
with surprising speed. He made the most of his first opportunity
at extended playing time on offense in Week 9 against San
Diego, setting career highs with four receptions for 48 yards.
Casey has the ability to line up anywhere on the field and has
set career highs with 69 yards receiving on six receptions.
The Texans added fourth-round draft pick Garrett Graham.
Graham set a Wisconsin school record for tight ends with 16
career touchdown receptions to go along with 121 catches
and 1,492 yards. He started 33-of-40 games played for Wisconsin
and earned First Team All-Big Ten Conference selections
as a junior and senior.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The Texans offensive line paved the way for the most prolific
season in franchise history in 2009 and is re-setting records in
2010. In 2009, Houston’s passing attack led the league, averaging
290.9 yards per game. The unit is doing the same for the
NFL’s No. 7 offense through Week 10, averaging 367.7 yards
per game. The line used the 2010 season opener to show it’s
physicality, opening holes for Arian Foster’s record rushing
day and 257 total rushing yards and has paved the way for the
NFL’s seventh-ranked rushing offense at 132.5 yards per game.
Houston’s line has already led the way for a pair of 200-yard
rushing days through four games (257 vs. Indianapolis and 249
at Oakland), something the team had only done once in the
eight years prior.
Fifth-year veteran Chris Myers has started 59 straight games
at center, including 43 in Houston, playing through injury, and
has earned praise from head coach Gary Kubiak for his play
throughout the season.
Mike Brisiel, who is coming off a left foot injury that placed
him on injured reserve in 2009, rotates at right guard with Antoine
Caldwell. Caldwell has the ability to play any of the three
interior line positions and made three starts at right guard during
his rookie campaign and saw action in 11 total games a
year ago.
Brisiel and Caldwell both impressed head coach Gary Kubiak
with their play during the preseason. Caldwell started the first
two games of the season and again in Week 6 after Brisiel was
inactive with a knee injury. Caldwell also started against Indianapolis
in Week 7. Brisiel has started seven games this season
and has seen a majority or all of the playing time at right guard
in the last few weeks.
At RT, Eric Winston has started 66 consecutive games for
the Texans. Winston, a third-round pick in the 2006 draft, has
started every game over the last four-plus seasons and is considered
one of the best right tackles in the league.
Fifth-year veteran Rashad Butler was the primary backup
at both tackle spots in 2009 and made his first career start in
Week 3 against Dallas and started the following three games
until Duane Brown returned from suspension.
Veteran newcomer G Wade Smith starts at LG. Smith played
the majority of his snaps with the Kansas City Chiefs (2008-09)
at right guard and center and worked primarily at tackle with
the New York Jets (2006-07). The former third-round selection
of Miami in 2003 has played in 85 career games with 45 starts,
including every game at left guard this season.
Duane Brown, Houston’s first-round pick in 2008, has started
all 39 games he has played in in his career at left tackle. After
splitting reps as a rookie, Brown played nearly every offensive
snap in 2009, missing only a few series in the second half at St.
Louis (12/20) in Week 15. He returned from a four-game suspension
against Indianapolis and started against San Diego in
Week 9.
Kasey Studdard, the team’s sixth-round pick in the 2007 draft
started 14 games in 2009 and saw his first action of the season
in Week 6 against Kansas City.
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GAME 12 • TEXANS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES • HOUSTONTEXANS.COM