Tag Archives: Houston

Houston, We No Longer Have a Problem!: How the Rookie Fronted Texans Shined in Year 1

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Faces of the Future

AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox

It’s no secret that the Houston Texans have had a multitude of issues for the past several years, but with some new faces around, it seems the team has taken massive steps in the right direction. It all started with the introduction of new Head Coach, former Texans linebacker, DeMeco Ryans and a rookie quarterback out of Ohio State, CJ Stroud.

A Star Is Born

Maria Lysaker / Associated Press

With the second pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, the Texans welcomed CJ Stroud to the city of Houston as their new quarterback. In the months to come, it would become evident the Texans had finally found their “H-Town Hero”, the QB that could completely turn around the franchise.

Under rookie HC Ryans, the humble 22-year-old put up groundbreaking stats. In his own first regular season, Stroud threw for 4,108 passing yards, making him just the 5th rookie in league history to pass for over 4,000 yards.

He recorded 23 passing TD and only 5 INT all season. With this TD/INT ratio, he led the NFL and became the first rookie QB to do so. Further, he began his rookie season with 192 consecutive passes without an interception, which was an NFL record. He also led the league in yards per game (YPG), averaging 273.9 yards per game. Third to only legendary QBs Joe Montana and Tom Brady, he is among the only three quarterbacks in NFL history to lead the league in both passing YPG and TD/INT ratio in the same season.

Stroud has received many accolades for his stellar performance during his rookie season. He was named Offensive Rookie of the Week twice, in Week 9 and Week 18, as well as Offensive Rookie of the Month in November. He was recognized by the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) as Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year, in which he became the first-ever player in team history to win both. Receiving one of the highest honors, Stroud took home the award for the 2023 AP (Associated Press) Offensive Rookie of the Year at the 13th annual NFL Honors.

Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way

AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith

Without the presence of Houston legend, J.J. Watt, the Texans have for years been seeking a young talent that could resurge the team’s defensive action. With the third overall pick in 2023 NFL draft, the Texans found just the guy they were looking for: defensive end out of Alabama, Will Anderson Jr., who sparked life into this Texans team in his rookie season.

In his first regular season he amassed 45 tackles (10 for loss of yardage), a blocked field goal, and 7 sacks, which set a new franchise record for the most sacks by a rookie in a single season. With his 67 pressures, he led all NFL rookies.

Will Anderson Jr. was named Defensive Rookie of the Year by the PFWA, joining a narrow list of former Texans honorees, including current head coach Demeco Ryans. At the 2023 NFL Honors, his incredible rookie campaign was recognized and he was deservingly awarded Defensive Rookie of the Year. With this award, he became the first Texans rookie to win since former Texan Brian Cushing, the only other player to win being, again, HC DeMeco Ryans.

The Texans’ #2 and #3 overall 2023 draft picks helped the Texans become 1 of only 4 teams to have players be awarded both Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year in the same season. These young stars promptly proved to be well worth it selections by the organization.

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H-Town Made

 AP Photo/Eric Gay
Getty Image / Tim Warner

Rookie wide receiver Nathaniel “Tank” Dell swapped out his University of Houston Cougars jersey, for a Houston Texans jersey, when he was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft. From the start of the season, QB Stroud and nimble receiver Dell proved to be a dynamic duo.

Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Though his rookie campaign was cut short due to injury with a fractured fibula, through 11 games played, he recorded 47 catches for 709 yards, and seven touchdowns. Prior to his injury, his seven TD led all rookies. Perhaps this was merely a minor setback for a major comeback. Once back to full health, this young star could prove to be a weapon for Stroud, and a popular name in this Houston Texans offense for many years to come.

Carmen Mandato/Getty Images


The Stars at Night Are Big and Bright

The Texans, in what was considered a rebuild year for the team, got the chance to prove that their remarkable regular season was anything but a fluke, under the brightest lights: a “win or go home”, prime time television game.

CJ Stroud and the Texans wasted no time and scored on their first offensive play of their first drive of the game.

The team punched their ticket to the playoffs in the last game of the regular season against the Indianapolis Colts. In prime time, CJ Stroud completed 2 passing TD for 264 yards in a 23-19 win, ultimately making them playoff bound, sending them to the wild card round. This made CJ Stroud and Demeco Ryans the first rookie QB-HC duo to make the playoffs in 12 NFL seasons. In one year, QB Stroud was able to turn a previously 3-13 win-loss record team to a 10-7 division winning and playoff clenching team.

The Underdogs Take the Dogs to the Pound

Houston was next slated to play the Cleveland Browns, a game in which the Texans were predicted as considerable underdogs. But, the team did not buckle under pressure and pulled off a major upset in a 45-14 win at home, sending them to the divisional round of the playoffs, against the Baltimore Ravens. This game, which was the team’s first playoff win since 2019, saw many exhilarating theatrics, including back-to-back pick-sizes.

Stroud, in his playoff debut, threw 3 TD (NFL rookie playoff record) for 274 yards. With this win, he became the youngest starting QB to ever win a playoff game.

Overall, Stroud closed the chapter on his incredible rookie season with 26 total TD for 4,557 yards (regular season and postseason combined).

Don’t Mess With Texas

This is only the beginning, but this Texans team is well on their way to becoming a true force to be reckoned with. Though they fell short of the Championship round this season, it’s clear that the Texans’ 2023 rookie class has brought back exciting football for the fans in the city of Houston.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Winners Win: How the Houston Astros Pulled Off A Second World Series Title

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The Golden Age of Astros Baseball

The Houston Astros are no strangers to postseason baseball, having made it to the postseason in every season since 2017, and to the World Series four times in six years. Since their first title win in 2017 and after falling short last year, the Houston Astros were chasing one thing this season: another World Series Championship. In a Game 6 against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Houston Astros won their second World Series title in six years, capping off an incredible season.

Road to the World Series

The Astros finished the regular season with a second-best franchise record of 106 wins, having already accomplished incredible feats such as pitching two immaculate innings in one game and throwing a combined-no hitter.

To start the postseason they swept the Seattle Mariners in the first three games of the American League Division Series (best-of-five), the first two games of which were defined by game winning home runs by Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez. The finale was a tense 18-inning game, a pitching dual from both teams that ended in a 1-0 win for the Astros in Game 3 thanks to a solo home run by Astros rookie shortstop Jeremy Peña. Then, in the American League Championship Series (best-of-seven) they swept their rival team the New York Yankees in four games, one of which was a complete game shutout, punching their ticket to a second straight World Series.

This October met an unlikely matchup in the final series of the season. The Phillies were the #6 seed team in the playoffs, a spot that didn’t even exist before the playoff bracket this year was expanded to include an additional Wild Card spot. The Phillies battled their way through opponents to face the #1 seed Astros in the 2022 Fall Classic. The stars aligned and the Houston Astros were set up for a chance at another World Series run.

Perfect Pitching

The success of this team can largely be attributed to what the team previously lacked: an all-around stellar pitching staff. The Houston Astros bullpen alone finished the playoffs with the lowest single postseason ERA with a stunning 0.83 ERA (earned run average), while the Astros starting pitching staff held their opponents through the postseason to a .172 batting average. In the World Series, Astros pitching got the Phillies to strike out a record-breaking 71 times.

Astros Aces:

Framber Valdez

Dominican-born left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez signed as an international free agent with the Astros at age 21, which is considered “old” for most international free agents. In 2022, he pitched dominantly and had considerably the best season of his career. Valdez relies heavily on his sinker and curveball pitch to record a high percentage of ground balls for outs. In the regular season he broke the record for the most consecutive quality starts, which is when a pitcher completes at least six innings allowing no more than three earned runs. He recorded a streak of 25 quality starts. In the postseason, he held a 1.44 ERA with 33 strikeouts, and was credited with three of the team’s wins during that span.

Cristian Javier

Another Dominic-born Astros pitcher, Christian Javier, was a 16 year old outfielder who decided to give pitching a try. Just shy of turning 18, again considered “old”, he signed a contract worth $10,000 with the Astros in 2015 and made his MLB debut in 2020. This season, he has proven himself to be a reliable ace for this team. Starting the year out as a bullpen pitcher, he soon became a key asset in the team’s starting rotation. While considered only the team’s number four starter, with his electric fastball he’s been nearly unhittable versus opponents. During the regular season he and the bullpen combined no-hit the New York Yankees. Later in the ALCS, the Yankees would see a complete game shutout pitched by none other than Javier and the Astros’ bullpen. Then, in the World Series, he gave the Phillies’ hitters the same treatment. In Game 4 of the World Series, Javier and the bullpen combined no-hit the Phillies, completing the first combined no-hitter in World Series history. He threw his fastball 70 out 97 pitches in this game. His plan was plain and simple: attack the strike zone and get ahead in counts. He finished the World Series credited with a win and a perfect 0.00 ERA.

Bryan Abreu

Yet another Dominican-born player Bryan Abreu, who signed with the Astros as an international free agent in 2013 and made his MLB debut in 2019, became the Astros’ secret weapon out of the bullpen this season. All year Abreu proved to be lights out and only continued this dominance throughout the postseason. In ten postseason games played this year, through 11.1 innings pitched (IP), he recorded 19 strikeouts while allowing zero runs.

Ryan Pressly

Astros closer Ryan Pressly had an incredible 2022 season. As a closer, it is generally the pitcher’s job to record the final outs of the game and preserve your team’s lead with the hopes of securing your team’s win. In this year’s postseason alone, Pressly had 6 saves out of 6 save opportunities (SVO) through 10 games and 11.1 IP. In that span, he recorded 13 strikeouts and a spotless 0.00 ERA.

Stepping Up to the Plate

With the loss of veteran shortstop Carlos Correa prior to the 2022 season, it was unclear if the Astros would be able to find a player of value to fill his shoes. But, rookie shortstop Jeremy Peña set off to make a name for himself in his first season as an Astro. He became the first rookie shortstop to win a Gold Glove, winning the award for his exceptional defense. In the regular season he lead all shortstops with 16 total defensive runs saved (DRS). Offensively he hit 22 home runs (HR), with 63 runs batted in (RBI). In Game 4 of the ALDS, he put an end to the Seattle Mariners season with a solo home run to snap a 17-inning scoreless game, completing the sweep and allowing the Astros to advance to the ALCS. After the Astros swept the Yankees, Peña was named MVP of the ALCS. Peña hit one home run during the World Series, becoming the first roookie shortstop to hit a home run in the World Series. His batting average through the World Series was .400 and his on-base percentage (OBP) was .423. He hit a total of four postseason home runs. As the Astros were crowned the 2023 World Series Champions, Peña was named MVP of the World Series, becoming just the third rookie, and first ever rookie position player to do so. If this is just the beginning of this 25 year old’s MLB career, the future is bright for this Astros star.


“Do it for Dusty!”

In 2020, Dusty Baker became the new manager of the Houston Astros. Prior to the 2022 World Series, 73 year old head coach Dusty Baker had managed the most MLB games without winning a World Series title. Both his 2002 San Francisco Giants and 2021 Houston Astros lost in the World Series. Since becoming manger of the Houston Astros, Baker has been successful in guiding his team to the postseason in each season he has managed, but his teams had just fallen short every time. That all changed when this year the Houston Astros prevailed against the Philadelphia Phillies and rewarded Baker with his first managerial World Series win.

H-town vs. Everyone

Ever since the Astros’ 2017 Championship was tarnished by scandal, this team has been fighting to put the past behind them and show everyone that they are a force to be reckoned with. On November 5th, after steamrolling their way through their two previous opponents, the Astros silenced the haters and in six games remarkably won the World Series trophy for the city of Houston. The final blow was executed by Astros power hitter, Yordan Alvarez, who hit a 450 ft. bomb to center field to put the Astros on top.

“Bury Me in the H”

I have followed this team all season long and never once doubted that this would be the outcome in the end; winners win. If this so-called “Golden Age” of Astros baseball and their postseason success is not to last for much longer, then I, as a true fan of my hometown Astros, call myself proud to be able to witness these days in which we can revel in the taste of sweet victory.