HOUSTON—Growing up poor in a tough section of Miami, Andre Johnson decided early on that he wanted to play professional football. He watched the NFL and dreamed of meeting a player.

That never happened for Johnson as a child, so soon after he joined the Houston Texans in 2003 he created a foundation to help underprivileged children and give them the opportunity he never had.

That foundation has grown in the past five years and Johnson has sponsored programs and given time and money to children in both Houston and Miami.

"I really didn't have a professional player come to my neighborhood and do different stuff for the neighborhood," he said. "So I always said if I was to make it one day I just want to give back to the community."

Johnson's uncle Andre Melton, for whom he is named, has always encouraged his nephew to be involved in the community.

"That's how you can reach out and touch people," Melton said. "Sometimes athletes are distant from most people, but I want people to know he's a real person and make sure he understands that he's in a position to do some things and make some things happen. You can't save the world, but you can do your part."

Johnson, who leads the NFL with 955 yards receiving, said when he was first drafted he was struck by how much kids looked up to him.

"I think just me being able to meet kids period is special," he said. "People always say: 'You're a role model.' But we hate to look at ourselves as role models. But you would be surprised at how many kids really watch what you do on Sunday."

Johnson has been honored for his work as one of eight finalists for an award given by Home Depot called the NFL Neighborhood MVP. As a finalist his charity will receive $5,000 and the winner get $25,000 for his work. The winner, which is decided by online voting, will be announced during Super Bowl week.

Other finalists include Atlanta's Keith Brooking, Brian Dawkins of the Eagles, Detroit's Mike Furrey, Steve Smith of Carolina, Amani Toomer of the Giants, the Cardinals' Kurt Warner and Dallas Cowboy Jason Witten.

Johnson, who didn't know he was a finalist until informed by a reporter, was proud to be mentioned as one of the top players in the community.
"Not to just be mentioned as a football player but also for the things you do in the community," he said. "I've never been a person who felt like I really needed any recognition for what I do, but to have that happen though is a great honor."

Johnson isn't slowing down. He spent several hours on his day off earlier this week handing out turkeys and other fixings to needy families for Thanksgiving dinners. He joined teammates Dunta Robinson and DeMeco Ryans with help from a local grocery store chain to feed more than 700 families.

The food pantries in Galveston were depleted during Hurricane Ike so trucks from the island were sent to collect hundreds of Thanksgiving dinners to take back for distribution. Johnson, Ryans and Robinson didn't leave the hard work of loading the trucks to the scores of other volunteers at the event. The trio lugged dozens of bags loaded with two liter drinks and multi-pound turkeys to the truck and didn't sit down for a break until the last bag was done.

Johnson said helping out this year is even more important than in years past because of Ike and the current economic crisis.

"You wish there weren't any needy people," Johnson said. "You really don't like to see people in those situations, but that's life. And any way somebody can help, it's great. We are just very thankful for what we have and it's great just to bless someone else."

(elpasotimes.com)

The Houston Chronicle reports Texans WR Andre Johnson, who had nine catches for 131 yards the first time he played the Colts this season, was held to four catches for 55 yards yesterday against Indianapolis. He hasn't had a 100-yard receiving game since Oct. 26 against Cincinnati. Johnson said the coverage wasn't drastically different from the first time around against the Colts. "They had the safety over the top a little bit more than they did (last time)," Johnson said. "But other than that, it wasn't really a big deal."

(ffmastermind.com)

Houston is developing a nice receiving duo with WR Andre Johnson and TE Owen Daniels. Johnson is an excellent big-play threat and he is almost impossible to cover one-on-one, while Daniels is good on the underneath routes and check downs. Most defenses play a Cover 2 against the Texans to not only take away the deep ball from Johnson, but also to put a safety in place to help the corner over the top.

(espn.com)

After posting four consecutive 100-plus-yard games while making 41 catches in October to take over the NFL’s receiving lead, Andre Johnson has tapered off, with a combined 13 catches for 128 yards against Minnesota and Baltimore.

Johnson’s seven receptions Sunday netted 66 yards, with a long of 20.

(chron.com)

Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson put together one of the best months in NFL history in October.

But November started slowly against the Vikings.

With former Longhorn Cedric Griffin constantly on top of Johnson, the Texans’ top receiver finished with just four catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.

“I guess their coach just told them, ‘Just beat him up,’” Johnson said. “At the line, I got thrown down a couple of times.

“It was one of my more difficult games. I think they did a great job. I think they had a good game plan.

“It kind of got me a bit frustrated. And when you get frustrated, it kind of has an effect on your game a little bit.”

The Vikings often had two players covering Johnson, who didn’t make his first catch until midway through the second quarter.

“They played us in a ton of 2-deep — a very aggressive cover-2,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “They jammed him at the line of scrimmage. We did a little bit of everything, but give them credit. They did a good job and rushed the passer really well.”

(chron.com)

After helping lead the Texans to three straight wins in October, wide receiver Andre Johnson has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Month.

Johnson led the NFL with 41 receptions for 593 yards in four games, and also scored two touchdowns. He had 11 more catches and nearly 150 more yards than the AFC's next-closest receivers. He also led all AFC players in total yards from scrimmage in the month, even without making a single rushing attempt.

During the month, Johnson caught nine or more passes and had at least 130 receiving yards in all four games. He became just the third player in NFL history to catch 10 or more passes in three straight games and the fourth player ever to record 130 or more yards in four consecutive outings.
Johnson's 41 receptions were the second-most in the month of October since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Buffalo WR Eric Moulds had 42 catches in October 2000, but played five games. Johnson's 593 receiving yards were the fifth-most since 1970, surpassed only by St. Louis' Isaac Bruce (650 yards, 1995), Green Bay's James Lofton (606, 1984), Moulds (605, 2000) and Indianapolis' Marvin Harrison (603, 2000).

(chron.com)

The Houston Chronicle reports Texans WR Andre Johnson has two chances to make NFL history Sunday against the Vikings. Johnson can become the first receiver to have at least 130 yards in five consecutive games. He shares the record with Chargers WR Lance Alworth (1968) and Rams WR Harold Jackson (1971-72). Johnson also can set a record if he catches at least 10 passes for the fourth consecutive game. He's tied with the Lions WR Brett Perriman (1995) and the Colts WR Reggie Wayne (2007-08). With considerable help from his teammates on offense, especially QB Matt Schaub, Johnson has lifted the Texans on his shoulders. He's trying to carry them from an 0-4 abyss to respectability.

(ffmastermind.com)

10. Andre Johnson, WR, Texans. It’s hard for a receiver to crack the MVP list, but Johnson is setting a blistering pace and has lifted Houston out of a potential quarterback controversy. Would you believe the Texans are fourth in the NFL in total offense? Believe it. It’s largely because of Johnson, who has 56 catches for 772 yards in seven games. Now, try this on for size: He had nine catches for 131 yards against the Colts on October 5. How does he top it? In the each of the three games since, he has had at least 10 catches and at least 140 yards.

8. Ed Reed, S, Ravens. Always a playmaker of the highest order and someone opponents must locate on every snap, it’s Reed’s outstanding range that allows the creativity defensive coordinator Rex Ryan flashes. He also gets a checkmark in the “guts” category for playing through hamstring and thigh injuries. Every coach who faces the Ravens mentions Reed early and often. Baltimore is second in total defense, third in pass defense and first in run defense. Reed is the primary reason.

6. Clinton Portis, RB, Redskins. Sshhh … Portis is on a pace to rush for nearly 2,000 yards. Somehow, in all the hoopla over Jason Campbell—he’s been outstanding, so he does deserve it—Portis’ career year is getting overshadowed. Portis has 944 yards at 5.0-per clip and 11 catches to boot. The reason he gets the call here over Campbell is because the Redskins’ offensive identity is one of a physical, grinding group that wears out opponents. As a side note: How loaded was that University of Miami title team in 2001? Johnson, Reed and Portis are on this list, and that’s without mentioning Vince Wilfork, Jonathan Vilma, D.J. Williams, Willis McGahee, Frank Gore, Bryant McKinnie.

(sports.yahoo.com)

Best player you don't know enough about, offense: Andre Johnson, Houston, WR -- He piled up 103 catches for 1,147 yards as recently as 2006, so Johnson isn't an unknown quantity. But the Texans' relatively low national profile has kept him from getting sufficient pub. The guy has numbers that the other Texas-based No. 1 receiver -- the one and only T.O. -- would kill for. Johnson leads the league in receptions (56), receiving yardage (772), 100-yard games (five), and games with catches of 10 or more (four). In October alone, he caught 41 passes for 593 yards and two touchdowns.

Offensive player of the year: Clinton Portis, Washington, RB -- Though I have my doubts that Portis can continue to carry so much of the load for the Redskins, you can't overlook the contributions of a running back who's leading the league in rushing by a whopping 260 yards, and averages 118.0 yards per game. Portis has scored in five of Washington's eight games, and he has at least 96 yards rushing in six of eight, including 121-plus in his last five.

(cnnsi.com)

Four games and four defeats into the current season, Andre Johnson’s pent-up frustration was boiling over. A Texan since 2003, he was beginning to wonder if there was ever going to be an end to the losing, and he expressed those fears publicly one day before practice.
But that was then. To be sure, Johnson’s mood has brightened considerably.

“It’s a big relief,” Johnson said, having experienced a third victory in a row as a Texan for the first time after Houston’s record 35-6 blowout of the Bengals. “Everyone’s happy. I think all the guys out there are having fun playing. I don’t think that was going on at the beginning of the season. We’re rallying around each other, supporting each other. That’s a big thing.”

Stay just a little bit longer
Johnson, the NFL’s new season leader in both receptions and receiving yards, is having so much fun he flat refused to leave the field in the fourth quarter — never mind that the game was well in hand and his receivers coach, Larry Kirksey, wanted him to sit a spell. So what if he had endured an unduly physical afternoon, twice taking shots that separated his head from his helmet?

“Larry was calling for me to come out, but I was like, ‘I’m all right. Don’t worry about me,’ ” Johnson said. “When you’re in the flow of the game and the adrenalin is flowing, you don’t want to come out. You’re doing something you love. So I just stayed out there.”

Going in, he knew he’d have to shoulder a larger than normal burden because third receiver André Davis was incapacitated with a broken finger. But that was perfectly OK with Johnson, who, in October alone, has 41 catches for 591 yards. The former figure would rank him second to himself in the league standings for the season.

Still, after conspiring with quarterback Matt Schaub last week to help dig the Detroit Lions into a deep hole early, the two-time Pro Bowler was reluctant to pronounce the Texans’ offense fully in sync. Pressed on the same subject Sunday, though, he conceded with a sly smile, “I’d have to agree with you now.

“It seems like everything is working. We’re communicating a lot better. We’re just playing smart as a team. We’re playing some real good football, probably the best football we’ve played in a long time these last two weeks.”

Passing carries the day
Head coach Gary Kubiak will tell you that his offense’s success is predicated upon an effective running attack, but the passing game is suddenly so potent that axiom no longer holds true. The Texans were ineffective on the ground early — gaining only 27 yards in the first half — yet Schaub wound up throwing just one more incompletion (four) than he did touchdown passes (three). Two of those went to Kevin Walter, who might have been the happiest player in a Texans uniform.

After all, he used to be a Bengal. These days, with Cincinnati staggered at 0-8, to be an ex-Bengal is a good thing.

“We have a lot of guys who can make plays,” Johnson said. “I was real excited for Kevin today, going up against his old team and getting two touchdowns. He was pretty pumped before the game and that’s why he had the offsides penalty. ”

The previously little-used David Anderson also stepped up and caught a touchdown pass, finding himself wide open.

Asked how the Texans have evolved from their dismal start, Walter pointed out a conspicuous stat — turnovers. Schaub hasn’t thrown an interception in three of his last four games.

“If we don’t give the ball away,” Walter said, “we have a chance to win every game we play.”

And, lately, they have.

(chron.com)

HOUSTON: One is the spotlight-seeking, trash-talking star of the Cincinnati Bengals. The other is the mild-mannered, soft-spoken leader of the Houston Texans.

Both are Pro Bowl receivers on losing teams, live in Miami and have "Johnson" on the backs of their jerseys. But that's where the similarities end with the Bengals' Chad and the Texans' Andre, who will share the field Sunday when Cincinnati (0-7) visits Houston (2-4).

Technically, they don't even share a last name anymore. Chad legally changed his to "Ocho Cinco" in August, but the NFL is still making him wear "Johnson" on his uniform for now.

The Texans' Johnson would never crave that kind of controversy.

"I am not a guy who likes to be around a lot of commotion," he said.

But the two have been friends for almost a decade through their Miami connection, proof that opposites attract. They work out together in the offseason and have many common acquaintances.

Ocho Cinco said he was going to call Johnson when he arrived in Houston and try to get a free meal out of him. He also said he was going to tell Johnson to relay some brash warnings to Houston's defensive backs.

So typical.

"Every time I play against him, he's always saying something crazy," Johnson said.

But for the most part, the Bengals' wretched start has put a muzzle on Ocho Cinco. He isn't having a great individual season, either, with only 27 catches for 268 yards.

Ocho Cinco said he's tried to tone down his act for the good of the team. So far, it hasn't helped much.

"It's very difficult," he said. "I'm very boisterous, I'm very flashy, flamboyant. I love to pose challenges to opponents. I'm always saying something out of the ordinary, to get myself motivated to play.

"But I have no room for it. I have no room to get myself going. I'm approaching every game quietly, and doing it in a way that I've never done it before. It doesn't seem to be going the way it should — not just for me, but for us as a whole."

The low-key method has always worked for Johnson, a two-time Pro Bowler who leads the AFC with 629 yards receiving and the NFL with 104.8 yards receiving per game.

"He's a Johnson," Ocho Cinco said. "What do you expect?"

Unlike Ocho Cinco, Johnson will probably never unleash an outlandish dance in the end zone after a touchdown or call out an opposing cornerback leading up to a game. About the closest thing Johnson did to cause a stir this year was reveal how frustrated he was after Houston's 0-4 start.

"I've never been a person that complains," he said. "If I wasn't able to touch a ball for the rest of the season, I'm not going to go to Kube's (Coach Gary Kubiak) office and complain to him or nothing. If the ball comes my way, it comes; if it don't, it don't."

That's probably not how Ocho Cinco would've handled the same situation in seasons past.

He unsuccessfully lobbied for a trade this offseason and threatened to sit out if he didn't get his way. He also skipped voluntary workouts and missed most of training camp with ankle and shoulder problems, while the Bengals stood their ground and refused to release him.

Since the season started, Ocho Cinco has been on his best behavior — acting more like Johnson always does.

"I haven't complained about the opportunities that have come my way. If the opportunities come, I just make the plays," Ocho Cinco said. "I'm trying to do everything I can to get us out of this funk right now. I've been as positive as possible, with the situation that we're in, despite what I said in the offseason."

Right now, Johnson can relate to what Ocho Cinco is going through better than anyone.

The Texans have been one of the worst teams since entering the league in 2002, and Johnson has endured all but the first season. Houston was 0-6 in 2005 on its way to a 2-14 season.

"I'm pretty sure it's really frustrating for him," Johnson said. "It's a rough time for him. He's probably not even thinking about some of the things he used to think about. He's probably just trying to figure out how he can get his team to win games."

(iht.com)

They rise slowly, like an air bubble. Yes, I, too, am impressed by Andre Johnson's , knock'em dead statistics -- 11 catches for 141 yards in this case. Three straight games over 100 yards receiving. He gets overworked in this offense, however. Takes a beating, then he'll get tired and drop one or two. A solid Pro Bowl player, though.

(cnnsi.com)

The Houston Texans' official website reports Texans HC Gary Kubiak said the team has been moving WR Andre Johnson around more in their formations to prevent against constant double teams.




(ffmastermmind.com)

Texans coach Gary Kubiak didn’t shy away from putting a little pressure on Andre Johnson earlier this season.

After Johnson failed to make a play on two potential touchdown passes thrown his way against Tennessee on Sept. 21, Kubiak had a talk with his star receiver.

“My message was, ‘You have to make those plays for this team. That’s how much they count on you,’ ” Kubiak said. “Is that asking a lot of a kid? You bet it is.”

Johnson hardly shied from the challenge, and less than a month later he is on the best three-game stretch of his career. In the Texans’ 28-21 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Reliant Stadium, Johnson finished with 11 catches for 141 yards — his third-consecutive 100-yard game.

Leading receiver
Johnson has 450 receiving yards in the past three games, and is a key reason the team has won two straight after starting 0-4.

“He is the heart and soul of this place,” Kubiak said. “He’s a special player in the NFL. When he plays at that level, he raises everybody else.”

Despite his strong play, Johnson said he is trying to catch up after missing so much of the offseason and preseason because of knee surgery.

Johnson said he and quarterback Matt Schaub are trying to make up for all the time they missed, and that they aren’t as comfortable on the field as they were a year ago.

In the first two games of 2007 prior to Johnson’s knee injury, Johnson had 262 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

“I guess when you have a nine-catch game then a 10-catch game and then an 11-catch game, you would think there is some type of rhythm there,” Johnson said. “But I still don’t think there’s the same type of connection that we had when I was here and Matt first got here.”

Clearly, some of that connection is returning, though. In the first three games of the season, Johnson had just 179 receiving yards and no touchdowns. He had 178 receiving yards against the Miami Dolphins alone last week, and he has two touchdowns over the past three games.

Kubiak said they have expanded Johnson’s role because of his talent and his high level of confidence. The Texans move him around constantly to try to keep defenses from taking him out of games.

Having fun at work
And even with the added responsibility and expectations, Johnson said he’s tried to stay relaxed and have fun on the field.

It’s a combination that is proving difficult for opponents to stop.

“I’ve been given a lot of opportunities in these past three games,” Johnson said. “I’m just out there playing and having fun.

“I can say that the first three games, there was a lot of frustration and things like that. I told myself right before the Indy game, no matter what happens, I’m going to put everything behind me.

“I’ve just started to go back out there and have fun, and when I get opportunities just make the play on it. That’s been my attitude since (Indy), and it’s working out well for me.”

(chron.com)

HOUSTON — Somewhere in his life, Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson must have missed a memo.

In the evolution of this grand game that occupies so much of our fall weekends, it was determined that the pass catchers are supposed to make a spectacle of themselves every time they make a great play or score a touchdown.

Not Johnson.

He treated Sunday afternoon like just another day at the office, catching 11 passes for 141 yards in Houston's closer-than-it-should-have-been, 28-21 triumph over winless Detroit at Reliant Stadium.

"I've been given a lot of opportunities the last three games and made the best of them," Johnson said after finishing his third consecutive game with more than 100 yards in receptions.

He could have said that it's about time the Texans recognized his vast talents, or that if they want to win, they better give him the ball.

Not Johnson.

"I've never been a person who complains," he said. "Whatever's given to me, I take it and make the best of it. I don't need that attention."

And this guy played in college at the University of Miami, the same school that introduced swagger into the vernacular of college football and produced such demonstrative athletes as Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp and Ray Lewis.

Cincinnati's Chad Johnson and Dallas' Terrell Owens seem to talk more than they play football. Andre Johnson may be the antithesis of those receivers, but he won't disparage them.

"I think it's just people's personalities," he said. "I'm going to go home and turn on ESPN and see who dances.

"They're just having fun because it's their personalities."

Andre said he and Chad, who also grew up in Miami but are not related, are good friends.

Andre Johnson would prefer to talk about his teammates when the Texans win. Tight end Owen Daniels caught six passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns Sunday.

"Owen is showing he's one of the top tight ends in the league," Johnson said.

The Texans' coaches and players know how much Johnson means to this team.

"He's a special player on his way to a special season," coach Gary Kubiak said of Johnson, who has grabbed 45 passes for 629 yards in six games. "He's got a lot of confidence right now and we've expanded his role."

Kubiak said he talked with Johnson after the second game of the season, when the Texans lost to Tennessee 31-12 and he missed some plays.
Johnson listened and responded.

"I expect a great deal out of him and we're getting it," Kubiak said. "He's the heart and soul of this place."

Johnson is the most effective offensive weapon in franchise history, and defenses still appear clueless about how to stop him.

"They reminded me of the Indianapolis defense," he said of the Lions. "They had holes, but you had to find the spots because they're well disciplined."

"It surprised me how he caught so many balls (today) after the week he had (last Sunday)," Texans guard Chester Pitts said of Johnson, who caught 10 passes for 178 yards the week before against Miami. "When you're that caliber of player, it doesn't matter what they do. He's as good as they come."

(statesman.com)

In their minds, the winless Texans had given away their past two games against Jacksonville and Indianapolis. So it was time, past time really, to steal one back.

Still grumbling to himself and grinding his teeth over an early fumble on a play he knew should have ended with a touchdown, Andre Johnson took it upon his broad shoulders to do just that.

A replay overrule had erased what the officials on the field called a Miami interception, giving the desperate Texans a last-gasp fourth-and-10 at their 36 with 52 seconds left, trailing 28-23. When quarterback Matt Schaub went to Johnson in the left flat, Yeremiah Bell seemed to arrive there first, but over his dead body was Johnson going to be denied that football.

With muscle and grit, Johnson bested Bell in a desperate tug-o’-war that at least made the Texans’ season salvageable.

Not to be denied
“Matt gave me a chance, and I was able to make a play,” Johnson said. “I don’t know how, but I did. I just stuck my hands up, he put his hands up and the ball kind of bounced around. It was both of us competing for the ball, and I wound up with it.”

Asked if he had immediately grasped the significance of that catch, one of 10 on the afternoon for a career-high 178 yards, Johnson smiled weakly.

“To be honest,” he said, “I didn’t even know what down it was. We were in the two-minute drill and that means you’re throwing the ball on almost every play. Most of us (receivers) out there were gassed.”

Their mental exhaustion, after 2½ months of practices and games with nothing positive to show for their efforts, was probably equal to the fatigue their bodies felt.

But, six plays later, Schaub fooled the Dolphins and almost everybody else in Reliant Stadium by scoring on a quarterback keeper up the middle from the shotgun formation. When the two-point conversion failed and the Dolphins couldn’t counter in the few seconds they had left, the Texans were in the win column 29-28.

Never mind how they had followed a script only a masochist would embrace. As owner Bob McNair noted later, you don’t expect to come out on top too often after committing four turnovers.

“Our guys battled their hearts out, and that’s the reason we prevailed,” McNair said. “They just wouldn’t quit. I’m really proud of them.”

Still, he also said: “It’s hard on an old-timer like me.”

It has been hard on everybody.

“We owed ourselves one, the fans one and the whole city of Houston one,” said Kevin Walter, whose markedly less dramatic if no less important grab for a 30-yard gain followed Johnson’s and moved the Texans to the Miami 11.

Overcoming obstacles
Johnson spoke of the palpable frustration on the Texans’ sideline as things kept going wrong, from Schaub’s interceptions of the first two possessions, to the shaky pass protection to repeated glaring defensive breakdowns. Even what should have been a game-clinching play by nickel back Eugene Wilson ended badly with Wilson snaring an interception off a deflection, only to fumble the ball back to the Dolphins, who promptly went 73 yards to reclaim the lead with 1:45 left.

The Texans had been embarrassed early by Patrick Cobbs, who caught touchdown passes of 53 and 80 yards, the first off yet another new wrinkle by Miami’s single-wing wildcat formation. This after they had insisted all week they were prepared for anything.

But, somehow, all that would be overcome this day.

“I think the two-minute drive (at the end of the game) was a big test for us,” Johnson said. “That was the first time we’ve been in that situation, and we answered. It showed what we can do.”

(chron.com)

The Houston Chronicle reports Texans WR Andre Johnson had the break-out game he needed against the Colts, catching nine passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.




(ffmastermind.com)

If you've got Andre Johnson at wide receiver, you can't settle for fellow wideout Kevin Walter or tight end Owen Daniels. Those two are great, but they need to be second and third options. If defenses are making you go to them instead of Johnson, they are winning.

So as the Texans get ready to face the Colts Sunday at Reliant Stadium, I say force it.

There is no way Walter and running back Steve Slaton should have as many catches (15) as Johnson or that Daniels should be just one off the pace. Sure it's nice to have good distribution. But Johnson needs to be fed.

I chatted with two scouts about Johnson this week, and they offered specific ways to get him the ball early.

One said Johnson has faced bracketed coverage that prompts quarterback Matt Schaub to turn elsewhere, but he added that Johnson is a rhythm receiver who needs to be involved from the start and build on it. He said the Texans should call for five-, six- seven- or eight-yard hitches and quick slants to get Johnson feeling a part of things out of the gate. That way they'll ensure he's feeling alive and coming off the snap the rest of the game wanting the ball and expecting it.

The other scout said he'd like to see smoke routes -- plays where the quarterback can throw to Johnson against off coverage out of what's really a run play, getting the ball in his hands quickly against a corner who's giving a cushion.

Johnson, always a good soldier, has sounded frustrated this week. (If you missed it this morning, here's Richard Justice's account.)
The Texans aren't going to come out and talk about a concerted effort to get Johnson the ball, even if that's the plan. (Have I mentioned I think it should be?)

"If they want to take him away, then other guys are going to make plays," Schaub told Houston reporters. "He understands that, I understand that, our offense understands that. For us to be successful, we need him in the mix. But if other guys step up like they did this last Sunday to make plays then the next team down the road can't necessarily focus on Andre so much because they say, 'Hey, Kevin Walter, Owen Daniels, Steve Slaton; they can all make plays too."

It's a good theory.

What I think those teams will really say is, "Hey, if we put the clamps on Johnson, they may just be willing to go to Walter and Daniels and Slaton, and we'd much rather take our chances against those guys than the guy with 25 touchdown catches and an ability to bull through our defensive backs and get that team feeling super-confident."

(espn.com)

MAYBE it’s the fact that Andre Johnson sees another season going nowhere.

Maybe it’s another year of lousy football and having his talent wasted. Maybe he’s just tired of being part of a doormat franchise that prompted him to speak up Wednesday.

“I think after a while, it kind of takes a toll on you,” he said.

For the first time, he appears to have had enough. It has been reflected in his body language and in his postgame comments.

When he dropped those two touchdown passes in Tennessee, he did what a leader is supposed to do. He stepped up and accepted the blame for the defeat even though there were a dozen other things that went wrong.

So the Texans go to Jacksonville and Johnson touches the ball three times.

“It’s not just me,” he said. “I’m pretty sure it’s that way with a lot of the guys around the locker room. I guess it just bothers me a little bit more because I’ve been going through it since I’ve been here. So, I just have to continue to work.”

For six seasons, he has played the role of good soldier. Never complained. You never heard him say the quarterback was lousy and the coaching even worse.

He could have. He would have been accurate. He just didn’t.

He continued to work hard and play hard and hope the people in charge did the right thing.

Last season when the Texans went 8-8, it appeared they finally would be playing for something this season.

Prime time for Andre
Now he’s 28 and in what should be the prime years of his career. He surely figured things would be different by now.

He had to think the Texans would matter by his sixth year. Can you imagine Terrell Owens keeping his mouth shut this long?

Thirty-six NFL players have more receptions than Johnson. His next touchdown catch will be his first of the year. Ridiculous, right?

“It’s frustrating,” he said. “You want to get involved in the game. You want to go out there and make plays. You just try to do your best when the ball is thrown to you. You know other guys go through it. Other guys on other teams go through it. It’s part of the game. “

He has 15 catches and no touchdowns. Kevin Walter also has 15 catches. Steve Slaton has 15 catches.

“There’s nothing I can do about that,” he said. “That’s not my call. That’s out of my control. I just go out and play. I just go out and do what I can do to help the team win, and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”

He’s good enough to play for a championship team. He’d make the Patriots or Giants better. Instead, he’s stuck on a team that just keeps losing.

Texans coach Gary Kubiak said Johnson was taken out of the game by Jacksonville rolling its defense to his side of the field.

That’s silly. If he can’t figure out a way to get the ball to his best offensive player, he should hire someone who can.

When someone asked Johnson about his creating opportunities for Walter, he didn’t buy it.

“If that’s how you guys feel about it,” he said. “I just go out and play. All I care about is winning. Like you said, you can see the frustration. I’m tired of losing. I’m pretty sure everyone else around here is tired of losing.”

It’s always something. If you listen to some of these coaches long enough, you’d think they were designing a nuclear reactor.

There are ways to get a player the ball if there’s a desire to do so. How about a quick screen or a slant? How about a four-wide receiver set? How about attacking instead of reacting?

The Texans appear to be at another turning point of sorts this week as the Indianapolis Colts come to Reliant Stadium. They’re one of four winless teams.

A statement game
There’s winless and there&r