OCT 29 LUV YA, BYE The Houston Cougars have been sent a cease-and-desist letter from the NFL, ordering the Big 12 conference member to stop wearing their alternate light blue uniforms, according to a report from The Houston Chronicle.
The light blue, red and white jerseys, which were seemed to be inspired by the classic ‘Luv Ya Blue’ Houston Oilers uniforms, debuted this season in the Cougars season opener against the UTSA Road Runners
“The Houston Cougars’ attempt to free ride on the popularity of the NFL and the club violates the intellectual property rights of the NFL and the (Tennessee) Titans,” attorney Bonnie L. Jarrett said in the letter.
OCT 22 OILERS THROWBACKS The Tennessee Titans are set to don a piece of Houston history this Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
In their interconference matchup, the Titans will wear Oilers throwback uniforms in Nashville.
The Titans of course began life as a franchise as the Houston Oilers in 1960, before moving to Nashville in 1996.
The franchise then spent two seasons as the Tennessee Oilers in 1997 and 1998, before undergoing a complete rebrand as the Tennessee Titans in 1999.
Football was then brought back to Houston in 2022 with the Texans, who have won six AFC South division titles since 2011 – two more than the Titans have won in 21 years.
OCT 19 INTERNATIONAL FLAGS You’ll see some changes to some NFL helmets around the league for Weeks 7 and 8. Hundreds of players will add flag decals to their helmets representing the countries of their heritage.
The league has announced more than 330 players have committed to participate, representing 72 nations, with Nigeria being the most-represented foreign country, with 80 players committing to wear the Nigerian flag.
OCT 8 C.J. HEROICS The Houston Texans nearly pulled of a major win vs. the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday after some late heroics from starting quarterback, C.J. Stroud.
With just over a minute to play in regulation, Stroud hit tight end Dalton Schultz for the 18-yard go-ahead score, to give the Texans a 19-18 lead.
Unfortunately for Stroud and the Texans, the late score was not enough to put Houston over the top, as Falcons QB Desmond Ridder led his team right back down the field for the game-winning field goal by Yunghoe Koo, making the final score 21-19 in favor of Atlanta.
With the loss, the Texans have now dropped to 2-3 overall.
OCT 7 JONATHAN TAYLOR AGREES TO EXTENSION The Indianapolis Colts and All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor agreed to a massive three-year extension Saturday morning. The deal is worth $42.0 million with $26.5M guaranteed. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report.
The extension ends the ongoing drama between the Colts and Taylor, whom Indianapolis granted permission to seek a trade during the off-season. Taylor will make his season debut during the Colts’ Week 5 match against the Tennessee Titans. He missed the first four games due to a back injury.
Since entering the league in 2020, Taylor has established himself as one of the top players at his position. In 43 career games, Taylor has rushed for 3,841 yards and 33 touchdowns.
OCT 1 STROUD TO COLLINS TD The Houston Texans are already off to a hot start vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On their opening offensive possession on Sunday, rookie QB C.J. Stroud led the Texans down the field on a 12-play 69-yard touchdown drive, hitting wideout Nico Collins in the end zone for the score.
The Texans also had some major contributions on the drive from running back Dameon Pierce, who totaled 46 yards from scrimmage on the ground and through the air.
SEPT 30 REMEMBERING BUM Late former Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips is one of the most legendary figures in the History of Houston sports, leading the team for six seasons from 1975 to 1980.
Phillips passed away at the age of 90 in 2013, and Friday marked what would have been Phillips’ 100th birthday.
During his time in Houston Phillips went 55-35, finishing second in the AFC Central division in each of his final three seasons. In 1978 and 1979, Phillips led the Oilers to the AFC Championship Game, falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers in each appearance.
After leaving Houston, Phillips led the New Orleans Saints for five more seasons, before resigning and retiring from the NFL.
SEPT 28 HILL TO TEXANS? The Texans need help along the defensive line – so much help that they are exploring the idea of signing former Dallas Cowboys bust Trysten Hill, an NFL source tells TexansDaily.com.
The Texans worked out Hill on Thursday with the hope that he might recapture whatever it was Dallas saw in his when they make him a second-round draft pick in 2019. Hill, 25, is 6-3 and 300 and has bounced around on various practice squads in recent years.
SEPT 28 STROUD EARNS HONORS The Houston Texans have been very pleased with the play of their rookie quarterback, C.J. Stroud.
And now the rest of the NFL is beginning to take notice, with Stroud taking home AFC Offensive Rookie of the Month honors after a stellar September.
In his first three NFL games, Stroud leads all rookies in completion percentage (64.5 percent), passing yards (906), and touchdowns (four) and has zero interceptions.
He also holds a rookie best passer rating of 98.0.
Stroud, who has the Texans sitting at 1-2 after an impressive win over Jacksonville in Week 3, will hope to get the Texans back to .500 when they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday.
SEPT 24 ANDERSON MAKES IMPACT Will Anderson Jr. has made a major impact for the Houston Texans defense through his first two games with the team.
On Sunday’s Week 3 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he did it again, with Anderson blocking a Jaguars Field goal.
Following the block, the Texans were able to take advantage with rookie C.J. Stroud hitting tight end Brevin Jordan for a short touchdown pass, putting Houston up 14-0 midway through the second quarter.
SEPT 21 TEXANS EX CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY RETIRES NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reports that former Texans linebacker Christian Kirksey is retiring. Kirksey had been on the practice squad for the Buffalo Bills.
The 31-year-old was a third-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Iowa. He would spend the first six seasons of his career with the Browns, before joining the Green Bay Packers in 2020. Kirksey then spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Texans, accumulating 217 combined tackles and seven quarterback hits.
SEPT 18 TAVIERRE THOMAS SUFFERS BROKEN HAND The Texans have lost another player due to injury. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC, nickel defensive back Tavierre Thomas suffered a broken hand Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts and will undergo surgery.
With Thomas likely out against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Texans may go to safety Grayland Arnold to help fill the void.
SEPT 17 FAN FIGHT The frustration for Texans fans seemingly boiled over on Sunday afternoon during the team’s 31-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
The fight broke out around the third quarter in a concessions area at NRG Stadium while the Texans trailed 31-10.
SEPT 10 PITRE HOSPITALIZED Following their 25-9 season-opening loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Houston Texans faced a medical scare on Sunday afternoon, when safety Jalen Pitre was sent to a local hospital with a bruised lung, according to reports.
The injury occurred after a collision between Pitre and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, with Jackson’s knee hitting Pitre’s chest.
Pitre is expected to fully recover but could be kept in the hospital overnight for observation.
The second-year Baylor product had two tackles in the game.
SEPT 9 ANDREWS INJURY UPDATE Per Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport, Ravens TE Mark Andrews, who has dealt with a quad injury for the last few weeks and is listed as questionable, is not likely to play against the Texans.
The Ravens have revamped their entire receiving corps, and should be less reliant on Andrews in the passing game this year, but it’ll still be a blow for quarterback Lamar Jackson’s passing game.
AUG 24 TEXANS MAKE OL MOVES The Houston Texans made a pair of moves along the offensive line on Thursday, signing guard Keaton Sutherland, and placing Kilian Zierer on injured reserve.
Zeirer, an undrafted free agent out of Auburn, left the team’s 28-3 preseason loss to the Dolphins in the second quarter.
Sutherland, who the Texans waived earlier this month, made five different NFL stops in his career before coming to Houston, including two stints with the Cincinnati Bengals.
AUG 21 TAYLOR TRADE COMING? After a tumultuous offseason between the Indianapolis Colts and star running back Jonathan Taylor, it appears that a resolution may soon be on the horizon.
And it is not good news for Colts fans.
According to reports, the Colts have granted Taylor permission to seek a trade out of Indianapolis.
This could be good news for the Texans, however, who are scheduled to face the Colts in Week 2.
in five career games vs. Houston, Taylor has rushed 106 times for 623 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 124.6 yards per game over that stretch.
In other words, Texans would likely love to see Taylor anywhere but the opposing sideline at any point this season.
AUG 18 TAYLOR TROUBLES The Indianapolis Colts are at a crossroads with star running back Jonathan Taylor.
And according to NFL insider Adam Schefter during an appearance on the Pat McAfee show on Thursday, things seem to be going from bad to worse.
“The situation has regressed. It hasn’t moved the right way. It’s regressed,” Schefter said. “It’s everybody’s collective fault. It has disintegrated the relationship. The situation has gone backward. In my mind, it’s up to both sides to figure out what works. The way it has been this summer doesn’t help either side moving forward.”
The Colts and Texans are scheduled to face off in Week 2 of the regular season, but at the rate things are going with his contract negotiations, Taylor’s chances of being on the field for that game seem to be dwindling by the day.
AUG 15 TEXANS CLAIM CHEN The Houston have claimed offensive tackle Jackie Chen off of the waiver wire, the team announced Tuesday.
Chen, an undrafted free agent out of Pace University, was signed by the Vikings in May.
However, the Vikings waived Chen on Monday in favor of Chim Okorafor, freeing him up for the Texans to sign on Tuesday.
AUG 13 TEXANS SIGN QB The Texans have agreed to terms with quarterback E.J. Perry, who is already in camp with the team.
Perry — who played collegiately at Boston College and Brown — is in his second stint this offseason with the Texans. Most recently, he played for the Michigan Panthers in the USFL.
Unless there’s a trade coming, Perry faces an uphill battle to making the Texans roster with C.J. Stroud, Case Keenum and Davis Mills all on the roster already.
AUG 13 WR ADDED The Texans have added depth at wide receiver, signing veteran wide receiver Adam Humphries, 30, who last played with the Washington Commanders in 2021.
That year, he had 41 receptions for 383 yards over 17 games played. The veteran slot receiver in 2018 played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he totaled 76 catches for 816 yards and five touchdowns.
The Texans are still working to figure out a wideout pecking order with Robert Woods, Nico Collins, John Metchie and Tank Dell among those in the mix.
AUG 4 TEXANS EX PUNISHED Charles Omenihu, the former Texans pass-rusher and University of Texas standout, is now with the Kansas City Chiefs … but he won’t be “with” them when the season starts.
Omenihu has been suspended for his team’s first six regular season games of the 2023 season for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
The violation? Omenihu was last year, as a member of the 49ers, involved in a domestic violence case.
He is eligible to participate in all preseason practices and preseason games before the suspension kicks in.
