49ers opponent Q&A: Houston Texans Examiner Alan Burge

Steve Slaton has emerged as a very talented young running back.
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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As the 49ers prepare to face the Texans this Sunday, I checked in with Houston Texans Examiner Alan Burge.

We exchanged a handful of questions with each other about our teams.

Here's what I asked:

For the past few seasons, the Texans have been close to making the playoffs but have fallen short. Do the Texans have what it takes to be a playoff team?
As long as their core offensive players stay healthy and the defense continues to improve, then yes, the Texans have what it takes to be contenders for a wild card in the AFC. Beating a 4-1 Cincinnati team on the road last Sunday should give them the boost they need to compete with the AFC leaders but they still are still a bit unpredictable from week to week. I’m not on board with playoff talk until they string together some wins and are sitting above .500 in November for a change.

The buzz about Andre Johnson has started to grow since the end of last season and well into this season. What makes this receiver such an elusive and talented receiver?
Everyone in Houston knew Andre was special when he arrived here in 2003. Unfortunately the rest of the country didn’t notice until the past few seasons because the Texans weren’t good and didn’t get a lot of national coverage. Andre has been to three Pro Bowls (2004, 2006, 2008) and has led the NFL in receptions in ’06 and 08. He’s not ‘elusive’ in terms of being shifty, but he’s a great route runner and has a combination of size, speed, and power that’s unmatched. There’s been a lot of comparisons made between Andre and Larry Fitzgerald, but they are two very different receivers. Fitz is more acrobatic. Andre is faster and more powerful. Plus, Andre’s a great guy. Soft spoken and humble. The anti-T.O.

The Texans are led by a former backup in Matt Schaub and a young running back in Steve Slaton. The offense also has up and coming receivers like Owen Daniels and Kevin Walter. How has the team utilized the potential this offense presents?
The running game has been a major disappointment this season. It’s hard to say whether that’s due to defensive schemes or because the Texans lost both of their starting guards for the season. On the other hand, the Texans passing attack has been outstanding. They have compensated for the lack of running game by getting the ball to Slaton on screens. Schaub, who is second in the league in passing yards and first in TD passes, has a lot of weapons with Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Owen Daniels, David Anderson, and Jacoby Jones in addition to Slaton out of the backfield. If Schaub has time to throw (that’s the key), he will pick you apart.

The Texans feature two great defensive studs in Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans. Do you see both of these, along with the rest of the Texans defense, causing trouble to a struggling 49ers offensive line?
Mario has a shoulder problem and hasn’t been quite the same over the past few weeks. They rationed his play time at Cincinnati and it seemed to help, so we’ll see how he responds on Sunday. DeMeco is all over the field but so is his partner #56 rookie Brian Cushing. You will see a lot of Cushing on Sunday. He is emerging as a great run stopper and has shown great range in pass coverage. The Texans don’t get a lot of pressure on the quarterback with their front four but they compensate with blitzes. I would expect their strategy in this game is to put 8 in the box to try to stop Gore and challenge the 49ers to beat them through the air. After three early season debacles, the Texans run defense has been much better of late.

Who wins this game and who is the game MVP?
This one is too close to call and it really depends on which Texans team shows up. The Texans have trouble with 3-4 defenses and I imagine that Mike Singletary is going to try to do what the Jets did to the Texans back in Week 1. Likewise, the Texans will be studying what the Falcons did to the 49ers two weeks ago. If the Texans are able to protect Schaub, then I think the Texans have a good shot at winning this one (possible MVP’s, Schaub, Slaton, Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels). If not, I expect the 49ers to emerge victorious, especially if they get Gore going early (possible MVPs, Willis, Gore).

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Check out the questions Alan asked me at the Houston Texans Examiner page.

For more 49ers news: Visit my my blog at Mining the Gold Rush .