Texans should force passes to Johnson

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)