Game Notes: Solve The Bootleg

Give new Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak credit for using something that he knows works well against the Kansas City Chiefs. The former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator tormented his former AFC West rival by using the dreaded bootleg to frustrate Kansas City's defense.

On Saturday night, the Chiefs must have thought they were facing Jake Plummer. Instead, they fell victim to David Carr and his backup, Sage Rosenfels. Each perfectly executed the bootleg during sustained drives that led to a pair of touchdowns for the Texans.

With so much focus on the Cover Two defense the Chiefs are implementing, Kansas City’s front seven can’t fall for the bootleg over and over again. Granted, it was the first preseason game, but at times the starters and the backups knew it was coming and still failed to stop it.

For the remainder of their exhibition schedule, this defense won’t face an offense like Houston's. The next test against the bootleg will come in Denver in week two.

Nick’s Notes:

QB Casey Printers - Printers looked uncomfortable. I’m not sure why the Chiefs continued to run the ball on first and second down. When Printers had the chance to throw, he generally only left the pocket when it was necessary. His offensive line didn’t do him any favors, and that’s a shame. Hopefully we see the real Printers next Thursday in New York.

LB Nick Reid - The former Kansas Jayhawk made some nice special teams tackles. That was good to see, because he still has a shot to make this team. If the Chiefs carry eight linebackers, his chances improve drastically. If they keep only seven, then he could find himself on the practice squad.

P Dustin Colquitt - I was impressed with the height of his punts. Last season he really struggled at times, and I think the adjustment from college was more than he realized. Part of the problem in 2005 was the fact he was asked to be the placeholder on extra points and field goals. But his punts on Saturday night were Pro Bowl-esque and that’s good news for the Chiefs.

NT Ryan Sims and DT Lional Dalton - Herman Edwards made a statement when these two guys played the entire second and third quarter with the backups and third teamers. Neither of them played that well, and it’s beginning to look like Ron Edwards and James Reed could open the season as starters. It’ll be interesting to see how they respond next Thursday night against the Giants. If they don’t improve, that’s a lot of salary to keep around for a pair of back-ups.

T Kyle Turley - It was great to see Turley play well in his debut at left tackle. He had a false start penalty early in the game, but he held his ground and did a solid job of clearing holes for Larry Johnson.

T Kevin Sampson - He played the entire first half and his block on Dee Brown's touchdown run was a thing of beauty. He struggled a bit in pass coverage, but Sampson has the talent to be a solid right tackle. If Willie Roaf comes back and Turley moves to the right side, Sampson will be a solid backup.

Head Coach Herman Edwards - I know how badly he wanted to win the game against the Texans. I really like his attitude about trying to win games in the preseason. He knows how important these games are to developing a winning attitude. I bet he gives his players a mulligan for this game, but he shouldn’t be so gracious next Thursday if his team comes out flat.