Texans should force passes to Johnson

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

Force it.

If you've got Andre Johnson, you can't settle for Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels. Those two are great, but they need to be second and third options. If defenses are making you to 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 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 while Johnson has faced bracketed coverage that prompts Matt Schaub to turn elsewhere but 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. In so doing 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 said he'd like to see smoke routes - plays where the QB 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 guys with 25 TD catches and an ability to bull through our DBs and get that team feeling super-confident."


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