As most teams must when facing the New Orleans Saints, the Houston Texans are preparing for their next preseason game with their collective eye on Drew Brees.
In an otherwise solid year for the Texans defense, they saw Brees shred through them in their 40-33 loss to New Orleans in the fourth quarter in the third game of last season, putting up two of his three touchdowns and setting up a third.
This Saturday, coach Wade Phillips' defense will perform a test of sorts against the Saints, which should make the game even tougher on the Texans than it would normally be -- they will be playing nothing but their base defense. Players seem supportive of the decision:
"(Because of) how much they go five out and empty, to not have dime in there a lot will be a test," [linebacker Connor] Barwin said. "It’s good to have in the preseason because you’ve got to get good at your core stuff, what needs to be our bread and butter. There’s no better challenge than Drew Brees and those guys they have over there."
Brees is always a test for opposing defenses. Fortunately, the Texans get their first shot against them at the preseason and can be experimental. When the regular season comes along and they have to face off against guys like Tom Brady and Matt Stafford, any previous practice shutting down elite QBs should help.
For the latest on the Houston Texans, be sure to check out Battle Red Blog and SB Nation Houston. Head over to SB Nation's NFL hub for even more NFL news. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video commentary.