Darryl Morris: HOH's Week 12 Golden Bull Award Recipient

Week 12 is officially in the books.

Thank goodness it was — that surely was some bad football that I watched Sunday.

At least I know that part of the reason why Ryan Mallett was a bit off from his normal self was because he was playing hurt.

The Texans were reporting that he injured himself during pregame this past Sunday but ESPN released a later report contradicting the timeline, dating it back to the previous Sunday’s match up against the Cleveland Browns.

If that’s case, he’s one tough hombre for playing with pain.

It was not one of his best games in just his second start of his NFL career.

He went 21-for-45 for 189 yards with no touchdowns and one pick for a 49.2 QB rating.

Not exactly numbers that set the world on fire but it certainly makes sense as to why they were put up.

There’s no way he was 100 percent because he throws with his right arm and the muscle that was injured was on the right side.

I know that hurt like hell with each of those 45 attempts he made as he led drives.

Nov 23, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett (15) throws in the pocket against the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

I certainly wish the utmost in a speedy recovery.

I honestly think the Mallett project is one of validity and needs to be tried again next season depending on what the Texans do in the off season.

But back to the game.

The offense looked a lot like 2013 — lots of stalls, three-and-outs and no much effectiveness at all.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ front line had Alfred Blue‘s number and only allowed 46 yards out of him — 64 team rushing yards total — on the ground.

The secondary once again was horrible, allowing 233 yards passing but the front line was quite decent and they were what kept the team in the game. They only gave up 139 yards on the ground.

A.J. Green got whatever he wanted and ended up catching 12 balls for 121 yards. Not exactly the day I expected out of him but he’s one of the league’s most talented wide outs so it’s not surprising against our fledgling secondary.

However, there was one bright spot of the secondary that played consistently well regardless and was one of the few players that emanated brilliance this past Sunday.

Because of this, excellence deserves to be recognized — we started at the beginning of the season and on that type of basis continuously, we will honor an individual player that made the most impact in helping the team, despite whether it resulted in a win or a loss.

We’ve dubbed it House of Houston Golden Bull Award…

And this week’s Golden Bull Award goes to…

Darryl Morris!

Even though the secondary looked quite over-matched against the Bengals passing game, Morris was everywhere on the field, tackling left and right anyway that he could.

Nov 23, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) runs after a catch against Houston Texans cornerback Darryl Morris (26) and outside linebacker

Jadeveon Clowney

(90) at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The on-the-rise corner back had 10 tackles and three assists on the game this past Sunday.

He has really stepped it up as a corner back and his proudest moment of the season was the game-winning pick on EJ Manuel against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4. The Texans beat the Bills 23-17.

He had been battling injuries earlier in the season but things look like that he is healthy and is ready to make a man-sized contribution for this football team.

I just wasn’t necessarily a fan of the short celebration he had when he tackled Green late in the 4th quarter — our team was down by a score and it just didn’t look right.

But he certainly had the right to celebrate — he was one of the few players out there that was consistent — consistently good.

I attended the Texans’ match up this past Sunday and other than Johnathan Joseph‘s 60-yard Pick 6 that he took to the house, there were very few plays made that made me get on my feet.

Darryl Morris: HOH’s Week 12 Golden Bull Award Recipient

By Brian K. Patterson | Nov 25, 2014