I'd always much rather announce wins, even in the preseason, when the results will melt away in the hot August sun while we gear up for the regular season.
But I do love announcing big moments by new players or players who are trying to make a statement to get on the 53 man roster.
Thursday's preseason premiere gave us some early thrills and perhaps some hints on who might make an impact down the line.
The Texans went with an offensive line of could-be starters, anchored by rookie Keylan Rutledge at Center. Davis Mills was at the controls and got the team cooking with a 31-yard pass to rookie tight end Marlin Klein. Rookie Noah Whittington sprinkled in some eye-popping runs along the way to the red zone where Jared Wayne scored on a five-yard TD pass.
The drive was about as good as you could have asked, and it gave the Texans the lead.
The rest of the game didn't go according to plan but had its moments. Rookie Kamari Ramsey had a big interception late in the first half to snuff out a Charger threat to go up two scores. There were sacks and stops along the way, but in the end, the Texans made a few too many errors to overcome.
To see the young players make contributions and get their NFL baptism was a terrific sight for a team that's looking for depth and for announcers that want to see the kids do their thing for the live audience.
Last year, we loved watching Graham Mertz shine in the preseason finale. In his follow-up appearance, he was injured trying to scramble for more yards, late in the first half.
We'll never know what would have happened had he been able to play the second half. Mills had to come back, after thinking his night was done, and the offense never got cranked up again.
Still, there were some other rookie moments. Lewis Bond got his feet wet. Josh Kelly flashed. Treyvhon Saunders made plays on offense and special teams. And Joshua Pitsenberger had some good carries.
The Texans will have to shake off the loss and learn from their mistakes. But this is just step one. The squad has two joint practices and two more preseason games to hone their game and prep for Buffalo September 13. Onward and upward.
