Battle Red Blog
Every week, the Battle Red Blog staff get together on Discord and chat during the Texans game, offering conversation and brief analysis of the team as they grind through another game. One expression that has become a mainstay on the chat is “C.H.U.M.,” which is an acronym for “Carlos Hyde Up the Middle.” This acronym came about during the Texans 2019 season, when then head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien seemed determined to jam Texans RB Carlos Hyde straight up the middle of the field nearly every other play on offense, much to the exhaustion of the writers of the Blog. They sought some comedic relief from this frustrating playcalling, and thus, the word CHUM was born. This acronym has continued to be used in the chat to describe practically any uninspiring Texans rush, detaching itself from the player Carlos Hyde and now becoming a generalized term unto its own. CHUM was used to express displeasure in many runs by David Johnson, Rex Burkhead, Dameon Pierce, and more. But, at least to me, CHUM has begun to shed its hard shell, and is now developing a more positive connotation thanks to the growing frequency of impressive runs by rookie RB Woody Marks.
Woody Marks, a rookie back drafted in the fourth round (116th overall), has seen his role grow week by week as the team realized RB Nick Chubb wouldn’t be a viable cover to Houston’s Joe Mixon-shaped hole on their depth chart. Chubb is still a tough runner to bring down, but he unfortunately does offer the juice that Mixon had in 2024. So, after the first few games of the regular season didn’t go Houston’s way, Marks began to get more opportunities, and he took full advantage of the attention. After a breakout game in week four against the Tennessee Titans that led to Houston’s first win of the 2025 season, Marks would receive at least 30 snaps in nearly every game afterwards, finishing the regular season with 196 carries for 703 yards (3.6 Y/A) and 2 rushing touchdowns, as well as 24 receptions on 36 targets (66.7 Catch%) for 208 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns. He rushed for more than 60 yards in 8 of 12 games he had 10+ carries, and had his first game of the season with 100+ rushing yards in the wildcard round against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now, these aren’t the most gaudy numbers for a rookie tailback, I’m not saying that if you’ll squint you’ll see RB Christian McCaffrey, but…Marks has become a bit of an x-factor for the Texans. From his big runs against the Jaguars in the comeback win, to his big-time runs that pushed the dagger into the hearts of the Kansas City Chiefs, to his complete performance against the Steelers most recently, Woody Marks has often been Houston’s best playmaker when the game hangs in the balance. With Marks on the field, and this Texans offensive line lining up against a slightly less threatening Patriots defensive line, I find...
