Houston, We Have a Team!

Coach Gary Kubiak described his plans for next season by saying that "It's time for us to take the next step, and those (young) guys are the ones that have to do it."

He's right, the young guys need to step up.

The Texans haven't always had success with young players. Their first ever draft selection, David Carr, turned out to be a junker. They traded for a new QB, Matt Schaub, before the 2007 season.  Although he has been solid in his games played, he has missed ten games in the past two years.

The Texans saw their third round selection, Steve Slaton, become a great RB for them. He was sixth in rushing yardage last year, and looks to improve on his rookie season. 

However, the Texans offense was ranked third in the league last season; the team doesn't seem to be too worried about that. The defense, however, is completely different.

We know they have Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans. Those two pieces are great for the Texans. However, to complete the puzzle they need at least nine other pieces. They need younger guys, such as Amobi Okoye and rookie Brian Cushing, to step up.

Can the Texans make the playoffs?  It is an interesting question, as they have the talent, yet have come up short time and time again, finishing at 8-8 the past two seasons. 

However, I think they finally are going to turn the corner.  Under the direction of Gary Kubiak, who has racked in experience in the past few years, they should be just fine. They have arguably the best WR in the NFL in Andre Johnson, a Pro-Bowl caliber DE in Mario Williams, and loads of other young talented players, including (but not limited to) Owen Daniels, Dunta Robinson, and Duane Brown. 

This is a team on the rise, and to be honest, anything but a playoff run this season would be a dissapointment for the franchise. The Texans have been the faces of mediocrity in the past few seasons, and they need to change their look to that of a champion.

Can we see the Battle Red and Steel Blue holding the shiny silver Super Bowl Trophy? Why not? They've certainly got the potential to do it.

Now, they just need the production.