Bob McNair Has Houston Texans Positioned To Succeed

It's hard to emotionally build yourself up to write a preview of this weekend's upcoming game when your team repeatedly kicks you in the crotch. 

Last weekend's loss to the Jaguars was the final nut shot and essentially wrapped up the 2009 season. 

Now, Texans fans can go back to that warm comfortable place they know so well where football games in December are meaningless.  Or is it a cold, dark place?  Either way, we've been there before.

Note:  To follow up on that thought, there's absolutely no question in my mind that the Texans will beat Seattle this weekend—probably in convincing fashion.  It just seems like they need to give us one last glimpse of hope before pulling the rug out and shooting our season in the head.

So in the spirit of the holiday season, let's put a more positive spin on this and step back to look at the larger picture. 

Waaay back.

Ok.  What do you see?

Do you see a team struggling to fulfill the promise and take advantage of the talent it has, or do you see a team that still has a bright future and plenty of hope for the future?

Well, as I said, this is my feeble attempt at an optimistic piece, so let me make an argument for the latter.

Now, I know that it's easy to look at the team and all the talent and wonder how this team could have stayed so mediocre for so long.

More importantly, it's easy to look at the future and be blinded by the pending contract issues of DeMeco Ryans, Owen Daniels, Dunta Robinson, and even Kevin Walter.

No question there are a lot of issues and crossroads facing the Texans.

So why the optimism?

Three words:  Major League Baseball.

If we believe what we've heard over the last year or so regarding the collective bargaining agreement, the NFL is going the way of Major League Baseball—like it or not. 

Before we continue, let me say that I don't like that.  I absolutely love the parity of the NFL and that is what has made it the most popular sports league in North America.

But given the circumstances, I think the Texans are well positioned to succeed in this new NFL.

Let's start with the most commonly discussed aspect of the "new" CBA:  the elimination of the salary cap. 

While there are a number of restrictions which prevent any team turning into the Yankees, such as limitations on salary increases, incentives, and signings.

For example, this coming offseason, salary increases for free agents are limited to 30% and teams are limited to three veteran team incentives (previously eight) and must include a playing time requirement (previously not required).

Also, the final eight playoff teams standing this season will be limited to the number of free agents they may sign in the offseason.  The final four teams can only sign free agents at the rate at which they lose them, and the other four have the same restriction but may also sign free agents within certain financial parameters.

I think it's safe to say that the Texans will not be one of those teams.

Lastly, any team with an owner who may or may not be undead, i.e. Dallas, Oakland, Washington, will have limitations on transactions.

That last one comes from a very reliable source.

So while there are checks in place to preserve some semblance of competitive balance, the fact remains that there will be teams who can compete financially and those who can't. 

There are also, I'm sure many teams looking for any loophole they can possibly find and which I'm not smart enough to think of.

So the question is, are the Texans part of the "haves" or "have-nots?"

Well, I can't find the 2009 data (if you know, jump in on the comments below), but in 2007, Bob McNair was ranked 7th among NFL owners in net worth and in 2008 was the 321 richest man in America with a net worth of $1.5 billion.

Furthermore, as of last year, the Texans were the sixth most valuable franchise and had the second highest operating income.

Adding even more to this issue is the fact that the just a few days ago the league announced that it will cut the $100 million revenue sharing program, thus increasing the gap between the haves and have-nots.

Add all that up and it looks like the Texans are not only generating more revenue than most clubs, but they're also now in position to keep more of it.

Now we all know that being a rich dude doesn't necessarily lead to spending that money to field a winning team.  For every George Steinbrenner, there is also a Donald Sterling.

Based on what we know from McNair, however, it's probably a safe bet to assume he's going to reinvest that money into the club to field the best team he possibly can.

There are a number of issues that still cloud the future such as new CBA negotiations, a potential lockout, and the fact that the NFLPA is fighting tooth and nail to keep the revenue sharing.

But, while the MLB analogy may not be exactly accurate, based on what we know now, the Texans seem to be very well positioned to handle the uncertainty of the NFL future.

So while there's nothing more maddening than writing (or reading) a preview of the offseason in early December, if you're down on the Texans right now and struggling to get excited about the Seahawks, bear in mind that there may just be a light at the end of this long, long tunnel.

Assuming the NFL doesn't spiral into a Tiger Woods like self-destructive collapse that is, but that's another story.