The Texans are a team on the rise, but they are stuck in a tough division. Last year, they were 8-8, good for fourth in the AFC South.
They are marred at the middle of the pack. 8-8 and ranked 16th in Sports Illustrated's preseason rankings.
So what are they going to do this season?
Key Addition/Subtraction
Nick Ferguson—From Denver Broncos
Von Hutchins—To Atlanta Falcons
Key Games
Sept. 7, at Steelers—The Steelers are one of the teams to beat in the AFC. Winning a big game on the road would be a huge confidence booster.
Sept. 28th, at Jaguars—The Jags are going to be up there this season. Division wins on the road will help prove that they are ready for the big time.
Nov. 2nd, at Vikings—According to Dr. Z, the Vikings are the best team in the NFL. I may not think so, but Houston is going to have to beat the Vikings to show that they deserve to be in the NFL's upper class.
Dec. 14th, vs. Titans—Late in the season, a division win against a strong opponent will help with the Texans' playoff aspirations.
Season Outlook
The Texans are getting better every year, and this year is only going to help.
Matt Schaub and Sage Rosenfels are likely to be in competition for the starting job. Schaub led the team in passing yards, but the two were close in QB rating, and Rosenfels had more touchdown passes.
Ahman Green heads a rushing attack that may not be the best in the NFL, but they definitely aren't hurting at running back, and they helped their offensive line by adding tackle Duane Brown in the first round.
Andre Johnson is still putting up good numbers as the No. 1 receiver, and he gives whoever is going to start a good option to throw to.
However, this team isn't ready for the big time just yet. They need stability at quarterback and a little help on defense.
I also don't think they have improved much in the offseason, and they are likely to be stuck at the same level of play for another season.
My Prediction
They may not have improved much this offseason, but they have made a lot of good moves and are still a very young franchise.
I will expect more of the same for the Texans, finishing about 7-9 or 8-8.
10 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Spenser T. Harrison about 1 year ago
Overall I think you did a pretty damn good job summing up the Texans; I gotta give credit to anyone that knows about my team since they are never on ESPN, NFL Network, etc. But as one of only 5 die-hard Texans fans in the nation I have to correct you on a few things.....
1. "Matt Schaub and Sage Rosenfels are likely to be in competition for the starting job"
Not true; Matt Schaub has the starting job no matter what and it's his to lose. Not only is Sage in my opinion not a true NFL starter but they sunk to much money into Schaub to not let him. If Schaub can stay healthy Andre Johnson will explode; he has the athleticism and mentality to be the best receiver not named Randy Moss in this league. Had he not been cursed with David Carr for his first 4 years his stats would be significantly higher
2. "Ahman Green and Ron Dayne make a pretty good rushing tandem"
Ron Dayne isn't on our team anymore; currently we have 5 running backs on the roster; Chris Brown, Steve Slaton, Darius Walker, Ahman Green, and Chris Taylor. Walker or Brown will most likely get cut, and I'd expect Slaton to get a pretty good amount of carries.
3. Other than Dunta Robinson coming back healthy I think our defense is easily among the top half of the league; not to mention it's the youngest. They just need to keep progressing and getting better with more experience. Demeco Ryans, Amobi Okoye, and Fred Bennet are all stars in the making, and they've got solid players in Marlon Greenwood, Travis Johnson, and Anthony Weaver. Mario Williams is a beast and is already proving that he was the right pick over Reggie "i'll never be a running back in this league" Bush; whom I was praying we didn't take on draft day; everyone in houston wanted Vince not Bush, like the media and analysts seem to contend.
4. Lastly i'd say Colvin, Chaun Thompson, Jacque Reeves are bigger pick-ups than Nick Ferguson; but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Ultimately i think the Texans are one more player away from being a playoff team; but if we get some lucky breaks or Peyton goes down with injury we could do it this year......good article
Edit Comment Cancel
Joe Willett about 1 year ago
If I'm wrong about Ron Dayne, the ESPN is wrong because here is his player profile.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=2142
I don't know much about the Texans so most of the information I had was not prior knowledge but through about an hour of research. I jumped to an assumption that there would be a QB competition because of the close statistics with QB rating and the fact that Rosenfels had a better TD-INT ratio, my mistake.
The other two go based on opinion to which everybody is entitled.
Glad you enjoyed the article, it's a full series so don't be afraid to read them all.
Edit Comment Cancel
Spenser T. Harrison about 1 year ago
Agreed. But ya Ron Dayne isnt on the team, promise. For some reason ESPN does a bad job at updating their rosters from time to time, i would recommend using the team sites on NFL.com more often.
Edit Comment Cancel
Joe Willett about 1 year ago
They say the Texans re-signed him, a rare statistical miss by ESPN.
Edit Comment Cancel
Spenser T. Harrison about 1 year ago
No big deal; like i said you knew more about them then most people haha.
Edit Comment Cancel
chris adams about 1 year ago
I geuss I would be number 2 out of 5 die hard texans fans. They will not make the playoffs this season due to the face that they are in the toughest division in the NFL. However, At best, they might get a wildcard, all depends on how the play, maybe there defense will show up on a contsant basis. not once every 4 downs.
Edit Comment Cancel
Spenser T. Harrison about 1 year ago
Yes chris!
there is someone else out there haha.
I agree in regards to this year its gonna take some luck, but we're on the right path toward having a consistent team from year to year and a player away in my opinion from goin playoffs.
Edit Comment Cancel
Jerry Desaulniers about 1 year ago
I think the Texans might be a suprise this year! Possibly a top ten team! Just a hunch.
Edit Comment Cancel
mike fregart about 1 year ago
i dunno, i really want to see rosenfels finally get a chance in this league, the guy has too many 4th quarter combacks to be a back-up and in my opinion he reminds me of brady, even though i hate brady, i have to admit he is good... plus give rosenfels some experience and he might do better.
Edit Comment Cancel
Spenser T. Harrison about 1 year ago
Haha SUPER SAGE.
Ya he's the classic backup that everyone likes but I don't think he has what it takes to be a legitimate and consistent starter in this league. I honestly would have taken the 3rd round pick from the Vikings for him but I guess since Schuab might have injury issues its not a bad move.
I also feel like everyone has this notion that Sage is a real young and raw guy; he is a 30 year old 7 year vet.
Edit Comment Cancel
Leave a Comment
You must register to post a comment.