NFL Preview: 10 Players the Houston Texans Need to Step Up in 2011
We as fans can speculate all we want about possible free-agent signings and draft picks, but the fact of the matter is no big-money free agent or stud rookie can fix all the Texans' issues.
The Texans need several of their current players to step up and take on a larger role. Without those guys taking the next step, the Texans will be back in this same position come next offseason.
Let's take a look at the guys that most need to raise their games.
10. Mario Williams
1 of 10
At first glance, it probably seems blasphemous for me to say that Mario Williams needs to step his game up. He is the most talented player on the defense, and he is an incredibly productive player on what has been a very unproductive defense over the last few seasons.
There's no arguing Mario's total production, but at times, you could call that production uneven. Mario ended the 2010 season with 8.5 sacks. Five of those sacks came in two games. In seven of the 13 games he played in, Mario failed to record a sack.
Sack totals, of course, don't tell the whole story, but it goes beyond that. Real or imagined, there have also always been some questions about Mario's "motor." Some would say that he takes plays off and doesn't always give his best effort. If this is true even in the slightest, it's no way to be a leader on a defense that sorely needs leadership.
I realize that I'm picking nits by criticizing a player that is as successful as Mario Williams, but if he is going to be part of the discussion about the most disruptive defensive ends in the game, he has some work to do.
9. Troy Nolan
2 of 10
The struggles of the Texans defensive secondary are well chronicled. Most of the blame fell on the shoulders of the cornerbacks, but there is plenty more blame to go around. The safeties' collective lack of cover skills left the cornerbacks with more than they could handle.
The Texans, having already let go of Eugene Wilson, have guaranteed there will be some sort of turnover at the safety position. That's where a guy like Troy Nolan comes in.
Coming off serviceable seasons two years ago, Bernard Pollard and Wilson held down the starting positions going into last season. As the season wore on, though, it was clear that tandem was not going to get the job done.
In Week 4, the Texans inserted Troy Nolan hoping he could make a splash. In that first game, Nolan intercepted two passes and made the Texans look like geniuses.
Unfortunately, that's the last you really heard from Troy Nolan. In the season finale, he had another interception in what was a meaningless game. By that point, it was much too little, too late.
If the Texans are to take the next step, they very well may need a huge developmental season out of Troy Nolan.
8. Xavier Adibi
3 of 10
After three full years in the league, Adibi has failed to live up to even the most reasonable expectations from when he was drafted. Adibi has never had more than 26 tackles in a season and he has yet to record a sack or an interception.
Adibi has had horrible luck in the health department. I'm willing to give him a pass for that, but the productivity just isn't there.
Going into his fourth season, the Texans need Adibi to chip in more than ever. Led by DeMeco Ryans, the Texans have talent at the linebacker position, but they lack depth. Adibi may never be a dynamic playmaker, but the Texans are certainly hoping that he can fit in nicely to a linebacking rotation and give them some quality play.
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7. Eric Winston
4 of 10
Don't get me wrong. Winston is the most solid offensive lineman on the roster, and I have no doubt that he'll be the anchor of the offensive line for years to come.
That being said, Winston had his struggles last year. Granted, the suspension of Duane Brown and the season-ending injury to Mike Brisiel left Winston with more on his shoulders.
A healthy Brisiel and a full season of Brown should put Winston right back where he belongsโamong the top tackles in the league.
6. Zac Diles
5 of 10
As with Xavier Adibi, the Texans are hoping for more out of Diles. Diles has been more productive than Adibi. He has been a spot-starter and has given the Texans a serviceable linebacker. He is also a willing and capable contributor on special teams.
Diles is the type of linebacker the Texans are hoping Adibi can be, and now, they are hoping Diles can become more of a playmaker. Diles is listed at 6'0" but is probably shorter than that. At that size, Diles gets by on smarts and will.
Here's to hoping that Diles can use that to get him to the next level.
5. Earl Mitchell
6 of 10
The best thing a defense can do to help out their secondary is to get a consistent pass rush. The Texans get that from Mario Williams (most of the time), but no one else.
That's where the Texans hope Earl Mitchell comes in. Mitchell was drafted in the third round in last year's draft. Mitchell is a quick, smallish defensive tackle that the Texans were hoping would wreak havoc in opponents' backfields.
Granted, one season is a small sample size, but Mitchell didn't fit that bill last season.
With the Texans mixing in some 3-4 next season, Mitchell won't be called on as often as he doesn't have the size to play tackle in that scheme. That might be a good thing, though. Mitchell can come in to games with one objective. Get into the backfield.
4. Brian Cushing
7 of 10
Cushing falls into the same boat with Mario Williams. Cushing may be the best natural athlete on the team, and he is certainly the best pass rushing threat not on the front four.
Last season, Cushing missed four games due to a suspension for what he called "overtraining." After returning from the suspension, Cushing wasn't the same player. Some of that had to do with the fact that the Texans were asking him to play more middle linebacker with DeMeco Ryans missing time with injury.
With Ryans back, Cushing won't be asked to play middle linebacker anymore. Whatever else kept Cushing from being the player he was his rookie year, he needs to move past it. When the front four doesn't get consistent push, it will be on Cushing to find his way into the backfield.
3. Amobi Okoye
8 of 10
I've probably already spent more than enough time harping on the inconsistency of the Texans pass rush, but it bears mentioning again simply because Amobi Okoye very well may be the most important piece of that puzzle.
If Okoye were to spend more time in opponents' backfields as a 4-3 defensive tackle, it would keep the Texans from having to lean on playing 3-4 too much, and it would allow them to use fewer blitzes, and in turn, give that help to the secondary.
The most frustrating part about Okoye is that we've seen him have success. He had 5.5 sacks as a rookie and has 11 sacks in his career. If the rookie-year version of Okoye shows up, the Texans defense would already be much improved without adding a single thing.
2. Glover Quin
9 of 10
With the secondary taking so much heat for a dismal performance last season, most of the criticism has come down on Kareem Jackson. Jackson struggled mightily last season to be sure, but Glover Quin wasn't doing much to help, either.
Quin did have three interceptions last season, but they all came in one game. That game was a 20-0 win over the Titans during a period of time when the Titans were falling apart at the seams. For those that may have forgotten, the great Rusty Smith was playing quarterback for the Titans on that day.
Quin will rarely be asked to cover a team's top receiver. That job will still be on the shoulders of Kareem Jackson. The Texans need Quin to cover a team's second receiver or a slot receiver well enough to leave him alone from time to time. I don't think it's out of the question to say that Quin can fill that role.
1. Kareem Jackson
10 of 10
I think we all saw this selection coming. There's no doubt that the Texans need Jackson to improve more than anyone else on the roster.
Maybe it's too much to ask of Jackson too early, but the Texans need him to be able to cover a team's best receiver. Maybe that comes later, though. For now, the Texans just need to trust that they can put him on the field without fear that he will get burned for a long touchdown.
The Texans are unlikely to go out and get another corner in the draft. They also probably won't throw big money at a Champ Bailey or Nnamdi Asomugha in free agency. This is still very much Kareem Jackson's show.
It's his job to keep. The improvement needs to begin now, though.
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