Measuring Success: What the Texans Have to Accomplish in 2012

The Houston Texans have tasted success, and now they want more.

2011 was a breakout year for the franchise, but after winning a playoff game, no one in Houston will be satisfied with less in 2012.

The Texans are thinking Super Bowl.

While it's great to have lofty expectations, the playoffs are highly random. I've never been a believer in "Super Bowl or bust!".  It's one thing to aim at a title, but failing to reach that lofty perch wouldn't necessarily make the season a wash.

Here's what else the Texans must do to make the season feel like a winner.

The Texans Must Win the AFC South

A wild-card spot would be nothing to sneeze at, but it's unlikely anyone else in the South is going to win more than 10 games. The Texans are still trying to establish a winning identity and division championships do that. Even if the Texans sneak into the playoffs at 9-7, unless they win the South it's going to feel hollow.

Championships are random acts, but winning division titles speaks to the underlying strength of a team. If you win your division often enough, eventually lightning will strike in the playoffs.

Winning the division ensures another home game come January. All the Texans can do is put themselves in the best possible position come playoff time. Winning the South does that.

I'm tempted to put "win a playoff game" on the list, but that's not always a fair standard. All it takes to lose in the playoffs is a bad matchup, a bad call, a bad bounce. I don't put much stock in measuring teams by playoff games because they are rarely good reflections of actual team strength.

The 2011 Texans got an easy matchup at home and beat a weak Bengals team. Houston could improve in all areas in 2012, but lose a bad matchup with a wild-card Ravens or Steelers team. It wouldn't make the season any less successful. Just more disappointing.

Matt Schaub Must Stay Healthy

When he plays 16 games in a season, Schaub posts incredible numbers. However, his career has been plagued by time on the IR. He's coming off of foot surgery and no matter how many assurances he gives that he's ready to go, doubt is going to linger.

While another appearance of T.J. Yates would make for a great story, if the Texans want to establish themselves as a dominant power in the AFC, they have to be able to rely on Schaub.

Another season of missed games is going to raise nasty questions about the long-term viability of Schaub as a franchise player. This is the final year of his contract, and the Texans have to make a big choice at the end of the season. He must play enough to let them make the decision to invest in him with confidence.

There are other things that would be nice to see from a Texans perspective. They need to find a second wideout. They need stability on the offensive line. They need to avoid defensive regression.

When you get down to it, however, everything else could go right for them, and the season would still feel like a failure if they don't win the division and get a healthy year from Schaub.