Houston Texans Make Playoffs: First Time In Franchise History! If...

daniel v. woodson

bleacher reports

HOUSTON-Towering above The Houston Astrodome, the eighth Wonder of the World, Reliant Stadium awaits the 2009 Campaign of The Houston Texans.  The Astrodome, now a forgotten landmark, hosted several playoff games during the fan-crazed days of The Houston Oilers’ Luv Ya Blue Regime.   Houston has experienced the excitement of playoff football but, it remains a fading, distant memory. 

The Oilers, who provided the excitement of Earl Campbell’s jaunts through AFC defenses en route to showdowns with The Pittsburgh Steelers in consecutive AFC Championship Games, also had a strong passing game.  Dan Pastorini’s bombs to Kenny Burrough and the stingy Oilers defense anchored by Elvin Bethea and Curley Culp made them a force to be reckoned with.

The Oilers of the days of The Run-And-Shoot and Warren Moon would amass 400 or more yards of offense with ease.  They too made playoff appearances and the fans of Houston were in the throws of excitement.  Unfortunately, there was that game in Buffalo…. I won’t go into it.  I know it’s still too painful to Houston fans.  Houston now aches for another reason.  It aches for another playoff experience and it could happen in 2009 if the Texans can manage to put most of the following key components into play this season:

A Reliable and Steady Offensive Line

The offensive line is the key to any NFL offense. Without consistent offensive line play, there is no reliable protection for the quarterback, no efficiency in the passing game nor any sizable running lanes for the running game.  Do you remember what happened to David Carr in 2002?  76 sacks!  The Texans must have a solid group on the offensive line headed by Duane Brown at left tackle and left guard Chester Pitts. Keep your eyes peeled for third round draft choice, Antoine Caldwell from Alabama.  The 6’3” 307 Caldwell is not only a mountain of a man, but he’s quite an intellectual finishing his college curriculum in less than three years and will be a quick study of the Texans’ playbook.  He also brings versatility having played all positions on the offensive line except left tackle at some time in his college career.

If the Texans cannot protect their starting quarterback, Matt Schaub, who is susceptible to injury, he will eventually get hurt.  As a result, the offense will have to rely on a backup quarterback who is new to the Texans’ offense and there will be a drop-off in performance.  The Texans can ill-afford such a thing and losing Schaub could derail any chances of making the playoffs this season.  The offensive line must stay intact for the Texans to make a realistic run at a playoff berth.

Durability at Starting Quarterback

Matt Schaub, in his two seasons with the Texans, has yet to play an entire season. Even David Carr, in his average, shell-shocked five-year career with the Texans, was able to play all 16 games four out of five of those seasons (76 games out of 80).  Much like an average boxer with a pretty good chin, Carr survived the pounding of over 76 sacks in his rookie season and 249 in his career with the Texans to answer the bell nearly every Sunday.

Schaub has not been nearly as durable.  In his two seasons with The Texans, Schaub has played in only 22 of their 32 games and the feast or famine backup play of Sage Rosenfels was insufficient to get key wins while Schaub was out.  When Schaub plays, he usually produces. One of his more impressive performances last season was on the road against Green Bay at Lambeau Field.  In single-digit temperatures, he went 28 of 42 for a season-high 414 yards with 2 TDs, 1 INT and the Texans defeated the Packers, 24-21 despite 4 turnovers.  He was also quite the Fantasy Football stud that day amassing over 20 points in most leagues on the frozen tundra of Lambeau.

Believe it or not but last year, the Texans had the #3 overall, the #4 passing, the #13 rushing offense in the NFL!  Unfortunately, they were only the #17 scoring offense in the league.  That’s pretty impressive but, Matt Schaub must start all 16 games this season so that the offense doesn’t miss a beat. He must also put up the kind of numbers that are representative of a playoff-contending or championship-caliber quarterback.  If he gets hurt, the Texans’ offensive production will suffer, especially if it happens during divisional play which may lead to an early vacation for Houston.

A Competent Backup Quarterback

With the departure of Sage Rosenfels and the questionable durability of Matt Schaub, the Texans need a backup QB who can drop the clipboard, strap on his helmet and effectively step in should Schaub fall victim to injury.  The free-agent signing of former Detroit Lions’ backup, Dan Orlovsky at least provides the Texans with a backup QB with some NFL game experience.  Orlovsky played in 10 and started 7 games last season for Detroit so, he has something to draw from should he be thrust into the Texans’ lineup.  He was 143 of 255 for 1,616 yards with a 72.6 passer rating including 8 TDs and 8 INTs. The Texans expect that should Orlovsky have to step in, he can get a least one win for the team.  As you all know, he and the hapless Lions suffered through an NFL record 0-16 season last year.  Dan, we hope you didn’t have any of the Lions’ losing ways in your luggage when you landed at Bush International!

If Schaub gets hurt and Orlovsky has to step in, all he would need to do is manage the offense and not lose games.  If he is not a steady and calming presence in the huddle and tries to be a hero, he could hurt the team’s playoff chances.  The entire league was watching when he unwittingly ran along the end line for a safety while scrambling last season.  Just stay “between the lines”, Dan and you’ll do just fine.

Depth and Versatility at Running Back

As dependable and explosive as Steve Slaton was last year, he does not have the durability to play every down of a 16-game schedule.  Add to that the trend of “running back by committee” in the NFL, the Texans need one, if not two running backs to help “catch and carry” the load for the offense.  There wasn’t much of a drop off with Ryan Moats because he brings durability, but he hasn’t shown the big-play ability of Slaton. The Texans also need a big back who gives them the option to go for a frist down in a tough 4th and 1 key situation. Chris Brown, formerly of division rival Tennessee, may provide that punch.  He was signed as an unrestricted free-agent in 2008 and he possesses speed and power but, he was placed on injured-reserve for the 2008 Season. 

The Texans have also signed two undrafted free-agents Arian Foster from Tennessee and Jeremiah Johnson from Oregon and both are great, shifty runners who are excellent pass receivers out of the backfield.  The threat of their abilities would open up possibilities of play-action passes to the Texans' pass-catching specialists Andre’ Johnson, Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels.

If the Texans don’t use a balanced offensive attack, they run the risk of under-utilizing their resources and falling short of the playoffs yet again.  Being a one-dimensional team brings all sorts of pitfalls and if the Texans don’t diversify, they run the risk of crashing and burning like most stock-portfolios and 401(k) plans during this financial crisis.  Historically, they have had a balanced attack, so this should not be an issue unless they lose a key component in their running game such as Steve Slaton to injury.

Effective Use of Receivers

Andre’ Johnson was a gift from the NFL gods to The Houston Texans’ franchise and has been an All-Pro caliber receiver with a mediocre franchise.  If he remains healthy, he’ll easily exceed 1,000 receiving yards yet again.  He is in the third year of his 6-year, $60 million contract and when he is on the field, he has yet to disappoint Texans fans and continues to threaten opposing defenses. 

Kevin Walter will benefit from the double-coverage that Johnson gets and his deceptive speed has made him a reliable deep threat.  Tight End Owen Daniels has become a very versatile option for Matt Schaub but, during the middle of last season, he was not used very effectively.  The Texans must make O.D. as integral a part of their offense as Dallas Clark is in Indianapolis and Jason Witten is in Dallas in order to take the team to the next level.

Any injury to Andre’ Johnson and not expanding the use of Owen Daniels will be a detriment to the Texans’ offensive potency and will limit their chances of being a power in the AFC South and making it to the playoffs. 

Defensive Line Depth and Toughness

A bad defense is the enemy of a good offense any day and last year, the Texans’ defense ranked near the bottom of the league at 22nd overall, 17th against the pass and 23rd against the run.  That won’t get the Texans to the playoffs.  It all starts with the defensive line and Mario Williams has proven his worth and has been an excellent pass rusher and run-stopper but no one else on the D-Line has stepped their game up. 

Another strong defensive end opposite Mario Williams is needed to put pressure on the quarterback. There were great expectations for defensive tackle Amobi Okoye but, he hasn’t been lights out nor has nose tackle Travis Johnson. The Texans need a stopper like Albert Haynesworth, who can occupy two blockers to free up Mario Williams to make even more plays this year. Unfortunately, Albert Haynesworths don’t grow on trees.  If they can sure up the middle of the defensive line, they could rank amongst the top defenses in the AFC.

If teams can consistently run against the Texans, they will be forced to rely on their offense to keep them in games and as it’s been said over and over that defense wins championships.  Without a solid defensive line, the Texans will be at home in January and I don’t mean hosting a playoff game.

Swarming and Agile Linebackers

DeMeco Ryans returns as the leader of the linebackers and with the addition of the experience of free-agent Cato June formerly of Indianapolis and Tampa Bay to the linebacker core of the Texans and first-round draft pick Brian Cushing, the Texans should have one of the better groups of backers in the NFL.  Some of the Texans' linebackers are a bit small but, their toughness and speed make them suited for pass coverage of quick backs out of the backfield.  There will be serious battles for starting positions in training camp between the likes of Kevin Bentley and rookie Toddrick Verdell who will add depth at this very important position on the gridiron and just might be key to getting the Texans a date in January with a playoff opponent.

If the linebackers cannot step up and take up the slack in the run defense for a defensive line that has yet to strike fear into the hearts of opposing offenses then, the Texans will have another long off-season of trying to figure out how to finally 'get it right'.  They will be deep at the linebacker position but will they be tough enough to “plug things up”?

Intimidating and Consistent Secondary Play

Dunta Robinson, Jacque Reeves, Fred Bennett, Eugene Wilson and Nick Ferguson played most of last season in the secondary but, the Texans don’t have any big hitters in its defensive backfield.  Receivers run their routes fearlessly across the middle of the Texans’ secondary as if it was a stroll in the park.  They have also fallen victim to the deep pass, therefore, the team has had to outscore its opponents rather than rely on a secondary that pounds receivers into the turf. 

Robinson’s surgically-repaired knee seems to be holding up but, he’s lost a half-step. He is still, however, the closest to a “shut-down corner” that the Texans have.  They will need to field another shut-down corner and a strong safety that puts fear in the hearts of receivers like a Brian Dawkins or for you old-school football fans, a Jack Tatum.  The Texans have never had that type of player on their defense and it’s time for someone to become the “Texas Terminator”.

If the secondary continues to be below average and fall prey to good passing teams, the Texans’ opponents will always be able to move the ball down the field at will.  This can only put additional strain on the offense and force Matt Schaub and Co. to press and run the risk of turning the ball over in their haste to outscore the opposition.  Without a strong, hard-nosed secondary, the Texans will spend New Year’s at home.

Game-breaking Special Teams

Place kicker Kris Brown had another excellent season and was 29 of 33 on FGs (88%) and 37 of 37 on PATs including 2 of 3 on FGs over 50 yards.  He has a big leg and is very reliable from anywhere on the field and is considered one of the Texans’ most reliable offensive weapons.

Punt returner Jacoby Jones and kickoff returner Andre’ Davis showed big-play ability and cause special teams coaches of the Texans’ opponents to lose sleep.  Both scored key touchdowns for the Texans last year and Jones is a threat whenever the ball is in his hands.  Unfortunately, he did mishandle a few punts last year which could have been disastrous for the team.  Both he and Andre’ Davis occasionally step in to contribute on offense and their speed is an asset and fans hold their collective breaths in anticipation of the excitement they create. 

Thirteen-year NFL Veteran Matt Turk has been consistent and has performed exceptionally well during his stint with the Texans.  He’s even been known to tuck the ball and run!  If he’ll leave the running to Steve Slaton and continue to use his legs or leg to put the opposing offenses in unfavorable field position, the Texans defense will handle the rest. 

If the Jacoby Jones isn’t more sure-handed or if Kris Brown’s leg begins to fail him, the loss of the edge of the Texans’ Special Teams intangibles could hurt the team’s chances in their bid to make the playoffs.

Recipe for a Playoff Berth

If the planets align themselves, the injuries are held to a minimum, all good luck charms work and all or most of the above things fall into place, Texans fans should prepare themselves for one heck of a ride which will end and begin with a playoff berth for the 2009 Season.  Then, for the first time since the days of The Houston Oilers, The City of Houston can enjoy seeing their team in the playoffs in the National Football League!