Texans Season Provides Reasons For Optimism and Concern

I don't have to read the headlines to know the question-du-jour regarding the Texans.

It's the same question we asked after an 8-8 season in 2007, and again last year.

It's the same question we asked after an exciting week two performance against Tennessee and after a dominating week four win against Oakland.

Have the Texans finally turned the proverbial corner?

Those who say "yes" must tread cautiously as others who have travelled this path previously have returned broken and scarred.

I am among the wounded.

And while I lean toward the notion that they may finally have figured it out, I dare not say so too loudly for fear that my hope be shattered by football gods who frown on that kind of optimism. 

Welcome to life as a Texans fan.

When discussing this question, the optimists often point to a wealth of young talent that could be the foundation of a dominating team for years to come.

Offensively, Andre Johnson is the best receiver in the NFL. No other receiver can match his combination of speed, strength, hands, and intelligence. 

The game against Arizona was billed as the game to determine the best wideout in the NFL, and while Larry Fitzgerald took an early lead, Andre Johnson delivered a second half performance that solidified his place atop the elite.

The Texans are furthermore blessed with an array of talented complementary receivers.

From the intelligent and sure handed in Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels, to the speedy and flashy in Jacoby Jones and Steve Slaton, this corps can stack up against any in the NFL.

But this group was together when the questions were first asked, and the team failed to deliver. 

Why would it be any different today?

The answer may be quarterback Matt Schaub. 

In Schaub's first two years with the Texans, he threw for 24 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.  He could always move the ball down field, but he also committed too many turnovers.

Starting from his return from a knee injury in week 14 of 2008, he has thrown for 19 touchdowns and only seven interceptions, and he currently leads all NFL quarterbacks with 14 TD on the young season.

He still has a few moments each game which cause me to scream profanities at inanimate objects, but his sustained improvement in this area suggests that perhaps the team has finally found a quarterback capable of handling these potent weapons.

Still, the failures in the running game force me to keep my optimism muted. 

The team has only averaged 3.0 yards per carry and has six fumbles from its running backs.

Failure to improve on these numbers may make it impossible to sustain the vaunted aerial attack.

On defense, it has always been a mystery how a team so loaded in young talent could be so consistently bad.

The dismissal of defensive coordinator Richard Smith following the 2008 season gave fans hope that perhaps that talent could finally be harnessed, but the early returns in 2009 showed that like the offense, that was nothing but a dream.

In the first three weeks of the season, the defense was a laughingstock, handing out long touchdown runs like Halloween candy. 

The following two weeks showed improvement, but they came against the struggling run offenses of Oakland and Arizona.

On Sunday, the Texans visited Cincinnati, home of the NFL's leading rusher:Cedric Benson. 

They limited Benson to a total of 44 yards on 16 carries, which—with the exception of a 10-yard touchdown run—came as a result of a combination of aggression and discipline that was lacking early in the season. 

With three games worth of a decent run defense, I'm tempted to scream that this team has finally figured it out. But, as the saying goes, those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

I need more evidence.

Besides, the secondary has hardly been stellar and the pass rush pretty much non- existence. If not for a third quarter sack by Connor Barwin, the Bengals' equipment staff may not have had to wash Carson Palmer's jersey.

There are three games remaining before the bye week including matchups against a fired up 49ers team coming off a bye week of their own and an embarrassing home loss, and Peyton Manning's Colts—whom the Texans have only beaten once.

Perhaps then, I will be willing to openly proclaim that the Texans have arrived. But until then, I will sit silently in my small corner of the Internet, quietly hanging on to my small and fragile hope.