Houston Texans Run Over By Baltimore Ravens: Are Changes Coming?

For four years, the fans of the Houston Texans had to put up with Dom Capers and Charley Casserly. For five years, the fans had to put up with a lousy offensive line and David Carr. So, after Rick Smith and Gary Kubiak made an attempt to save David Carr’s career, they cut him and made the trade for Matt Schaub.

Things were looking up.

During this time, we passed on Vince Young and Reggie Bush and drafted Mario Williams. A move that looks pretty good now. It was met by the fans with loud objections for not taking local hero Vince Young. As Vince’s early career began to have trouble and Reggie was never overwhelming, it became clear that the Texans made the right choice. Mario with DeMeco Ryans and Dunta Robinson looked to be leaders on a young and strong defense.

Things were looking up.

After a 2-14 season in 2005, the Texans improved to 6-10 in 2006. They improved again in 2007 to 8-8. They did that while leading the NFL with players on injured reserve. Combining with injured players healthy again with the improvements made in the offseason, 2008 looked to be at the very least a chance the Texans first winning season.

Things were looking up.

Well here we are, halfway through the 2008 season and the Texans just took a beating 41-13 from the Baltimore Ravens that quite simply might be the worst performance in franchise history. The 3-6 Texans are looking more like the 2-14 team of 2005. It is hard to look at their remaining schedule and pick a game that they would be a lock to win.

So where do the Texans go from here? Do they fire Gary Kubiak? Common sense says that after two seasons of improvement, his job should be safe. It also seems unlikely that Rick Smith would be fired. He just received a contract extension right before the season.

Do they give up on Matt Schaub, who just can’t seem to stay healthy? Their solid backup QB Sage Rosenfels gave away a game in the last five minutes against the Indianapolis Colts and just threw four interceptions to the Ravens today.

The Texans' defense has yet to perform up to expectations. Defensive Coordinator Richard Smith has been under fire from the fans for most of the season. Mario Williams continues to look solid, in spite of having little help.

Dunta Robinson is just back from an injury he sustained during a game last season and is not quite 100 percent. DeMeco Ryans has been playing on a bad ankle that won’t get better until the offseason. Still, with all the high draft picks the Texans have spent on the defense, they should have seen a better return on their investment.

Whatever happens, the owner, Bob McNair, needs to show the fans that he is just as disappointed as they are. He is a class act and will never call out Kubiak in public. Still notice has to be given that he will not look favorably on a continued downward tailspin. Tough decisions need to be made, but they need to be the right decisions. This team is not far away from being a playoff contender.

Unfortunately, they are not far away from being the Detroit Lions, either.