32 Teams in 32 Days, Team #12: The Houston Texans

The Houston Texans were a much improved team last season, even without star wide receiver Andre Johnson playing in most of those games. They played well enough to garner their first .500 season. An accomplishment for a struggling franchise. They have helped to make the AFC South the toughest division in the AFC and although they will most likely lose all of their division games this season, they will at least put up a valiant fight. I think we are going to see an even better team then last year with the possibility of a 10-6 season. That will not be easy, but as long as they don’t do worse then .500 they will have had a good season. Lets take a look at some of the weapons the Texans will bring with them into this season.

Their defense is lead by defensive end Mario Williams. Many people were shocked when the Texans picked Williams over Reggie Bush in the 2006 draft, but those skeptics have been quickly silenced as Williams has had two miraculous years and Reggie Bush... well, we’ll get to him in a different blog. Other then Williams, their defense is lacking in star power, but what they lack in that area they make up for in grit and determination. They can and will get sacks and if you’re not careful they will sneak up on you and beat you. It’s a solid defense that with a couple more star players could be one of the more feared defenses in the league.

When healthy, Andre Johnson is an elite wide receiver. He has provided this team with big plays and productive activity. He missed 7 games last year to injury, but when he was on the field this was a whole different team. He is a hard wide out to defend and he just makes so many big plays. Last year in only 8 games he averaged 94.6 yards per game with at least one touchdown in each. Its consistent, productive, and reliable. Andre Johnson is a great wide receiver. This year, Andre Johnson will finally have reliable help. Last season, Jacoby Jones emerged as a productive star. He was a rookie and now that he has more experience, he will be able to make bigger plays then last year. Add to that the outstanding play of Kevin Walter, Andre Davis and tight end Owen Daniels and you have a team that is ready to make things happen. This is a very good receiving crew and I am very curious to see if they can compete with the other teams in the league.

The running game worries me a bit. Ahman Green has been a great running back, especially in his days with the Green Bay Packers, but lately Green has had to deal with injuries and age. He is not the elite plow share that he used to be. I don’t think he will be able to get through the entire season and that will force the Texans to bring in backup Chris Brown. Brown had a decent season running in Tennessee last season, but remember that entire offense is based off the run. I foresee Chris Brown playing a major part of the offense this year. Ahman Green just can’t get the job done anymore. Its always good to have a veteran. I don’t think he should start though. The Texans drafted Steve Slaton out of West Virginia in the draft and I’m sure he will see the ball some this year. If he can provide the team with something they haven’t had, a great running attack, he may just win a starting job on this team. We will have to wait and see how things play out.

I’m a little confused about the quarterback position. It is obvious that Sage Rosenfels is the better quarterback, but the Texans continue to go with Matt Shaub when he’s healthy. Shaub is by no means a terrible quarterback, but when you are trying to win games, you got to go with the better option. In this case, its Rosenfels. Regardless, as long as he’s healthy, Shaub will take snaps. This isn’t detrimental to their season, but they might have more success with QB2. In 7 games last year, Shaub threw for 9 touchdowns. Granted most of these games were played without Andre Johnson and that is a hit to the offense. The Texans hope that this year both Johnson and Shaub will stay healthy and be able to play the entire season. Shaub has a dependable wide out crew to throw to. I think he will be fine as long as he learns to protect the ball.

The Houston Texans are a team that is getting better. They will be a threat coming into this year and if they play hard enough they may even be able to win some of their division games. The AFC South is the hardest division in football, but on any given Sunday a team can be better then they are. I think the Texans are a year or two away from a playoff birth, but you never know. Maybe this will be the year the Texans see the playoffs. The Superbowl is a whole different topic. They won’t be close to that. But still, a playoff birth would be inspiring to a struggling franchise. Texans fans cross your fingers and hope for a great season. I would love to see it happen.