State of the Texans

[DMD]

State of the Texans

 

This is the 4th year for Kubiak and so far it's been nothing more than an average team with a superstar wideout. Now they appear to have a running back - can they turn the corner this year?

 

Will Matt Schaub ever stay healthy? Can anyone really rely on him for a QB1?

 

Who will share with Slaton? Chris Brown? Chris Taylor? 2009 going to just be more running Slaton hard until he breaks?

 

(I know Davis weighed 216 but he was injury prone)

[tazinib1]

If the Texans can stop some teams this year on defense, they should do better than 8-8. I don't think they make the playoffs though.

[rhino]

State of the Texans

This is the 4th year for Kubiak and so far it's been nothing more than an average team with a superstar wideout.

 

Wow. I'll have to respectfully disagree here. Maybe it's my Texan-colored glasses, or your Cowboy-colored ones. Don't know. But, if the Texans are "average" because they were 8-8 last 2 years, that's an appropriate call. However, I prefer to look not at one's position, but at one's direction.

 

Knowing that...

• Houston was 2-14 before Kubiak started,
  
• The first 8-8 season 2 yrs ago included a ton of injuries,
  
• The first 8-8 season 2 yrs ago was in a division (AFC South) when the other 3 teams all went to the playoffs,
  
• The last 8-8 season last year was against a brutal schedule, opening up @PIT, vs BAL, @TEN, @JAX, vs IND in the first 5 games. And then throw in Hurricane Ike during week 1-2, and all of a sudden, football took a back seat to family and property... and also caused schedule mayhem by moving the week 2 BAL game to week 10, and having a bye in week 2. Ugh.
  

... I tend to believe the 8-8 seasons show more than "average", but perseverance, tenacity, and direction.

 

Knowing that...

• 3 yrs ago, we didn't have a WR corp that scared anyone, despite having AJohnson on roster. Kubiak brought in KWalter to play the role of an Ed McCaffrey, rejuvenated Andre' Davis's career as an integral role player and backup, Jacoby Jones (who is in a do-or-die year, imho), and David Anderson, who can push for that Ed McCaffrey role. What was once a weakness, became a strength in only one year.
  
• The OL has been the punching bag of these forums, we saw Kubiak stabilize this unit last year when all 16 games saw the same starters for the first time in HOU history.
  
• Although the DL has received top billing in the HOU drafts, it's still a weakness. So, Kubiak has tried other avenues, even bringing in Roosevelt Colvin at the start of 2008, which didn't pan out. Now, we have Antonio Smith from ARZ, who many are saying is the missing piece that will help solidify the rest of the DL. And there's drafted Connor Barwin.
  
• LB crew only boasted DeMeco Ryans. Now, it appears to be a plethora of talent there, with Ryans in the middle, Brian Cushing on the strong side, and the weak side is up for grabs between Cato June, Xavier Adibi, and Zac Diles. HOU has never had this much talent at this position.
  
• Owen Daniels... enough said.
  
• Steve Slaton... enough said.
  

... I tend to believe that this team has the right direction, and the right mix of players.

 

Now they appear to have a running back - can they turn the corner this year?

Anything less than 9-7 will be a disappointment. In fact, 9-7 may be disappointing to some. It all depends on injuries. If HOU can escape that, then I believe they are playoff-bound.

 

Will Matt Schaub ever stay healthy? Can anyone really rely on him for a QB1?

Where he's going in the mocks, you don't have to rely on him to be a QB1. You can wait on him, and get a good bargain, and plug him in a QBBC on your team, and who also has the upside of being a QB1.

 

Who will share with Slaton? Chris Brown? Chris Taylor? 2009 going to just be more running Slaton hard until he breaks?

Whoa, nellie! Chris Taylor?! "Keep up, boy!" Now, I'm not happy that HOU didn't get a RB during the draft, but happy that this has been addressed with 2 undrafted rookies -- Jeremiah Johnson and Arian Foster. I'm guessing that HOU wants one of these guys on the roster, and hedged their bets by signing two of them and let them compete for it during Training Camp. I see SSlaton as RB1, followed by Chris Brown, RMoats, and then <insert rookie here>. In fact, it's possible <insert rookie here> could overtake RMoats on the depth charts.

 

Yeah, I'm high on the Texans, but I still have concerns:

a. Secondary

b. Depth

c. The AFC South

d. Injuries.

 

out.