How many times have we gone into the NFL season and said, “Watch out for the Houston Texans ‘cause they’re gonna be good...” and how many times have we been burned by their mediocre play? Whatever the reason, NFL experts all the way down to people to watch every other week have been fooled into buying stock in the Houston Texans. Are they the “it” team again this year?
They certainly have the pass attack that would get people cheering for them on a weekly basis. Matt Schaub has quietly become one of the most prolific passers in the NFL due to having a plethora of receivers to throw to, including one of the best receivers in the game in Andre Johnson. Kevin Walter has turned into a nice option in the slot and Andre Davis is a solid third receiver.
The Texans were able to be the top passing team in the NFL and Top 5 in total yards gained, but the problem is that they rely so much on the pass because they have no running game. They thought they had that problem solved after a great rookie campaign by Steve Slaton a couple of years ago, but he faltered last year and the running game looks as shaky as ever after finishing third-last in rushing yards.
The offensive line has also gone through a major overhaul with several veterans replaced by younger talent. Will Schaub have enough time to get the ball to his receivers down the field like he was able to do a year ago in throwing for almost 5000 yards last season?
Defensively, the Texans have some nice individual pieces, but have never really been able to put everything together to create a fearsome defence. It looks to be the case again this year. They will have to hope that their big names continue to play well and that the lesser-known players step up to become known.
The defensive line is decent only because Mario Williams is there at the end spot, but Amobi Okoye needs to step up now and start playing like a first-round pick. The linebackers are the strength of this group led by Demeco Ryans, but how much will they be hurt by the loss of Brian Cushing for the first four games due to suspension? The secondary will be the group that is exposed the most. Houston will rely on a second-year player and a rookie to be their starting corners. That is never a good thing.
Two players to watch out for in camp are Arian Foster and Xavier Adibi. Foster is pencilled in to be the starting running back after a sub-par year from Steve Slaton. Can he allow the Texans to have a more balanced offensive attack? Adibi is the replacement for Cushing at linebacker for the first four games. Can he step up into a starting role and make the loss of Cushing more manageable?
2010 Prediction: 7-9