Season Summary: Houston Texans

Posted: Apr 09, 2008

Quick Summary: The Houston Texans finished last in their division again. The good news is that they also had a non-losing season for the first time in the team's history finishing 8-8. Coach Gary Kubiak's team looked much better than in his first season. Getting rid of QB David Carr and trading for Matt Schaub worked out fairly well. The offense looked a lot sharper. The defense improved as well.

Signs of Hope: The Texans have seemed to turn the corner from the Charley Casserly era which was a total mess. The Texans nicely transitioned away from David Carr while still finding ways to take advantage of other assets like DE Mario Williams and WR Andre Johnson.

The Texans had a 6-2 record at home. Winning at home is a key part of building a strong fan base. The Carolina Panthers have had trouble winning at home which has hurt their team tremendously with their home fans.

Reality Check: The Texans finished 1-5 against their AFC South divisional opponents with the only win coming against Jacksonville after the Jags had little to play for. The Texans are a solid team that would probably have been a 10 win team in another division or conference.

None of their division rivals appear to be taking any steps back either. Indy is still one of the NFL's best teams as long as Peyton Manning is in his prime. Jacksonville also just made a huge leap forward with David Garrard as their QB.

There is also SPF concern that Kubiak is losing Mike Sherman to Texas A&M. Sherman's previous coaching experience will be missed.

However, the worst thing for the Texans remains the lingering shadow of the Tennessee Titans. The Titans were once the Houston Oilers. That franchise went to a Super Bowl, something the Oilers were never able to do, with the last Oiler stars like Steve McNair and Eddie George. Now, the Texans are led by QB Vince Young, former Houston high school star and Texas Longhorn legend.

The Titans went 8-8 under Young as a rookie two years ago and 10-6 this past season. Although Young still has his detractors, he has lifted up the Titans and made them relevant again.

SPF has been wrong before, but the Texans' conservative nature has always seemed to play against them. We've always believed that the choice was never between Mario Willams and Reggie Bush but between Williams and Vince Young. We're not sure this franchise will recover quickly from this bungle.

Take a look at this video clip and anyone can see that the Texans passed on a legend. They had a chance to have an Earl Campbell effect by drafting Young.

Instead, Texas football fans get to see Mr. Young beat the Houston Texans twice each year wearing the colors of the former Oiler.

Getting better is not the Texans issue. They have done that. The question remains - can they ever become meaningful in the Texas football landscape or are they the NFL's version of the L.A. Clippers?