While the Astros
being somewhat in contention in early August makes for a nice story, let’s not
kid ourselves, this is a football town, and it is football season.  The Houston Texans took the field
Friday for the start of their eighth season.  After back-to-back 8-8 campaigns in 2007 and 2008, the
Texans are facing their highest expectations yet.  The motto for the players, coaches and fans is “Playoffs or
bust.” 

Head coach Gary Kubiak, who
enters his fourth season at the helm of the Texans, has not shied away from his
players talking about the playoffs. 
Kubiak said, “I like the players to think that
way. I like that everybody around here is to the point that we feel like our
football team has a chance to do that. That’s a compliment to those players;
they’ve worked extremely hard. A couple of years ago nobody would have said
that so that’s pressure. That’s nice pressure. That’s why we do this. That’s
why we’re in this business. I like to see our players thinking that way but I
also know what type of work it takes to get to that point so I’ve got to keep
them focused on that work.” 

There are three keys to the Texans making a run at the playoffs this
year.  Keeping quarterback Matt
Schaub healthy, getting off to a fast start as a team, and the continued
improvement on the defensive side of the ball.

As
Schaub enters his third season as the Texans signal caller, there are
legitimate questions about his ability to stay healthy.  Schaub missed five games in 2007, and
five more in 2008.  Despite missing
almost a third of the season in 2008 thanks to the flu, and a dirty hit from
Minnesota Vikings cheap shot artist Jared Allen, Schaub finished the year 251
for 380 for 3,043 yards and 15 touchdowns.  When Schaub is healthy and in a rhythm, the Texans offense
is unstoppable. The Texans
offense, which was ranked third in the NFL last year with 382.1 yards per game,
returns all 11 starters, leaving Schaub with plenty
of weapons at his disposal. 

All
world wide receiver Andre Johnson leads the charge, coming off a season in
which he led the league in receptions (115), and receiving yards (1,575),
earning him his third trip to the pro-bowl.  Super sophomore running back Steve Slaton is looking to
improve upon last season when he led all rookie running backs with an
astounding 1,659 yards from scrimmage, including 10 scores. 

The Texans offensive line, which was a
huge problem for so many years, has now become one of the team’s greatest
strengths.   Throw in pro-bowl
tight end Owen Daniels and underrated wide receiver Kevin Walter, and anyone
can see why this year’s offense has a chance to be special.  The Texans offense will go as far as
Schaub’s health allows them to. 
The Texans traded back up quarter back Sage Rosenfels to the Vikings
during the offseason, so if Schaub does get injured the quarterbacking duties
will fall onto Dan Orlovsky.

Hurricane
Ike affected everyone in the Houston area last September, and the Texans were
no exception.  The storm did damage
to Reliant Stadium’s roof, forcing the Texans to play their first three games
of the season on the road.  Mix in
a heartbreaking loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and the Texans were 0-4 before
they knew what hit them.  The
Texans must get off to a fast start this year in order to develop some
confidence, and to show the rest of the league that they are for real. 

The NFL scheduling committee did the
Texans a huge favor by giving them three of their first four games at home;
against teams they should be able to beat.  If the Texans get out of the gate at 3-1, it could wind up
being the magical season we are all waiting for.

It
was obvious to the Texans’ front office that the team’s most glaring weakness
was on defense.  Three of the
Texans first four picks in the 2009 draft were on the defensive side of the
ball.  The Texans fired three
defensive coaches at the end of the 2008 season, including their defensive
coordinator, Richard Smith, who was mostly responsible for the Texans finishing
with the 22_^nd ranked defense, giving up a staggering 336.6 yards,
and 24.6 points per game.  The
Texans bring back pro-bowlers Super Mario Williams at defensive end, and
linebacker DeMeco Ryans, but need more contributions from others.  Free agent defensive lineman Antonio
Smith will bring some pass rushing help to Mario, while first round pick
linebacker Brian Cushing should chip in some athleticism and a mean streak to
the linebacking corps. 

New
defensive coordinator Frank Bush promises to bring more fire to the Texans
defense, and if he does, the defense should be able to finally catch up with
the offense.  Cornerback Dunta
Robinson continues to hold out, as he is unhappy with the Texans slapping the
franchise tag on him.  He is
guaranteed $9.9 million for one year, yet still thinks he is being treated
unfairly.  Entering the 2009
season, I have been to as many pro bowls in my career as Robinson has.  Zero.  It is expected that Robinson will end his holdout shortly
before the Texans play their season opener, September 13, 2009 vs. the New York
Jets at Reliant Stadium.

After
reviewing the schedule over and over, I truly believe the Texans will finish
the 2009 season with an 11-5 record, and their first ever AFC South division
title.  The Texans have paid their
dues, and the long-suffering fans of Houston are ready for a winner.  All it takes is a few bounces here and
there, and we will all be celebrating the greatest year in Houston Texans
history.  I am not telling everyone
to start booking their reservations for Super Bowl XLIV in Miami in February,
but this is the year the Texans make their mark. 

The Texans play their first preseason game Saturday, August
15 in Kansas City against the Chiefs, when we will all get our first glimpse at
the 2009 squad.  Here’s to hoping
we are celebrating something special five months from now.  Playoffs or bust!

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About Matt Pemberton

As a 1992 Cy Fair high school graduate, and a sports fanatic, I am your source for Houston Texans football.  I will be providing up close and personal coverage of our team, the Texans, as you have never seen before.  There will be a weekly summary and plenty of photos of each game as the Texans make a push for the playoffs in 2008.  If you have any comments about the Texans performance each week, or just want to let off some steam, feel free to post to this site.  Now, buckle your chinstrap, and get ready for some hard hitting Texans football.

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