Hopes of Super Bowl glory end in Baltimore

HOUSTON – Texans fans know the feeling well. It’s that time of year when we swallow hard
and say, “Wait till next year.” We’ve
done that for ten seasons now. It feels
a little different this year however.
In some ways it’s tougher and in other ways much better.

The difference is that this year the Texans were among the last eight
teams standing in the NFL. The Texans
made it to the playoffs. The Texans
brought their first ever playoff game home to Reliant Stadium, a gift to the
faithful home town fans.

Rather than grumbling about the mistakes in Baltimore or crying out
“Jacoby!” in disgust, rather than complaining about the fumbles and the
interceptions, rather than playing the what if game, lets’ stop to remember a
season that will be a season we always remember.

First year ever to get into the playoffs, that’s big stuff. When the games were set for this weekend
there were only eight tams remaining. Normally,
by now Texans’ fans have long been without Texans football. Not this year.

And what a year.

The Texans didn’t have an easy path.
Mario Williams was lost for the season in the fifth game. A frightening development for a team that
was one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year. But this year was different. Williams going down meant Texans fans got to cheer
for Brooks Reed. And it soon became
evident that the addition of Wade Phillips as the Texans defensive coordinator
had transformed the team.

The Texans went basically from worst to first as a defensive unit. We all got to know the stars on defense a
little better and watch them make mincemeat of some outstanding offenses.

Thanks to Brian Cushing, Connor Barwin, JJ Watt, Antonio Smith and the
rest who gave us some awesome games. Not
to mention the once horrible secondary. I
think we’re all glad to know Johnathan Joseph.

So with the defense fixed it would be the perfect complement to our
super-charged high output offense.
Superstar Wide Receiver Andre Johnson however struggled with hamstring
issues all year and too many games were played without his presence.

Then the unthinkable, Matt Schaub went down for the year. Gone for the season. Fans psyched themselves into believing
backup Matt Leinart was the answer, only to watch Leinart go down in his first
start.

Houston had lost its top two quarterbacks in the span of just two games.

Enter T.J. Yates a rookie quarterback out of North Carolina who had never
taken a snap in the NFL. As he trotted
onto the field in that game the Houston faithful released a collective
“Who?”

Then T.J. grew on us, and with some heroics on the road in Cincinnati and a great game at home against playoff bound Atlanta he
won our hearts and propelled the Texans into the playoffs.

That first ever playoff game in Reliant against the Wild Card Bengals was
amazing. The Texans’ faithful brought
noise like no other fan base in the NFL.
It was a great game. It was a
playoff game. Finally. Finally.

Yates, Watt, Foster and a healthy Andre Johnson did not disappoint the
faithful and the Texans not only played, but won, their first ever playoff
game.

Then on to Baltimore.

“JACOBY!”

It hurts.

“YATES!”

The turnovers HURT. Holding the
Ravens to no first downs for a large part of the game and losing….hurts.

Season over.

The difference this year is that the Texans were there. The Texans can play with the best of them because
they are truly among the best of them now.

It was a season to remember for so many reasons, and once the shock and
disappointment of losing at Baltimore wears off, I believe this is a season we
will always remember fondly. 

Even now as we
say, “Wait till next year” it comes out with less of a bad taste and with more
of a ring of truth than past years when little more than home team hope allowed
us to dream of postseason play.

We’ll remember 2011 as a great year, a year when the Texans overcame more
than most teams ever could. We’ll
remember 2011 as the year the Texans brought home a championship.

“Wait till next year” when the AFC South Championship banner is unfurled
in Reliant.

Thanks Texans.

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About Ethan Edwards

Ethan Edwards is the Senior Writer for
TheCypressTimes.com.

Edwards’ work focuses on topics ranging from
Christian opinion, national news, world news,
Christian Persecution and politics.

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