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Texans’ outlook: so-so
By Michael Sudhalter
I’m not letting the Houston Texans off easy.
As a native of the Boston area, we expect great things from our teams – even the NHL’s Bruins who consistently disappoint us.
So 8-8, or should I say 16-16 over the past two seasons isn’t going to cut it.
Yes, the Houston Texans won eight of their final 12 games after starting the season 0-4. But all it’s doing is creating false hope that the team is improving, when in reality, they’re just the beneficiaries of an easy schedule.
They’re doing exactly what mediocre teams do – beat the teams they’re supposed to beat and lose to favored opponents.
The Texans went 6-2 against teams that didn’t make the playoffs and 2-6 against squads that reached the postseason.
The fact that they came back from a 10-0 deficit to beat the Chicago Bears, 31-24 Sunday at Reliant Stadium in the season finale says that the team is improving.
But Texans fans should be used to this charade….the team always starts off slow and then picks up the pace when the only thing left to do is play spoiler against other teams.
When Houston won a franchise-record four games in a row, I thought a 9-7 finish would symbolize turning the corner. But then they lost to the lowly Oakland Raiders, meaning that 8-8 would be there best possible record.
I couldn’t get too excited about that….not with all of the pre-season expectations of a playoff berth.
Texans head coach Gary Kubiak feels good about the team’s finish. Earlier in the season, there were some rumblings about whether the third-year coach would keep his job.
He certainly earned the right to return for a fourth season as head coach.
But I disagree with him that this year’s 8-8 is better than last year’s.
“I feel like things are headed in the right direction,” Kubiak said. “It’s important that the team didn’t take a step backwards today.”
Someone needs to get the Texans out of one of the NFL’s toughest divisions. San Diego had an identical 8-8 record, and they’re headed to the postseason after winning the AFC West.
Kansas City is also in the AFC West….Houston is just as far west as KC, right?
The only difference between last year’s Texans and this group is that the 2007 team finished behind Indianapolis and Jacksonville, and this team played third fiddle to Tennessee and Indianapolis.
The Texans could finally hit their stride in 2009; the offense has some experience, and if Matt Schaub can stay healthy, they might be OK. The defense needs to pick up some free agents and make some adjustments.
Even if they improve, a 10-6 or even 11-5 record may not be good enough for the postseason.
Just ask the 11-5 Patriots who will be playing golf instead of putting on pads this week.
As a native of the Boston area, we expect great things from our teams – even the NHL’s Bruins who consistently disappoint us.
So 8-8, or should I say 16-16 over the past two seasons isn’t going to cut it.
Yes, the Houston Texans won eight of their final 12 games after starting the season 0-4. But all it’s doing is creating false hope that the team is improving, when in reality, they’re just the beneficiaries of an easy schedule.
They’re doing exactly what mediocre teams do – beat the teams they’re supposed to beat and lose to favored opponents.
The Texans went 6-2 against teams that didn’t make the playoffs and 2-6 against squads that reached the postseason.
The fact that they came back from a 10-0 deficit to beat the Chicago Bears, 31-24 Sunday at Reliant Stadium in the season finale says that the team is improving.
But Texans fans should be used to this charade….the team always starts off slow and then picks up the pace when the only thing left to do is play spoiler against other teams.
When Houston won a franchise-record four games in a row, I thought a 9-7 finish would symbolize turning the corner. But then they lost to the lowly Oakland Raiders, meaning that 8-8 would be there best possible record.
I couldn’t get too excited about that….not with all of the pre-season expectations of a playoff berth.
Texans head coach Gary Kubiak feels good about the team’s finish. Earlier in the season, there were some rumblings about whether the third-year coach would keep his job.
He certainly earned the right to return for a fourth season as head coach.
But I disagree with him that this year’s 8-8 is better than last year’s.
“I feel like things are headed in the right direction,” Kubiak said. “It’s important that the team didn’t take a step backwards today.”
Someone needs to get the Texans out of one of the NFL’s toughest divisions. San Diego had an identical 8-8 record, and they’re headed to the postseason after winning the AFC West.
Kansas City is also in the AFC West….Houston is just as far west as KC, right?
The only difference between last year’s Texans and this group is that the 2007 team finished behind Indianapolis and Jacksonville, and this team played third fiddle to Tennessee and Indianapolis.
The Texans could finally hit their stride in 2009; the offense has some experience, and if Matt Schaub can stay healthy, they might be OK. The defense needs to pick up some free agents and make some adjustments.
Even if they improve, a 10-6 or even 11-5 record may not be good enough for the postseason.
Just ask the 11-5 Patriots who will be playing golf instead of putting on pads this week.
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