Houston Texans Season Review (2-14)
The Houston Texans were 2 last second FGs at the end of regulation away from finishing the season 0-16. It blows your mind to think of a team with so much talent could end up with a record this bad. Numerous people picked them as a dark horse to make it to the AFC Championship game. For them to not only miss the playoffs, but to be so bad that they will have the #1 pick in the NFL draft, shows you that in today’s NFL you can fall as fast as you rise. Most of the blame will fall on the shoulders of opening day starter Matt Schaub and now unemployed, former head coach, Gary Kubiak. Schaub has been blamed the last couple years for the team not reaching their potential and not making a Superbowl. I have defended him, more putting the blame on the now gone Gary Kubiak. The conservative style of Kubiak, settling for FGs over going for the TDs, seemed to finally catch up to him.
The once mighty offense of the Texans scored a putrid 17.3 points per game, 2nd worst in the league. This was despite finishing 11th in the league in total yards, which points out some of the “settling for FGs” type of playcalling I was mentioning earlier. On defense they gave up 26.8 points per game, 24th in the league, however, they were 7th for league yards allowed, including the 3rd best pass defense in the league.
The 1 stat that explains the craziness of the numbers I just said on offense and defense is a -20 turnover difference, worst in the NFL. The Texans were great at moving the ball and great at stopping the ball, but when their offense turns the ball over 31 times, it puts the defense in a terrible position and vice versa, when the defense only get 11 turnovers, it makes the offense work for every score. More aggressive playcalling on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball would make for a quick turnaround.
Looking toward next year on offense, I don’t see the Texans needing much. With the #1 overall pick in the draft, they will probably select a new QB, whether that QB is Teddy Bridgewater from Louisville, Blake Bortles from Central Florida, or Johnny Manziel from Texas A&M, but this team still has numerous offensive weapons with star WR Andre Johnson and star RB Arian Foster, to go with last year’s 1st rd pick WR DeAndre Hopkins and always solid TE Owen Daniels.
On defense, led by superstar DE/OLB JJ Watt, they are fine except for 1 position, Nose Tackle, this, in my opinion, was the cause of their problem stopping the run. Both DT Earl Mitchell and DT Terrell McClain are too small to be an effective run stopper in their 3-4 defense. Look for them to take a NT in the 3rd or 4th rd. DaQuan Jones from Penn State, DeAndre Coleman from California, Daniel McCullers from Tennessee, and Beau Allen from Wisconsin, are 4 names they will probably be watching.
All in all, the Texans are 1 of those teams that can have a quick turnaround and be in the playoffs next year. The addition of a QB, NT, and a more aggressive coaching staff, should have the fans back in Texas ready to reload and revamp, rather than rebuild.
