Looking at our 2009 schedule, I'm pretty positive we're playoff bound next year. I'm going to set my early goal for 10-6. Anything less than that would be failure.
http://www.nfl.com/probowl/story?id=09000d5d80d5a10d&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true I was a bit surprised to see Slaton on four out of the five ballots. He should have a shot at making it because the usual horses in the AFC (LT, LJ) had an off year. I think Thomas Jones and Chris Johnson are pretty much sure bets and the last RB spot will come down to Slaton, LT, and Marshawn Lynch. I think the fact that Slaton started tearing up the league later in the season might hurt his chances, similar to Mario last year. Andre and Mario were on all five ballots which was refreshing to see.
Oh, and sorry for sort of hijacking this thread. I didn't think this article really deserved its own thread. Pro Bowl rosters will be announced tommorrow.
Slaton should make it...I cant name 3 RBs in the AFC that have had better seasons. Andre and Mario are in without a doubt. Owen Daniels has contending numbers, but his TDs hurt him. Receptions and yards are there. Unfortunately, DeMeco wasnt his usual self this season or else he could have potentially given us 4 pro-bowlers.
what is the chances of the texans keeping d robinson? i heard he is likely gone. that will hurt them pretty bad
I've been saying this all along. I still feel we should have been in the playoffs this year. I think we can win 9 this year still. I was on the Fire Richard Smith Bandwagon, but now, I'm off it. The team is starting to play as a complete unit and it's great. In the draft, I would like: 1. Defensive End 2.Secondary 3. Offensive Line 4 - 7. Best Player Available I feel that with a little more pressure on the QB (drafting a first round DE will take pressure off Mario, and with any luck, that DE will be a pass rusher also), and one more good player in the secondary (the pressure on the QB also helps the secondary), we will be in the playoffs. Our only other need, my opinion, is depth on the O-line. Now, to the problem alluded to earlier in the thread, red zone offense... Kubiak, in my opinion, has thrown throughout his career that he is one of the best offensive minds in the game. His playcalling is a bit questionable at times, but he's got a great mind for offense. Plus, is it me, or has he been preparing this team amazingly? We need to work on a new red zone playbook. Our offensive line is set up with a bunch of agile lineman (to protect for our offense...passing and zone running). This is not helpful when it comes to raring down and bowling people over when we need those power yards. We play with such a spread offense, that when we run out of room (as we get to the red zone), we can't do a whole lot. Typically, teams kind of power you into the endzone. This team is not set up for that, and that reason alone, I feel is why we're so good at offensive yardage, but bad at scoring points. This team should be averaging over 30 points a game, I think. I trust in Kubiak over the offseason to figure something out, as far as some new red zone plays. Turnovers are also something we can work on. In conclusion, I feel like, right now, we're playing at a playoff caliber. Next year, with a little work, I think we'll easily be in the playoffs. I don't know what our cap situation will be like, but with this young, talented team, I feel we can lure a quality free agent in. If anything, I say we look to the secondary first with free agency. So, I feel if we add a good secondary player, a good pass rushing defensive end, and a little bit of depth on the offensive line, we WILL not only make the playoffs, but we have the talent and opportunity to emerge as something special next year. /eternal optimist and excited Texans fan.
Well, after the game as he was running off the field he was saying "watch out of the Texans in 2009" so it sounds like he expects to be back.
The reason we never blitzed was because we were afraid of our secondary being torched without the extra help. If God forbid we do end up losing Dunta and we don't make the secondary a priority, then we'll revert back to the defensive scheme we saw to start the season.
offensive depth? Can't agree with that unless you mean Oline or QB backup. We have an enormously talented receiving corps (or core?) with backups that have all made plays for us in 07 when AJ was out. Moates doesnt suck, and even Ahman Green made some 10+ runs this year. Dreessen had a few catches and he won't even be that necessary with a budding Daniels.
I would believe that at the worest the team would franchise him and then sign him to a big contract later on.
We didn't finish the season strong last year. We finished 5-3 and it would have been 4-4 if Jacksonville had played their starters in the last game. This year is totally different. We've won 7 of the last 10 games and have a very realistic shot of finishing the season on a 9-3 run, not to mention a 6 game winning streak. Last year's team never went on this kind of run.
Steel blue pyrite. It seems like every season they give us just enough to where we say "Next year..." This time, I'm doing it bandwagon-style and waiting for a good start for once.
...after having started 3-5, and without AJ for much of that time. There were loads of reasons to feel optimistic after last season. Well, it's different in that we started worse than last year! No Texans team ever went on this kind of run! It's been fun! You're right that this finish is potentially stronger than last year's (they still have to finish the deal). Here's hoping they pull it off. Can you imagine saying, "6 game winning streak" and "Texans" in the same breath??
Yeah, they gave us lots of those vibes after 2002, 2003, and 2005. We were feeling positively *great* about our QB play after 2006, too. This is completely fair. One thing this team has never done is start truly strong. I think they may have been 2-1 or even 2-0 last year, but that oh-so-quickly become 3-5.
Agreed, but I'm just trying to make the point that this year feels better than last year. I don't know, it just feels more real, if that makes sense. Perhaps it's because the games are just flat out more entertaining? Which, IMO, makes this year's run even more fantastic. We were 0-4 at one point and 3-7 at another point. Did anyone see us finishing 8-8 or 9-7 back then? Not me. Believe me, I'm not counting our chickens before they're hatched. Oakland is a trap game and if the Bears are fighting for a playoff spot, that game will be tough as well. We still have some major issues to resolve. Red zone scoring being at #1 IMO. We move the ball at will between the 20's, but it doesn't mean anything unless you can punch it in on 1st and goal. We need to fix that ASAP. I don't know how you do that, but it needs to be done. That is holding us back even more than the defense IMO.
Agreed, agreed, and agreed. I think our defense, especially the secondary, may be running on smoke and mirrror. Mario's amazing, 'Meco is awesome, 'Mobi shows promise, but will they be able to keep Robinson, and are they able to sustain good performances against good offenses? Ric said it yesterday--the defense looked like utter crap first half of the season--against far better competition. They need to have a look at that. Are there some personnel improvements they can make (they've already done so very, very much in three years)? Are there changes in the scheme? Is the DC just not a right fit? Is it some combination of the three? At any rate, right now feels better than last year, and far better than that long, long week after the Rosencopter episode.
The only thing I could see us getting as far as offensive depth is a bruising RB who can be that 3rd and short guy, and someone who spells Slaton at times, but doesn't make us want to kill puppies. Moates is a good backup/3rd string RB, but he isn't really suited to those hard to get yards. I could see us getting someone like that in the 5th or 6th rounds.
