Texans look to long haul By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY HOUSTON — Give David Carr credit. He has spirited moxie in the face of certain adversity, hard lumps and sharp growing pains. Carr, the Houston Texans' rookie quarterback — and as much as anyone the face of the NFL's latest expansion team — has heard the cries for patience. He knows experts suggest four victories would be a major achievement. He's well aware conventional wisdom says it will be a while, perhaps several years, before the Texans are competing for anything worthwhile. He concedes nothing. "We've got a chance to do some things here that have never been done," Carr said after a camp practice. "We still could be the best expansion team in history, the team to win so many games our first year. There's a blank piece of paper, and we get to write whatever we want on it. That's the neat part of this whole deal." History offers another perspective. Of the previous 11 expansion teams since 1960, two didn't win a game in their first season. Only two won more than three games. New Orleans took 20 years to make the playoffs. On the flip side, it took Miami just six years to win a Super Bowl. Carolina, coached by the Texans' first coach, Dom Capers, set the expansion record with seven wins in 1995. The Panthers won the NFC West crown and played for the NFC title in their second year, but haven't exceeded .500 since 1996. How long will it take for the Texans to become a contender? "I'm not sure how long it'll be, but I know we have athletes that can make things happen," says linebacker Jamie Sharper, who won Super Bowl XXXV with the Ravens. Plenty of holes to fill Amid an NFL environment of constant shuffling, when one season's 5-11 team becomes next year's Super Bowl champ and dominant teams are determined weekly, healthy teams with cohesion have a shot. Yet in the Texans' case, there are still gaping talent holes to be addressed. The offensive line opens without its two cornerstone tackles, Tony Boselli and Ryan Young, rehabilitating from shoulder and groin injuries, respectively. The middle of the secondary is thin. Safety Matt Stevens is with his fifth team in seven seasons. And for all of Carr's potential, he's still a rookie. "Carr is going to be a guy who can take you to the Super Bowl," says Gil Brandt, the former Dallas Cowboys personnel director. "When you have a franchise quarterback, like we had with (Don) Meredith, it can take you a long way. But it takes time." Brandt compliments the Texans' start-up efforts, which included hiring general manager Charley Casserly to implement a build-with-youth philosophy: "They've done as fine a job as you can do." Talented players available The Texans had more time to prepare than any recent expansion team (Casserly was hired in January 2000; Capers in January 2001), a stark contrast to Cleveland's nine-month start-up. Houston also had the expansion draft to pick up talent made available by salary cap-strapped teams, such as former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive linemen Gary Walker and Seth Payne, and Sharper and return ace Jermaine Lewis from Baltimore. Without such quality in its expansion draft, Cleveland won just five games in its first two seasons. Browns coach Chris Palmer was replaced in 2001 by Butch Davis, who guided the team to a 7-9 finish last season. "Obviously, Cleveland wasn't dealt the same hand that Houston was because of the salary cap issues," says Palmer, now the Texans offensive coordinator. "And Cleveland wasn't dealt the same hand that Carolina and Jacksonville was, with free agency just beginning back then." Capers says he learned a lesson in Carolina: long haul. "If your goal is to be the best first-year team in NFL history, you'll sacrifice something that third or fourth year," he says. "We'll try to win every week, but you have to be realistic." The Texans might not want to win too fast, anyway. They can net 34 picks in their first three drafts, a total that could fluctuate with the number of victories. "In the end, it will all pay off," Brandt says. "That building's not going to crumple."
we're gonna shock somebody this year...somebody is gonna have an off game...somebody good...maybe Indy...or Tenn...someone will come in looking ahead to the next week's game...someone will take it for granted...and we'll beat them... and that will be a sweet, sweet day!
