Chron: Texans' line not worth memorizing

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3200517

By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Without coming right out and saying it, the Texans are sending us an unmistakable message: They are worried.

The offensive line troubles that have haunted this club since its inaugural year have not gone away. If anything, considering how everyone short of Jim Otto has been invited to town for a look, the options and possibilities are only getting more complex, which is never good.

With actions speaking much louder than words, the Texans have told us there is only one certainty in their offensive line. They're unsure about it.

The unit most responsible for Texans glitches last season is being torn apart and shuffled in hopes of eventually bringing it together. Listing who's in and who's out, who's hot and who's not has become like something out of a soap-opera magazine.

Pitts nomadic

Seth Wand, a third-round pick yet to distinguish himself anywhere, has been out, in, then out again at left tackle.

Chester Pitts, who could be good if coaches ever decided where they want him, has gone from left tackle to guard and back to left tackle.

Pitts already could be established on the left side had offensive line coach Joe Pendry not gotten happy feet of his own. Instead of allowing Pitts to take his lumps but develop at a specific place on the left side, Pendry moved him to guard and put Wand on the left side when Pitts struggled.

Now, Pitts is back. Sort of. He wouldn't mind solidifying a place at left tackle, especially since he is entering a contract year. Left tackle is among the highest-paid positions in the league.

But inconsistencies and uncertainties during the current coaching sessions have left Pitts and everyone else wondering when, where or if they will play.

Shelton an iffy prospect

No one in the draft swept the Texans away, so the club flirted with perennial Pro Bowler Orlando Pace in the offseason, only to be spurned.

After Pace re-signed with the Rams, in came Victor Riley, stirring things up again along the line.

Riley was a right tackle at New Orleans but is getting a chance to play the ever-important left tackle spot, too.

And now there is the drama and intrigue of L.J. Shelton, another potential left tackle. Shelton is a good player, a former first-round pick with experience on the left side and someone who could be the answer.

But there are a few ifs that come with Shelton. If the Texans can sign him. Shelton is in town now, but the Bears and Chiefs, among other teams, are in the mix.

If Shelton isn't carrying baggage. He once started 77 of 82 games for the Cardinals and was a legitimate contributor but was released by coach Dennis Green. Those things happen for a reason.

If Shelton is healthy. He did not finish the 2004 season because of a knee injury.

Right now, only one thing seems certain. Nothing the Texans have tried at the vital left tackle spot has worked thus far. No one has distinguished himself.

If you ask coach Dom Capers if he has any idea who would start at left tackle if the season began today, he probably would not be able to say.

It is the most important position on the offense outside of quarterback and the one that could keep this team from reaching higher this season, regardless of contributions from elsewhere.

The 49 sacks the Texans allowed last season might not be as humiliating a number as the 76 allowed in the inaugural season of 2002. But it's still pitiful.

Anything similar in 2005, and quarterback David Carr will wake up every Monday morning feeling like a bloody pulp. The offense will have to be adjusted and cut down to simpler, shorter plays in order to cover for the line's shortcomings.

And significant movement toward the playoffs will be put on hold.

Without the line offering more protection and more options for offensive coordinator Chris Palmer, this team will be average at best and hardly better than it was while going 7-9 in 2004.

Coaches can ring all the horns they want during coaching sessions, trying to get Carr used to releasing the ball more quickly. It won't matter.

Nor, when it comes to making the playoffs, will improvement along the defensive line, in the secondary or in the running game.

All of those things could give the Texans a lift. But this becomes a playoff club only if Carr can stand upright in the pocket for more than two seconds and stretch the field with long balls.

Right now, that prospect is looking shaky.

The Texans have tried everything but taking out a classified ad.

Help Wanted: Big, burly, mean guy to protect David Carr's backside. Experience preferred. Must be able to pass-protect. Nimble feet a plus.

Anyone? ... Anyone?

Training camp hasn't even begun, but feel free to worry about Carr's having to take more beatings in 2005. The Texans certainly are.

john.lopez@chron.com