The Houston Texans play the role the NY Knicks took on when Michael Jordan dominated the 1990s NBA, as they will have to take a backseat to the Indianapolis Colts while Peyton Manning is in the league’s AFC Conference.
This team probably has the most talented superstars at key positions that no one knows about except their opponents and NFL pundits. For starters, the Texans have arguably the most dominant receiver in the NFL in Andre Johnson. Johnson has been putting up big numbers since he was in the NFL, but due to the Texans’ lack of success, he hasn’t gotten the notoriety he deserves, except from NFL pundits. Johnson led the NFL in receptions two years in a row with 115 receptions for 1,575 in 2008 and 101 receptions for 1,569 last year, becoming the only player in NFL history with at least 10 receptions in 7 games.
Houston, Texas quarterback Matt Shaub also flew under the radar and took a backseat to Peyton Manning as he alone led the league in passing last year with a 98.6 QB rating while passing for 4770 yards with a average of 298.1 per game. Johnson and Shaub are the reason the Texans had the best passing offense in the league and with the signing of their No. 2 receiver Kevin Walter and a healthy tight end in Owen Daniels, Texas should improve their offense even more this season.
The area in which the Texans struggle is on the defensive side of the ball, where they allowed an average of 342.9 yards per game while ranking 20th in the league on 3rd down. This defense only produced 14 interceptions and 30 sacks last year, but a healthy Mario Williams who suffered a shoulder injury last season should help them in that category. Texas will also need to improve their running game which ranked 30th in the league last season, but if Steve Slaton can stay healthy and Ben Tate, who was drafted in the second round, lives up to expectations, you can expect them to improve in that season. area. also.
This team has been on the cusp of the playoffs in recent years, but lacked big defensive plays to get over the hurdle. If the Texans can improve in this area, they will be a dangerous team this year since they can score on anyone. The Texans are one of our top NFL picks in the AFC South this year, just behind the Indianapolis Colts, and if they can rest and stay healthy, this team has the talent to make the playoffs in the 2010-11 season.