AFC South
Houston Texans - BYE week status
By Thomas Cool
Oct 10, 2006, 11:38

The Texans, or perhaps better stated their fans, went into this season with measured expectations; hoping for a 5 to 7 win season.

At this point in the season the Texans are 1-3 having lost to Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Washington. They defeated Miami in their last game. One could argue that their record reflects where they should be at this stage-they played two powerhouse teams (Philly and Indy) and another that was very hot on that day (Washington). They defeated a team (Miami) that they should have defeated. So what's in store from here on out?

The offense, at least the passing game, has been better than expected. Sure, QB David Carr still gets sacked too many times and he loses too many fumbles. But, his decision making has improved, that we can attribute partially to new HC Gary Kubiak's influence. Having WR Eric Moulds opposite WR Johnson has been a big impact too. Unfortunately, the running game has not performed up to expectations. Training camp sensation Wali Lundy has dropped from starter in Week 1 to third string in week 4. Ron Dayne has been the starter the past two weeks, and newcomer Samkon Gado has been getting acclimated to the system. Dayne does not hit the hole quickly and does not have the speed to break big gainers. Look for Gado to claim the starting spot within 2-3 weeks. The OL has had its share of problems and needs to shore up its act. TE Owen Daniels is now the starter, Bennie Joppru was released yesterday!

On defense, the DL has had trouble sacking the QB. Against a woeful Dolphins OL they finally rang up multiple sacks. In fact DE Mario Williams managed his first sack and half of his career. These guys don't get consistent pressure on the QB. The LB corps of Greenwood-Ryans-Orr has played well, at least the first two guys anyway. Ryans looks like the MLB on this team for long time. But, he is a rookie and will shortly come up against the rookie wall, so don't be surprised if his production tails off! The defensive backfield has been a big disappointment, their overall play has been bad at times. CB Dante Robinson is the best of these defensive backs, the others, especially the safeties have been out of position more than they should be. The return of CB D Faggins in a couple of weeks will help immensely.

The remaining schedule includes two games against the Titans, one against the Raiders, two against Jacksonville. The Texans always play Jacksonville tough. They should get at least 3 wins from those 5 games. So they have a good shot at 5-6 wins realistically. That might be just enough wins to push them out of the RB Adrian Peterson sweepstakes in next year's NFL Draft.....

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