Houston Texans:             

2013 RECORD: 2-14  

2012 RECORD: 12-4   

2011 RECORD: 10-6  

2010 RECORD: 6-10   

TEAM OVERVIEW: Wow!  Houston was the trendy pick to reach the Super Bowl in August, but even a VERY lucky 2-0 start could not prevent a massive collapse.  Last year I posed the question, “How far could QB Schaub take them?”  We all now know the answer.  RB Foster’s injury hurt, but the turnover ratio was -22 thanks to QB issues and a defense which intercepted just seven passes.  There were plenty of close losses, many due to the inability to hold leads and/or a massive number of pick-six turnovers.  Even J.J. Watt and the pass pressure declined, from 44 down to just 32 sacks.  Gary Kubiak and Wade Phillips are gone, replaced by Bill O’Brian and DC Romeo Crennel.  There’s often a thin line between winning and losing in the NFL.  Houston does not have to do that much to become a major player in the weaker AFC, so this draft is much anticipated. 

KEY STATS: Our concern with these Texans was that they entered ’13 with a double whammy.  The +12 turnover ratio worked in their disfavor, and coupled with a – point ratio means they had to get better just to repeat what they did in ’12!  The Texans dropped to a -20 turnover ratio and had inconsistencies on both sides of the ball.  Offensively, there were too many interceptions returned for TD’s, leading to a -6 defensive TD ratio.  The run O was mostly without Foster and was average.  The point O was poor at 276 (31st).  Defensively, they were 7th in total yards but gave up big plays, including 29 pass TD’s.  The run D was a bit high at 4.3-122.  These are not #’s normally associated with a 2-14 team but QB play and the big plays allowed on D really hurt.  Another problem was special teams.  The PK was just 26-35.  The kick return D was 28th at 25.7 and the punt return D was 28th at 12.3.  Spread-wise, Houston is 7-12 as a road favorite and 12-23 on turf.  They can’t win at Indy (0-12). 

2013 DRAFT REVIEW: Andre Johnson stated publicly that he hoped Houston would add a solid WR.  In my 5th year of asking for an upgrade, Houston made WR Johnson quite happy with a fantastic person-team fit in Hopkins.  His rating moved up thanks to that.  His 52-2 ledger was a nice debut.  The focus after that was relatively good, with Swearinger much needed and many others highly ranked.  Unfortunately, the Texans gave up a bit early on my 11th ranked DT Chris Jones.  He is currently with New England where he did not sit!  See his stats below!  I wrote last year that “DE Montgomery does not change directions well and unfortunately lacks pass rushing technique.  He’s currently in Oakland’s camp.  I wanted them to double dip at WR, but better talent was available at pick 195.  NOTE: Houston added RB’s Graham (*), D Johnson (NR, but), and Wood (*) after the draft.  All three made the team with the short and very fast Johnson running a bit and averaging 25.2 on eight kickoff returns.

1-27, WR Hopkins: Top peripheral vision, precise in patterns, consistent, with 2nd gear.  Gets off line well.

2-57, S  Swearinger: Big hitter likes to play close to line.  Versatile, with average speed.  71 rookie tackles.

3-89, OT  B Williams: RT with a medical issue, he has some flaws (hand usage, stops feet).  Sat in ’13.

4-95, DE Montgomery: Not endorsed by LSU staffWeight and then drug issues got him cut.

4-124, LB  T Williams: Fast and LB strong, but would be undersized covering TE’s.  30.5 NCAA sacks. Sat.

5-176, OT  Quessenberry: Versatile OL has the feet  but we said he must add some weight/strength.  Broke foot.

6-195, WR Bonner: Short-armed WR with average measurables but can be a return guy!  Did not play.

6-198, DT  C Jones: MAC defensive POY relentless and can play run.  54-6 sacks with well-stocked NE!

6-201, TE  Griffin: Not a natural pass catcher.  Still, 19 rookie catches (Daniels injured) was a surprise.

2012 DRAFT REVISITED: Houston made a big mistake trading back from #58.  WR Randle was the correct choice.  WR Posey was selected at #68 and did have 25 catches in ‘13.  OL Brooks made huge strides in ’13 and could start permanently in ’14,  OC Jones had 10 starts at RG in ’12 but shifted around in ’13, starting just one game.  WR Martin adds to the rotation with 22 catches, plus he had solid kick return #’s along with average punt return #’s.  DE Crick has 42 tackles in two seasons.  PK Bullock was 26-35, including 12-17 from 40-49 and 1-5 from 50+.  He needs to be better.  OT Mondek was the only roster cut.

TOP STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS PRIOR TO THE DRAFT: Which strength to pick, the run game, the sack pressure or the pass D%.  Sacks went down in ’13 so we’ll stick with the pass D%, just like in ’13 when the question was originally asked.  Little QB confidence produced negative QB results.  This area needs a complete rebuild.

FREE AGENCY ANALYSIS AND STAFF NOTES: Houston seemed more in “purge the roster” mode under their new coach as opposed to striking early in free agency until they signed average DL Jerrell Powe, decent safety Chris Clemons and rotational DB Kendrick Lewis.  Losses include RB Tate, TE Daniels, DL Earl Mitchell, Antonio Smith and Terrell McClain, and four LB’s including Darryl Sharpton and Joe Mays.  CB Daniel Manning was recently cut.  Once QB Fitzgerald was signed Matt Schaub was traded to Oakland.  One source has stated that in Defensive Coordinator Crennel’s long career in the NFL (19 seasons) not a single DE has had a double digit sack season.  Can that change with J.J. Watt on this team?  Head Coach O’Brien hired Mike Vrabel as the new LB coach. 

2014 DRAFT NEEDS: QB, 2 DL, 2 LB’s, TE, OL, CB and DB depth, RB.  QB is obvious.  J.J. Watt is lonely along the DL.  The Texans have needed a DT/NT with size for a long time, and now need multiple bodies.  Joe Mays and Darryl Sharpton overachieved at ILB.  Both are gone, and Brian Cushing will be off yet another serious injury!  TE Graham was decent but another player needs to be added.  The new regime may scrap the zone blocking scheme, meaning new OL must be added.  Will CB Joseph return?  The other CB’s are Kareem Jackson and Brice McCain.  RB Foster may return healthy but other than the untested Ray Graham and the smaller Dennis Johnson there’s not much else available.